Documentation

Manifesto


Design is powerful. Design is changing the world. 
Forever bettering. Forever iterating. Forever inspiring.
Look at the world surrounding you.
Embrace the Internet. 
CyberFlâneur.

Part A - Look/Observe
• Open your eyes and close your mind.
• Use lots of tabs.
• Click all the links.
• Save things that interest you.
• Get lost on the internet.
• Take notice.
• Read.
• Watch.
• Listen.
• Browse hashtags.
• Look at social media.

Part B - Make/Create
• Be inspired, or inspire yourself.
• Try something new everyday.
• Give context and meaning.
• Always save.
• Iterate.
• Work with colour, or the absence of colour.
• Look at the digital and the physical copies.

Part C - Remember/Memorize
• Everything will work out because it has to.
• Enjoy this moment in time.
• Not everything needs to have a purpose.
• Inspire others.
• Don’t kill anything.
• Design to remember.
• Design to share.
• Design to inspire.
• Design to change.

The CyberFlâneur is an individual who aimlessly wanders the internet, observing society. Without intent, she/he is able to browse the streets of the internet, observing what is around them. Wandering through websites, topics and social media platforms, the CyberFlâneur has the ability to take inspiration from what they see, applying this new found information to their work as designers and artists. 

Taking in the surrounding world, CyberFlâneurie provides methods of viewing otherwise inaccessible parts of the world, even if it does have a filter. Although looking at our backyard is interesting, we can see variety, and increase the scope of our view. We can get lost in the obscure Instagram hashtags from around the world and get to the weird places on the Internet.


We can take inspiration from other people’s work, lifestyle and experiences. We can make our own lives better as we develop and grow as designers. We can contribute. We can do better work. We can make changes. We can make a difference. We can share. We can be inspired and inspire others.

Manifesto Aesthetic 

The visual aesthetic of my manifesto follows the designed look of an Instagram newsfeed. This continues the idea of the journey a CyberFlâneur takes while browsing the Internet.

Because the Instagram screen spaces are so small, I had to split up my content into smaller sections. This was a good thing, because it made each “screen” more powerful as they were easier to read, with less information to understand in one go. 

The individual Instagram screens are monochromatic, with black text on a white background. This is to draw focus on the words and what they are saying, in order to reinforce the idea of the CyberFlâneur and the journey she/he takes. 

The CyberFlâneur applies to more than just Instagram. It is relevant to all social media platforms and all of the Internet. It is a endless journey, taking no particular direction. I have chosen to use Instagram as a focus for the depiction of the journey because Instagram has a wide range of visual content and the use of hashtags can lead to some interesting finds.

Creative Manifestation

For the creative manifestation of our manifesto, I have created a short video describing the journey of the CyberFlâneur. It is taken from the perspective of an Instagram user, because it is one of the most visual social media's and the use of hashtags makes it easy to lose yourself within the realms of the platform.

The journey the CyberFlâneur undertakes, is one of random internet surfing. By clicking random links and pages, she/he is exposed to content they may otherwise not see see. Through exposure to new material, the CyberFlâneur has the opportunity to #discover, #create and #inspire other people, by giving content back to the internet. 




 Promotional Material

For the promotional material, to go along side our manifestos and creative manifestations, I have created a selection of polaroids. These polaroids depict a range of images from my video with hashtags written on top, presenting the main points of my manifesto.

I wanted to use a polaroid style photo because they represent the capture of a moment in time. And that is exactly what I wanted to do, through the journey of the CyberFlâneur. 

I have signed the bottom of them with my name and the year, in order to further document this moment in time, in association with myself as a designer. Therefore, people who want to take a copy of my promotional material have the key ideas of my manifesto and a keepsake for this moment in time, from when they were looking at my work and interested in it.   






For the promotional material, to go along side our manifestos and creative manifestations, I have created a selection of polaroids. These polaroids depict a range of images from my video with hashtags written on top, presenting the main points of my manifesto.

 I wanted to use a polaroid style photo because they represent the capture of a moment in time. And that is exactly what I wanted to do, through the journey of the CyberFlâneur. 

 I have signed the bottom of them with my name and the year, in order to further document this moment in time, in association with myself as a designer. Therefore, people who want to take a copy of my promotional material have the key ideas of my manifesto and a keepsake for this moment in time, from when they were looking at my work and interested in it.






For the creative manifestation of our manifesto, I have created a short video describing the journey of the CyberFlâneur. It is taken from the perspective of an Instagram user, because it is one of the most visual social media's and the use of hashtags makes it easy to lose yourself within the realms of the platform.

