Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better. Einstein

In this fast-paced world, our experiences of art, architecture and nature can often be fleeting at best. Our brains process visual information in the most expedient way and are often overwhelmed by the information bombarding our senses. The subtle nuances of emotion and feeling that allow us to connect with some intimacy to our experience too often don’t have the spaciousness to emerge.

But amidst this chaotic landscape , a new approach is emerging within the Art of Deep Looking.

Born out of an experience some two decades ago, in a moss garden in Kyoto, the Art of Deep Looking seeks to cultivate a profound connection between viewer and their experience with art, architecture and nature.

At the garden Saihoji, before entering visitors must engage in meditative practices, including calligraphy and listening to chanting before entering. Only then, are they granted the opportunity to explore the magnificent garden spaces, equipped with a heightened sense of presence.

The need for such a practice becomes evident when we consider how our brains process visual information. We take in a staggering 11 million bits of information per second, yet our conscious mind can only hold onto a mere 40 bits at a time. Our eyes, which house 70% of our body's sense receptors, demand a significant portion of our brain's processing power. Our ability to truly connect with visual experience requires focused attention and concentration.

Contemplation - a practice deeply ingrained in spiritual traditions across cultures, holds the key to unlocking this connection. From the ancient Greeks to Roman philosophers, inquiry into the inner workings of the human mind has always been a central theme. The Art of Deep Looking aims to create frameworks and tools that enable viewers to delve into an experience and explore the emotional connection.

By shifting our focus from narration and description to the qualities of our experience, we open ourselves up to a richer understanding. Shape, colour, pattern and texture are elements that captivate our senses. Light and dark, movement and stillness, intensity and subtlety - these are qualities that can breathe further dimension into our experience when we allow spaciousness for the intimacy of the experience.

 The Art of Deep Looking encourages us to engage with these qualities, along with inviting us to be curious, to stay open, and to embrace the wonder that can unfold as we immerse ourselves deeply in architecture, art and nature.