Temporary is a mixed media campaign aimed to explore the Japanese philosophy of Mono no Aware. Mono no aware, means ”the pathos of things,” ”an empathy toward things,” or a ”sensitivity to ephemera. It explores the awareness of impermanence, and both a transient gentle sadness at their passing as well as a longer, deeper gentle sadness about this state being the reality of life. This is my journey and effort to instill this philosophy within myself and within you. We are, in one way or another, linked by our shared nostalgia and fleeting memories. And I want to explore what ignites those feelings and encourage others to do the same.
* this was a student-created/imagined project for Design Systems class and is not a living campaign *
My goal, since I believe the sharing of art and culture are the most effective ways to convey a message, would be to launch hybrid poetry and art campaign that would pop up and exist in places I consider transitory, such as subway cars, stations, sides of roads, highways, or literally any place one might be simply passing through, throughout each changing season.
Why Seasons?
I chose to have this campaign run through each season because within Japan’s richest cultural and artistic boom, the Edo period, art and poetry were absolutely inspired by the philosophy of mono no aware. Artists and poets during the Edo period like Hiroshige, Hokusai, Ogata Korin, and Sotatsu to name a few, used the changing of the seasons and the symbolisms within them to convey what fleeting beauty and the empathy towards it, really was. The flora and fauna that came and went with each season were of utmost importance and beauty because they came and went with each season.
Branding Iconography
Each icon supporting Temporary has been crafted to embody familiar elements to each season in Japan. The plum blossom blooms throughout the harshness of winter and is a harbinger of spring, during the autumn harvest children make mochi rabbits in correlation to the rabbit that pounds mochi on the moon. Fireworks are a staple of the summer matsuri or summer festival, and the cherry blossom is perhaps the most widely cherished and understood form of mono no aware. It blooms for only a week or so in the spring, making it all the more special and beautiful.
Additional Branding
Campaign living in the world - Mockups
These are the 4 main places the campaign will be popping up through the 4 seasons, I had to choose places that rely heavily on public transportation so that the writings and pieces would garner the most attention.
Campaign Website
*please enjoy on full screen*
Please visit the link on my home page to view the poetry book that accompanies this project.
