After living in a small apartment in a large city for a long time, I’ve come face-to-face with my need for outdoor enjoyment. I travel hours and hours to ‘get away’ to walk through the woods near where I grew up or visit the beach. For people who need a significant amount of time in natural places, New York City is probably not ideal. But for me and many others, it’s ideal in every other way…
While tackling this paradox, I came across an article by the great designer Joe Duffy on Fastcompany.com. The article continues a thread I’ve seen from a few designers lately (Janine Benyus, Ross Lovegrove) on taking cues from nature to inform the best design. Duffy explains that nature is the heart and soul of everything he does, and spending time connecting with the outdoors can provide divine inspiration. He suggests checking out the work of an incredible artist and naturalist from England, Andy Goldsworthy – which I did! Check out this video that just made me feel so relaxed. Definitely recommended for anyone having nature-withdrawals.
Andy Goldsworthy
I might get the DVD and watch it whenever I need to chill!! Side note – this topic reminds me of the new medals designed for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. I think they’re pretty and very unique – they look enormous though! The designs are based on Orca whales and ravens from aboriginal artwork, and the metal is shaped into waves to represent the Canadian natural landscape. See the whole story here. Also an interesting fact about the medals: they are made from nearly 1% recycled electronics (cell phones and computers). Amazing idea! Wonder why they couldn’t use more?