Exhibited at TOTO Gallery London
Japanese Junction London: “KAISHAKU” 4th Oct. - 2nd Nov. 2018
http://www.japanesejunctioninlondon.co.uk
Exhibition photos by Japanese Junction - Razvan Andrei and Emi Sano
CONCEPT
New ritual for digital age
While spending time in the Lake District for holiday this summer, I noticed how strongly we are all dependent on our digital devices. Whilst most people like myself are there to enjoy time away from the hectic city life; at the same time, we are also unconsciously strolling around in search of network and reception. This goes to show how digital life has slowly become an addiction. We are living in an age where one wants to find moments to disconnect, yet not completely disconnected. In search for this balance to our well-being, I decide to design a digital detox spa, which is inspired by elements from a Japanese Onsen.
The digital detox spa is situated in the English countryside, surrounded by crop fields and a lake. The spaces are mixed between digital and analogue- which means spaces with or without reception. Some rooms contain both zones, so two people in the same room can choose between being in or out of connection. The digital detox spa is a destination retreat for one to reset their balance to digital life.
DIGITAL x ANALOGUE
Inspired by the procession of a Japanese Onsen, guests follow the sequence to merge into the experience. As they go through the ‘noren’- hanging fabrics, guest go under the hanging wall. As the changing rooms to take off all their clothes, digital divice lockers allow ones to be fully disconnected. For choices of baths, one can search the area that suits to their digital mood. The shape of the architecture integrates outdoors and indoors as well as the analogue and digital.
DESIGN PROCESS
In designing the spaces for balancing digital and analogue experiences, I experimented with mixing digital and analogue methods as a process for designing the architecture. I used hand sketches as an input to generate shapes by parametric computation. Then I evaluated those shapes as rooms of architecture, and added functions to each of them. In this way, the shapes are generated by computer but still retain the organic fluctuation of a hand sketch.
RESEARCH
ANALYSIS of JAPANESE RITUAL
Digital Age Wabi-Sabi
‘Wabi-sabi’ is a distinctive Japanese idea which celebrates the beauty and appreciation of imperfection. ‘Wabi’ refers to the inclusive attitude of embracing imperfection as beauty, a celebration of accidental or unexpected moments. ‘Sabi’, refers to the beauty of age, appreciating stains, dirt and patina that’s present through time. This concept is more widely associated with the Zen philosophy that happiness comes from celebrating all aspects of life, denoting a practice of embracing life as it happens and staying connected to the real world. This unique view of life has led us to think about our current age with technologies. Inevitable,
most people are now connected everywhere and anytime. Have efficiency and speed incidentally become our barometer to happiness? Is it irrational for us to treat analogue as a luxury, or to crave being disconnected to all things?
Our view on this is not to reject either digital or analogue, but to find a balance. We define this as our search for ‘digital wabi-sabi’. We would like to propose solutions where one can fully appreciate the activity itself through brief moments of disconnections. We would like to stay connected; but not distracted from the digital, thereby defining a ‘wabi-sabi’ way of life in the 21st century.
Space analysis - Japanese SPA ‘ONSEN’ 温泉
* Graphic by Ryo Tada
Space analysis - JapanEse TEAROOM 茶室
* Graphic by Helen Chong
Japanese rituals
As reference for our proposal, we investigated two of the most notable Japanese rituals and its architecture; an Onsen (Japanese hot-spring) and a Japanese tea room, both of which are known for the practice of strict ‘etiquettes’. By deducing the main concepts of the two rituals, we envision the application on a modern setting, an attempt to find out how the analogue can best co-exist with the digital.
When analysing Japanese rituals, we try to understand it by extracting the procession of its architectural journey and identifying the significance of elements which defines the ritual. ‘Onsen’ for example is a destination for leisure and
relaxation. The rituals itself is a prescribed set of procedures of how one can achieve relaxation, by following essential steps leading onto a hot spring. Key elements of it includes the journey of preparation, the winding path to the hot spring, the surrounding views and the ‘Kaisekryori’ meal that follows. The other ritual is the teahouse, which performs the process of making tea with supreme precision. The layout of the space is designed around the ceremony to emphasize the importance of each process of making tea. Key elements include the journey, the cleansing, the art, size of the room, orientation and the manners of the guests.