Shizen (自然) Naturalness
Drawing inspiration from Zen philosophy and Wabi-Sabi:
Shizen (自然) Naturalness is made up of five pieces. Intentionally created to reconnect to stillness, to slow down and encourage moments of reflection. Taking on properties of meditation and transcending them into the design aesthetics. Meditation is one of the great tools to achieve calm, concentration and encourages states of great alert and creativity, hence a source of inspiration for design. Physical spaces are an inseparable reflection of mental states. Our awareness of what we surround ourselves with in our environments can highly impact our states of well-being.
Different colours have distinct effects that influence sensory, emotional and physical responses. The colours of this collection are chosen with intention to bring renewed energy.
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How many stories can you remember from childhood that depicts the contrast between the Darkness and the Light? We are conditioned as children to relate to Light as good or goodness, purity, and what is right; while the Dark or Darkness conjures up for us the possibility of badness or evil, fear, and what is wrong.
We are conditioned to believe in polarity; believe in separateness. We live in a world of duality, that is a fact, and the trap we’ve succumbed to is believing that the opposites within ourselves and the external world are just that, in opposition; that they are enemies.
What if we could create a new paradigm? A new paradigm wherein the opposites or dualities are not enemies, but one as the same; wherein the dark and evil villain is really just a different experience of the light and good hero/heroine. A story worth believing in; where we embrace all aspects of ourselves and the world we live in (the Light and the Dark), and stop fighting or resisting them.
If we could understand that they are different parts of the same experience, they are really one experience/one whole, and that each part is within both aspects of the experience and within ourselves. What if we could embrace the duality, neither fearing the dark nor praising the light, but understanding and experiencing both as one… how different would our experience be and how different would our world be?
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Titled: Jìng Zuò (靜坐) Quiet Sitting -
Literally speaking, the term Jìng zuò simply means 'sitting quietly', it can also be described as a form of spiritual self-cultivation that helps a person achieve a more fulfilling life.
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Titled: Yuè Hú (月壶) Moon -
‘And like the moon, we must go through phases of emptiness to feel full again’ ~ unknown According to traditional Chinese beliefs, the moon is a carrier of human emotions. It is associated with gentleness and brightness, expressing the beautiful yearnings of the Chinese. The round shape symbolises family reunion and togetherness. Moon Vessel signifies the importance of understanding and experiencing our emotions so we can express love.
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Titled: shū (姝) Womanlike | Beautiful -
It comforts our children, gives our partners a reassuring hug after a long day, and supports us in all that life presents us with - breath, spirit, body-connected. It’s the conduit for our soul that carries us through the years. To care for it is an honour and a privilege.
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Titled: Sei (世和气 ) Peace of mind -
Balancing the left and right side of the brain to give peace and harmony, helping with emotional and mental healing. The yin to accompany the yang. Forever complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.
Yin and yang (陰 ~ 陽) represent duality, or the idea that two opposite characteristics can actually exist in harmony and complement each other.
In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organised into the cycles of Yin and Yang and formed into objects and lives. Yin is the receptive and Yang the active principle, seen in all forms of change and difference such as the annual cycle (winter and summer), the landscape (north-facing shade and south-facing brightness), night and day, masculine and feminine, and sociopolitical history chaos and order.
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As all pieces are made completely by hand, no two pieces will be identical. There will also be subtle imperfections; these include variations in the materials as well as evidence of the making process. My work celebrates a slow and ecological creative process by connecting with the organic elements and working with natural materials. Every piece is one of a kind, handcrafted in my studio here in Amsterdam.