The Japanese concept of 鈥淲abi Sabi鈥 does not translate easily into English. 鈥淲abi鈥 originally referred to the loneliness of living in nature 鈥 remote from society 鈥 whilst 鈥渟abi鈥 meant 鈥渃hill鈥 or 鈥渨ithered.鈥 At the turn of the 14th century, these words began to take on more positive connotations, referencing a beauty of things that are imperfect, impermanent or incomplete. Camilla Olesky is a material designer who combines western neo-traditionalism with Wabi Sabi 鈥 inspired by the ideas of perfection and imperfection and contemporary beauty ideals. Using a mixture of textured and smooth concrete, Olesky taps into the raw feelings of loneliness and isolation, whist connecting the textures through macram茅 knotted rope and the use of a three-tone, monochromatic colour palette. The resulting works experiment with both hard and soft materials, pulling a range of influences together that are bound and interconnected.
BA (Hons) Textile Design
Camilla Oleksy
