Thirty spokes gather around the
hub to make a wheel,
But it is on the circle that the
utility of the wheel depends.
Clay is molded to form a utensil,
But is on its emptiness that the
utility of the vessel depends.
Doors and windows are cut to make
a room,
But it is on floor space that the
utility of the room depends.
Therefore turn being into advantage
and turn non-being into utility.
On a potentially related...
On a potentially related note, Robert Hass said, around 1978 or 79 if I remember right, that
All the new thinking is about loss.
In this it resembles all the old thinking.
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=177014
this reminded me of similar...
this reminded me of similar quote I read in Papanek's book, and so looked for it, and here it is:
The wheel's hub holds thirty spokes
Utility depends on the hole through the hub.
The potter's clay forms a vessel
It is the space within that serves.
A house is built with solid walls
The nothingness of window and door alone renders it usable.
That which exist may be transformed
What is nonexistent has boundless uses.
WOW, Great!
You know, I'm usually late, but this time I needed two translations. 🙂
How powerful.
"What is nonexistent has boundless uses."
I always leave (or feel I leave) designs unfinished. On one side I cannot accept giving an object with a (provably) defect and on the other side the final user will be the one that could choose which is the best final option.
The perfection of the unfinished. You finish it, you ruin it.
"Flexibility" idea is crucial in our days.
This also remind me the idea product evolution idea. On excellent Koen's garlic keeper and that thread, where DCwilson and Brnki posted.
Dcwilson, I think I'll need to take Mandarin lessons. 😉
Brkini, Wich is the Papanek's book?, you commented once about Design for the real world. Is this one? Sounds great. What abou it?. You commented with Klein's one, must be good.. 😉
I find the quote nice... but ...
I find the quote nice... but the last sentence ?That which exist may be transformed, What is nonexistent has boundless uses.? Sounds pretty complicated to me...
I think it?s more about inseparable couples.. that are powerful only together.. (my English isn?t much poetic but..) there won?t be any space within... if there was no vessel.. and the same with Wheel and it?s spokes.. only together they can serve its purpose..
Gustavo, yeah it?s ?design for real world?, although I didn?t find it so appropriate to the content of chapter that followed after this quote?
Anyway.. there is an interesting "bowl" by Xin Xu, ilustrating the concept of "bowl emptiness"..
(check the link .. i didn't manage to post a picture here..)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BPxtLaohX8c/SLHgA136zgI/AAAAAAAAAZI/4_ksUxwbox...
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