Trend Skyscrapers

A shoe is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Originally looking more like a foot bag used for protection and warmth, the design of the shoe has evolved over time. Functionality soon made room for adornment and this in turn was dependent upon materials available and the culture in which the shoe found itself. 

Color became important as accessories on other parts of the body called for matching shoes. Status in society enabled some to wear shoes that made a statement.  

Today, your choice when buying a pair of shoes is obviously influenced by the shape and size of your feet which are part of your external attributes.  Personal taste, part of your interior being, plays a role. 

But let us not forget that each individual is also part of a collective “we” with its own interior and exterior.  There are habits that are preferred in a particular group, as well as external systems supporting that culture. What this means is that the shoes popular in the culture you find yourself in, and what is on offer because of the manufacturing possibilities of this era, also influence your choice. 

Popular trend, otherwise called fashion, is an interesting phenomenon. 

That there are trend setters of a particular fashion, I comprehend. That advertising agents assist in spreading the popularity of an item, makes sense. That we now have communication technologies offering exponential possibilities for an item to either gain or lose popularity amongst buyers in a very short period of time, is exciting. That this adds a whole new dimension which needs consideration when fashion is designed, is challenging. 

At the same time, users of products are beginning to take an interest in how a particular product influences the environment. Social issues, such as the unfair treatment of the laborers involved in the manufacture of a product can no longer be ignored. That both these factors must be addressed in fashion design, is becoming crucial.   

That there are designers who give direction as to what the fashion of a particular season will be, I understand. What intrigues me, however, is what these designers are inspired by. What for instance has led to skyscrapers dominating the autumn fashions now to be seen in window displays in the northern hemisphere? 

Skyscrapers? 

A look at the history of skyscrapers sheds light on the question at hand. 

In 1922 the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen and the treasures which had been undisturbed for more than 3000 years captured the imagination of the world. The decorative art movement which began in the 1920s and which was later called Art Deco, was greatly influenced by the discovery. The fascination for ancient Egypt was expressed in the design of jewelry, furniture, clothing and architecture. 

Stories were told by ancient Egyptian art and so it became popular to put symbolic images on buildings. The Chrysler Building in New York, which for a short time was the word’s tallest building after its completion in 1930, is adorned with hubcaps and images of cars.

Art Deco skyscrapers also suggested Egyptian pyramids in their design. The Empire State Building in New York is one example of stepped design.

When we consider that the 10th anniversary of the collapse of the Twin Towers is still fresh in the memory of the collective, and that the world is still buzzing with the news of the Arab Spring which gained great momentum in Egypt, it is perhaps more understandable now why skyscrapers are influencing fashion.

Giorgio Armani, a leading designer giving direction in fashion, has a hotel in the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building at the moment. Could this be influencing fashion design choices?

When the world experiences a crisis it is not uncommon for creative people to find opportunity. Skyscraper fashion encourages individuals to stand tall despite the current economic crisis. Super-high heels were also in vogue during the Depression that followed the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Could designers be cashing in on our insecurities? Can we blame them for this? 

Would it not be better to be mindful of all these influences?

These are my perspectives, influenced perhaps by the fact that I live close to the foot of the Burj Khalifa. 

The shoe depicted at the start of this blog has skyscraper heels and sequin adornment. 

 Hopefully, you will now view it with slightly different eyes.

Kiyamah

Travelling back to Dubai last week, I put on my headphones to listen to some music I had recently downloaded. The pieces were relaxing, when suddenly one track had an incredible impact on me.  About a minute into the piece, my insides moved and it felt as if something was rising within me. At one stage tears filled my eyes, not accompanied by a feeling of sadness, but rather of awe.

I have been home for a week now and listened to the piece on numerous occasions. And still..... it has the same effect.

Annie Syed in her latest Still Sundays post tells of visiting a museum and being ”mesmerized by this amazing sculpture.” 

I recall too an incident on Twitter when a video of Louis Kahn’s Phillips Exeter Academy Library was being shared amongst us. One response to a tweet I sent out was, “Made me cry. This is what architecture is about.” 

The overwhelming responses to the video indicated that something was happening not only on an individual level, but on a collective level as well. Technology had made it possible for all of us from different parts of the world and in different time zones to not only view a place many of us might never visit, but also to experience simultaneously a feeling of awe.

What is it about some works of art that have the power to move us so?

Attempts to share such an experience often fail, as words can only attempt to hint at the actual experience itself. They are really only a finger pointing at the moon.

But they are a finger, nevertheless, and those who have had the same or a similar experience will know what is being pointed at.

Ken Wilber, in “The Eye of Spirit” writes,

“Let me return to what art is finally all about. When I directly view, say, a great Van Gogh, I am reminded what all superior art has in common: the capacity to simply take your breath away. To literally, actually, make you inwardly gasp, at least for that second or two when the art first hits you, or more accurately, first enters your being: you swoon a little bit, you are slightly stunned, you are open to perceptions that you had not seen before. Sometimes, of course, it is much quieter than that: the work seeps into your pores gently, and yet you are changed somehow, maybe just a little, maybe a lot; but you are changed.”

