Dr. Edward T. Hall
The Hidden Dimension
Anchor Books 1969, 1990; Originally published: Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966
p.152-154
The Japanese Concept of Space Including the Ma
Differences between the West and Japan are not limited to moving around the point vs. coming to the point, or the stressing of lines as contrasted with intersections. The entire experience of space in the most essential respects is different from that of Western culture. When Westerners think and talk about space, they mean the distance between objects. In the West, we are taught to perceive and to react to the arrangements of objects and to think of space as "empty". The meaning of this becomes clear only when it is contrasted with the Japanese, who are trained to give meaning to spaces - to perceive the shape and arrangement of spaces; for this they have a word, ma. The ma, or interval, is a basic building block in all Japanese spatial experience. It is functional not only in flower arrangements but apparently is a hidden consideration in the layout of all other spaces. Japanese skill in the handling and arrangement of the ma is extraordinary and produces admiration and occasionally even awe in Europeans. Skill in handling spaces is epitomized in the fifteen century Zen monastery garden of Ryoanji outside the old capital of Kyoto. The garden itself comes as a surprise. Walking through the darkened, paneled main building one rounds a bend and is suddenly in the presence of a powerful creative force - fifteen rocks rising from a sea of crushed gravel. Viewing Ryoanji is an emotional experience. One is overcome by the order. serenity, and the discipline of extreme simplicity. Man and nature are somehow transformed and can be viewed as in harmony. There is also a philosophical message regarding man`s relation to nature. The grouping is such that no matter where one sits to contemplate the scene, one of the rocks that make up the garden is always hidden (perhaps another clue to the Japanese mind). They believe that memory and imagination should always participate in perceptions.
Part of the Japanese skill in creating gardens stems from the fact that in the perception of space the Japanese employ vision and all the other senses as well. Olfaction, shifts in temperature, humidity, light, shade, and color are worked together in such a way as to enhance the use of the whole body as a sensing organ. In contrast to the single point perspective of Renaissance and Baroque painters, the Japanese garden is designed to be enjoyed from many points of view. The designer makes the garden visitor stop here and there, perhaps to find his footing on a stone in the middle of a pool so that he looks up at precisely the right moment to catch a glimpse of unsuspected vista. The study of Japanese spaces illustrates their habit of leading the individual to a spot where he can discover something for himself.
The Arab patters which are described below have nothing to do with "leading" people anywhere. In the Arab world one is expected to connect widely separated points on his own, and very quickly too. For this reason the reader has to shift gears mentally when considering the Arabs.
.The Arab World. p.154-164
...sic...
do you remember why did ethnological and anthropological studies started anyway?
janez
----- Original Message ----- From: "brian carroll" <human@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "open discussion" <design-l.v2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 4:19 PM
Subject: Re: [design]
The Hidden Dimension
Anchor Books 1969, 1990; Originally published: Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966
p.152-154
The Japanese Concept of Space Including the Ma
Differences between the West and Japan are not limited to moving around the point vs. coming to the point, or the stressing of lines as contrasted with intersections. The entire experience of space in the most essential respects is different from that of Western culture. When Westerners think and talk about space, they mean the distance between objects. In the West, we are taught to perceive and to react to the arrangements of objects and to think of space as "empty". The meaning of this becomes clear only when it is contrasted with the Japanese, who are trained to give meaning to spaces - to perceive the shape and arrangement of spaces; for this they have a word, ma. The ma, or interval, is a basic building block in all Japanese spatial experience. It is functional not only in flower arrangements but apparently is a hidden consideration in the layout of all other spaces. Japanese skill in the handling and arrangement of the ma is extraordinary and produces admiration and occasionally even awe in Europeans. Skill in handling spaces is epitomized in the fifteen century Zen monastery garden of Ryoanji outside the old capital of Kyoto. The garden itself comes as a surprise. Walking through the darkened, paneled main building one rounds a bend and is suddenly in the presence of a powerful creative force - fifteen rocks rising from a sea of crushed gravel. Viewing Ryoanji is an emotional experience. One is overcome by the order. serenity, and the discipline of extreme simplicity. Man and nature are somehow transformed and can be viewed as in harmony. There is also a philosophical message regarding man`s relation to nature. The grouping is such that no matter where one sits to contemplate the scene, one of the rocks that make up the garden is always hidden (perhaps another clue to the Japanese mind). They believe that memory and imagination should always participate in perceptions.
Part of the Japanese skill in creating gardens stems from the fact that in the perception of space the Japanese employ vision and all the other senses as well. Olfaction, shifts in temperature, humidity, light, shade, and color are worked together in such a way as to enhance the use of the whole body as a sensing organ. In contrast to the single point perspective of Renaissance and Baroque painters, the Japanese garden is designed to be enjoyed from many points of view. The designer makes the garden visitor stop here and there, perhaps to find his footing on a stone in the middle of a pool so that he looks up at precisely the right moment to catch a glimpse of unsuspected vista. The study of Japanese spaces illustrates their habit of leading the individual to a spot where he can discover something for himself.
The Arab patters which are described below have nothing to do with "leading" people anywhere. In the Arab world one is expected to connect widely separated points on his own, and very quickly too. For this reason the reader has to shift gears mentally when considering the Arabs.
.The Arab World. p.154-164
...sic...
do you remember why did ethnological and anthropological studies started anyway?
janez
----- Original Message ----- From: "brian carroll" <human@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "open discussion" <design-l.v2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 4:19 PM
Subject: Re: [design]
meditation:
emptiness is form
form is emptiness
hi cheryl, i've wanted to respond to all the great ideas
you've been sharing, especially your way of communicating
them - it is vital, full of energy, insights, and poetics.
the above reminds me of a the work of edward t. hall who
writes/wrote about cultural differences in terms of design.
one of the anecdotes from one of his several books is the
idea of 'space' between eastern and western worldviews,
in that apparently space is considered empty in the latter
while in the former it is considered full. this was once
discussed in-depth for tens of posts sometime in the last
decade, i forget the timeline, though i think the word
'ma' has something to do with it (book is not handy to
reference to find out). in any case wondering if anyone
is familiar with the work of edward t. hall or the
concept of full space versus empty space... brian
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