Knowledge preservation – a framework for Design

While I was doing a project for Graphic Design 4 class, I discovered an interesting topic: knowledge preservation. It’s about the fact that digital media is the most sensitive to deterioration over time. Virtually, all written information nowadays is preserved digitally. It’s considered fast, accurate and reliable. It is recorded on millions of computers worldwide, on billions upon billions of CDs, tapes and on other recording medium. They all are based on technologies and they all become a subject of deterioration over time. Also, accuracy seems to be overestimated, in fact every digital copy implies always the risk of error, misinterpretation or misrecording. What would happen when the technology fails?

What would happen with technology if electricity shut down? What would happen with all data recorded on digital media? How many of us realize this avenue? Should we record everything on paper? Probably is a good idea but isn’t the best since paper alters over time too. A legitimate question arises: how it comes that while technology today touches its peak, the medium for knowledge preservation is vulnerable than ever? How it comes that records of the ancient civilizations stone scripted seem to be more reliable than those of digital era? How it will look a new medium tech free? Who will take the responsibility and commitment to find a new, different reliable media? What criteria it will be use in order to preserve knowledge? Who will decide what worth to be preserved and what shouldn’t?

Reading reflections for 3A03 (Reading #4)

Helfand/Drenttel: Design and Faux Science

I think this article across my idea about the intimate relationship between essence and form stated here. So, the authors state that expressive forms have been appropriated by designers from Science. This became a design style, a universal design language and a solution for every kind of design. Form/style over substance. The point is right. How an appropriated/uncontextualized form can create substance/essence? What are the limits of appropriation? The authors question documenting and cataloging which are considered another substitute for designing. Ultimately, design research is questioned: what helps design and what doesn’t.

Reading reflections for 3A03 (Reading #3)

Stacy Schiff: Know It All

Right.  Wales wants to democratize information by Wikipedia. How the quality of postings will be achieved? It remains a mystery. But who cares about quality of information nowadays? It seems that mixing good and bad things is better then nothing. I would prefer nothing, honestly.

Judith Bell: The Review of the Literature

A very useful material, like Leedey’s. Sharp and practical stuff about research and resources.

Eric Alterman: Out of Print

I think Alterman is right.  News online will replace completely newspapers. However, the online news will move toward a Wikipedian approach in the future: end-user involved but to0 many amateurs. Also, nobody seems to be asking: what if Internet will fail as technology? I see, it will never fail… right….

Reading reflections for 3A03 (Reading #2)

Nigan Bayazit: Investigating Design: A Review of Forty Years of Design Research

This is an academic discourse, obviously.  Interesting information, however it makes me notice two things:
1) How accurate is the statement that “roots of design research in many disciplines since the 1920s are found within the Bauhaus”? How about history of Design before 20th C?
2) Definition of Design Research seems to be too complex and it has a tone of artificiality.

Leedey: Problem is the heart of Research Process

This is a golden mine for designers. Simple, organized, practical thinking. I like him.

Jessica Helfand: Method Designing: The Paradox of Modern Design Education

I think Jessica Helfand is too harsh on self-expressing design and designers. Did she hear about ‘emo’ generation? Does she know how this generation has been raised? With TV and ever busy parents. The students should not be pointed. How about instructors? What they do to make growing up these kids?

Essence and form. Thinking behind design forms – Thesis (1)

A particular concept from Christian Orthodox theology states that between the essence of each thing and the forms that ‘incarnate’ essences there is an intimate and indestructible relationship.  One particular essence takes only a particular form and only that particular form could describe/express a particular essence.  For example, in nature, the wood essence can be found only in trees. Human nature takes form only as person. On the other hand, a particular essence can be acknowledged only if takes particular forms. We wouldn’t be able to acknowledge otherwise the existence of a particular essence.

This principle seems to be universal. In Arts, behind particular currents and styles is always a particular thinking.  Behind Egyptian art is Egyptian religion. Behind Byzantine icons is Orthodox faith. Behind Christian illuminated manuscripts is Catholic faith. Behind Renaissance Art is Humanism.  Behind Neo-Classicism, Romanticism, Realism and Impressionism is Industrial Revolution. Behind Avant-garde is the rejection of Industrial Revolution.  Behind Graffiti is Postmodernism.

When I red A History of Graphic Design (Meggs, Philip B), I was surprised to identify the same principle in typography across the history. I have noticed that there is an intimate connection between typography and the thinking of time. Why writings like Egyptian, Sumerian, Chinese, Roman, Blackletter or Byzantine look how they look? It is so because behind of these particular writings reside a particular thinking and the thinking relies on religion.  How religious thinking produced unique and memorable typefaces would be a suitable topic for an academic thesis.

The avatars of Immortality (Thesis)

After seeing the movie below, I was completely surprised.  Why? It is so because I could clearly notify a translation of immortality concept from theology and philosophy to the realm of science. There is a new stream on science called Tranhumanism. They believe, promotes and invest important money for human nature enhancement by technologies. It is an atheistic ideology but for me it sounds quite religious. This confirms what Mircea Eliade, one great historian of Religions of the 20th C stated: human race is naturally born with religious instincts, intuitions and aspirations.

I explored this topic in Graphic Design 4, class of Mr. Lewis Nicholson.  I created a movie that presents a fictional story about what would be the world when immortal human body will be achieved.  I imagined that a drug called HB+1000 would have been created in 2057.  A very selective people were able to buy it and society segregated easily between immortals and mortals. Immortals acceded to governance and they imposed restriction on resources for mortals. The rate of poverty increased tremendously and the mortals organized Resistance.  Inevitable, a world war occurred. Billion of victims. Mortals continued to fight and to find antidotes for biological immortality.

Even this sounds too fictional, I think this topic deserves to be explored more.

Other interesting links based on the same topic

Exploring Life Extension
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6581761732541483047#

Do You Want To Live Forever?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3329065877451441972#

www.Mprize.org
www.ImmInst.org
www.sens.org

Stavropoleos – Hristos a inviat! Christ is Risen!

Easter Chants performed by Stavropoleos Choir

Stavropoleos Choir

Romanian Byzantine Carol performed by Stavropoleos Choir

Constructivism Art (typography in motion)

Constructivism and Typography.

Rozhdestvo (Christmas)

Russian animation of the Christmas story.