decoration_Use of Ornaments

For a long time, I have struggled with the idea behind decoration and its relationship with preservation. At first, it seemed like a very long distance one, with little discourse, but after narrowing down my scale and paying attention to intentional details, I have been able to find that decoration and preservation are closely related, in that decoration helps to promote the ideas behind preservation in making them more attractive and accessible, and preservation- or rather the past- works as the foundation for what is considered decorative. Thus, the relationship between the two is nearly symbiotic.

Understanding this, I have come up with my first strategy which is DECORATION AS ORNAMENTATION. This two terms are usually interchangeable, but ornaments are here defined as particular objects that help carry out a motif, meaning or symbol; ornaments as trinkets or very clear pieces.

To help illustrate this, I have two examples so far: the lantern and the totem.




















Both of these ornaments have meanings behind it (the lantern is an old form of communication, and the totem is a representation of a spirit casting off evil), but the organization and placements of them are rather decorative. Their presence in streets, on houses, in stores etc. help to preserve some type of social aspect although the meaning may now be changed, skewed or erased. (i.e. The lantern was banned during the Cultural Revolution because of its use, but now they are everywhere- in China. They probably don't mean what they used to represent). These two examples are maybe the most obvious pattern as they litter many of the cities we have visited thus far, Tokyo included.

The lantern and the totem do not highlight a physical place/space, because they appear so often. Their placement almost seems sporadic. However, the presence and repetition of the lantern and the totem highlight a cultural element that is -- partially lost in meaning -- very important and preservation worthy.