Inspiration Takes Many Forms
In the IA/UX/IxD communities we’ve focused a lot on design elements, how to structure and organize information, while always staying focused on the user.
We all design for other people, and yet I almost never hear thought leaders discussing the value of drawing from other disciplines and the emotional element that make us human, and resulting designs truly great!
This video is inspirational in many ways. Most talk about PS22 and the amazing sound these young voices create. However, let’s look at this from a more philosophical perspective for a moment.
The children singing are working together to create this remarkable harmony. They are a model for the rest of the world with children of difference races and I’m assuming (though I have no way of actually knowing) different religions, working together. Look closely at the expression on each child as they perform; you can see how they actually feel the music and believe in what they are singing.
The expression is old, but children are the future of this planet and also represent our future leaders in politics, religion, science, and yes, design.
I hope this video will inspire the design community, as it has millions around the world, to look outside your own experiences and realize inspiration can be found in the youngest minds and hearts; including those new to our respective communities of practice.
Children are great at expressing how they really feel. Very cool video. Thanks for sharing.
Jeff,
These kids can sing! What a great find! Music, well orchestras more specifically, came up as inspiration last night in a conversation w some folks. If only online could reach the kind of synchrony and coordination you can get around live music performance. This is a kind of group collaboration and shared experience in which the rules are so embedded as to barely even count as rules — rhythm and harmony, a wondrous thing. The history of music is fascinating — one could compare group collaboration to the evolution (in the west) of polyphony out of the gregorian era, prior to which the church permitted only homophony (it was thought the music shouldn’t overcome the Word). And then w the arrival of the piano came the well-tempered scale. Tho “unnatural”, the well-tempered scale permitted equal tuning among all instruments in all scales.
Check this performance of Bowie’s Space Oddity by the Langley Schools music project — kids were taught how to play one instrument each, and their version of this classic is uncanny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inQlxNy3wdk
My pleasure Dilini. It was great seeing you online the other night for @zakiwarfel presentation over on @theuxworkshop. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you found his talk and the discussion of value. Feedback always welcome! :)
Another great find Adrian – thank YOU for sharing. :) It’s interesting that more of our work is returning to the most “primal” sources of communication such as music and sketching.
A great TED talk I found related to your thoughts on classical music, here: http://jeffparks.ca/index.php/community/classical-music-and-shining-eyes/
Cheers
Jeff