DETOURIST issue three
the
you’re all surrounded
april 2014
YOU'RE ALL SURROUNDED
in this issue YOU’RE ALL SURROUNDED
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article BE CURIOUS
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SLOW DOWN, LOOK AROUND
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project KEEN EYED CARD GAME
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PLAY ON PERSPECTIVES SERIES
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epilogue
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you’re all
In the hazy mist rising from your hot chocolate; the trees along the road you walk, you can find a million and more things that can inspire you to create. Of course, most of us are jaded by habituation of these daily sights and fail to notice them, but they’re there waiting for you, eager to alleviate that persistent creative rut you seem to be forever stuck in.
SURROUNDED
Give up and surrender — you’re all surrounded. By what, you ask? Well, inspiration of course!
We’re so constantly overwhelmed by information that we subconscious react to the clutter by shutting them out. Learn to notice the details in life, not just the big picture. YOU’RE ALL SURROUNDED
4 THE DETOURIST — ISSUE THREE
BE CURIOUS
Have you ever spent some time with children? You’ld realise that incessant questions and a do-first-think-later attitude are their common traits. We were all once curious and eager to learn too, but the nature of society has forced us to abandon those qualities in exchange for better jobs and higher wages. In school, we were taught to put more effort in rational subjects such as Science and Mathematics, kicking humanities subjects to the curb. Of course, it is a reasonable phenomenon, since jobs requiring these knowledge most often
come with a fat paycheck. But what we lose in the process is the ability to think empathetically and creatively — qualities that humanities subjects like Literature and Arts nurture. That is the exact reason why educationalist Ken Robinson accuse schools of killing creativity. A girl almost diagnosed with ADHD simply because she loved to dance was his proof that our society was accustomed to problem-solving scientifically instead of empathetically Imagine designers solving problems without the extra thought for the end-user,
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Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
many of the wonderful things we see and use now would not exist.
YOU’RE ALL SURROUNDED
What’s done may be done, however that doesn’t mean we can’t change our ingrained perceptions. With the education needed to bag a good job already in our grasp, we should begin to pay attention to the details in life. Curiosity is a sign of openmindedness, a quality found in creative individuals and it is easy to be curious. Simply by paying more attention and having more interest in the things in life, curiosity becomes a natural and ingrained part of out lives.
Recall the forgotten inqusitive nature buried underneath your rationality and be curious. Life is a continuous learning journey and starting now is better than never.
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In fact, we’re racing against time. Time is money and materialism has conditioned us to put monetary gains even before our psychological health. No one has literally put a knife against our necks to do that, but our responsibilities have, figuratively. But that is not an excuse to toil through nights like a robot. Even machines break down, how dare we challenge them!
THE DETOURIST — ISSUE THREE
So are we truly operating with more productivity? In design, a designer struggling to meet datelines would opt for a cliched idea instead of taking time to reach a “Eureka!” moment. These moments are elusive and unexpected, and
SLOW DOWN,
With technology advancing at a breakneck pace since its boom in the 1990s, life has been redefined in terms of speed. We have all grown to take for granted convenience that comes at the click of the mouse, or more recently, a tap on a smartphone.
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While the whole world might continue with its speed-chasing, we designers can affect small changes simply by adopting the principles of Slow Design. It advocates the interrogation, evaluation and reflection of design ideas, processes and outcomes in order to achieve social, cultural and environmental sustainability. With Slow Design principles applied, consumers of our design become aware of the problem and begin their own reflective journey. There may be kids to raise and bills to foot, but instead of breaking our backs trying to catch up, why not simple advance on our own speed?
YOU’RE ALL SURROUNDED
LOOK AROUND
while waiting for them, we make mistakes as time continues ticking. But it is through these mistakes that we learn, more than our glorious triumphs. True success can only be achieved through conscientious reflection, otherwise it is merely a fluke.
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project
KEEN EYED CARD GAME
THE DETOURIST — ISSUE THREE
Desensitised and ever busy, we have become less observant and aware of what’s around us. With decreased awareness, we miss out on the inspiring details that may set off a chain of connection. In response to the problem is the Keen Eyed card game. Players look to their surroundings naturally, in order to find matches to colour, description and alphabet criterions during gameplay. Through playing the, the game aims to revive the curious, observant nature we all possess.
PLAY ON PERSPECTIVES SERIES
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project
To experience the world is to fully make use of our senses. Out of the many senses we possess, the sense of sight stimulates our brain the most, especially for visual artists like designers.
YOU’RE ALL SURROUNDED
Play on Perspectives is a series exploring the various ways to tweak everyday sights into inspiration. Through simple hacks of tools like glasses and kaleidoscopes, the series shows the simplicity of seeing the norm in a new light.
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epilogue Creative blocks may be setbacks that take awhile to recover from, but even the evercreative person suffers from idea droughts secretly. inspiration is everywhere; it is waiting for us out there and ruts are simply reminders that we’re not looking for them in the right places.
THE DETOURIST — ISSUE THREE
Keep your eyes opened and ears peeled; be interested in even the smallest things. You’ll realise that creativity is simple.
thanks to
editted, designed, illustrated and photographs by paper
Slow Lab Sir Ken Robinson Ikea (for clock image)
Chua Wan Lin
Naturalis Smooth White
the
detourist
issue three april 2014
Published for the project www.itsadetour.com