Design Consciousness, Kansei and the Tao part 1

Kansei is an integral part of the phenomenon we’ve come to know and understand as design. Kansei is a term that attempts to describe a subjective event that remains open to interpretation, while simultaneously inferring certain qualities that are generally considered to be emotional in content. But for the most part, Kansei brings attention to only one aspect, or quality, of a multi-dimensional experience we’ve come to realize in three-dimensional space/time as design. I reveal in my books, The Tao of Design and The Tao of the Circles, the interactive relationship between the Tao, design, symbols, meaning, purpose and the elements of change. Similar information will be presented in this paper in the light of both Kansei and Chisei, which describes a more logistic or factual interpretation of reality. Their combined influence upon a new interpretation of the design function; and by implication their potential impact upon the human condition, will be discussed. Reference concerning the close relationship between the Tao, Kansei and Chisei will be entertained and incorporated into describing five basic laws that govern the design experience and design thinking. In conclusion, I discuss why it is important for us to revisit our current interpretation and understanding of design in the light of meaning (Kansei) and purpose (Chisei). Taoist thought, its relationship to a symbolic reality and its impact upon the emergence of a new design paradigm is emphasized throughout the presentation.

1. Introduction

The Tao is an ancient mysterious teaching that can be traced back approximately 6,000 years. Generally, Taoism attempts to describe a way of life that cooperates with the natural world and has been closely associated with the evolution of Chinese civilization. The Tao has been described as a philosophy and for some it has become a religion. The word Tao translates as "the Way", the Path, or "the way the universe works" [1]. This definition includes the manner in which we perceive the world, how we interact with Life and how we perceive ourselves in relation to everything around us. The Tao’s central principle describes all Life as part of a unified whole, or unity that originates from an unexplainable Source. According to the Tao the universe is considered a vast Oneness, change is the only constant and harmony the only basic principle of existence. The Tao moves by flowing effortlessly according to its own principles as they are expressed in nature. The Tao has often been compared to water as it flows gracefully within a changing landscape. The Tao is always moving in conjunction with and in response to, the forces of the cosmos [2].

The Tao doesn’t prescribe a way to live, but rather suggests an "art of living". The Tao has also been described as being nameless, formless and unpredictable. Supposedly the Tao is so expansive that it cannot be understood by rational means alone. Taoist believe that humanity is an integral part of a Divine Order and that all things have an active role in its expression. To the ancient Chinese the Tao was considered an integral part of human development that eventually leads to the realization of self.

The Tao has been proposed as a guide towards self-exploration, growth and transformation; a process that allows us to communicate with ourselves and with the world around us. Taoist theorize that when we work in cooperation with the forces of nature we become an integral and active part of those same forces. And that by becoming instruments of change in the universe we occupy, we become self-empowered by experiencing its ever changing dynamic.

Taoist believe that in the beginning there was a great Mystery, or Absolute that felt the strong desire to know itself. In order to fulfill this desire the Source had to separate from itself. This gave birth to what we’ve come to know and experience as cause and effect. Two opposing states came into being, the yin energy (negative) and the yang energy (positive). Together these forces gave reference and relative substance to what we consider the physical universe. According to Lao-Tzu reality comes into being through the dynamic relationship between these opposites. The laws and cycles that govern this reality are expressed through the Tao and its actions reflections of the purposes motivating the Source.

According to Lao-Tzu there is an active interplay between what is experienced internally and what is considered outside ourselves, with each effecting the other. Our subjective world (unseen and intangible) and our objective world (seen and tangible) together bring substance to images and impressions that constitute what we believe to be real.

Our actions are guided by the Tao and experienced within the greater consciousness that gives composition to the Source’s concept of reality. We share in this common reality because we are active participants in its manifestation, i.e. its being. We are patterned expressions of energy that bring to Life (manifestation) certain qualities relative to the imaginings emanating from a common Source. Expressions in the form of ideas, impressions and images originate from this shared Origin and are made manifest at assorted frequencies through cyclical laws and principles brought into expression through the Tao.

Because of this heritage we are driven by the desire to know ourselves. Our intimate relationship with the Source is the reason for this primordial impulse and desire to create. Consequently, we can also discover and learn who we are by stepping "outside" ourselves through our own methods of creative imagining and manifestation. We actually repeat this impulse every day of our lives and in everything we focus our energies, both consciously and subconsciously. By responding to every situation in Life we learn to discover ourselves by adapting to each circumstance in a creative fashion.

Chuang Tzu explains the Tao as an inner experience in which the subject and the object are merged. It is the fusion of the self and the no self that is the key that unlocks the mystery of the Tao. It is the intuitional, creative self that blossoms when this distinction disappears. [3]