21.10.20

Contextual Practice

-Reflection on TOTEMY Design Project -

TOTEMY by Alicja Biala & Iwo Borkowicz, 2019

This is an architectural experience project through very large sculptures.

The TOTEMY project responds to the issue of climate change, and more specifically the relationship between human impact on the natural environment. The shapes and patterns of the totems are translating environmental study or statistics. The totems are giving tangible illustration of statistics data about climate change issues such as forest loose.

The sculptures of the totems are translating the actual state of the environment in an experience for visitors to bring their awareness on the environmental crisis. A QR code is available on each totem pole for the visitors to scan and get more info about the meaning of the forms and the statistics. Public space was chosen in order to reach a broader audience and to have an impact on an everyday basis.

From what I have found, wood is the material that was used to create the totems, which is a sustainable and renewable material.

TOTEMY aims to deliver a message to the whole society and that touches everyone- public space. It's an invitation to enter into a discussion about environmental issue and morality. Starting a view towards an evolving society. The aim is to raise awareness on climate change and the issues resulting from it. Totems all reflecting different issues but all of equivalent gravity. The totems provide a visual graphic of environmental issues such as plastic waste, overfishing, deforestation, etc. They enable to visualise the statistics and the “proportions” of these issues as when we hear a statistic numbers, we don’t always visualise it and what is represents.

The designers used conceptual research as well as academic research to develop the project. Conceptual research was used to create the shape, colors, palettes of the totems. Academic research was used to verify and use the data, statistics and sources to create the totems and the QR codes.

The project aims to touch the everyone. Indeed, the sculptures are in a public place to reach a wide audience and to attract anyone that is passing by.

I think the project was successful in a way that it did attract a lot of awareness. A lot of people stopped to look at the totems and shared them on social media. Alicja Biala said there was a positive response from the polish community, showing more concern about environmental issues.

One of the problems this project would have is that it does not explain what the impact of the issues. When scanning the QR codes it shows numbers and studies, but it doesn’t explain for example what will be the final impact of deforestation. Some people may not understand what deforestation implies and how it will affect our lives. I believe the project could be improved by explaining what these environmental issues imply and to provide several in which we can help resolve this issue. For example, plastic waste: explain the impact plastic waste have on our lives and give three ways in which we can participate to improve/solve plastic waste. For instance, waste sorting, use gourd bottles, use re-usable bags when going for groceries.

This project is relevant to my work regarding the site. I love the idea to do the project in a public place to attract more people. I have just started the Ideas Factory project so it’s still very fresh, but I think this project could inform my work by exploring the idea of looking into how to attract the user through my project and how to communicate a message through my project.

What excites me about this project is that it makes it accessible to all to understand the importance of the environmental crisis. Everyone can visualize the numbers and therefore trigger their state of mind on climate change and of how concerned they feel by it. These colourful totems bring the visitor into an environmental experience, by informing him on what’s happening on his planet. We can all be touched by this design project. Whether it’s someone who doesn’t feel concerned about the environment or if it’s a passionate ecologist, everyone comes out of this experience with more consciousness and awareness oh the environmental crisis, and that is what I love about it. I am also excited by this project by the bright colors and the original shapes of the totems which drive attention and attracts everyone to come and see what is happening in this space.

Alicja Biala also created a project with murals, which could be investigated. These murals speak of an important subject as well: the fast-paced lifestyle we have today, which ca be interesting to explore.

Reflection

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