Feng Shui

Feng Shui is the Chinese Art of Placement. Since I have been practising Feng Shui since 1990, having added these skills to my credentials as a New York-Certified Interior Decorator, I was quite excited to experience the Feng Shui energy of the Chinese, Malaysians, and Balinese.

The picture at left is of the airport gate in Tai Pei. What amused me here, is the "cure" which was quite literally "slapped onto" the American-airport-prefabricated design. A beautiful, round, carved wooden archway was placed in front of the very square, very straight (very functional American, very offending Feng Shui design) airport gate-way architecture. The otherwise quite sha energy of the entryway through the doors, was softened both by the archway and the guiding, tassled, red (auspicious) cords.

Feng Shui problem: how do you take a very long, very straight hallway (very sha) and turn it into something very beautiful, meandering, and inviting (very ch'i)? In Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur, the architect added (man-made) stars to the high ceiling, and created an indulating, dragon-back-simulating central sculpture with round, angled structural columns also serving to "break up" the otherwise straight energy of the huge hall.

In Bali, fountains honor the Feng Shui dictate to always have at least 3 tiers, and appear plentifully throughout the Island. This fountain is behind a lovely restaurant, lining the restaurant driveway and the (resident) owner's living quarters. Off to the right (not pictured) is a sacred sculpture. Floating in the center top is a visiting bird.

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