Possibilities.
In an effort to see beyond the conventional and the everday, Josef Albers once stated that “one plus one equals three.” One plus one equals three. But what is three? Where is three? Where can one find three? That perhaps is the joy of three. The power of three. It is the possibilities. And this is what excites, fuels and continues my search. For I am convinced that there is something powerful and engaging in the middle ground occupying both the simple and the complex. A middle ground. Can something so simple maintain all the richness that complexity has to offer? And vice versa, can something so complex, benefit from that which is ultimately very simple? A middle state that exists not in dilution but thrives in its polarity. I’m wondering now if this is what Albers may have been referring to in what he dubbed three. And if it is, this is the three that I then currently seek.
A large portion of the specific spectrum I speak of lies in the dichotomy that exists between structure, order and the reaction and growth that takes place around it. A moment shared between simplicity and complexity. There currently exists an abundance of interpretations of these extremes. The conventional nomenclature of one side stretches across simple, modernist, functionalist, minimalist or top down. The other half could be expressed with complex, postmodernist, expressionist, new wave, reactive or bottom up. What captivates me here is where these two halves meet and the synthesis that takes place at that meeting point. Some may argue that this particular synthesis falls under a dilution model. A lesser or weaker state. However, I am convinced that there is something powerful and engaging taking place in this fusion. Something wonderful and rich in the union of simplicity and complexity. Especially if done with careful regard to the strengths of each half, there is potential for a rich dialogue to take place that may result in the formation of a greater whole. Perhaps.
My curiosity with this phenomenon remains visible in all mediums. For I see this taking place often in architecture, product design, photography, sculpture and fine art. But my larger question now lies in the pursuit of this through the lens of graphic design. I wonder if speaking to this synthesis may lay shape to enhanced experiences both in form and meaning? For in a world of heavy messaging. Heavy sell. Heavy and more heavy, might it not be a somewhat necessary escape to find that balance? To find a middle ground? Graphic designer Kenya Hara speaks of the practice of keeping things simple, yet satiable. Simple, yet satiable. In practice, a large body of his work seems to work in these spheres. Re-thinking the simplicity of the everyday. Re-defining moments, thoughts, and objects forgotten. Taking things that we deem simple and re-interpreting them to take on new meaning. Making things “known, unknown.” The work speaks to me in an unconventional form of subtraction and addition. For I begin to see the process of subtraction not necessarily making less. And the process of addition, not necessarily making more. Restraint. Balance. Counterbalance. This thesis hopes to continue exploring some of these unconventional mathematics. And perhaps it might be equations like these, that lead me closer to that mysterious three.
Simple. Yet satiable.