“The landscape [of ideas] is everything we are not... yet it is of our own making; and we are part of a process... which modifies our surroundings at every moment in time.”
- Nuttgens 1972
ethos
自 然
zìrán
shi zen
jayeon
zi jin
chhu-yèn
hán tu
mandarin
japanese
korean
cantonese
hakka
vietnamese
Separated into its fundamental parts the word shizen, or 自然, literally means ‘from itself (shi) thus it does (zen)’. The first component shi (自) is often read onozukara and refers to what is spontaneously or naturally so. The Japanese word shizen finds its roots in Daoist Classicism and the word ziran which refers to the spontaneous way of birth, growth and transformation. These 2 characters have come to designate ‘nature’ as many Eastern cultures translated Western ideas and formulated an appropriate lexicon to reflect them.
Focusing on the exchange of ideas is something that all Shi Zen projects aim to reflect. It is not only a cultural exchange but also a dialogue between man and nature.
The ethos is simple: good design is not in conflict with sustainability or viability; the process adapts to each unique situation to deliver client satisfaction and projects that are of their time.
Design as a discipline or practise is one not unlike evolution and the biochemical process of growth or natural selection. A problem exists and requires a solution and one day this solution will become part of a problem itself.
This cycle occurs at all stages of the design process and any solution is hewn from a series of ideas that undergo analysis and criticism by client, design and project teams. The studio name not only reflects this challenging and exciting proceess and prides itself on forging meaningful and collaborative relationships with our clients.
With this in mind, design is a fusion of ideas that is then 'distilled'. The process, though divided into professional stages is fluid and emergent. It is my belief that good design should be consistent with environmental, economic and aesthetic patterns to be robust, not only of it's time but also of a future that it will shape.