while i was reading a book with lectures and articles by wim crouwel ‘ways of thinking’ i thought about the absence of capitals in japanese writing. in the beginning of the 20th century in europe we had an interesting discussion about the use of lower case and capitals. designers wanted Lees verder
During the processing of the data, I gathered through the surveys, I was wandering how I could present this in an elegant way and with humility. Although the graphs look like hard facts, I wanted to make them soft and personal. One way was the use of washi (handmade paper). Lees verder
The flyers and posters which attract my attention most are those with a combination of computer made straight forward design (font types and photographs) and hand made drawings. Those images make a link between handcraft and modern culture. This way of working is also expressed in theatre and animation films. Lees verder
This is the cup from which I take tea everyday day. You can see clearly that’s handmade: the shape of the cup is irregular, the surface has little cracks (raku fired) and the painting is rustic. With our western values we should say it’s not a piece of beauty, with Lees verder
When people say “there’s no communication between parents and children”, this is an American way of thinking. In Japan we didn’t need spoken communication between parents and children. A glance at the face, a glance at the back and we understood enough. That was our way of thinking, and it Lees verder
One of my daily routines is taking my bike, opening the entrance door, taking out my bike and closing the door.
Sometimes the door is slightly open, but then I close it afterwards.No locks in my house, so no problem with lost or forgotten keys. This sliding door only a few Lees verder
Last month I described two teahouses, one by Terunobu Fujimori (30-10-2011) and the other by students of the art academy (31-10-2011), where you had to crawl through a low entrance door to get in. It felt rather uncomfortable and a bit like a joke. But lately I had a discussion Lees verder
In the survey that I did last weeks, I asked about the activities mostly related to the machiya. Ikebana (flower arrangement) and tea ceremony ended both on the first place. Zen meditation and calligraphy both on the second. I would have expected that far more people would have chosen for Lees verder
Sitting on a tatami mat and looking outside into the garden is one of the most beautiful ways to wash away daily frustration. It takes some time, but than you can experience all the senses to relax and enjoy the japanese tradition. – Overlook the garden though the bamboo blinds Lees verder
The size of a tatami mat (90 x180 cm) is not only an acre, but also the dimensions for the altitude of the space. This makes the space in the tatami room so elegant and simple. Roland Barthes wrote in his book L’Empire des signes: “This means the space without Lees verder