A Design for Life

                                                      Victor Papanek's lively and instructive guide shows how design can reduce pollution, overcrowding, starvation, obsolescence and other contemporary dilemmas; Papanek leads us away from 'fetish objects for a wasteful society' towards a new age of morally and environmentally responsible design. A great deal of this books focus, tends to be upon developing, for third world nations; P apanek clearly shows that real design should be about improving the way our world, and our society functions.  Victor Papanek examines the attempts by designers to combat the tawdry, the unsafe, the frivolous, the useless product, once again providing a blueprint for sensible, responsible design in this world which is deficient in resources and energy.  Papanek shares his holistic view of design throughout the book,...

I hope you find someone who loves you. Who makes you feel like the greatest person on the planet. Who loves you because of your quirks, not in spite of them. Who makes your heart light and your brain quiet. If you love someone tell them. If you don't love someone anymore, tell them and let their heart be free. Whatever happens, know that you are not alone. Be kind, be happy, be free Bad news: you're growing and it's hurts Good news: it hurts but you're growing

What are the special challenges of communication in the information age? It is ironic that in an age of rapidly developing communications technologies, people are in fact turning inward and becoming more withdrawn. There is no doubt that the development of the Internet, e-mail and similar technologies have made possible instantaneous global communication, unrestrained by national borders. The technology itself is neutral, it can be a force for good or for evil, bringing people closer together or fuel hatred, depending on the motivation of the people using it. We have not yet seen the new communications technology being fully and wisely utilised to bring people together. The result is that while the physical and technical barriers to communication are coming down, the walls separating people in their hearts are in some senses growing higher. The more we rely on one-way communication, like radio or TV, static words in print or images on a computer screen, the more I feel we need to...

I found Foster's analysis of Landscape Architecture to be not only thorough but exciting and diverse. The personal interviews offer a variety of creative approaches, values, and career paths, a human touch often lacking in career reference materials. The literature also illustrates the artistic, environmental and social aspects of a profession that, while fast-growing, is still frequently misunderstood.  Reading this book was energising for me as a landscape architecture student. The beautifully designed book by Kelleann Foster is well-written and carefully crafted. It is inspirational in the way she defines the exciting field of landscape architecture and its future through the words of a diverse range of practicing landscape architects and students. Foster skilfully portrays and presents how landscape architects differ from other design professionals in how they approach problem solving and create innovative solutions through a range of skills in tune with both the natu...

Somewhere in the Czech. I remember a wonderful poem we studied and had to learn at school by Robert Frost an American writer from the deep South of America - Alabama. As a fifteen year old girl, it was too great for me to contemplate, but now I truly understand it. Happiness makes up in height what it lacks in length O stormy, stormy world, The days you were not swirled Around with mist and cloud, Or wrapped as in a shroud, And the sun's brilliant ball  Was not in part or all Obscured from mortal view-- Were days so very few I can but wonder whence I get the lasting sense Of so much warmth and light. If my mistrust is right It may be altogether From one day's perfect weather, When starting clear at dawn The day swept clearly dawn To finish clear at eve. I verily believe My fair impression may Be all from that one day No shadow crossed but ours As through its blazing flowers We went from house to wood For change of solitude. Frost is talking about how mixed experience is and how...

Biophilia, humankind’s innate biological connection with nature, compels us to seek particular types of habitats, refuges and vantage points. As much as we might build and arrange our homes around seemingly logical and practical considerations, our biological instincts often beg to differ. If I reflect on my life over the last twenty years it is apparent to me that despite the many care free years spent as a child where being outdoors and unaware dominated my days, a large portion of those years was spent inside at a desk, more often than not using a computer. I am greatly inspired by the principle of the Attention Restoration Theory, referred to in the article, which highlights how 'nature can replenish our mental and attentional capacity after we’ve tired our brains out from too much “directed attention”. That is, nature can reactivate the tired parts, and so we can enjoy “effortless attention” for a short while at least.'  I recognise the huge significance of living my life ...

' Aesthetic - originates from the Greek term aesthetics - what is perceived through the senses. From its origin arose a concern with how we respond to what we see. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, aesthetics concerned ideas of beauty and claims to judgements of taste. In the later part of the nineteenth century, aestheticism was a movement which attempted to situate art outside of context or history. More recently the word aesthetic is often used to refer to an artist's overall practice or style, ie. 'Picasso's aesthetic'. '  Aesthetic is crisp off the tongue and sounds medicinal like it belongs in a jar on the shelf of a French pharmacy. ' Grand Tour - an eighteenth century custom and rite of passage whereby the wealthy travelled to centres of classical culture, especially Rome and Naples, in order to complete their social, moral and aesthetic education. The more intrepid travelled on to Sicily and Greece.' A Grand Tour is such a privilege ...

The one ingredient on which any recovery from serious mental illness depends is also one which, curiously and grievously, never makes an appearance in any medical handbook or psychiatric diagnostic, namely love. The word is so fatefully associated with romance and sentimentality that we overlook its critical role in helping us to keep faith with life at times of overwhelming psychological confusion and sorrow. Love – whether from a friend, a partner, an offspring, a parent – has an indomitable power to rescue us from mental illness. We might go so far as to say that anyone who has ever suffered from mental illness and who recovers will do so – whether they consciously realise it or not – because of an experience of love. By extension, no one has ever fallen gravely mentally ill without – somewhere along the line – having suffered from a severe deficit of love. Love turns out to be the guiding strand running through the onset of, and recovery from, our worst episodes of mental unwellnes...