This extract is part of a piece entitled “Contemplating Art”. It is one my favorite pieces of writing by Ken Wilber and is, in my opinion, a work of art in itself. You can read the whole piece here. It is to be found on the last few pages of the pdf.

My piece of music, Kiyamah, has changed me.

Which works of art have touched you? Let's share them here2here.

Mindfulness and Balance

On a visit to the Gate Village this morning, I took a wrong turn in the Dubai International Financial Centre and soon found myself outside, underneath what is called The Gate, looking up towards the Emirates Towers. With temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius in Dubai at the moment, outside is not exactly the ideal place to be, but as things turned out, what awaited me there made my day.

Looking around me I was confronted by an exhibition of tightrope sculptures suspended between the buildings.

The effect was mindblowing. I have still not figured out how the actual placement of the sculptures on these ropes was achieved, but to see these figures poised in midair with the skyscrapers of Dubai in the background simply stopped time. All the hustle and bustle taking place in the buildings nearby formed a background contrast to the stillness, precision, presence, and pointed focus captured in the tightrope walkers. 

Each figure portrays being totally in the moment as tightrope walkers have to be. If balance is to be maintained, the tightrope walker cannot afford to be planning an outing while precariously sensing the placement of the next footing. S/he has to be mindful of every aspect of the body and the rope. Should another walker be on the rope this mindfulness needs to extend even further. Each step has to be given the attention it requires as a harmony of movement and interaction takes place. 

And so it is with mindfulness. Awareness of the present moment, on purpose and non-judgmentally, anchors one with the correct amount of balance in the life situation one finds oneself in. It provides the pause before the next step and thereby the ability to respond instead of simply react.

The sculptures were in various poses (please further pictures in this gallery) and perhaps some of you can identify more readily with the tightrope walker who is also juggling.

A multitude of daily tasks often need to be juggled if sanity is to maintained, but there again mindfulness provides the balance and the often much needed pause to decide on the priorities of the moment.

Not only the tightrope walker and the juggler, but also the trapeze artist has much to teach us about balance and mindfulness in both our inner and outer lives.

In his book, “Wounded Prophet. A portrait of Henri J.M. Nouwen”, Michael Ford states that Henri saw the trapeze of the “The Flying Radleighs” as “a symbol of the concentrated meditative life which offered, in the same instant, both a sense of temporal freedom and a glimpse of eternity”.  

When we reflect on this statement, we see that the trapeze act also illustrates true freedom in time, a life filled with presence.  However, Nouwen saw that in some inexplicable way, in that moment of being fully present to the present, we are given a glimpse into a world beyond the immediate. These are the moments when something breaks through and we realize there is more to life than meets the eye. 

Mindfulness requires practice, both in times set aside specifically to foster the practice and as one goes about one’s day.

Sometimes, five minutes might be all you can manage as you attempt, for example, to follow your breath.  Thoughts might overwhelm you and sidetrack you to such an extent that you feel you have fallen off the task at hand. That is okay. That is how it is, while it is and while it lasts.

Next time you begin again and gradually the practice flows out to all aspects of your life.

One of my favorite juggling youtube videos features Thomas Arthur (@thomasart).

His performance is one of perfect balance and fluidity of movement. It is an embodiment, in my opinion, of being totally in the moment.

Draw Mindful

“true beauty results from that repose which the mind feels when the eye, the intellect, and the affections are satisfied from the absence of any want”. Owen Jones

Yesterday’s activities included a visit to the exhibition “Reconnecting East and West” which “traces the groundbreaking documentation of Islamic ornament and design by European scholars, artists and architects who traveled to the Middle East in the 19th century”.

Captivated by the magnificent color lithographs from Owen Jones’ “Grammar of Ornament”, I was reminded how much I am fascinated by Islamic patterns. The repetition of certain forms and patterns lends itself to a feeling of spaciousness, ongoing possibility and all encompassing beauty. Pattern in Islamic Art is a website with some beautiful examples of this art form.

A book of Geometric Patterns in an art shop had been “jumping out” at me for a while now, so after the exhibition the book was duly purchased. I came home, chose a pattern and decided to color it in as an exercise in mindfulness. 

To begin the process I chose colors simply on their appeal to me but noticed that later I had to take note of placement and harmony. It was interesting to observe how at first I kept wanting to go back to perfect sections. Instead I simply moved on, reminding myself that I could only focus on the section in front of me. The past ones were past, the next ones still to come. After some time, conversations started to play themselves out in my head. I noted them then returned to the drawing.  Memories popped up - back to the drawing! After a while the shading had a peaceful, calming effect. 

It is my intention to continue this practice with all the 11 remaining cards in the booklet. I will put the results up on Twitter with the hashtag #drawmindful, as well as put them into a gallery on #here2here. (Suggestions for names for each piece will be welcomed). 

