THE NONOBJECTIVE UNIVERSE A RESPONSE TO NONOBJECT
BY KALEY TESDAHL
“ WE MUST FIRST LOOSEN THE BONDS OF THE FUNCTIONAL AND SET OUR I M AG I N AT I O N S A D R I F T. ”
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PART. 1
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ENTERING THE NONOBJECTIVE UNIVERSE WONDER: CAUSED
A BY
FEELING
OF
SOMETHING
SURPRISE
MINGLED
BEAUTIFUL.
WITH
WONDER
IS
ADMIRATION, UNEXPECTED.
UNFAMILIAR. INEXPLICABLE.
IT IS IN THIS WONDER THAT THE IDEA OF THE NONOBJECT CHOOSES TO EXIST. THE NONOBJECT LIES IN A SPACE BETWEEN A PERSON AND AN OBJECT. THOUGH IT CANNOT BE SEEN OR MEASURED, IT CAN BE FELT. IT CAN BE UNDERSTOOD.
THE NONOBJECT IS MUCH MORE A SENSE THAN ANYTHING TANGIBLE. NOT A PHYSICAL SUBSTANCE, BUT A METAPHORICAL ONE. THE GOAL OF THE NONOBJECT IS TO SEE AND SHARE THE WORLD IN A UNIQUE WAY.
WE LIVE IN AN AGE WHERE DESIGN IS DRIVEN BY REALITY, FUNCTION, AND MONEY. BUT IN THIS NEW UNIVERSE, THE NONOBJECT DRIVES DESIGN. IT IS IN THIS ABSENCE OF REALITY, FUNCTION, AND MONEY THAT DESIGN IS ABLE TO FINALLY BREATHE. FACT IS FORGOTTEN AND
DESIGN
FICTIONS
ARE
WRITTEN.
WHAT
HAPPENS
NEXT
IS
UNPREDICTABLE GENIUS.
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PART. 2
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APPLIED METHODOLOGIES
PERHAPS THE BEST ASPECT OF THE NONOBJECT IS THAT IT BEGS FOR OTHERS TO THINK IN THE SAME WAY. IT PROBES ONE TO IMAGINE THE FUTURE, NOT PREDICT IT, BECAUSE WHERE PREDICTABILITY LIVES, WONDER CANNOT.
NONOBJECTIVE
THINKING
METHODOLOGIES:
IS
HUMOR,
DRIVEN
BY
DISRUPTION,
THREE AND
INTERTWINING
EXTRAPOLATION.
HUMOR IS PLAYFUL AND THOUGHTFUL, IT MARKS THE BEGINNING, AND FREES YOU TO LAUGH AT THE HONESTY IN THE NONOBJECT. DISRUPTION OCCURS BY AMENDING THE FAMILIAR OR FUSING THE DISSIMILAR, IT IS AN EMBODIMENT OF IRONY WITHIN THE NONOBJECT. EXTRAPOLATION
IS
THE
EXTENSION
OF
A
UNIVERSAL
TRUTH
THROUGH EVERY ELEMENT IN DESIGN IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT TRUTH.
ONCE THE
I
UNDERSTOOD
NONOBJECTIVE
THE
NONOBJECT,
UNIVERSE
AND
I
BEGAN
WAS TO
PULLED APPLY
INTO THESE
METHODOLOGIES TO MY OWN THINKING. IN ORDER TO SHOW THAT I NOT ONLY UNDERSTAND DEEP THINKING BUT CAN THINK DEEPLY MYSELF, I’VE CREATED THREE OF MY OWN NONOBJECTS USING THE METHODOLOGIES I LEARNED ABOUT.
