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research_report_theun_karelse [2008-02-21 17:11] – theunkarelseresearch_report_theun_karelse [2008-02-21 19:32] – theunkarelse
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 [[Theun Karelse]] [[Theun Karelse]]
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 [[Tsunami Pants]] [[Tsunami Pants]]
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 {{man.jpg|man.jpg}}\\ {{man.jpg|man.jpg}}\\
 +Personal flotation device.\\
 Picture from: Le Portefeuille Industriel, a collection of technical drawings from Musée des Arts et Métiers. Picture from: Le Portefeuille Industriel, a collection of technical drawings from Musée des Arts et Métiers.
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 The Tsunamipants project surfaced from this shift as an attempt to address these issues in an engaging way. The Tsunamipants project surfaced from this shift as an attempt to address these issues in an engaging way.
  
-How do you relate to a Global crises in a way that is not demotivating? The discussion about our future is dominated by appeals for austerity and reduction. This is not a very inspiring message as it focuses on negative aspects of society. It is hard to see a positive revolution on a global scale, based on negative arguments. Instead we should focus on positive changes that inspire everyone. This debate should be dominated by the possibility of increasing the quality of life. ((Maja Kuzmanovic at Luminous Green 2007))+How do you relate to global crises in a way that is not demotivating? The discussion about our future is dominated by appeals for austerity and reduction. This is not a very inspiring message as it focuses on negative aspects of society. It is hard to see a positive revolution on a global scale, based on negative arguments. Instead we should focus on positive changes that inspire everyone. This debate should be dominated by the possibility of increasing the quality of life. ((Maja Kuzmanovic at Luminous Green 2007))
  
 The Tsunamipants project shows the traps that are hidden in responding to problems by coming up with solutions that are built within the limits of the problem. This invariably creates new versions of the same problem, it doesn't solve them. The Tsunamipants project shows the traps that are hidden in responding to problems by coming up with solutions that are built within the limits of the problem. This invariably creates new versions of the same problem, it doesn't solve them.
  
-That is the tragedy in which the inventor [[Martin Brolin]] is caught in the Tsunamipants project. Martin engages the extreme weather conditions that are associated with future climate changes and tries to engineer his way out-off  danger. In his work Mr. Brolin suffers from lack of expertise, lack of talent, lack of budged, oversized ambition and being over-all mediocre. These are common human traits that run beneath the surface of positive social change. To be able to construct anything realistically and therefor longlasting, I suggest we start by acknowledging that there is nothing inherently wrong with being mediocre. I realise that this goes against giant forces in popular culture, but Martin is deliberately portrayed as a mediocre inventor, although I only later became fully conscious of why I was doing this.+That is the tragedy in which the inventor [[Martin Brolin]] is caught in the Tsunamipants project. Martin engages the extreme weather conditions that are associated with future climate changes and tries to engineer his way out-off  danger. In his work Mr. Brolin suffers from lack of expertise, lack of budged, oversized ambition and being over-all mediocre. These are common human traits that run beneath the surface of positive social change. To be able to construct anything realistically and therefor longlasting, I suggest we start by acknowledging that there is nothing inherently wrong with being mediocre. I realise that this goes against giant forces in popular culture, but Martin is deliberately portrayed as a mediocre inventor, although I only later became fully conscious of why I was doing this. 
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 ==== Context ==== ==== Context ====
 == Inconvenience. == == Inconvenience. ==
-This research was undertaken in the middle of the Climate Change debate. A seminal event that shapes the discussions in this topic was Al Gore's documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth.' It forces the debate into negative arguments that closely follow the Christian tradition of Man as the species fallen from Grace, which now has to repent. ((Michael Braungart at Utrecht Manifest feb. 2008))+This research was undertaken in the middle of the Climate Change debate. A seminal event that shaped the discussions in this topic was Al Gore's documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth.' It forced the debate into negative arguments that closely follow the Christian tradition of Man as the species fallen from Grace, which now has to suffer. ((Michael Braungart at Utrecht Manifest feb. 2008))
 What adds to the feelings of despair around these issues is the complicated nature of environmental and social problems and solutions. There are seemingly endless secondary effects and influences hidden beneath the surface of discussions. What adds to the feelings of despair around these issues is the complicated nature of environmental and social problems and solutions. There are seemingly endless secondary effects and influences hidden beneath the surface of discussions.
  
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 == Positive change. == == Positive change. ==
-Recently some advocates of change based on positive arguments have become more visible such as the 'Slow-Food'-movement, the 'Cradle-to-Cradle' and 'Permaculture' design principles. These forces originate from the possibility of improving the quality of life, this includes of course other life-forms besides humans.((VPRO-Tegenlicht documentary series))+Recently some advocates of change based on positive arguments have become more visible such as the 'Slow-Food'-movement, the 'Cradle-to-Cradle' and 'Permaculture' design principles. ((VPRO-Tegenlicht documentary series)) These forces originate from the possibility of improving the quality of life, this includes of course other life-forms besides humans.
  
