November
Wind Chimes Acoustics and Aesthetics
Posted by at 12:00 AM. Placed in Uncategorized category
An Oriental garden is one of the most beautiful designs ever conceived. They are by no means all alike, but do share overarching design sensibilities that are particular to that part of the world. Chief among these is the desire for nature to express herself as much as possible despite the obvious man-made confines of a garden. Just think of the deployment of such decorative elements as wind chimes, rather common for a Japanese or Chinese garden. Thus does Mother Nature make music while making her rounds. Belying their role as guardians, they beckon and charm far and wide!
Many Asian cultures believe in conforming to nature and letting her determine her own course. Wood for benches and bridges. Gold fish in the pond. Wind chimes in the distance. Whereas such grounds in the West seem purposely created to match the midday sun’s strength, those of Asia celebrate the morning and evening calm. Chinese gardens do tend to be more extravagant, almost in the manner of a stereotypical French creation, as it were, whereas Japanese designs are more subdued, being more cerebral. But in general, a Western garden celebrates song while an Oriental one honors silence.
Hard and fast rules don’t exist, but one can safely indulge in generalizations at times as long as it’s kept in mind that every pronouncement is sure to be contradicted. And so it may be said that the Chinese sensibility is more masculine while the Japanese more feminine — in a sense. Yet they all try to keep interference with what’s natural to an absolute minimum. Of course, gardens are, in the final analysis, entirely man-made affairs. In Asia, however, it is recognized that oftentimes almost no human input is necessary; that’s the difference. Similar to the way wind chimes simply harness the natural musical qualities of the wind, thus do Chinese and Japanese gardens seek to promote nature’s majesty and mystery.