In a thought-provoking Portland Tribune article dated December 29th, 2008, Sadafumi Uchiyama explains his views on maintaining and maturing the Garden:
“The speed of evolution is definitely slower here than other public gardens,” Garden Curator Sadafumi Uchiyama says. “But evolution is inevitable. The trees and all plants will grow and inevitably at some point they have to be replaced. But as far as the design or skeleton of the garden, it should remain. That’s a part of our mission—to retain the original garden.”
“As far as I’m concerned, this garden has just entered into maintenance period,” Uchiyama, 53, says. “Construction has a goal and an end. Whereas maintenance has no end. Keeping the vision is so important. On what level or in what form do we maintain this garden?”
And Diane Durston, Curator of Art, Education, & Culture, discusses the ideas behind much of Japanese art and landscaping:
The word “wabi,” Durston explains, originally meant a kind of desolate poverty. It is often paired with “sabi,” a word that originally meant loneliness or a lonely feeling.
“You can imagine the beauty of a chosen kind of poverty—not the poverty that is forced upon someone who has no choice and lives in dire circumstances, but the beauty of choosing not to be materialistic. Choosing a simpler life.”
“A lot of Japanese art is viewed as a metaphor for life,” Durston says. “You note the passage of time, appreciating the brevity of life, and learn how to focus on and be aware of yourself in this particular moment. Appreciate the season and use all of your senses.”
Read the full article by the Tribune’s Randall Barton here: An Artful Japanese Garden Evolves.
