We have global problems, which we have created ourselves and we are also maintaining them as they are, or even making them worse. On the other end we have the individuals who aren’t reacting to these problems, because they are not part of our present and everyday life. I call these global problems or far & away problems because the consequences:
-will appear only in the future:Â environmental problems as pollution, global warming, rising sea level, etc.
-are felt and taking place in other parts of the world like: poverty, hunger, etc
What these consequences have in common is that, we helped to cause them and
we have the power and resources to tackle them. To sum up, it actually is our problem, but we do not do anything about it. Why?
in between the ‘world’ and the individual are several levels as the family, community, government, all kinds of institutions and organizations as non profs, artists designers, science and technology. The individual of my target group which is in the age between 15-35, has not experienced a war or a direct effect of the global problems and has only dealt with their local problems, which makes it harder for them to feel empathy or act. Maybe he sees and knows about the global issues going on, but since he is not experiencing them, he feels there isn’t much he can do about it. Consistently focused on status and objects, we are not engaged with the society. There is no team spirit, no compassion, no social conscience. Selfishness, pessimism, apathy and ignorance is a sort of behavior that cuts us off from the society.
Even if we try to take some actions, we feel they are turned down by government or restrictions on the market. For instance if you would try to buy products without plastic, you walk quite quickly upon a wall. Thus my individual feels it is up to authority and technology to solve.
Until a certain point it might be true that the government has the power and technology the solutions. We could say that it is up to the state to solve the problem, to tell their inhabitants how to live. However, the government is limited in influencing choices and behavior of their inhabitants.
Moreover, there is also the issue of knowledge; technology and science have so many ideas, answers and initiatives that it is confusing even for them. There is so much information around and yet so much is unknown. The endless possibilities for what we can do and make, causes a luxury problem of choice. In a society where power, wealth, education and opportunities are the largest, the people are most unhappy.
It is up to the public to come with the demand. The past couple of decades consumers have demanded choice and convenience; now it is all there. If we would ask for conscience we would get it.
The question is not: how should we live?– waiting for someone to command us- but: how do we want to live?
What I want to say with this -and I can say much much more- Is that the way how visual communication has tried to sell awareness and change our behavior until now, does not work. I mean, I quite like these posters I made, but it doesn’t change a thing. What I am doing in my MA is finding this trigger and the perfect design to activate and change and maintain our behavior. I know, it sounds like a lot, but I think it is possible!!
