afrominima

DESIGN + CULTURE.

Culture has 2 main definitions – 1. The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievements regarded collectively. 2. The ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society. Culture plays a vital role in the evolution of mankind to the future, we all come from different parts of the world, although we are one race, the human race we have different views, beliefs, values, rituals, ideologies, philosophies and overall concept of life. Culture is also affected based on the region, demographics and atmospheric conditions for example cultures in Scandinavia are different from cultures in Africa, how we live our everyday lives are unique to our location. In this situation we are looking at how culture impacts design and the arts in general. The Japanese design culture is known for their clean and minimal way of living infuse with strong traditional and cultural beliefs, The Scandinavian design culture is known for its functionality, problem solving and also minimalist and sustainable approach to their use of materials and natural aesthetic. From the evolution of mankind we have seen a tremendous growth in development and innovation which came from the very first culture of man, from the creation of fire which is the spark of creation and civilisation, the greatest moment of the history of humanity is fire. Fire was designed to bring people together in times where shelter was not readily available, humans will commune together in caves for warmth and discuss social issues and also eat together, this dynamic and powerful element has been used for centuries to drive civilisation forward, although is has brought about its problems such as the creation of metal used for weapons and the creation of gun powder and guns. Fire and Metal are really powerful elements and when combined they have created objects that brought the world to the future and beyond. Culture is also about solving problems and knowledge passed down through generations, there is a common language in culture and its a palette of self expression. Design languages such as the Bauhaus movement, The Memphis movement and The Art Deco movement were all born out of culture. Culture is such a broad and diverse topic from food, language, religion to fashion its no wonder it is defined as our intellectual achievements, they have shaped our world in different ways. In my next article I want to discuss about the African culture and in particular the Yoruba culture and the intervention born out of this culture.

Design – A common sense approach.

From a very young age I have always been fascinated about everyday objects and how they enhance our everyday rituals, more importantly I wondered how things were created with a user-centric ideology. I later realized that creativity is part of the evolution of life and how humans have evolved over million of years, we are very connected to creativity without it theres no true essence to life in our social behaviours, our wants and needs, what makes us social creatures and how we adapt to everyday life. Design is a fundamental aspect of how we continue to evolve and solve problems, Design is basically solving key problems in different mediums, its in our DNA, we continue to create new ways from analog to digital technology. In todays world more than anything design has its setback, we create things that damage our existence, this is quite a broad topic so I will focus on the good of design. Design is life, its the pursue of living better with our social and economic values to mankind. From the most basic object to the rocket ship that journeys to Mars.

Self Discovery – Purpose, Perseverance, Patience, Power.

My design journey started about 15 years ago and it has been one epic episode to the next and I have evolved in a very progressive yet humbling manner, design is my choice of weapon in this war we fight in todays world, this war is made up of doubt, fear, prejudice, oppression, conformity, mediocrity, the status quo, the media, societal standards, stereotypes and misplaced culture just to name a few….Design is my powerful tool for change, I have discovered that design is not just how things work and look beautiful, design is culture, culture is life, life is all about creation, design is everything and everything is design. Design is the ever evolving state of the Art.

As an African I know the challenges faced in todays world, issues with racism, poverty of mind, generational setback, political setbacks, colonialism and other related issues that I have dealt with in my years. I have been quite fortunate to have some degree of freedom through my gained intellectual capacity that I have been building through education, intuition, knowledge of self, knowledge of creation and awareness of cultural identity. I can go on and on but I will not, I want to focus on my creative journey .

As a creative I have somehow found my purpose through patience and perseverance, I can see clearly now, its all aligned and it is what has brought me to this very moment of existence, “my people perish of lack of knowledge”, wisdom is what I seek on a daily basis, with this knowledge and power – I want to create a better world, a new narrative, a new way of thinking – Applied Imagination has opened my eyes to a whole new world, a new fantastic point of view, no one to tell us No or Where To Go. A place where reality is constantly questioned, A place where creativity strives, the place I cherish the most.

Primal Civilization – How it all began.

Design has shaped humanity and civilizations dated back to 7000 bc, from the earliest tools used to make fire to the stones crafted and used as axes and knives. Design is a major player for survival, as human beings its in our DNA as we always find a way to make life more easier to maneuver through everyday challenges. As we continue to evolve as an enigmatic specie we look for even more innovative ways to live from basic to lifestyle to luxury to the future (occupying mars “the red planet”) I look at design as our tool to the final frontier but for the benefit of this program my focus in on how design is a tool for change and solving major problems (social, economic and sustainability) in our communities, our nations and our planet. From product design, furniture design, interior design, service design, graphic design to architectural design. Our future cannot progress without the help of the design process.