Session 3 - June 21

[stubing]

Join us for the discussion session on Tuesday, 6/21 at 4pm PT:
https://usc.zoom.us/j/97179452925?pwd=SWxqSmVkWDBpWXA5K0dhamFMUkRZdz09

Aesthetics and Symbols - From Yin-Yang to Wabi-Sabi

 

 

Required reading

• A View from the Zen Shoin, by Vinayak Bharne

 

The Architecture of the Dwelling - From the Chinese Courtyard House to the Japanese Machiya

 

 

Required reading

•  “Feng-Shui” Models Structured Traditional Beijing Courtyard Houses, by Ping Xu

 

Attachments:

You must be logged in to view attached files.

[Nia Gipson]

I was struck by how nature was used and incorporated into the living structures in this week's lectures. Both Zen and Fenu Shui both have an appreciation, respect for, and accommodation for the natural world. The Zen home is oriented toward natural views that can be framed by the walls of the structure so that looking at nature is as if you are looking at a painting. The movable walls allow for the unification of outdoor space and living space. In the Chinese tradition of Fen Shui, the walls of the courtyard house symbolically mimic the safety of a mountainous alcove where the wall of the compound protects the family. The courtyard becomes a natural space within the compound where the family could gather. While there was a little discussion in A View from the Zen Shoin, by professor Bharne, about how these traditional views and relationships to nature have been impacted by the development of large cityscapes, I am still curious about how are these traditions adapting to urban living.

[Amy Stamm]

I could almost feel in my body the different paces, emotions, and states of mind that different types of spaces were designed to evoke, like the Zen spaces that create an “abridged nature almost to the point of abstraction,” like a painting seeking to “imitate the inner essence of nature, not its outward form. As Bharne writes, these Zen architectural ideas create a visual dissociation from the surroundings to bring about an interior revolution, “alternative interpretations of reality, alternative engagements with the physical world, and alternative prisms to assess our own states of mind” (p. 58).

Professor Bharne presented interesting examples of the cross-fertilization between inhabitants of palaces and the commoners who picked up aspects of palace design, for example, common dwellings make their homes little palaces by lending them certain details that mimic those of the palace.

I also found the discussion about the different types of interfaces between private and public interesting – how in suburban U.S. neighborhoods the lawn opens to the street, whereas in Chinese neighborhoods, a wall separates the street from a home’s interior, which contains courtyards inside of it. And those courtyards open the interior spaces of the home to the sky. At the same time, ideas of interiority within Confucianism make interior thought an emblem of space.

The flexibility of the machiya dwellings, with their changeable membrane to the street, creating rhythms of activity that become the signature of the Japanese town made me think of new types of mixed use buildings that emphasize different types of interactions with the space of one building or one street block.

Questions:

Ping Xu discusses the strict gendered and class hierarchies that organize feng-shui principles, and in your reference to the shoin at the Hosen-in at the Sanzen-in Temple, you discuss the visual organization of natural scenes to highlight the contrast between masculinity and femininity: one view of a pine tree “suggesting qualities of masculinity and strength” and another of a grove of bamboo “suggesting qualities of femininity and grace” (p. 73). Are there examples of different qualities being gendered differently in any Buddhist spaces that you know of, for example, strength being associated with femininity? Where and how have architecture and design movements reflected changing notions of gender and sexuality, and how have these notions defined spaces in new ways? What examples of a queering of spaces have you seen in Asian design?

Professor Bharne writes about how Zen teaches us another comprehension of time and space, that time “can exist in many simultaneous dimensions” and “can be seen as separate fragments of a larger reality,” none of which tell the complete truth. Could you explain these concepts of time a bit more – how time moves and what it means if it exists in simultaneous dimensions or fragments?

 

[Candace Slobodnik]

Good Afternoon colleagues,

For the pre-June 21 lecture discussion post, my focus is on the following two quotes from the Aesthetics and Symbols video and A View from the Zen Shoin reading.  There are so many ideas that interested me in this week's lectures and readings, that I did find it difficult to flush out a focus point that might also become part of our faculty collaborative lesson planning in the fall. As I read and listen, I continue to think about context, culture and climate in Japan and how our students might connect to the topics in their career program classes.  At this moment, I do not have a specific question and am looking forward to the lecture and discussions. 

