RA: You do not portray Edward Brown as a saint—a higher being—but as human one who also struggles with himself.
DD: This is what is fascinating about Zen Buddhism. There is no dogma or concept. Being open for new experiences and not to differentiate between kitchen or temple, the profane or the divine.
RA: In one scene, Edward Brown laughs and cries, talking about his weaknesses, his impatience, and his rage in the kitchen. He also discusses old teapots …
DD: Yes, they comfort him. Using the old teapots as an example, Edward shows impressively how important it is to show your blemishes, your lines, your dents,you’re your imperfections … everything that makes you look damaged and weak. But it is important to show your weaknesses in order to get in touch with others. If we only show our flawless outsides, we can never really get close to one another.
RA: Do you believe being vulnerable an essential part of art?
DD: For me it is! But the fear of being hurt or segregated and not to be part of something is increasing. That is why we try to be invincible and polished. If we show our weaknesses, we become vulnerable. We are terrified of not meeting the standards, not making it. I believe that if you publicly voice your opinion, you have to be willing to open up, to give something of yourself.
RA: Isn’t this also the difference between entertainment and art?
DD: Times of cultural downfall were always times when a polished surface was more important than the contents. We live in exactly such an era. The polished and perfect is always preferred to the dented and imperfect. This applies to culture but also to vegetables. We would rather buy a perfectly round tomato than a crooked one. In truth, the imperfect is most of the time more interesting than the perfect.
I always expect of art a personal note and expression as well as an individual interpretation of the world. This is much more interesting to me than perfection, because perfection is often boring and unlively. The Buddhist teacher Suzuki Roshi says that nothing in nature is identical. Everything has its own special value. Each one of us is unique but unfortunately, we put so much effort into being identical. The same weight, the same faces, the same purses. This is an expression of great fear. Fear of being punished if you are not perfect. If you don’t fit into this polished surface, you are weak.
