A Blob Becomes A Shape

Ideas are started to congeal into form now. Whoop whoop! I've veered away from the lad's mag culture and commentary on it because it is a topic that is so so serious and fires quite a defensive point of view, I don't think I could make a quick project on it. I've already got twelve books out on feminism and women's magazines in an attempt to educate myself academically on it so it really really isn't going to work out in the small time space we have for this project.

I have branched out further though to the issue of 'identity'. I have (about a month ago?) deleted my facebook, myspace, cleared all my contacts from my phone and msn that were 'online' i.e. mainly from or relating to an online existance. It was such an amazing feeling to have. Not to have that habitual reflex of refreshing pages only to be confronted with the same statistical 'events' data. I type 'events' with quotes because the premise of 'I'm going to bed' or 'bored' being an 'event' really really deserves questioning. Communicative action maybe, but event? Next there will be parties to celebrate or announce having a shit. We only need to look at Avon and Tuppeware parties to realise that our generation heckles and is quite literally gagging (in a capitalist choking the public sense) for any kind of party it can get. So yeah, laugh at that party for a shit joke, but if Huggies and kandoo got their hands on the idea I'm sure kid's completion on potty training being celebrated wouldn't be that unrealistic a proposition to them.

It all seems to point to escapism somehow or that we as humans strive for some form of distance. Escapism to distract from our unsatifaction at practically everything. Escapism to distance ourselves from the things we truely cannot escape e.g. ourselves as a physical form or the shit of a complex mess that society is.

We can't stand our real lives so we create fake ones (need I mention 'Second Life'?). We can't stand our jobs so we use our un-paid houses as collateral to live a life that we can't afford (credit crunch anybody?). We can't satisfy ourselves with our or others appearance so we pump ourselves full of plastic and further digitally enhance our post-appearance to strive for 'perfection'. We hypocritically judge/stereotype/criticise those with the issues we may indirectly or unknowingly creating. We don't agree with the way our society is governed so the comfort is what? Distance ourselves from it? Escape to what? Surely we can't escape it? Surely even the most well doing of tasks is now ingrained with capitalism, re-categorisation (for the two p's of capitalism: power & profit) and the splicing and sub-branching of our knowledge? So instincted are we comforted by the word 'improvement' that we feel the need to pre-wash our clothes with Vanish Oxy-action, wash in our washer/dryers on an 'eco' low temperature cycle with our biological organic, free from colours, preservatives and GM E-numbers concentrated detergent, treat with fabric softeners, iron with easy crease-free ironing solution to hang in our air-conditioned utility rooms. Isn't all this corporate 'help' and 'goodwill' getting a little translucent yet? Can we really not see it yet enough to realise that there's actually no need to 'evolve' a sink and some water? Why are we striving to 'improve' the most menial of tasks? Do we really really care whether our clothes are dry in ten minutes or thirty?

I'm no saint and I'm really really not trying to say that I am. I wash and soften like all the rest of us but surely it's time to say there's an elephant in the room, or if not that begin to discuss the elephant instead of the big piles of elephant faeces?

< /Rant >

I think simply for this reason the direction that my design is going in will be a good one. Beneficial even if it's of the lowest common denominator. Even if it makes people not refresh their facebook page again to be disappointed by the same nothingness of that five second space. Even if it makes some one call their friend instead of text. Even if it simply makes some one turn around and laugh with the person next to them saying "My God I actually do that. Isn't it silly?".

I want to plant question for the person to reap the benefits of where that question takes them. Surely that is to 'Look Again/Think Again?' for a worthwhile reason? I hope so. Everyone seems to be so unknowingly precious of their time nowadays I'd just hate to waste their's for them. Or would I?

And the cogs turn again...