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Black and White Day
"A single matchstick
is all it takes to brighten
the chaotic dark"
~ "7 haiku on the light and dark", Richard J. Heby
In a world full of rainbow colours, it is sometimes the stark contrast of black and white—and the subtle spectrum of greys betwixt and between—that brings true illumination.
The ability to perceive colour is not universal in the animal kingdom; colour vision evolved as a way to gather vital information about the environment, aiding in foraging, avoiding predators, and selecting high-quality mates.
Animals whose visual systems developed for dim light, by contrast, experience their world largely in textured shades of black and white. This pared-back vision finds a parallel in the enduring appeal of black-and-white photography and film, prized for their distinctive look and their power to focus attention without the distraction of colour.
For centuries, artists have grappled with light and shadow, and photographers who work in monochrome learn to see with a different eye. This tartan was created to embody the beauty of black and white, inspired by the idea of merging the Scottish tradition of tartan weaving with the Japanese art of suibokuga—monochrome painting using ink and water. 🖤 🤍 🖤 📷 🖌️
Black and White Day takes its inspiration from the date format for January 10th, 01/10 or 10/01, depending on your region, and marking the contrast between existence and absence as applied to the light and dark in art.
This tartan was designed by Keiko Ishii to celebrate the beauty of black and white. inspired by the idea of merging the Scottish tradition of weaving tartan with the Japanese tradition of Suibokuga, monochrome painting using ink and water.
Suiboku-ga, Japanese monochrome ink painting, a technique first developed in China during the Sung dynasty (960–1274) was taken to Japan by Zen Buddhist monks in the mid-14th century.
The bold use of black ink strokes and washes allowed suiboku-ga artists to eliminate from their paintings all but the essential character of their subject, an aim closely related to the pursuit of Zen Buddhism. Although suiboku-ga was popular well into the Tokugawa period (1603–1867), it soon lost its spontaneity and became formalistic in style.
For more on this ancient painting style, click the Sesshū: View of Amanohashidate View of Amanohashidate, detail of an ink painting in the suiboku-ga style by Sesshū, Muromachi period, c. 1501–07; which is in the Kyōto National Museum