The first quote is from Aesthetics and Symbols video lecture 28.09 “It is really about enhancing the natural qualities that nature gives to you which makes Japan very unique from other cultures."   If we use a culturally responsive approach to teaching students, teachers might use visual thinking to make connections to students’ lives, thus enabling them to create lessons that are culturally relevant to students from diverse backgrounds.  I think students in different content areas will benefit from tracing the evolution of aesthetics of building design including indoor and outdoor spaces with their teachers.  Although Japan has adopted a modern approach to design, in many instances they have retained and adapted some of the Zen traditions and models from 12th c Japan to the present.  Each one of our students has a special quality that can be developed despite the trauma they face.   Students can connect with the quote as part of an SEL activity where they discuss their own unique superpowers, and the difference between accepting differences and collaborating with peers to design products while sometimes rejecting peer pressure.  

This leads into my second quote from A View from the Zen Shoin.pdf: “What is significant however is the effort in these gardens to not outright obliterate or negate history, but seek conceptual and aesthetic threads that “keep alive the memory of a tradition–however thin or forced they may appear to be.” (p. 79).   Many of our students have complete breaks from their own family’s history, such as migrating from the southern United States or from Central America.  Schools develop their own traditions and culture that evolve as well.  By modeling the traditions of ancient cultures such as Japan or Aztec, including buildings, landscapes, agricultural uses and people, students might engage in learning and rise above some of the trauma and stress they face outside of school.   

There is so much to learn from this 3rd lecture series, and I look forward to our synchronous discussion on Tuesday.  

 

[Candace Slobodnik]

Hi Niya, 

I was also thinking about the natural world, and wonder about students who spend so much time on social media, Zoom meetings and using their devices in a 1:1 school.  As a child I had so many opportunities to connect with nature and to wonder about the flora and fauna.  For our students who live in multi-family dwellings and either not have access to or or take advantage of outdoor spaces, how this impacts their creativity and indvidualism.  

If we use some of the ideas from the lecture and readings, can adapting materials and creating aesthetically designed spaces help to alleviate some of the negative aspects of population growth and climate change?  Can communities, including schools, assist families with modest incomes and cramped living conditions to find ways to modify the indoor and outdoor spaces?  If we design buildings and parks to be more aesthetically appealing, can we also find ways to create more peace and well-being among our youth? 

[Taylor Bub]

I found Professor Bharne's descriptions from the first video so interesting.  I loved the balance that can be found in the architecture of the different buildings to be particularly fascinating.  At my school we have an architecture program, and I think that it would be cool to have students explore and compare the differences between the architectural aesthetics of these ancient structures, compared to more eurocentric structures.  Students would be able to identify the value that many East Asian cultures place on nature and demonstrate how this is dipicted in the artchitecture of these cultures.

[Taylor Bub]

I also found the comparison of Yin and Yang to be particularly interesting.  In science we teach students "cross cutting concepts" which are a set of sort of standards that go across different courses.  One of these is structure and function.  We focus a lot on this specific concept, especially in physiology where students have to determine and explain how the structure of something is related to its function, because they are almost always related.  I never made the connection that yin and yang also correlates to structure and function.  I think it would be helpful for students to relate the two to one another in class, as they are all familiar with at least the symbol, and by using something they are familiar with to explain this standard I think students would definitely benefit.

[Joanna Bourque]

I had a similar thought about traditional Zen shoin garden designs as they are now engaging with modern cityscapes, especially those utilizing borrowed scenery from the natural environment beyond their boundaries. There was a passage from A View from the Zen Shoin about post-WWII Japanese garden design and the "dualism between man and nature" that had not been seen before. Although some characteristics of traditional garden design were still practiced, the purpose and intention were replaced: appreciating nature gave way to appreciating the intent of the artist, and private areas for self-meditation gave way to public spaces for public use.

Although modern Japan maintains a distinct connection to its past, as modern buildings are being erected that can potentially obliterate the intentional design and function of traditional Zen gardens, I am curious as to whether it is a concern for a modern Japanese population.

[Joanna Bourque]

I have noticed from the readings and lectures this week that the architectural design of different dwellings may have had an impact on the frequency and quality of social interaction in China. As we have seen, Chinese cities were not constructed with spaces intended for public/social use. Some types of dwellings, however, provided functional public/social space in either their design or their location. For example, the tufou was a multi-family fortress-type dwelling with an open-air central space to be used by residents, and the qilou was a multi-family residence with street-level shops where the street and storefronts could be used as gathering places at night.  

Courtyard houses, on the other hand, were large private dwellings with enclosed residences and their central open-air spaces were available to only those living within its walls. I would like to know if this limited the frequency and/or quality of social interaction as there were not many public spaces beyond its walls that were used for social activities.

Last year, I developed a lesson on architecture for fourth graders that involved creating a built community that included necessary structures and services: homes, schools, gas station, police station, etc. None of my students (nor I) mentioned public, social, or open air spaces during our brainstorming session nor subsequent building sessions. For next year, I want students to be thinking more about the importance of these types of spaces in a community and the importance of where these spaces are situated. 

