Help, I've Lost Nature

HELP I’VE LOST

NATURE your quick fix of biophilia

about.

Hi there!

My name is Amelia Stewart, I am a 21 year

most of them could do with increased

improving concentration in students, it is

old graphic design student. My personal

interaction with nature in their daily lives

going to be effective.

experience of university has informed this

since they live in such an urban area. The

project. I grew up in rural Waikato so

halls of residence are all apartment blocks

my design response to creating a nature fix

moving to busy Wellington city was quite

in Wellington so most university students

for young, university students.

an adjustment for me.

initially move into apartment buildings here.

I have been living in various apartment

As a student myself I spend almost all of

buildings for the last three and a half

my time working from home, since I have

years. Apartments are generally warmer,

everything I need there, which includes less

cheaper and safer than living in a house in

distractions. A lot of people I know work

Wellington. However apartments are a lot

better from home than at uni, so I wanted to

more confined with no back yard, minimal

focus on creating something that students

natural sunlight and often windows facing

could use in their home environment.

into other apartments. Sure there are parks

By designing a portable object this doesn’t

and public areas for enjoying nature, but

restrict the use of the product to students

sometimes that’s just not practical if the

homes, it could be transported to use where

weathers’ miserable or I’m swamped with

ever the student is working. It goes without

university work.

saying that students are often very stressed

University students in Wellington are the perfect target audience for this project as

and poor, so if there is a fun, cheap, easy and practical way to reduce stress while

The following booklet is an explanation of

DEFINING BIOPHILIA The term biophilia describes to human beings

to continue to increase, with it estimated that

intrinsic love of nature, a concept popularised

70% of people will be living in urban areas by

by conservation biologist Dr. E. O. Wilson with

the year 2050.

the release of his book in 1993; The Biophilia

With the increase in people are living in

Hypothesis. Wilson argues that regardless of

apartment buildings in densely populated areas

an individuals background, financial status or

people’s access to nature has become more

culture beliefs human beings are all united by

restricted. Therefore our innate love of nature is

our innate love of nature. This theory revolves

becoming lost in today’s modern society.

around the concept that biophilia is a product of human’s biological evolution and therefore is genetically encoded into each and every one of us. People often limit nature to things like flowers or grass, overlooking the fact that animals and the weather are also key natural elements in our lives.

The United Nations (2004) estimates that for the first time in human history the majority of the world’s population live in urban areas, instead of rural environments . Urbanisation is projected

THE IMPACT OF BIOPHILIA The Biophilia Hypothesis essentially claims

Interestingly enough images that depict nature

assignments done and barely leave the flat

that human beings are dependant on regular

have been shown to have the same positive

during a hand in or exam week. This project

interaction with nature to sustain a long and

influence on humans that real physical nature

explores creating a digital and tactile biophilia

healthy life (Wilson, 1993).

does, even if its not quite the same experience.

effect designed to benefit distracted, stressed

Another researcher, Kaplan, has scientifically

In a world that is becoming increasingly

verified that office workers are less stressed if

urbanised, retaining our bond with nature has

they have a window view of nature and also

never been so important. The halls of residents

perform tasks better if they have a pot plant in

for university student’s in cities like Wellington

their office, compared to those workers that do

are all apartment buildings. This means that the

not (Heerwagen, 2010 ). Kaplan also argues

majority of students who begin university will

that by taking a short nature break a persons

initially move into flats with limited access to

attention span is replenished, therefore enabling

nature. Moving out of home to start university

them to refocus easily after taking a break.

is a big adjustment for most young people, let

Increased interaction with nature, by taking a nature break, has been proven to reduce

alone the fact that their new home is a large, densely populated city.

stress, while improving concentration and over

University students live unusual lifestyles;

all well- being. The biophilia effect is the term

they have restricted money so they’ll cheaply

that refers to the exposure of nature having a

decorate their flats with photos or images

positive influence on the well- being of humans.

from magazines, they’ll pull all nighters to get

out Wellington students living without easy access to the movement and delight of nature.

