Comments on: Law 9: Failure http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/07/23/law-9-failure/ simplicity resources for design, business, technology, and life Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:25:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Igor Pismensky http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/07/23/law-9-failure/#comment-7737 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 15:02:16 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/07/23/law-9-failure/#comment-7737 This law on the surface seems to contradict law 4. If we grok the knowledge shouldn't it seem simple? Granted that Sting Theory is something which could never be simplified for me but then again I could be a simpleton. This law on the surface seems to contradict law 4. If we grok the knowledge shouldn’t it seem simple? Granted that Sting Theory is something which could never be simplified for me but then again I could be a simpleton.

]]> by: robert http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/07/23/law-9-failure/#comment-7081 Thu, 14 Jun 2007 14:59:02 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/07/23/law-9-failure/#comment-7081 excellent points made, but since when is wood a "weak" material? Great points and conversation folks excellent points made, but since when is wood a “weak” material?

Great points and conversation folks

]]> by: maeda http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/07/23/law-9-failure/#comment-36 Fri, 08 Sep 2006 13:28:59 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/07/23/law-9-failure/#comment-36 Fragility is certainly an important topic. Thank you for bringing it it up. I find that the beautiful polished and perfect lacquer surfaces of old-fashioned Japanese containers are a bit odd ideal to achieve in the consumer landscape. Because one little scratch or misuse and it's suddenly rendered imperfect. The companion to fragility is <i>care,</i> which in this case is human care ... or maybe that is always the case. In regards to your point about how fragile can be unexpectedly strong, if you haven't looked at it already Soetsu Yanagi's book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/0870119486&tag=maedastudio&camp=1789&creative=9325" rel="nofollow">The Unknown Craftsman</a> covers these elegant matters beautifully. Fragility is certainly an important topic. Thank you for bringing it it up. I find that the beautiful polished and perfect lacquer surfaces of old-fashioned Japanese containers are a bit odd ideal to achieve in the consumer landscape. Because one little scratch or misuse and it’s suddenly rendered imperfect.

The companion to fragility is care, which in this case is human care … or maybe that is always the case. In regards to your point about how fragile can be unexpectedly strong, if you haven’t looked at it already Soetsu Yanagi’s book The Unknown Craftsman covers these elegant matters beautifully.

]]> by: Daniel Ryan http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/07/23/law-9-failure/#comment-34 Fri, 08 Sep 2006 12:55:33 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/07/23/law-9-failure/#comment-34 I was wondering whether you have written at all about "delicacy" and how it relates to simplicity? the sense that alot of care has gone into the conception or making of something that its materiality is teetering on the point of being barely noticable that it evokes a sense of transience or fragility. It's a concept I heard the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma mention recently in relation to his work. He kept using the word "delicate" rather than "simple" or "elegant". I didn't understand him at first but I think he was getting at a "fragile simplicity" as a way to make somebody more self-aware and thus dematerialize his buildings. I think also this fragility is emphasised by his preference for weak materials such as rice paper, plastic and wood. Rather than discard the possibility of their use, he understands the physical and aesthetic properties of these materials so well that he can strengthen them in a precise way with another material. Daniel I was wondering whether you have written at all about “delicacy” and how it relates to simplicity?

the sense that alot of care has gone into the conception or making of something
that its materiality is teetering on the point of being barely noticable
that it evokes a sense of transience or fragility.

It’s a concept I heard the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma mention recently in relation to his work. He kept using the word “delicate” rather than “simple” or “elegant”. I didn’t understand him at first but I think he was getting at a “fragile simplicity” as a way to make somebody more self-aware and thus dematerialize his buildings.

I think also this fragility is emphasised by his preference for weak materials such as rice paper, plastic and wood. Rather than discard the possibility of their use, he understands the physical and aesthetic properties of these materials so well that he can strengthen them in a precise way with another material.

Daniel

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