[Mark Levine]

Ping Xu writes, "The characteristics reflected in the Beijing courtyard dwelling may still be found in many Chinese people today: a cold outside with a warm inside, a modest surface with a proud interior; a manner that is reserved with strangers, but unrestrained, in style and content, with friends and family; and a speech that takes a meandering path.  It is difficult to say whether Chinese courtyard dwellings instilled these cultural values, or whether Chinese culture formed the characteristics of Chinese courtyard houses."   Although this statement is a bit reductive and may promote cultural stereotypes, it shows the strong influence that our built environments have on our personalities and values.

My question:  If I am not mistaken, the intricate, grid-like hutong (alleys) and the courtyard homes nestled among them were first built during the Khitan-ruled Liao and Mongol-ruled Yuan dynasties (12th- 14th centuries).  The word "hutong" derives from the Mongol word for "well".   In addition, these hutong (alley) neighborhoods were occupied by the ruling Manchus during the Qing dyansty (1644-1911).  So I wonder if the architecture and aesthetics of the vernacular courtyard style houses (siheyuan) were influenced at all by these foreign groups?  I know this may be more of a question for a Chinese historian, but just was wondering if Prof. Bharne has any thoughts about this.

[Mark Levine]

While there were not many parks or other places that we associate with public meeting spaces in traditional China, most Chinese cities and towns had flourishing markets where the merchant and official classes would meet, and interact.  This started as early as the Song dynasty (10th century), and the long scroll "Qing-Ming festival" that Prof. Bharne discusses in the video lecture depicts the lively market culture.  Teashops and theatre-houses  were also important places that people would meet; of course, mostly men.   

[Marcos Garrido]

Aesthetics and Symbols - From Yin-Yang to Wabi-Sabi

Shoin is a type of audience hall in Japanese architecture that was developed during the Muromachi period. The term originally meant a study and a place for lectures on the sūtra within a temple, but later it came to mean just a drawing room or study. Now, Zen a school of Buddhism that originated in China, was welcomed by the shogun and samurai alike in Japan. I like how this article touches on the diversity and origins of architecture, and how these are tightly connected to different regions and cultures in the world. In the case of Buddhism, I like how it has Indian or Central Asian roots, and it spreads across East Asia (China), and eventually Japan. I'm personally thinking of the Age of Discovery in the Americas, and the spread of Christianity and how it was adopted uniquely in each region of the new world. I’m making connections to the first lecture, and how people build with the materials available to them, and create a unique “hybrid”, a complete new design or product.

[Taylor Bub]

In class we discussed how in architectural designs in East Asia, by having no walls or large openings will allow for the size of the room to be extended into nature.  It struck me when professor Bharne discussed how many students in East Asia previously would spend most of their day walking through the forest to small cabins where they would be taught.  It makes me interested in finding ways to bring my students outside to find areas where we can be in nature during their school day.  Currently our school is under major construction, so in terms of green areas or areas in nature we are very limited.  One teacher at our school has started a commnity garden that is wonderful for students to spend time in, and this might be a place where students could be brought to be in nature instead of inside of the classroom.  I also have thought of ways to bring plants into the classroom that might allow for students to learn about concepts (things like photosynthesis, etc.) but also to learn about the importance of nature.

[Taylor Bub]

One thing that also struck me during our in class discussion today came from the idea that Alisa pointed out in the chat that because so many workplaces are allowing for people to work remotely, it is opening up new potential for what might be built there.  I wonder if it would be possible for these spaces to be repurposed into green spaces.  I thought of a park that is open in New York called the High Line Park.  This park used to be train tracks and since they were not being used, the space was converted into a 2.4 km long green space.  It would be interesting for students to explore how we might transform abandoned buildings or empty spaces into more green areas; particularly utilizing native plants that are not invasive to the areas.  I've linked the website below for everyone to check out.

 

https://www.zinco.ca/articles/the-high-line-park-in-new-york-the-longest-green-roof-in-the-world

[Madelyn Masterson]

Hi Niya, 

Urban living definitely has a focus of open spaces within the home to encourage interaction with individuals. Also, I feel it may be difficult to adopt the Zen home concept in urban cities where streets, cars, and sky rise buildings are the prominent forms of view. For someone living in a big city, they are more likely to open their window to traffic when they want to "let nature in". This is why I try my best to bring in plants to my classroom and my apartment. I try to invite nature in other ways. The Zen home is definitely fascinating and an opportunity to find ways to respect and balance home and nature.

[Author]

Posts