The Polarity Paradox
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THE POLARITY PARADOX
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THE POLARITY PARADOX
The Polarity Paradox in Retail
The modern world is overrun with choice, contradiction and confusion, driving people to living in temporary extremes as a coping mechanism. Utopia and dystopia, abstinence and indulgence, all and nothing – what everyone craves is an experience. Retail has been perched on the middle ground for too long, handing customers what they think they want, with no understanding of what they truly desire. The industry craves something radical to really get consumers’ hearts pounding and to drive those all-important sales. What better a retail experience than one that delves deep into the human psyche, generating a unique response from each and every customer? They say everything you want is on the other side of fear, so imagine a retail concept where one must navigate through a bizarre juxtaposition of innocence and disturbia before they are rewarded with their dream product. This model has flourished in the food industry, with disturbia dining becoming ever more popular. Disturbia dining thrives on initial suspense followed by overwhelming pleasure. It makes sense to shake things up in a similar way for retail, which has existed for so long with an outdated mindset. Picture delicate, fragile fabrics soaked in jet-black ink or dripping, scarlet substances contrasted with sterile latex. Create a sense of unease with looming shadows and twisted reflections, elements of shock and surrealism. The customer is your victim, and creating the feeling of something not being ‘quite right’ is the key to evoking an authentic response from them. It is not important for the customer to understand the scenario taking place around them – they simply need to become immersed in it, afraid of it and moved by what they have witnessed.
OPPOSITE: The juxtaposition of innocence with disturbia and fear could transform traditional retail spaces into extreme sensory experiences.
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ABOVE: Flashes of Pantone 188 C provoke a sense of danger.
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ABOVE: A neutral Pantone colour palette ranges from off-white to inky grey to promote the two extremities.
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ABOVE: Cracked glass suggests fragility as an object that was once transparent and smooth becomes warped and jagged. By Titration. “We fear that which we cannot see� - Tite Kubo. Translucent fabrics can symbolise innocence with sinister undertones. By Kabya Saikia.
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ABOVE: The restrictive and domineering qualities of steel rope tinge pure aesthetics with a hint of fear. By Johannes Hemmerlein. Opposites disturb - contrast light, flowing fabrics with the unnatural appearance of heavy black liquids. By Karen Gunderson.
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ABOVE: The work of Chiharu Shiota appears to be very sinister, but contains a strange, hidden sense of innocence. That it can be taken in such different ways allows for an individual experience for each viewer.
PREVIOUS: Delicate feathers encased in dark, solid blocks of ice.
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PREVIOUS: Lengths of pure, untouched string tarnished by a well of inky blackness in a laboratory-like environment.
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ABOVE: A play on transparency and shadow. Although we appear to see things clearly, we cannot be so sure of what lies beneath.
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OPPOSITE: The purity and innocence of the egg shell disturbed by the appearance of a suspicious red substance.
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ABOVE: Delicate skin marked with a reminder of restraint.
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OPPOSITE: “You have been trapped in the inescapable net of ruin by your own want of sense” - Aeschylus.
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PREVIOUS: The notion of disturbing purity to create an unease. By Mike Dargas.
OPPOSITE: Hiding behind a poised exterior is deep-rooted fear and anxiety.
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ABOVE: “The eyes are the windows to the soul’ - William Shakespeare. The eyes cannot lie, but what if they reveal torment and disturbia?
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ABOVE: Crushed glassy textures to portray a fractured mindset.
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OPPOSITE: A bizarre front-of-house aesthetic, reminiscent of a strange cult. Flawless skin violated with wild, scarlett lips.
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ABOVE: The wearing of white latex gloves connotes the uneasy, sterilised atmosphere found in psychiatric ayslums, incite interesting reactions from those that come across them.
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ABOVE: A cold, sharp knife piercing through and slicing into soft flesh.
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