A time of renewed hope.  Is the purpose of life to find a mode of being that is so purposeful that the fact that life is suffering is no longer relevant? Do not assume malevolence where ignorance is sufficient. Humility - thinking of yourself less.  

An excellent book, a book that peals away your pre-conceptions as you read and installs on, the most natural way of thinking; it gives you a clearer conscious when considering the environment.  Pallasmaa explains the importance of architecture's role in stimulating our senses and expresses his concern for the dominance of vision in comparison to our other senses when architecture is taught, critiqued and conceived, resulting in the disappearance of sensory and sensual qualities of architecture. He also explains how and why we could really benefit from designs that are created with not only sight but all of our senses in mind.  The book is called 'The eyes of the skin' because, as Pallasmaa explains, 'All the senses, including vision, are extensions of the tactile sense; the senses are specialisation of skin tissue, and all sensory experiences are modes of touching, and thus relate to tactility.'  He also goes ahead and explains how the skin has the capacity to see a...

Space and Place is an intriguingly vivid book which emphasises the importance of having an experiential relation with the spaces and places we live in. Yi Fu Tuan explores how people live in space and place and how that influences the way space and place is designed and navigated. We cannot rely on a conceptual framework to understand space and place; we need to experience and embody it. The book focuses on the relationship between place, space and time. When travelling from A to B, we forget the turns, changes of direction, simplifying the journey into a straight line, of progress in time and space from origin to destination.  While it takes time to form an attachment to a place, the quality and intensity of the experience matters more than simply the time spent in a place.  Chinese and Turkish courtyard homes look inward to continuity and the past, where as modern Western homes, with plate glass windows, look outward, to the future. An infant is placed lying on his back or ...

As with mathematical equations, patterns and structures are integral to all forms of art and design, or are they. Rudolf Arnheim makes the point that order and complexity in the right proportions are key to whether a design piece sits well, appeals to the eye and simply looks right. As a designer, I feel this balance cannot be something I overthink because at some point there must be trust in the element of intuitive foresight. I studied fine art for a time and indeed contemplated pursuing the discipline at university. In my experience I found that when I relaxed and created with flow and instinct, the patterns and structure did eventually emerge as a whole. Colours in particular for myself, always fell into place and on the whole the finished outcome did have order and complexity.  If I were to analyse the pieces I have produced which I do not think are successful given this detailed insight by Arnheim, I can now see the lack of continuity, order for sure, but furthermore, I can t...

A good starting point to, at the very least, suggest the introduction to biophilia could be the environment children request, schools, nurseries, colleges etc. As the adage goes, a child of seven is the man for life. Introducing the biophilia strategy of design into buildings specifically for children cannot fail to tap into this instinctive draw towards nature, which the philosophy is founded on. It is now well documented how many emotional and psychological issues start at an early age and are clearly in coordination to the lifestyle of this demographic, who on the whole appear to lack any connection to nature and rhythms attributed within this sphere. The long term benefits of engaging young people with biophilia principles must pay dividends to their wellbeing and therefore the homeostasis of society as a whole.  Furthermore, the overall welfare of society, must be a priority not only to designers but also the decision makers regarding the distribution of public funds. Happy an...

In traditional Japanese aesthetics, Wabi Sabi means treading lightly on the planet and knowing how to appreciate whatever is encountered, no matter how trifling, whenever it is encountered. Wabi Sabi tells us to stop our preoccupation with success- wealth, power, and luxury - and enjoy the unencumbered life. All of us can make a small determination and rather than trying to incorporate all the aspects of Wabi Sabi that most people would feel overwhelmed by, commit to focusing on one element of their life that could be guided by the principles of the discipline. I have made a commitment to focus on the utensils and crockery in my home, many of which duplicated, how many bowls does one person need? Each time I break something, I am going to really consider whether it needs replacing? Is there anything else that I could use instead? If I am being truthful and living by those Wabi Sabi standards, the answer is most likely no. Sharing items within your social circle really makes sense...

We are all on the move. This piece has no singular focus on any demographic. The common denominator is the unifying struggle. Migration in Four Parts, 2017 Glass, collage, acrylic, resin, steel 62" x 94" x 17" The following statement is so self-evident that it unfortunately requires no qualification: the world is everywhere on fire. As such, we must ask ourselves: how do we listen and learn in a space that is at once intimately entangled, but also muddled by unequal distributions of wealth, resources, people, and development? Although Dustin Yellin’s  Migration in Four Parts , 2017, can be read as a commentary on contemporaneous issues relating to the mass movement of people, it would be wise to remember that humanity is, and will always be, on the move. While historical forces differ, artists have always tapped their own journeys, weather literal or metaphorical, as well as those of their ancestors, to shape identity and culture. Not surprisingly, consciousness itself c...

A picture within a picture within a picture. No holds barred. The details are phenomenal and each person viewing the piece will see resonate with the piece differently. It tells a story of environmental collapse due to over exploitation. In his  Ars Poetica , the Roman author Horace noted that the ideal epic never begins  “in the egg”, but instead “hurries to the action, and snatches the listener into the middle of things”.   This sensorial immersion straight into the thick of it can likewise be felt in the drama of Dutch Golden Age still-life paintings, where it often appears as if the viewer has stumbled into a feast in which the dinners nibbled a bit, and then mysteriously vanished.  Considered as  Memento Mori , or reminders of the fleetingness of life and things, these works serve as both a temptation of, and a warning on, the embarrassment of riches.    The World in 10 Parts , 2015-6, a large-scale mixed-media work by Dustin Yellin, likewise...