Physical and ephemeral gestures in Japanese interior and their embodied potential to create a dialogue with nature

Abstract

In order to search for a sustainable design that cares for a harmonious coexisting, the essay wanders through traditional Japanese space where an interior world opens up, that is able to shift our mindset to the essential of being, our focus away from a human-centred view towards a dialogue with nature. In the interior numerous clues bear a constant reminder of the natural world and confront us with gestures that carry a kindness and gentleness towards the environment. Space and its perception is here defined by the acknowledgement, that humans are part of the natural world, not superior. Can the way we are seated or the stone on a shelf embody a power to think about our environment differently? Can the floor transcend our knowledge of what we believe lies beneath our bare feet? This essay explores these gestures not only regarding a mere physical character but outlines the transcendental and intangible, narrations that transcend time and knowledge with the potential to reposition the monologue of the human towards a dialogue with nature. It looks at them as potential of “Dasein,” as motor for change—to overcome the standing dichotomy between the natural world and the human.