My love for this form of design started back in the late 1970s when we visited England and I came across a book entitled, “Altair Design Book 1”. Unaware of this at the time, I later discovered that these designs were based on a unique and unusual Islamic design which consisted of the arrangement of close packing circles of various sizes. 

Upon our return to South Africa I made use of these designs in my Mathematics classes.  Every week I would hand out a design to each pupil. They had one week to color in the design if they so wished. Some of the pupils were in their final year of high school, but even they participated. The resulting creativity was amazing and these works of art were proudly displayed on the classroom walls. 

M.C. Escher was also drawn to the works of the East and incorporated their principles into his masterpieces.

In “Grammar of Ornament” Jones established 37 guiding principles for the “arrangement of form and color, in architecture and the decorative arts”.

It would be interesting to know if these principles are being applied to web illustration which should attract attention but complement not control content. 

We decorate our homes, and the arrangement and choice of furniture, ornaments and art pieces influence and reflect our inner lives. With the acquisition of online homes, we need to remember that their layout and design features will require our attention as well.  

Langu age

About twenty years ago, it was still believed that after the brain’s initial formation period, brain networks were static. Neuroscience now recognizes that the brain is shaped by experience on an ongoing basis.  Brain plasticity is the ability of the brain to rewire itself and form new networks at any age. 

The internet, and especially social media, is without a doubt affecting our reading and our writing, but what I find particularly fascinating, are the examples of brain plasticity in these areas, now slowly coming to the fore.

Without us being consciously aware of it, our brains are adapting and adjusting to the time we spend online.

The splitting of words as we type in haste, the joining of words for convenience or for use with hashtags, (a word only recently added to the Oxford dictionary), omitting letters for the sake of character limitations, and the use of numerals 4 certain words, are now everyday phenomena in cyberspace.

The very concept of cyberspace is effecting not only the way we use words but also the meaning we give to them and the way we see them. 

What if nowhere is seen as now here

Tweeps refer to everyhere not everywhere as they meet online with users from various countries simultaneously. 

The concept of an iCloud is not at all strange.

The blog u r reading right now is called here2here.

Only recently I came across this tweet:

@GammaInfinity One whole day has passed, and I remain amazed that until yesterday I had never noticed that “race car’” backwards is “race car”.

These are exciting times, for these very abilities will overflow into everyday life.  Whereas before we could look at something for years without noticing certain aspects of it, we will now begin to take new perspectives on worldviews we had never questioned before.  Outlooks conditioned by upbringing and culture will be looked at with new eyes. Reversals, splittings & combinations will see insights evolving.

As an exercise, I decided to take the word “language” and play around with it. 

Langu age, was perhaps a natural split, as we hear much about entering a new age.

Research revealed that besides being an iphone app to make the learning of Spanish and Mandarin Chinese a lot of fun, “langu” also means “my” in Swahili. 

A promoter of collaboration, I immediately looked up a translation for “our” in Swahili, only to discover that it is  “wetu” which I of course read as “we too”, appropriate I felt in an age of interconnectivity and connectedness!

Lan guage was another possiblity.

My eyes muddled up the letters in guage on first reading and I saw it as gauge.

LAN is an acronym (hard to believe that two years ago I did not know the meaning of lol!) for local area network, but as more and more of us access online space, the question of what to gauge as local becomes an interesting one. 

Let’s look at one more possibility for “language”: La ngu age.

Age keeps reoccurring, la added a French ring to the, and ngu is an acronym for never give up. The never give up age!  

My eyes, probably because I come from Africa and have many times visited the Kruger National Park, immediately saw “gnu” the first time I read la ngu age. The age of the gnu?

The gnu is a wildebeest and spends much of its life as a loner on the move. This is possibly not inappropriate when we consider how we as individuals are continuously on the move in cyberspace.  In a sense we are alone as we do this, but in another sense, this aloneness is only physical.  On an energetic level, we connect to so many others in virtual space.  The gnus are famous for their annual migrations in the Serengeti, and together we in here2here space, are making mass migrations to new ways of being.

People from the West write and read horizontally from left to right. In the East many languages are written and read vertically from bottom to top. The mass migrations we are making together in cyberspace, however, are rewiring our brains and altering the way we write and see things.  Now, for example, in the West, emoticons are written vertically :) while the Eastern smilies interestingly enough run horizontally ^_^ with most of us beginning to use them interchangeably.

In @GammaInfinity’s Flickr photostream you will find what he has entitled Luminal Butterfly. He states that in this magic fantasy, butterfly has another stage after adult, where it becomes pure light, creating beautiful displays in late summer.

Not only is language undergoing a metamorphosis, but we, both as individuals and as the collective, are undergoing one too.

As we do so the heart is opening:

heartheartheartheartheartheart is becoming 

hear the art hear the art hear the art 

_/|\_