Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Film 15-Brilliant Simplicity

 
 
 
 
 Question: yay…there’s even more             

5 comments:

  1. At the time I first viewed this film I was designing a proposal with a classmate of mine for the Next Generation Design Competition. When Kara and I realized that all of the designers featured in “Brilliant Simplicity” were past winners and runners up, it was at that moment we came to fully understand the extremely high level our competitors’ were operating at. My first reaction, naturally, was to see their work as both an inspiration and a challenge to my own design work- being in the competitive mindset, driving myself to produce my absolute best work in order to claim the professional opportunity it would mean for both of our design careers. The second time I watched this film however; I gained a new appreciation and respect for these designers for the fearlessness, the rigor, and the passion with which they fought for their ideas (their opportunity to change the way we think about our world and how we live in it and interact with it). This time around my first reaction is to see that all of us designers need to have the same mindset as we strive for environmental reform and the full adoption of sustainable design as a prominent part of our culture.

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  2. I think “towards the next generation” is a great concept for a competition. It is challenging designers to make products and proposals that will have a great impact not only in future generations of thinkers but in the one we are living now. In this competition they were talking about advance systems, flexible open spaces, models for housing, and airplane inspirations among others concepts that were applied in projects that have great impact in the environment. This made me link the film of the Garbage Warrior when they are explaining that they had to write codes, produce data, structures and use of other products to create their designs. This one more time makes an emphasis in the research that every design should do before any process for design. They also remarked on the concepts of simplicity, pureness, and basic ideas that can bring design into life. I believe that in order to have a strong project or proposal, the research done previous to the design process is the clue to understand completely what the thing we are designing is and how to design all the components to have unity no only within it but with the environment.

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  3. This is what I wrote after Susan Snezasy’s speech at the beginning of the semester, and most of the things that she mentioned in her speech are the subjects that we watched or discussed in the class: respect for nature, looking at nature and using nature’s genius to solve our problems, or the fact that many solutions can be found by inter interdisciplinary researches , and some other points. It was good that I could review my notes, because her speech was a very good explanation for the movie.
    Susan Snezasy's speech briefly was about the philosophy of Metropolis competitions and her general thoughts about design and designers. She believed that there should be a connection between technology and design ethic as well as people and nature and environment. Considering the fact that there isn't any end point to the growing technology, the challenge is how can a designer make a better space to live (dwell). Using technology as a tool not the respond is a way of solving design problems.
    The movie that was directed by her, clarified the points that she mentioned. It was about nine different projects with very unique and brilliant ideas: Biopaver, Solar Facade, Composite Spaces, Reusing Leftover Mega Structures, Paper Walls, Computation in Design, Living Glass, Hydro Wall, and Resonant Urban Light. Looking at these examples, shows that design is further than styling objects.
    Among her thoughts and beliefs I found these points very important and they should be considered while designing:
    • Projects should be supported by research. This may seems obvious but shows that understanding the essence and starting from basic of subjects are very important.
    • Creative ideas are shaped through interdisciplinary researches. In another word, being a generalist that knows about other majors, which are not necessarily related to design field, can be very helpful in coming up with magnificent solutions.
    • Trying to evolve and find a connection in business and outside of design area is an important part of design. An associate can ease the process of implementing the design product and result and conversion of it from virtual to reality. A partner that doesn't stop the flourishing ideas.

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  4. I was glad to have an opportunity to view this film again. It is chocked so full of ideas to digest in one sitting. I am very interested in learning more about the solar façade. The dependence of our economy and the construction industry upon fossil fuels has serious ramifications for our future, with the further destruction of our planet, and fighting over a finite amount of resources. I wonder why with such a dead end result there isn’t more investment in such a powerful resource as the sun. Opponents of solar technology are quick to point out its short coming with the investment required of infrastructure, but what if we could build where our buildings generated their own energy, cleaned the air, as well as provide shelter from the elements. Why not! I applaud these young designer, engineers, and architects that see the simplicity in a solution and make it work. Why can’t our building materials be lighter weight and more durable? Why can’t our building clean the air like trees? This film is a testament to staying no to the establishment, and saying yes to fresh ideas with better solutions for our challenges of today. The Brilliant Simplicity of the film is in to wandering into other disciples to collectively strategies for the better solutions, in making the right choices for a better tomorrow. We inherited so much from our ancestors; we are not going to allow the blowhards to give back so little, and that is Brilliant Simplicity.

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  5. I loved that the loss of their tools was the catalyst for the designers of the “soft wall” to create something both beautiful and functional. It reminds me that I cannot say that if only I had more resources of time, materials, or money then I would be more capable of contributing a creative solution. As the old saying goes “necessity is the mother of invention.” We and the planet are certainly in need at the moment.

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