Japanese Aesthetics - Iki / 写真で見る「いき」 / Discuss

Red Horse says:

Hi bem-ti-vi,

Sorry for this late reply. I hope you have read the suggested materials by now.

> Is "iki" a person’s choice of actions or the perception and/or understanding of others’ behaviours and natural phenomena? Or both or either? How’bout subconscious human actions?

Iki is really an urban term, I would say. If it's a result of one's rich life experiences, cultivation, and thoughtful consideration, then subconscious action could be iki. To put it in another way, it would be not iki, if one's action is too intentional.

"Don't thank me." - That's what heroes in movies or TV shows would say. That sounds iki to me.
I must say this is just one of many typical patterns of iki. Iki could appear in a quite different form.

> Is Rainbow in the sky "iki" or not? It has aesthetic value and is slightly unusual, I think. Too simplistic?

Rainbow alone in this case could not be iki, because iki appears as a result of someone's action. Iki must be attributed to someone. But if someone play with the image of the rainbow, and if the composition is cool, then the SNAPSHOT of the scene could be iki. In this case, the act of playing should not be for the sake of the photograph taking. If so, I would feel everything is staged and not spontaneous.

Also, if possible, the snapshot should have a clear message - such as a brilliant prank. If the image is blurred and/or abstract, it cannot be iki. So called Structural iki is also possible - that is, iki as a result of simple, practical and clever design. But I'm more interested in Situational iki, which is iki in person and their actions.

Iki could be sassy, swagger, dapper, and wiggy. Dicty, posh could be also iki in a way.
The opposite, yabo could be slob, tacky, and boorish.

You see, these are mostly the words to describe people. I believe iki is in people and their action.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )