Ryuko Furukawa views the Japanese tea ceremony as a medium connecting the old with the new, and Japan with the world. From this viewpoint she raises intriguing questions; could it be that the tea ceremony, described as an "art within daily life", is at the root of technology's present dedication to aesthetic details? Doesn't the spirit of "ichizakonryu" (empathy between the host and guest) form the basis of our ideas about communication and media? Could Japan's artistic tendency to condense elements be connected with modern design including the Bauhaus movement? Through her answers, we are led to discover within tradition the keys to our future.

translated by Mayumi Kagebayashi, Mario J Depeine, Saki Suyama, ABC Loop