Photography

Mono No Aware

The Japanese expression Mono no aware describes a sensibility and an appreciation of the transience and impermanence of life.
This sensibility allows for cherishing both the beauty and fragility of the temporary, as well as the gentle melancholy of the ephemeral.
Hanami – the admiration and appreciation of the sakura (cherry blossoms) while being aware of their short impermanence - is an example.
For Stef Van Alsenoy this Mono no aware is very present in clouds - in how they form, evolve and eventually dissipate into nothingness

Works from the Mono No Aware collection were on display at the Concertgebouw in Bruges - from November 28th 2018 until February 20th 2019

間
Ma
The Japanese concept of Ma can roughly be translated as ‘the space in between’, ‘interval’ or ’gap’ in time or space.
It is the silence between notes that makes the music, the pause in a conversation that conveys feeling and meaning.
It is the dynamic balance between action and inaction, between movement and rest, between object and empty space.
In Western music and arts, minimalism would probably be its closest counterpart.

Photographs below are part of the Stef Van Alsenoy Ma collection