Filmmakers, area studies specialists, and creative souls are invited to participate in EASC’s first ever Film Contest
Participants must create a 2-5 minute videos that illustrate the illusive Japanese aesthetic concept of wabi-sabi, which has become known and celebrated throughout the world. This aesthetic ideal actually consists of two connected concepts, wabi and sabi, that both are deeply influenced by Buddhist notions of impermanence, and video contributions must in one way or other address both of these concepts.
Simply put, wabi refers to an austere and understated beauty. It emphasizes simple and humble expressions of the kind most famously associated with Zen temples: a single flower in an unadorned vase, a scroll with a few brush strokes or a few characters etc. It objects to extravagance and contrived displays of wealth and power, and it reduces the human environment to its basic naturalness.
Sabi also points towards the unpretentious, but it emphasizes the aesthetics of rustic patina and the passing of time. The tranquil feeling of solitude (not to be confused with the sadness caused by loneliness) and fleetingness of existence is famously captured in the admiration of the short-lived cherry blossoms, fragrances carried by the wind, bubbles formed by the currents in a creek etc.
Together, wabi-sabi ideals remind us of the pleasures of the simple and the beauty of the imperfections of aging. In architecture, art, and ritual activities (such as the famous Japanese tea ceremony) the wabi-sabi concepts have for centuries been encapsulated by the careful and conscious addition of flawed or weathered objects to otherwise immaculate, yet simple, displays.
For the competition, it is not a requirement to feature Japanese or East Asian objects or motives, but both wabi and sabi must be clearly articulated.
The top ten submissions will be featured as a video installation as part of EASC’s Japanese Fall Festival (Aki matsuri) on October 7, 2022. The winner of the competition will be awarded a $200 gift card.
Please submit your contribution at … before September 15th, 2022.