Fear and loathing in Chattavegas.

In case you can't tell from all my other ramblings ModernSauce is, in fact, a design blog.  I know, right??!!  Even I forget sometimes.  But I'm easily distracted and... hey, do I smell bacon??

*bacon hunt ensues*

Particularly I like looking at style trends because it doesn't make me feel inadequate like when I talk about design accessories that I can't afford and I can just ramble on and on about global issues and pretty things while in my pj's here in Chattavegas and no one can stop me.  Mwahahahahahah!  In fact, Bmoxie Bmore asked me to ramble about some stuff last week.  I chose to ramble about my job and trends because [see previous sentence]. 

To illustrate my ramblings I used some images by South-African Li Edelkoort (found via the ever-inspirational Busy Being Fabulous) from her trend forecast for Summer 2010 and 2011.   Here is an overview of her presentation:

"Her research has shown that for the past ten years we have been living in fear. The 1990's were marked by (amongst other things) the Gulf War, ecological disasters, Ebola, genocide, genetic engineering and Y2K. While many of the younger generation were optimistic about the future especially in light of the fall of the Berlin wall, the introduction of the internet and a rise in youth cultures, all generations looked to the turning of the millennium as pivotal point. For one year thereafter the world looked forward to the new century, until the September 11 2001 attack in New York.

The world started to fall apart from this point. We became scared of everything. Black and white viewpoints arose, grouping people into diametrically opposed groups. Security became our number one priority. In South Africa this was marked by an increase in violent crime and a corresponding increase in personal security. The world also started to fear dramatic climate change, food shortages, bird flu, genetically engineered foods, identity theft, water scarcity, poisonous toys and terrorists attacks. Every aspect of our experience had an element of fear.

What Li notes as being different about this current crisis is the world's reaction to it. In the past financial crises were marked by a return to basics ideology. Fashion was marked by minimalism - a sort of atonement for the sins of our excesses. This time the crisis is not of our making - blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the financial institutions. So we have nothing to atone for. But we have been presented, instead, with the opportunity to re-centre ourselves, to narrow our focus to our local environment and to project our dreams of our changed future."

I could probably make a post about each of these boards below but that's a lot of work and I still haven't found any bacon.  Besides, Li did a pretty good job.  The recent past has been all about fear and the future is about optimism - in terms of Design.  The kind of optimism that envokes flowers and ribbons and pastels and *shudders* fairies.  Hey, she's just the messenger after all.  I gravitate towards the themes with darker undercurrents because I'm deep and mysterious - like the Ally Sheedy character from the Breakfast Club.  But I bet I smell better...  And eat my cereal in a bowl.  Waaay less self-loathing and lots more smiling too...  Ok I'm nothing like her really.  I can't believe I just wasted that awesome blog title for nothing...  shit. 

Creative Craft

"Handcrafted and heartfelt. Craft represents our rich heritages and our love for things made with care."   I am enraptured by that center picture...

Illustrated Illusions

"The stuff of fairytales. Children's picture books offer a wealth of inspiration."

Evanescent Elegance

"This story is about layering. It is light and transparent, airy and uplifting. It is without pomposity."

Scribbled Scenarios

"Doodles and scribbles that reveal secrets about ourselves. Telling stories with lines."

Folded Volumes

"Converting 2d into 3d."

Photographic Memory

"Faded photos replace our memories. Captured emotions from times gone by."

Watercolour Floral

"Lazy, languid summer days filled with summer blossoms."

Mapping Lifestyle

"This trend is more of a mindset than a storyboard. It relates to us finding our new boundaries, our identities and purposes."
 

Tachistic Energy

"This is really a print and accessories direction. Drawn from the art movement of the 1940s and 1950s (derived from the French word tache - stain)."

One of my favorites.  that blue and gold combo will be making another appearance on MS soon...

You can see more boards and read more of Li's analysis here.  Interesting to note these were actually presented in 2009.  Yeah.  Suck on that "design bloggers!!"  Oh wait...