Out on the vast land of salt and water, reflections blend between what is reality and what becomes a dream. Things become lost and the eye is turned upside down. The mind becomes confused, what is right and what is wrong? what is true what is a lie?!
First big waterfall to be seen on my trip, but nothing compared to what I will see later along on my adventure! Never the less a nice little cooling shower from the spray after a very long hot days drive and the last night camping on the Dragoman tour before arriving in Santiago on the 22nd of December 2011.
Had an amazing 23 days travelling from the far south of South America, all the way up in and out of the Chilean and Argentinian border. Some breath taking places and activities done in some of the worlds most amazing landscape, some intense long drives and random bush camping. Met some fantastic people from across the globe, trekking, playing various games, drinking champagne whilst swimming in lakes, taking far too many photos, sitting on the truck roof whilst driving along a dirt road in the middle of no-where, hydro-speeding down a river...the list goes on. Things can change your life and it is important to open your eyes to everything and everyone out there and appreciate every second you have been given to experience these times.
"Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and lead us from this world to another." - Plato
"I know not how I may seem to others, but to myself I am but a small child wandering upon the vast shores of knowledge, every now and then finding a small bright pebble to content myself with."
"Never discourage anyone...who continually makes progress, no matter how slow." - Plato
It has been too long since I last posted anything. Thinking about it, I have not got the best of excuses, but one in which I am sure many people will tell you who live in London...so busy working, travelling, seeing people...no spare time or moments to stop and think. Trapped in a comfort bubble, but not overtly happy with everything they are doing with their lives. Many people will say they love London and everything in it, that their job is just okay and that they just get by. However all I ever hear is people complaining and moaning about lack of money, their work, London transport systems, expensive rent, crime, how miserable everyone looks/acts and the weather.
When I reflected on what most people were saying I realised that I also had become trapped in my own comfortable bubble...I had always hoped I would never enter this mundane lifestyle just in order to 'get by' in life. I therefore made a bold decision to leave London and pack-up everything I had there. It was an idea I had thought about on and off but never carried through, however it was either now or never. I was not getting anything productive done in London and my design work and everything I had previously worked so hard for and am so passionate about kept being pushed to the back of my mind. The only way to dedicate myself to this once again and follow my dreams, was to move back home, therefore allowing myself time to concentrate on my work and save some money in order to do everything I have always talked about doing....
So that was 3 weeks ago and now I am back in the Valley living at home, clearing my head, working on my designs, planning my future plus saving money.
The lifestyle here is totally different, a shock to the system and even though London really is not far away from my friends and everything else that I loved about London are still there...I feel it really was a life changing decision and a risk I felt was well overdue. So since I have been back here I have been finding the things that inspire me, drive me and capture my eyes and ears.
"Project Morrinho is a social and cultural project based out of the Pereirada Silvafavela in the wealthy Southern Zone of Rio deJaneiro. Our aim is to bring positive change to our local community, as well as challenge the popular perception of Brazil’s favelas. The belief that favelas are merely dominated by drug trafficking and violence is not all encompassing. Through our work within Brazil and abroad, it is our hope to improved popular perception of all favelas."
Photos show project worked on by Project Morrinho. A miniature world of Rio's 'Morrinho' (little hill/favela) built and developed by teenagers of the local area using bricks and other recycled materials to build a mini version of their surrounding environment. It began as a childhood game by local youth back in 1997.
More projects like this should be happening around the world more often and on larger scales. We are all too familiar with the negative aspects of favelas/shanty town/slum and other terms related to these areas of habitation, but we are not often informed of the positive aspects of life and the community of these spaces.
Sometimes shocking footage of poor sanitation and hygiene scar and shock us along with gang and violence related issues that break up the community within the spaces, but also from the rest of the city and community. What we often forget to take note upon is the vibrant, energetic, bustling community spirit, people and architecture which fill every possible space that they invade. The community will use anything and everything they can to create functional objects to use and to build with within their environment. If this is taken away from the people and the community broken up and dispersed into tower blocks how will this community engagement continue and evolve..like in so many other cities where it has failed and diminished. I am not saying that what lies within these spaces is all positive and good, but it is these points and aspects that need to be reflected upon further when analysing such areas of deprivation and struggle. It can help people to realize that it does not take much, particularly materialistic wise, to make people content with what they have, to appreciate everything little thing that comes their way and to help/work with one another to support themselves and their community.
Another point of reference comes from Kevin McCloud's Channel 4 programme called 'Slumming It'
Below is the brief I set myself for this project. The main purpose of the project was to fully explore, understand and experiment possible design solutions on the site, taking into account all its surrounding environment and community.
My site was a section of the Regents canal in East London.
Brief:
A nomadic social support hub for todays youths.
A social space that offers support, help, information, advice, whilst also creating and opening
up opportunities for the users. A space which brings youth communities from all different backgrounds and locations back together. A protection zone where the teenagers feel safe, comfortable and can socialise with other teenagers or have individual space, whilst traversing through the boundaries that terrorize teenagers in the urban environment.
This conceptual visual was an exploration to demonstrate how communities are perhaps breaking down, disappearing and dissolving into the vast environment.
The different communities groups are perhaps becoming more segregated and closed off from each other.
Each time I take the dogs out when I am back home in the valley, I always question what is totally natural and what is man-made in our environment. Through farming and cultivating the land we have interfered with the natural landscape, changing it's form and vegetation production....so what is actually totally untouched by our human hands?
A little shot of the hills around East Dean, West Sussex.
Graduate in BA(HONS)Arts, Design and Environment. (Spatial Design) from Central Saint Martins - University of the Arts, London.
Am passionate about the exploration of innovative and sustainable schemes, which help to develop the exploration of Spatial Design, different cultures, communities and the spaces in which they inhabit.
I am also a resource for nature facts and would like to explore every corner of earth's surface.
