In 2011, I visited my hometown, Jakarta. Usually I go there once or twice a year to visit my family. One of the advancement of the city which I’m proud of, is Busway (Transjakarta.) It’s unfair for me not to praise the idea and hardworking people who attempt to solve the traffic congestion problem there. It’s unfair for me if someone criticize them without giving solutions. The people’s way of thinking is only for criticize things without attempting to solve a problem. Someone may say “Our critics are for the city’s advancement”
For me it’s helping and it’s not wrong to criticize, but sometimes we forget this thing: to criticize ourselves even if the impact is not strong.
For example, we shout over Jakarta’s flooding every single year, but we’re littering, even to the streets and rivers. ‘Go Green’ is a mere symbol we’re not realized basically that this Earth is for our offsprings and we ought to preserve it.
It’s scary enough when I analyzed a critic of the development of modern era design. In this era, chemical and synthetic compounds industries develops rapidly, and in every aspect of life those compounds are being used, like plastic wraps and chemical in most households. The invention of the compounds helps mankind in one side, but in other side it contributes to the destruction of the earth. Therefore in 1960s the society starts to aware of the conservation of Earth, that movement is called Green Revolution. This movement spreads from grassroots movements; and in USA, this movement spreads to courts and government. Nearly everyone were involved in this movement. How about Indonesia? I watched a TV news report showing that people might smoke freely in the Parliament building, while smoking is a part of destroying the enviroment (as well as your health.) And I don’t forget to mention the industrial and vehicular emission gas. As you might’ve known, CO2 absorbs heat, and that makes heat from Sun gets trapped under the atmosphere. This is called greenhouse effect. And why there’s more horizontal conflict in Indonesia?
Wait…. why I went into a question on horizontal conflict? What’s the connection to the modern design? I conclude from my dissection on History of Modern Design (from pre-modern era into modern era) as follows: whatever we are, our ethnicities, religions, races, etc. we are aware that the earth is decaying. Why should do violence as sedatives? That depends on the entire humanity to choose.
Whatever I’ve mentioned above is only a small example. By using public transportation in Jakarta, at least I reduced CO2 emmision from my own vehicle, at cost of my convenience.
Final conclusion: studying design not only from what it shows, but what it brings, and then the action out of the way of thinking.