Although we observe differences in color, size and form, it’s difficult to understand it’s meaning. This morning I visited the Imperial Palace. In a big waiting area that was divided by sliding doors, the stripes on the tatami mats differed in color. The guide told us that the room with Lees verder
During the two weeks I’m in Kyoto I try to figure out why there’s such a big gap between tradition and modernity in every aspect of life in Kyoto/Japan. Sometimes reading Alex Kerr (Lost Japan or Dog and Demons) helps me understanding this incredible lack of beauty of traditional crafts Lees verder
Through our eyes we can look and observe the world around us. Sometimes we use a painting, filmscreen or photo to focus on what we should see and avoid the noise around it. Three years ago I saw the work of Job Koelewijn at de Pont Tilburg. He put a Lees verder
Kenya Hara states in his ‘house vision’ that the form of the sliding doors are more determined by the body than by the space. It’s the mentality that lives in a space that allows one to engage with the world with beauty and modest dignity. How to open and close Lees verder
In the japanese house you have an alcove (tokonoma) where art pieces, flowers, a paper roll or other objects of art are arranged. I read that the most important person in a meeting is sitting most closely to the alcove with his back towards it. Than I realized that the Lees verder
The Katsura Imperial Villa was completed in 1615. Prince Toshihito and later his son prince Toshitada erected several constructions and an impressive garden. Through the ‘windows’ you have totally different views on the gardens. Not only related to the vegetation but alto to the time of the day and the Lees verder
I visited with Birgit (an architect working in Delft, who’s also invited by the KCCC) some Machiya. Now I start to recognize the structure and similarities in the houses: levels, mapping (everything according to the size of the tatami), materials, garden and ways of use (see map below with my Lees verder
I met some people from the organizing institutions and they told me that it would be difficult to find inhabitants willing to open their Machiya for me to show me their house, give an interview and to allow me taking photographs. It’s strange that although inside there’s nearly no privacy Lees verder