人算不如天算
I was asked to make a blog for the NYU IMA Low Res graduate program. (I started with no tangible experience in interaction design.) Math is nature’s poetry, and these are just diary entries.
Alter-Instagram
Reel
I was asked to make a blog for the NYU IMA Low Res graduate program. (I started with no tangible experience in interaction design.) Math is nature’s poetry, and these are just diary entries.
Alter-Instagram
Reel
IMALR-GT-201-05
WHAT: IMALR-GT-201
[*Warning*] During the process of this book, you will learn about blood cells. You may be asked to rip things. You may or may not find yourself grieving the currently perfect state of these pages. You may be asked to commit. You may be asked to let go. You may come to embrace the finitude of life and the preciousness of love.
The Tao of Blood will be an A5-sized “journal” that will teach young adults+ to both commit and to let go. The pages have to be torn in order for you to access the content, and the writing utensil will feature disappearing ink. Love is both personal and universal. So is blood, and so is journaling.
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Why Taoism?
At the root of it, Taoism is a philosophy understood as the undefinable “way” (道/tao/dao) of the universe. It teaches harmony with the energy of everything around us. Yin and yang. Heaven and earth.
I mentioned in my first blog post that I believe we are here as a cell in the universe as it tries to experience life on all levels- Well, this interconnectedness is where I found empathy for blood cells.
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Why love?
Blood is love. Yes, it supplies the heart that we so closely associate with intense feelings of deep connection, but there's more to it. Blood is both a tissue and a liquid. It is indpendent when it needs to be and collective when others need it to be. This type of existence makes me believe even more firmly what I wrote
There are two main processes that embody this, which I will be reflecting in The Tao of Blood:
(1) Altruism
Unlike the rest of the cells in our body, red blood cells lack nuclei. Why? Because nuclei take up quite a bit of space, and our red blood cells need that space to fit in more hemoglobin, the protein responsible for delivering oxygen to all other tissues. Because of this, red blood cells cannot reproduce and live finite lifespans of around 120 days.
(2) Commitment
Through a process called erythropoiesis, stem cells respond to a protein secreted by the kidney called erythropoietin to determine a decrease in blood oxygen level. Once they "know" we need more oxygen, the erythropoietin sends a signal to the stem cells in our bone marrow to produce red blood cells. This is a balancing act of which specialized cells need to be prioritized at any given moment. Once a stem cell "decides" what to become, they must commit until death.
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Affordances
(a) Folded pages that must be ripped “affords” the user to fully commit before each entry and be curious.
(b) Disappearing ink “affords” the user to write truths, and to recognize the limitations of life and necessity of letting go.
(c) Small size “affords” the user to carry it around and not feel intimidated.
(d) Softcover/paperback “affords” the user to understand that the item is perishable (making it simultaneously both more and less precious).
(e) Red cover “affords” the user to notice it.
(f) Prompts “afford” the user to reflect and have the opportunity to get a little kooky.
(g) Quotes “afford” the user to learn about the relationship between love, blood cells, and Taoism in a tangible and digestible manner.
(h) Minimalistic design “affords” young adults+ to be more attracted to this guide than children.
(i) Potential hidden affordances: creative unblocking.
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Determining if the guide is successful.
I think if someone opens up one page and is caught between wanting to rip them all in one go and slowly exploring them, I will consider this guide a raging success.
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Questions.
(a) Should I use UV ink or disappearing ink?
(b) Will I succeed in binding this book myself?
(c) What are my journal prompts going to be?
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Critique guide thoughts.
Probably best for the maker to specify what type of critique would be helpful at their current stage of development.