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“ READERS U N D E R S TA N D T H AT T H E P O I N T OF AN IDEA IS T O S T I M U L AT E T H O U G H T, A N D T H I S I S W H AT NONOBJECT SEEKS TO DO. ”
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“ THE JOURNEY IS THE D E S T I N AT I O N. ”
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PART. 3
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MOMENTS
SADLY, THE EXTERNALS OF OUR WORLD TOO OFTEN DILUTE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A MOMENT. TECHNOLOGY HAS TOO STRONG OF A GRASP, REGULARLY PULLING US AWAY INSTEAD OF LEAVING US IN THE MOMENT. OFTEN OUR EXISTENCE IN ONE MOMENT IS NOT ENOUGH; WE YEARN FOR A NEW MOMENT; A BETTER MOMENT. BUT PERHAPS WORST OF ALL — WE FORGET THE PEOPLE WE SHARE OUR MOMENTS WITH. OUR MINDS TURN INWARD. WE WITHDRAW INSTEAD OF ARE
UNITING.
BUT
VALUED
MORE
IN
THE
THAN
NONOBJECTIVE
THE
OBJECTS
UNIVERSE
THROUGH
MOMENTS
WHICH
THE
EXPERIENCES ARE CREATED.
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MOMENTS
|
CONFIDENT CAMERA
THE MOST WONDERFUL ASPECT OF A FILM CAMERA IS THE CONFIDENCE ONE MUST MUSTER TO PRESS DOWN ON THE SHUTTER. IT IS NOT A MINDLESS TASK, BUT A THOUGHTFUL CHOICE. THERE IS ONLY ONE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE IMAGE RIGHT. THE DIGITAL CAMERA BECAME POPULAR IN THE 1900’S BECAUSE IT PROVIDED INSTANT FEEDBACK. GONE WERE THE DAYS OF DARK ROOMS AND DEVELOPING. IMAGES WERE MANUFACTURED INSTANTANEOUSLY AND AVAILABLE FOR
EVALUATION,
ERASING
THE
FEAR
OF
THE
SHUTTER:
A
NO-
CONFIDENCE CAMERA. WHEN SMARTPHONES BECAME INTEGRATED CAMERA
PHONES
AROUND
THE
2010S,
ANOTHER
DIMENSION
TO
PHOTOGRAPHY WAS ENHANCED. A NEWFOUND ABILITY TO SHARE PHOTOS IMMEDIATELY WITH ANYONE, NOT JUST THOSE STANDING NEXT TO YOU. WE NOW GAINED THE ABILITY TO PULL SOMEONE OUT OF THEIR CURRENT MOMENT AND INTO ANOTHER REALITY.
THE NONOBJECT CONFIDENT CAMERA IS DIFFERENT. A SMARTPHONE SO SMART THE SENSORS IN THE CAMERA REGISTER THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH PIXEL IN THE SCENE OF A PICTURE YOU TAKE AND ALLOW YOU ONLY ONE SHOT. THERE IS NO MORE NEED TO SPEND AN HOUR ASSESSING YOUR IMAGES, FOR YOUR WORST PICTURE WILL ALSO BE
YOUR
BEST.
IT
WILL
SHARE
IMAGES
FOR
YOU,
DISCERNIBLY
CAPTIONING. IT IMPLORES US TO STAY IN THE MOMENT. IT REQUIRES US TO HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE. THE PAST IS BROUGHT THROUGH TO THE FUTURE.
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8
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MOMENTS
|
TOUCH ALARM
IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT HUMANS NEED AT LEAST SEVEN SIGNIFICANT TOUCHES A DAY. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT PHYSICAL TOUCH HAS MEASURABLE HEALTH BENEFITS, DRAMATICALLY REDUCING STRESS, LOWERING BLOOD PRESSURE, AND CONSEQUENTLY REDUCING RISK OF HEART DISEASE. SADLY, WE LIVE IN A TOUCH-PHOBIC SOCIETY WHERE PHYSICAL CONTACT IS UNTHINKABLE WITH ANYONE OTHER THAN OUR LOVED ONES. WE FILL OUR HOMES WITH FIRE ALARMS AND SECURITY ALARMS TO PROTECT US FROM HARM, BUT WHY NOT TOUCH ALARMS?
THE
TOUCH
TOUCH
ALARM
ALARM
IS
TRULY
MEASURES
THE
QUITE
SIMPLE.
