Learning the "beauty of flow" from Kyoto's backstreets - A quiet design you can feel with your body
Learning about the beauty of flow in the backstreets of Kyoto
— Quiet design you can feel with your body
An alley is not just a passageway.
It is a quiet design that regulates the speed of the body and opens up the depth of the mind.
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1. The back alley
When walking around Kyoto, you may suddenly find yourself drawn to a narrow alleyway.
Once you step away from the hustle and bustle of the main street, you find yourself in a different time zone.
A cobblestone road, a low wall, flower pots on the eaves, and a noren curtain swaying in the wind.
Although there are signs of people around, there is a sense of quiet and a soft atmosphere.
Kyoto's back alleys are more than just backstreets.
It is the "space" that is created between the townhouses,
It is also a "conductor" that connects people and spaces.
We can learn from the beauty of this "conductor."
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2. Conduction is the rhythm of the body
In architecture and spatial design, "flow" means
It is "movement design" that involves how people move through a space, where they stop, and what they feel.
It's not the lines on a drawing, but the rhythm of the body itself.
The back alleys of Kyoto are a treasure trove of this "beautiful flow of traffic."
For example, the Gion entertainment district.
Once you step off the main street, the road narrows considerably and your walking speed naturally slows down.
His gaze lowered, his footsteps getting absorbed into the cobblestones.
In the silence, your eyes begin to be drawn to the lights shining through the latticework and the decorations on the eaves.
In other words, space regulates people's movements.
"Not being able to walk fast" leads to "being able to see well."
This design has had a profound influence on the spatial creation of WABISUKE.
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3. The beauty of the curves in the alleys
There are few straight roads in Kyoto's alleys.
Many of them gently curve, break and continue deep into the mountains.
This "bend" is the essence of beautiful flow.
Turning limits your field of vision and makes it difficult to see what's ahead.
That's why we're excited about the next step.
Every time you turn a corner, the scenery changes and the air changes.
This "rhythm of change" stirs the senses of those who walk along the path.
Even in the WABISUKE space, rather than a linear flow,
The design incorporates changes such as "slight bending," "lowering one level," and "changing the light."
This is a way to gently awaken the body and senses of visitors.
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4. The "space" and "space" of alleys
In addition to the physical narrowness of Kyoto's alleys, there is also a spiritual "space."
It is the silence of sound, the contrast of light and shadow,
It's also about the distance between people.
For example, the lights visible through the lattices of a townhouse.
It is neither completely closed nor completely open.
The ambiguity of "seemingly visible but not visible" stimulates the imagination.
There are also flower pots placed along the alley, handwritten nameplates,
The sound of a noren curtain swaying in the wind and an umbrella on a rainy day.
All of these are elements that create the space between the rooms.
In the WABISUKE space, we also place importance on these "white space" and "space."
For example, the gap that appears between a wall and furniture.
A gradation created between light and shadow.
These allow the space to breathe and open up the sensibilities of visitors.
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5. Learning design philosophy from the backstreets
The back alleys of Kyoto may seem like they were created by chance, but they are actually very carefully designed spaces.
It is a passageway for the wind, a conduit for light, and a circuit that connects the presence of people.
If you can sense this "invisible design,"
This will also give rise to new perspectives on our daily lives and manufacturing.
At WABISUKE, when creating products and spaces,
"Where do you pick them up?" "In what order do you see them?" "Where do you stop?"
We design these kinds of paths based on physical sensations.
It's somewhat similar to the feeling you get when walking down the back alleys of Kyoto.
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In lieu of a conclusion
The guideline is an invisible design, a poetry that can be felt with the body.
The back alleys of Kyoto continue to play this poem every day.
WABISUKE's spaces and products are also
We aim to create a "beautiful flow of traffic" that resonates with the visitors' stride, gaze, breathing and memories.
The next time you're walking around Kyoto, be sure to take a step into the back alleys.
There, the quiet and rich poetry of the design will speak to you from beneath your feet.