Rishi Assar Personal Aesthetic, Main Project Plan, and Inspirations

I had some trouble determining what my aesthetic is and I’m not sure this is entirely accurate as my aesthetic has changed a lot throughout the years. As shallow as this may sound, I think a great way of determining one’s aesthetic has to do with the material things they surround themself with from the jewelry and clothing they wear, to what tattoos they have, to what car they drive. Of course, these things can be limited and constrained due to financial considerations but also the way one treats these objects and makes them their own are all part of their aesthetic in my mind.

I would say my clothing aesthetic as of late has been mostly single-color or simple design monotone pieces that look a little rough around the edges and have some character. I used to wear a lot of newer graphic tees and such but I rarely find myself wearing them anymore and I think it’s also partially due to a change in my mindset. I accompany my clothing with some simple jewelry. A necklace, a few bracelets, and two rings that I found or purchased from a variety of places around the world. My aesthetic as a whole I think can be categorized as imperfect minimalism or something along those lines. I’m not sure my aesthetic draws on any design movements, but I recently have been looking into Japanese aesthetics which relates to the world view of wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi is centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating the beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete” in nature. Characteristics include asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, and the appreciation of both natural objects and the forces of nature. Upon further observation, I think this might be the perfect way to describe my aesthetic.

I think many of my environments and experiences have materialized into what my aesthetic is now. Growing up as an Indian-Canadian in Texas I was all over the place as a kid and bounced from passion to passion as I continue to do to this day. Growing up in a relatively conservative town in Texas I think much of my personality and aesthetic was limited by my environment. While this may be true, I also think that growing up in Texas shaped my aesthetic in certain ways as well whether they were more expressive measures or not. I think my family and its values inspired much of my aesthetic today as well. A consideration of quality and value goes into almost every item I purchase to this day and that will continue for the materials I purchase for this project.

For my final project, I am planning to maintain some of this personal aesthetic and draw more things from the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic. I plan to build a chair so this project will already be wildly outside of my comfort zone and maintaining this aesthetic while doing so I don’t think will be an easy process. I am thinking of using plywood as my primary material for the project and I plan on leaving much of the rough edges exposed, making that a core element of the design.