FINDING NATURE IN A BOX This is an unconventional book, that explores

from their daily lives. As children we were

the concept of creating a digitally produced

encouraged to read books, spending hours

biophilia effect, acting as a easy nature break

fantasising about the world of Harry Potter. By

for busy university students.

the time you reach university though, reading

Our society has never been more reliant on digital technology. We all depend on

books has become part of a educational chore and is often overlooked as a form of escapism.

technology for work, socializing and carrying

By capturing a stylised version of nature in

out daily chores. These digitised devices are

a book format this offers the university students

all recent, man made objects that we are very

a practical and an easy way to access nature.

accustomed to, whereas nature has been

If the weather is miserable or they’re having a

around since the beginning of time and yet it

melt down at 3 am, the student can turn to this

seems to be disappearing from our daily lives.

book, hidden in their desk to give them a stress

It was my communication objective to rekindle

relieving biophilia escape. The design of the

people’s love of nature and consequently

book set was purposely kept simple, which is a

offering escapism from their stressful, modern

contrast to their busy lifestyle.

everyday lives.

Books have traditionally used as a form of escapism. People today are now turning to TV and virtual worlds, such as The Sims, to escape

THE DELIGHT OF NATURE By using pop up construction the books are

a different, arbitrary order, therefore subverting

remembering personal memories associated

brought to life as it captures the movement of

the monotonous quality of a typical book.

with these elements of nature. The abstract

Abstracting images of nature in a digitised

textures were intended to not be realistic as

surprise that nature brings into our lives. This is

form (through the process of scanning imagery

this book set is clearly not nature and cannot

a tangible way to interact with a representation

and laser cutting) gives my design a fresh twist

replicate real nature. Using photographic

of nature through the tactile use of pop up.

on real nature, which is appropriate for my

images would have produced an unrealistic

Often it is not enough to just see nature, you

mediated target audience. Our modern society

imitation of nature.

want to touch and interact with it too.

is becoming increasingly over cluttered with

nature, therefore mimicking the delight and

I wanted people to respond to my project

images and therefore people today pay more

with a smile and I have found that the surprise

attention to new or unusual images than

of the pop up design achieves this. You never

familiar ones.

know what to expect with nature, for instance

This project was originally inspired by the

that moment when you’re smelling a sweet

beauty of real nature, the gorgeous colours and

rose and out pops a bee. This element of the

textures that together create the allure of nature.

unknown has been translated into my design.

I have expressed the intangible essence of

Having the pop up pages looking identical

nature through a more expressive graphic style

from the outside adds an supplementary layer

than photography. The illustration styled and

of spontaneity to the design. Every time the

watercolour textures that portray nature visually

student looks at the books they’ll open them in

capture a dream- like quality that evokes

SUMMER IN WINTER Help, I’ve Lost Nature expresses nature in the

students can take a fun, quick and easy nature

seasons of summer and winter. As they are the

break when ever they’re feeling stressed out.

two seasons with the most recognisable and

Escaping into a nature break should replenish

distinctive imagery of nature. The book named

students attentional systems which consequently

winter in fact holds images of summer nature.

improves their concentration and overall

People always feel a desire for what they don’t

academic performance. Help, I’ve Lost Nature

have, therefore gazing at an image that evokes

offers the same beneficial effects that actual

a sunny day at the beach when it’s a freezing

nature does. This project further replicates the

cold winters morning is appealing.

movement and delight that nature brings into

Our society has conditioned us to expect

our lives. This pop up book set is not intended

things instantaneously, for instance immediate

to replace nature, but merely provide students

access to information on the internet. This notion

with a quick fix of biophilia for when they find

of quick access is reflected in the simplicity of

nature hard to come by.

the design of the books, enabling the student to effortlessly access biophilia.

By capturing elements of two seasons of nature in a box this allows students to posses a selection of biophilia in a practical form. By keeping Help, I’ve Lost Nature on hand,

This pop up book set would be available for purchasing from quirky gift stores, such as Iko Iko, as a gift for people going to university.

Heerwagen, J. ( 2010 ). Biophilia. Retrieved from http://www.haworth.com/en-us/Knowledge/ Workplace-Library/Documents/Biophilia.pdf.

United Nations. ( 2004 ). World Population To 2300. New York, NY: United Nations.

Wilson, E., & Kellert, S. (1993 ). The Biophilia Hypothesis. Washington, DC: Island Press.