 == Tsunamipants applied in a society of risks. == == Tsunamipants applied in a society of risks. ==
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 == Precautionary principle. == == Precautionary principle. ==
-The elimination of risk can slow down society when attention goes only to possible negative out-comes. This is the Precautionary Principle, it says, in essence, 'when in doubt, don't.' The 1998 Wingspread Statement on the Precautionary Principle summarizes the principle this way: //"When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically."// ((The Wingspread Conference on the Precautionary Principle was convened by the Science and Environmental Health Network)) The Precautionary Principle, Al Gore's sustainability and Pre-emtive Strike are examples that demonstrate reflexive modernization. Philosophies like this cause the stupid instructions on rear-view mirrors.+The elimination of risk can slow down society when attention goes only to possible negative out-comes. This is the Precautionary Principle, it says, in essence, 'when in doubt, don't.' The 1998 Wingspread Statement on the Precautionary Principle summarizes the principle this way: //"When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically."// ((The Wingspread Conference on the Precautionary Principle was convened by the Science and Environmental Health Network)) The Precautionary Principle, Al Gore's sustainability and Bush's Pre-emtive Strike are examples that demonstrate reflexive modernization. Philosophies like these brought us the stupid instructions on rear-view mirrors.
  
 == Social risk positions. == == Social risk positions. ==
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 http://www.irgc.org/ http://www.irgc.org/
 And the World Economic Forum has a Global Risk Network which brings out annual reports on global risks. And the World Economic Forum has a Global Risk Network which brings out annual reports on global risks.
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 +== Safety engineering. ==
 +Safety engineering usually is seen as a part of system engineering. It studies the working of a system when a part of it fails. The dynamics of this are visualized in a fault tree diagram. So this study is limited to faults that occur in the category of manufactured risks. Martin Brolin works mostly with external risks or with manufactured risks that result from external risks.
  
 == The myth of happiness. == == The myth of happiness. ==
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   * Adam Whinton and Yolita Nugent's project 'no-contact' selfdefence jacket for women.   * Adam Whinton and Yolita Nugent's project 'no-contact' selfdefence jacket for women.
   * Interactive clothes by XS-lab, Despina and Papadopoulos or Hussein Chalayan.   * Interactive clothes by XS-lab, Despina and Papadopoulos or Hussein Chalayan.
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 +Wikipedia has a nice page on PPE Personal Protective Equipment, which I stumbled upon when I was almost finished with my collection:
 +  * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_protective_equipment
  
  
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   * if the actual outcomes are different than the expected outcome, the reasons for this should be explained in the "discussion" section   * if the actual outcomes are different than the expected outcome, the reasons for this should be explained in the "discussion" section
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 == Designing Tsunamipants, how it works. == == Designing Tsunamipants, how it works. ==
-The first step to design portable safety technology for natural disasters is to make a full list of these horrors. From this the first opportunities for design become apparent. This can be complemented by a list of controversial technologies, events, objects or places connected to the Climate change discussion, such as biofuels, air-travel, SUV-s and holiday-resorts. By pairing disasters to items from the other lists inspiring combinations can be found. +The first step to design portable safety technology for natural disasters is to make a full list of these horrors. From this the first opportunities for design become apparent. This can be complemented by a list of controversial technologies (biofuels), activities (air-travel), objects (SUV-s)or places connected to climate change issues (holiday-resorts). By pairing disasters to items from the other lists inspiring combinations can be found. Making a collection of historic and current solutions in wearable safety systems, gives a greater scope of possibilities in this field. I also looked at protective systems used by animals, for instance the fat-layer used by sealions for insulation and food reserve. And I based Martin's design of the jelly suit on this. Another place to look for good ideas is comicbooks; the superstrenghts often mimic animal strategies.
-Making a collection of historic and current solutions in wearable safety systems, gives a greater scope of possibilities in this field. I also looked at protective systems used by animals, for instance the fat-layer used by sealions for insulation and food reserve. And I based Martin's design of the jelly suit on this. Another place to look for good ideas is comicbooks; the superstrenghts often mimic animal strategies.+
  
 == Character development of Martin Brolin. == == Character development of Martin Brolin. ==
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 +{{Martin-Brolin.jpg}}
  
  
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   * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrich_Beck   * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrich_Beck
   * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_society   * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_society
 +  * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_engineering
 +  * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazard_analysis
 +  * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_protective_equipment
  
 Books and magazines: Books and magazines:
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   * Gaston LeGaffe, Andre Franquin   * Gaston LeGaffe, Andre Franquin
   * Jimmy Corrigan, the smartest kid on earth, Chris Ware   * Jimmy Corrigan, the smartest kid on earth, Chris Ware
 +  * Top Ten, Alan Moore
   * How should we then live?, Francis A. Schaeffer   * How should we then live?, Francis A. Schaeffer
   * Nexus #44 #46 #47 http://www.nexus-instituut.nl   * Nexus #44 #46 #47 http://www.nexus-instituut.nl
  • research_report_theun_karelse.txt
  • Last modified: 2020-06-06 11:57
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