Reconsider Everyday Things and Topics

Can weather be described as feathers that mimics the migratory patterns of five birds?

What is weather?

And how can we reconsider weather?

Weather is different in different parts of the world. Sun, snow and rain. Annual changes in temperature – hot and cold. A huge part of weather is invisible – part of air. Words such as weather forecast and meteorologist might flash through your head. But if you are asked to think creatively and more abstract about weather, what are your thoughts?

The design think tank FabricGuests at Milan Design Week 2014 explored weather in 36 art installations. The conceptual art installations were a partnership between design think tank Fabrica and Daikin, a Japanese company that makes air conditioning systems.

The mind-boggling and sublime pieces are a physical, kinetic, and highly symbolic expression of the weather. The air is invisible but the creative team made a hanging series of borosilicate glass tubes (that spell A-I-R). You can actually see the air in the tubes since the heat from an oil lantern burns a black char on the glass.

Another beautiful installation shows the impact of heat and time on flowers trapped in ice. As the ice melts away, leaves, and petals protrude and we can see the impact of weather on the plants trapped in ice.

This year the attention was turned to fruit bowls and ways to display fruits. Stunning glass sculptures were designed to showcase fruits in new an exciting ways. Tutti Frutti is both beautiful and impractical – fruits are perched on pedestals and an apple is pierced by an arrow to celebrate the legend William Tell.

Make it a daily habit to pick something that you more or less use or talk about everyday and challenge yourselves to change it. Pick out an aspect and see it you can make some aspects visible or tangible. Perhaps you can use a story or a historical figure to highlight certain aspects or to make it more visually attractive. Use a random picture and insert it somewhere and see if it changes the way you normally look or talk about it. For example, insert a picture of bubbles into your watch. How would this change the way you look upon time?

Awaglass

Creativity requires passion and it helps to bring awareness into what was previously hidden. Creativity points to new possibilities and although many of them might not be realised, a simple daily exercise helps you open up your thinking and to search for possibilities. You can explore different creative tools and this will help you when you are set a real challenge. And most of all it is fun to consider possibilities and sometimes the ideas may make you laugh out loud.

Creativity is the process of bringing something new into being. Creativity requires passion and commitment. It brings to our awareness what was previously hidden and points to new life.

Photos. FastCoDesign, de zeen