5. Returning to the self in a search for universality・・・Self-expression that embraces others
So how should we go about searching for universal designs? We must first search for a method to use. Japanese aesthetic sensibilities incorporate the idea that since it is nature that is “correct,” by being humble before nature and refraining from tinkering with it whenever possible, it becomes possible to discover beautiful things that will satisfy many people. Put simply, it is best to leave things the way they are. This suggests one method for discovering the universal.
The implication here is that the “leave it the way it is” principle should be applied in modern product creation efforts. In Japanese thought, individuality was rejected from the start, and characteristic Japanese expression is what developed as this rejection remained in place. Noh actor and playwright Zeami (1363-1443) wrote “With secrets, the Flower exists” (hisureba hana). This points to the idea that it is the act of refraining from expression―in recognition of the importance of the subjectivity of the viewer (or reader)―that result in truly magnificent expression. This method is the same as the artist’s technique of “depicting” empty white space (ma) as a means of realizing a beauty in which the viewer can participate. By stimulating the imagination of the viewer/recipient, the artist is able to increase the depth of expression. Restrain expression in order to more completely express.
This is definitely not the same as not expressing anything at all, and it does not gainsay non-design or individuality. It encompasses an approach and method for enfolding the imagination of other people into the act of expression. The act of bringing other people into the act of expression certainly does not constitute a denial of individuality.
This method of expression has a long-standing history in Japan, and, as the above shows, it can lead to a discovery of universality without starting from a denial of individuality. People need to know that even if they express their own thoughts, those thoughts can never be communicated “as is” to other people. They need to know that regardless of whether one’s individuality is put to use or suppressed, it will not be accepted “as is” by other people. The wonderful aspect here is that once someone knows these things they can―as the Japanese have done―introduce a mechanism for bringing the imagination of the other person into play.
Essayist Shigehiko Toyama put it this way, “The reader will never read and understand a novel in the same way as the novelist intended when he wrote it. But this is not a sad thing. The reader can only read the novel in his own way using his own imagination. This should just be seen as the reader’s way of participating in the creation of the novel.”
Let us say, for example, that two lovers are gazing upon an exquisite sunset and are moved by its beauty. Even here, however, the two lovers do not share the exact same emotion. Each person’s emotional response to the sunset must spring from his and her life experience so the emotions that each feels are not the same. In the act of communication, the message cannot be transmitted “as is” like a physical object passed from hand to hand. In every case, the recipient of a message perceives it in her own way according to the dictates of her own heart and mind. Communication is inherently a discontinuous process.
This points up a logical contradiction in the whole concept of one person thinking about the universal. Your thoughts are only your own.
