Fascinating piece and a lot to think about regarding the world today and conditions to drive change. If I were to just look at how you connected the space frontier to chips to the technology revolution of today, might we consider sustainability as that next frontier? While it is out of vogue today, we live on a planet with finite resources and there is objective damage being done as a result of the way we live / produce / create / consume. Therefore, will this 'idea' drive a new era? Or perhaps a bigger idea 'harmony' (maybe influenced by a podcast I listened to this morning about China). Where it's not only about coexisting with the environment, but also each other, technology, etc. to live balanced, healthier, richer lives. Just some initial thoughts.. as this was a very thought provoking piece. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled on my next bike rides. Thank you for lighting up my mind on a Wednesday morning!
Thank you so much Jason! Glad it resonated. We're on the same frequency. What's a story, something, that will pull ALL of us into new tomorrows? What can be regenerative? Sustainable?
I think the biggest question of all: who will tell such a story? The Kennedy moment, I hope, wasn't unique. Are we too far gone? Are we all so jaded, so cynical, so numb from the disinformation, ragebait, outrage porn, and the endless slew of chaos? I don't know.
This piece also inspired another draft this morning, thinking about the years 2030 to 2050, when so much wealth transfer happens, so many of the Boomer generation stepping down from positions of power. Who will occupy these? Who will lead? And will we remember history?
Yet I feel compelled to point out that there are quite a few prior examples, the Renaissance being just one well-worn example. In fact, one might argue (as Karen Armstrong among other has) that the first ochre-tinted handprints in caves were among the first times aesthetics have shaped the course human activity.
And is Post-War Brutalism another, a counterpoint to the "futurism" discussed? Is that perhaps among the reasons why we are struggling right now with the impulses to violence displayed all around the world?
While I agree with the thesis, I worry that the excessive intentionality characteristic of the corporate mindset that dominates our world will unduly shape this "new aesthetic" in ways that are...not benign. Tyler generally tends to consider that an "externality" of lesser importance. I do not. And I think I am not alone in that.
In fact, I think we are likely already seeing hints of this new aesthetic swirling all around us, waiting for the unifying themes and narratives to coalesce into a consensus about how we should be living our lives...
Exceptional piece on the relationship between narrative and form! The Bauhaus thread running through this - from Gropius at Harvard to TAC in Lexington to Design Research - really demonstrates your central thesis that aesthetic movements need institutional pipelines, not just good taste. What clicked for me was the Apollo guidance computer consuming 60% of America's IC supply and essentially bootstraping Silicon Valley. That's a perfect example of 'story first, form second' where Kennedy's moon call created the conditions for Moore's Law to even exist. The Stephanie Wakefield point about Bauhaus being 'a shared experimental milieu that retrains perceptoin' rather than a style guide is crucial. Most people miss that distinction.
Fascinating piece and a lot to think about regarding the world today and conditions to drive change. If I were to just look at how you connected the space frontier to chips to the technology revolution of today, might we consider sustainability as that next frontier? While it is out of vogue today, we live on a planet with finite resources and there is objective damage being done as a result of the way we live / produce / create / consume. Therefore, will this 'idea' drive a new era? Or perhaps a bigger idea 'harmony' (maybe influenced by a podcast I listened to this morning about China). Where it's not only about coexisting with the environment, but also each other, technology, etc. to live balanced, healthier, richer lives. Just some initial thoughts.. as this was a very thought provoking piece. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled on my next bike rides. Thank you for lighting up my mind on a Wednesday morning!
Thank you so much Jason! Glad it resonated. We're on the same frequency. What's a story, something, that will pull ALL of us into new tomorrows? What can be regenerative? Sustainable?
I think the biggest question of all: who will tell such a story? The Kennedy moment, I hope, wasn't unique. Are we too far gone? Are we all so jaded, so cynical, so numb from the disinformation, ragebait, outrage porn, and the endless slew of chaos? I don't know.
This piece also inspired another draft this morning, thinking about the years 2030 to 2050, when so much wealth transfer happens, so many of the Boomer generation stepping down from positions of power. Who will occupy these? Who will lead? And will we remember history?
Thanks for the comment.
Excellent, timely and utterly necessary essay. AKA horse before the cart.
Excellent piece. Tomorrowland is my favorite Disney spot, right behind Epcot, which was also supposed to be "future-land".
Went to San Antonio a few years ago and saw the former site of HemisFair '68. Seemed so sad and neglected. I wondered where our optimism went.
That Eames website, though - there's design and there's implementation. They obvious excel at the former and not the latter. We need both for sure!
Again, great piece!
Really appreciate the kind words and thoughts, Bob!
Yes. Agreed that this an excellent point.
Yet I feel compelled to point out that there are quite a few prior examples, the Renaissance being just one well-worn example. In fact, one might argue (as Karen Armstrong among other has) that the first ochre-tinted handprints in caves were among the first times aesthetics have shaped the course human activity.
And is Post-War Brutalism another, a counterpoint to the "futurism" discussed? Is that perhaps among the reasons why we are struggling right now with the impulses to violence displayed all around the world?
While I agree with the thesis, I worry that the excessive intentionality characteristic of the corporate mindset that dominates our world will unduly shape this "new aesthetic" in ways that are...not benign. Tyler generally tends to consider that an "externality" of lesser importance. I do not. And I think I am not alone in that.
In fact, I think we are likely already seeing hints of this new aesthetic swirling all around us, waiting for the unifying themes and narratives to coalesce into a consensus about how we should be living our lives...
Exceptional piece on the relationship between narrative and form! The Bauhaus thread running through this - from Gropius at Harvard to TAC in Lexington to Design Research - really demonstrates your central thesis that aesthetic movements need institutional pipelines, not just good taste. What clicked for me was the Apollo guidance computer consuming 60% of America's IC supply and essentially bootstraping Silicon Valley. That's a perfect example of 'story first, form second' where Kennedy's moon call created the conditions for Moore's Law to even exist. The Stephanie Wakefield point about Bauhaus being 'a shared experimental milieu that retrains perceptoin' rather than a style guide is crucial. Most people miss that distinction.