TEA FUTURES :
“Simplicity, a core concept in Japanese design comes from the tea ceremony”
Minimalistic, beauty in the simplicity, asymmetric and unconventional from western and middle eastern perspectives — ever wondered why Japanese design looks so different?
Well, if you want to learn the essence behind Japanese design, do not ask a designer but instead you should consult a tea master. Why? It is because most elements of Japanese aesthetic can be retraced to the tea ceremony philosophy.
I would like to take the Japanese global brand MUJI to explain the correlation. MUJI is a retail company specialized in everyday product. The company started as an antithesis to consumerism with the strong message that simple object used in everyday life could be as beautiful and essential as high end products.
One and maybe the most important treat of their design is its simplicity. MUJI started to become a global brand because of the simple design and the high functionality which is encapsulated within a well-thought aesthetic.
It goes the same with each element of the tea ceremony, from the tea room to the tea set and to even the way flowers are presented at the ceremony.
However, this simplicity does not only come from the pursue of function. It comes from an even deeper philosophy of “Mitate” of “The art of placing the imagination”. This is one of the core philosophy seen in the tea ceremony where the design of the space and its simplicity invite a galaxy of interpretation and imagination.
By changing the flowers and pottery, the experience of the tea changes
This is where the design of MUJI product become different from other minimalistic products seen ever else : the simplicity and emptiness invite the customers and users to rearrange and reinvent the function of each of the product.
Although MUJI sells products, they core value in design is in the customization of the experience, in the same way the tea ceremony is. This is what the Japanese designer Kenya Hara behind the branding of MUJI actually emphasizes.
Simplicity allows the customization of the experience in MUJI products, just the way each element seen in the tea ceremony can be customized to deliver a wide variety of meanings and experiences.
TEA FUTURES is delivered by the art collective “The TEA-ROOM” with the aim to rethink the 400 years old tradition, just as Sen-No-Rikyu did 400 years ago.
Text by Jun Kamei
