The Tao of Luxury
Everyone recognizes the Yin and Yang symbol, but fewer people have considered its implications. The symbol illustrates the belief that the world can be viewed as an expression of two fundamental principles. The white parts represent the Yang principle — the positive, active, male force of being in the world. The black parts represent Yin, the negative, passive, female force of non-being in the world. Ancient Chinese philosophy, condensed over centuries into Taoism, asserts that these two principles are of equal importance. Modern people tend to focus on the Yang, concentrating on active forces and looking at what IS rather than focusing on what IS NOT. Here are Rascal, we believe those ancient Chinese philosophers were onto something. The essence of luxury reflects the value of both of these principles. A true connoisseur of luxury values what IS NOT as much as what IS. Puzzled? Please let us explain.
Yin and Yang — Non-Being and Being
Yin is listed first in the duality. Perhaps this is because of the widespread human conception that everything had to start somewhere. Many cultures embrace the idea that before there was something, there must have been nothing. The classic text of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching, tells us that non-being, the Yin principle, is the origin of all usefulness. What does this mean? For a practical example, considered the humble stew pot. Without the non-being inside the pot, you would just have a big blob of metal. The void in the pot where you can put ingredients makes the pot useful.
Principles of Luxury — Yin as Scarcity
Perhaps the most obvious way that the Yin of non-being expresses itself in luxury is through the concept of scarcity. Part of the perceived value of luxury items arises from the way that in which they “are not.” A Rolex Deep Sea Challenge is priceless because so few of them exist. Rolex only made five of these incredible watches. They could make hundreds or thousands more. Similarly, fine arts printmakers and photographers could reproduce their works many times, but often choose to make a limited run, with numbered copies. An object that is unique, or created in a series of only five, is valued more than an object that has been reproduced in great numbers for a mass market. Hence, in a sense, it is the non-being of the non-existent copies that gives the few copies that exist their special value.
The Luxury of Non Being — A Watch You Can’t See
Upstart Swiss watchmaker MCT, artist Anish Kapoor, and Surrey Nanotech Systems joined forces to create an amazing watch that whimsically invokes the concept of non-being. The watch uses a high tech coating called Vantablack that reflects almost no light. When watch movements coated in Vantablack pass over the back of the casing, also coated in the super dark material, they completely disappear. There is nothing to look at, in the sense that almost no photons emerge from the inky blackness. Manifest as the the non-being of reflected light, the Yin principle of absence makes this watch a very special example of luxury.
Non-being also gives this watch its value as a luxury item in a more conventional sense in the form of scarcity. The watch is currently the only luxury good that offers an opportunity to witness the incredible effect of the coating. The exclusive license held by Anish Kapoor is a form of being that creates non-being. The non-existence of other licensed designers and the non-existence of other objects with the coating gives these watches a special value.
Yin As Luxury — Negative Space On The Plate
Nouvelle cuisine presentation is a special expression of the value of non-being as a cornerstone of luxury. Everyone can appreciate a fine rustic restaurant in Tuscany with plates heaped with food reaching to the edges — a delicious and ample feast of undeniably robust “Is-ness.
In contrast, nouvelle cuisine invites us to contemplate and enjoy the luxury of empty space. Chefs choose color palates carefully and use the negative space on the plate to emphasize the colors and shapes of their beautiful creations. It is the Yin of nothing, the emptiness that surrounds the assertive shapes and colors of the presented food makes them really “pop” visually, emphasizing the chef’s artistic preparation to delight the eyes.
The Luxury Of Non-Being — “Far From The Madding Crowds”
Consider if you will: two ways to experience luxury travel in Indonesia. Jakarta offers five star hotels, world class dining, and luxury shopping. You could fly to the airport there, book a sumptuous hotel room, and hire a limo to explore the bustling city. You would definitely experience the Yang principle. Jakarta is full of activity and aspiration. Stimulation and opportunity for experience abound. But with thousands of islands, Indonesia is quite diverse, offering experiences complete different from the energy, and truly epic traffic, of the capital.
Imagine yourself in a finely appointed limo with a lovely snifter of cognac on the burlwood bar, the roar of horns in the dense traffic barely audible in your soundproof enclosure, surrounded by signs and lights and people, on your way to a throbbing nightclub with a famous DJ. Impeccable service, creative cocktails, the latest innovations in Electronic Dance Music, and your own seat in the VIP area await. Or perhaps a night at the opera with a private box. Sound good?
Rather than elbowing your way through the crowded capital, you could choose to explore some of the more remote islands. Now imagine yourself choosing an alternative vision of luxury. You are on the deck of a handbuilt wooden sailing yacht with seven of your closest friends and family. Sea breeze, salt in the air, a fiery trail of reflected light leading towards the sun as it dips toward the sea to set. All around you, a vast horizon beckons. A near infinite line between the sea and sky, perfect in its simplicity.
You are sailing through the remote eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago, dotted with just a few small islands. Tomorrow you will spend a few hours ashore on a white sand beach dividing a turquoise lagoon from the vibrant verdant green of the mountainous, almost uninhabited island. You and your companions will not see anyone on the beach, nor on the pristine reef in the lagoon where you will snorkel, marveling at the teeming marine life.
The fine craftsmanship of the boat, the impeccable interior design accented by object d’art crafted by local artisans in traditional styles, the delicious food and the impeccable service of the concierge and crew, and the natural beauty of the islands and the sea are, and they are peerless. But it is also the things that are not that make a liveaboard trip such a profoundly luxurious experience. There are no cars. There are no city sounds. There are no other people for miles. The vast horizon is empty, emphasizing the mathematical perfection of that line that stretches forever in the distance. Here, you find absolute exclusivity, one of the core aspects of luxury.
The only people here are the people you choose to bring with you on your adventure. In this sense, it is what is not there, the non-being, that makes this experience so immensely valuable. Perhaps, if you choose your company well, even priceless.
Explore Luxury with Rascal
We have mentioned a few examples of the concept of non-being in luxury. You can read more about the non-being of the blackest black, Vantablack here, and we have also elaborated on the MCT watch made with Vantablack and the extremely rare Rolex Deep Sea Challenge watch here. In another article, we invite you to consider a handful of fine dining restaurants in Bali that could be contenders for a Michelin star. Join us as we continue on our conceptual journey through the world of luxury. You can follow our articles here on Medium if you have an account, or simply bookmark our Medium page or follow us on Facebook.