AMOUNT
AND
WHEN
WORN,
SIGNIFICANCE
THE OF
TOUCH THAT IS MADE WITH OTHERS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THE TOUCH ALARM MEASURES A REASSURING EMBRACE WITH A FRIEND WHO JUST LOST A LOVED ONE, A TICKLE FIGHT WITH A CHILD BEFORE BEDTIME, OR A GENTLE SQUEEZE ON THE WRIST SAYING “I’M SORRY,” AFTER BUMPING INTO A STRANGER AT THE STORE.
IT IS THESE MOMENTS WE SHARE WITH OTHERS THAT HAVE THE MOST SIGNIFICANCE. IF A PERSON HAS GONE MORE THAN AN HOUR WITHOUT
ANY
PHYSICAL
CONTACT,
THE
ALARM
WILL
GO
OFF,
NOTIFYING THEM OF THEIR NEED TO COMFORT OR BE COMFORTED.
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MOMENTS
|
VASE CALENDAR
TOO MANY DAYS ARE SPENT LONGING FOR THE NEXT DAY. WE SO OFTEN WISH TIME AWAY AND WITH IT VALUABLE EXPERIENCES. BY
GETTING
CAUGHT
UP
RIGHT IN FRONT OF US: LEAF
ON
A
TREE
IN
WHAT’S
NEXT
WE
MISS
WHAT
IS
A WARM SUMMER WIND; THE LAST RED
ENTERING
DORMANCY;
FROST
ON
THE
EARLY
MORNING GRASS; A PATIENTLY BUDDING FLOWER. IT IS IN THESE MOMENTS THAT WE MUST REMEMBER TO STAY IN THE MOMENT.
THE VASE CALENDAR DOES NOT NEED NUMBERS. NUMBERS YEARN TO MOVE FORWARD. THEY CONSTANTLY AWAIT FOR WHAT COMES NEXT, FORGETTING WHAT EXISTS IN THE PRESENT. IN THE VASE CALENDAR, DAYS ARE MARKED BY SEASONS. THEY ARE MEASURED, IN DETAIL, BY THE CURVE, COLOR, AND SCENT OF A FLOWER THAT LIVES INFINITELY. A NEW FAMILY OF FLOWERS THAT, SIMILARLY TO A TREE, CONTINUES CYCLING THROUGH LIFE AS LONG AS IT IS CONNECTED TO ITS VINE. WE LEARN TO EMBRACE THE SEASON WE ARE IN RATHER THAN WISH IT AWAY FOR THE MOMENTS THAT WILL INEVITABLY COME.
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12
“ DESIGN HAS THE ABILITY TO REAWAKEN A SIXTH SENSE — THE SENSE OF WONDER. ”
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PART. 4
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QUESTIONS THEY POSE
NONOBJECT REPRESENTS THE PLACE OF WONDER WHERE GREAT DESIGN FINDS ITS GENESIS. I BELIEVE THE VALUE IS NOT IN THE FINALITY OF THE OBJECTS, BUT, AS KATZ SAID, IT IS IN, “THE QUESTIONS THEY POSE.”
THE NONOBJECT IS A SPACE THAT FEEDS THE IMAGINATION. IT IS THE SPACE WHERE CREATIVITY IS FORMED AND DESIGN CAN BE DEVELOPED.
WITHOUT
THE
NONOBJECT,
WONDER
AND
SURPRISE
ARE LOST TO PREDICTABILITY AND MONOTONY, AND DESIGN WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW DOWN AN ASSEMBLY LINE OF SAMENESS. BUT, IF WE ENGAGE IN ACTIVE, THOUGHTFUL, AND PLAYFUL THINKING, THE NONOBJECT BECOMES EMOTIONAL AND RELATABLE. IT IS HONEST, IT IS THOUGHT PROVOKING, AND IT IS VALUABLE. THE NONOBJECT IS
NOT
ONLY
VALUABLE;
IT
IS
NECESSARY
FOR
GREAT
DESIGN.
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1
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4
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1
X
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