Marcel Theroux goes in search of wabi-sabi
As part of the Hidden Japan season of movies and documentaries on BBC4 (which coincidentally is being broadcast a matter of weeks before I fly out there myself. Handy or what?) there was a fascinating piece from writer/journalist Marcel Theroux that examines the concept of 侘寂 (wabi-sabi) in contemporary Japanese culture. It was an excellent documentary for a number of reasons, not just because it connects to the idea that forms the namesake of this very blog, but more importantly because it was explained from the point of view of a curious and relatively impartial outsider who was prepared to speak to a variety of people and visit numerous places along the way with candid commentary and an open mind.
iPlayer sadly doesn’t let me take screenies, which I’m guessing is for copyright reasons. It beats plugging in a TV and having to pay the licence fee though
I’m familiar with his younger brother Louis but Marcel Theroux has a more laid-back and, how shall I say, quintessentially British approach to his work that makes it all come across really well to the viewer; even the Wikipedia entry for wabi-sabi is a bit vague and esoteric to my untrained eyes so it was refreshing to see someone start exploring the idea from scratch. Needless to say there’s plenty of stunning photography on show too but it was also Theroux’s style as a presenter and the context in which he was approaching the subject matter that made it such a winner for me. Sorry if it’s region-locked for you or if the link has already expired but this is the full version.
