Favorite Finds — June 2021
Design and the life of wood, poems by Mary Oliver, a Chinese artist's pursuit in Japan
Welcome to Morning Pages, a newsletter sharing inspirations to help you cultivate creativity and fulfillment.
Hi friends,
Hope you’re well. I’m writing this newsletter to you with the sound of waves in the distance. I’m grateful that in many places in the US, it’s now safe to socialize without masks. While I miss hanging out with my friends back on the West Coast, the breezy summer here in coastal Maine is quite magical.
For every last issue of the month, I’ll share my favorite finds of the month and studio updates. Here are my June favorites.
1. Design and the Life of Wood
As designers, we are trained to appreciate materials and textures. When we think about purchasing wood, the first image is probably shopping from Home Depot. Timber industry is one of the largest industries in the world both in terms of the revenue it generates and the impact it has on the planet’s biosphere.
Now that I live in a state that is known for its spruce and pine trees, I’m developing a newfound respect for the origin and the lifetime of the wood. Recently, I discovered the work by Formafantasma, a research-based design studio investigating the ecological, historical, political, and social forces shaping the discipline of design today.
Their 2020 exhibition Cambio is an ongoing investigation into the governance of the timber industry. It focuses on the governance of the extraction of timber from forests. The survey connects science, conservation, engineering, and policy-making and calls into question the role that design can play in shaping a better and more sustainable future.
2. A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
A few months ago, my former design colleague and author Dan Saffer recommended Mary Oliver’s poems to me. I felt connected immediately and had a feeling that her work was inspired by the nature of New England. I was right.
In A Thousand Mornings, Mary Oliver returns to the imagery that has come to define her life’s work, transporting us to the marshland and coastline of her beloved home, Provincetown, Massachusetts. Her words teach me to cherish the beauty in the smallest of moments in our everyday existence.
The Gardener
Have I lived enough?
Have I loved enough?
Have I considered Right Action enough, have I come to any conclusion?
Have I experienced happiness with sufficient gratitude?
Have I endured loneliness with grace?I say this, or perhaps I’m just thinking it.
Actually, I probably think too much.Then I step out into the garden,
where the gardener, who is said to be a simple man,
is tending his children, the roses.
3. Lian Yang, Mineral Artist
Lian Yang/莲羊 (@lotulist) is a Chinese artist based in Tokyo. Having graduated from the best art school in China, she could've gotten a lucrative job at famous game companies. However, she gave up the comfortable life in Beijing and decided to come to Japan to study mineral art(岩彩).
Mineral art originated in China, reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty, and later on made to Japan and established itself as a unique genre in Japanese art. However, in China, mineral painting faded out of history as ink painting gained its popularity in Song Dynasty. Today, the best place to admire this historical art form in China would be the Mogao Caves, an oasis located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road in Gansu Province.
Since 2018, Lian Yang’s intricate mineral paintings have ignited a cultural movement of revitalizing the art form of mineral painting in China.
Looking beyond the artwork, what I admire in Lian Yang’s story is her patience and dedication. Before falling in love with mineral art, she spent five years experimenting with different mediums. She moved to Japan despite not speaking any Japanese. In this video interview (Chinese and Japanese subtitles only), she showed her painting studio in Tokyo and talked about the ups and downs of her creative pursuit.
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