 The journey the CyberFlâneur undertakes, is one of random internet surfing. By clicking random links and pages, she/he is exposed to content they may otherwise not see see. Through exposure to new material, the CyberFlâneur has the opportunity to #discover, #create and #inspire other people, by giving content back to the internet.

Manifesto


(if unreadable, text copy below)

Design is powerful. Design is changing the world. 
Forever bettering. Forever iterating. Forever inspiring.
Look at the world surrounding you.
Embrace the Internet. 
CyberFlaneur.

Part A - Look/Observe
  • Open your eyes and close your mind.
  • Use lots of tabs.
  • Click all the links.
  • Save things that interest you.
  • Get lost on the internet.
  • Take notice.
  • Read.
  • Watch.
  • Listen.
  • Browse hashtags.
  • Look at social media.

Part B - Make/Create
  • Be inspired, or inspire yourself.
  • Try something new everyday.
  • Give context and meaning.
  • Always save.
  • Iterate.
  • Work with colour, or the absence of colour.
  • Look at the digital and the physical copies.

Part C - Remember/Memorize
  • Everything will work out because it has to.
  • Enjoy this moment in time.
  • Not everything needs to have a purpose.
  • Inspire others.
  • Don’t kill anything.
  • Design to remember.
  • Design to share.
  • Design to inspire.
  • Design to change.

The CyberFlaneur is an individual who aimlessly wanders the internet, observing society. Without intent, she/he is able to browse the streets of the internet, observing what is around them. Wandering through websites, topics and social media platforms, the CyberFlaneur has the ability to take inspiration from what they see, applying this new found information to their work as designers and artists. 

Taking in the surrounding world, CyberFlaneurie provides methods of viewing otherwise inaccessible parts of the world, even if it does have a filter. Although looking at our backyard is interesting, we can see variety, and increase the scope of our view. We can get lost in the obscure Instagram hashtags from around the world and get to the weird places on the Internet.

We can take inspiration from other people’s work, lifestyle and experiences. We can make our own lives better as we develop and grow as designers. We can contribute. We can do better work. We can make changes. We can make a difference. We can share. We can be inspired and inspire others.

The Influences + References of CyberFlâneur

The Life of the CyberFlâneur - John Hendel

Hendel paints a good picture of the CyberFlâneur in relation to the original, Parisian Flâneur. Depicting the actions of the CyberFlâneur as one that “‘strolls’ through the information space, taking in the virtual architecture and remaining anonymous.” As well as mentioning the various social media platforms and popular websites, Hendel compares the browsing/surfing of the internet to the observation of society, undertaken by the Flâneur. In another article by Evgeny Morozov, which talks about the death of the CyberFlâneur, Hendel opposes the viewpoints mentioned, and describes the various ways in which the CyberFlâneur continues to live and peruse the internet and seek information. This article was a good comparison of the active CyberFlâneur, to the original depiction of the Flâneur, and how Flâneurie continues to occur in modern society, both in the digital and physical forms.
Hendel, J. (2012, February). The life of the cyberflâneur. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/02/the-life-of-the-cyberfl-neur/252687/ 

Streets for Cyborgs: The Electronic Flâneur and the Posthuman City - Debra Benita Shaw

Shaw introduces the concept of the CyberFlâneur with a comparison to the 19th century Flâneur and the introduction of cyberspace and mobile devices as assets. A different approach is taken however, as Shaw not only looks at the changes of the habits of the CyberFlâneur, but also the CyberFlâneur with digital technology in the urban area. In depth research into the changes in human behaviour and characteristics has also changed the way we experience the city and “Flaneur” the surrounding world, as we are assisted by technologies. This was an interesting interpretation of the CyberFlâneur in relation to the urban city. Not only was there a focus on digital technology, but also a comparison of the Flâneur to the CyberFlâneur.

Shaw, D. B. (2015). Streets for cyborgs: the electronic flaneur and the posthuman city. Space and Culture, 18(3), 230-242. doi:10.1177/1206331214560105

Taking A Line For A Walk: Walking As An Aesthetic Practice - Raymond Lucas

Lucas goes into a brief history of the Flâneur and how the practice came to be. With references to Walter Benjamin and Charles Baudelaire, Lucas describes how the Flâneur strolled aimlessly through the streets of Paris and became the observer of society. This was a good interpretation of Walter Benjamin’s writings on the Flâneur, and the aims and goals of the individual Flâneur. Lucas goes on to talk about his own interpretation of the Flâneur and puts this into practice with an example of his own work, ‘Getting Lost in Tokyo’. Although this is a take on the physical work of the Flâneur, wandering through the streets of Tokyo, it is interesting to see another persons work, thoughts and interpretations of a practice that has been around for over one hundred years.
Lucas, R. (2008). ‘Taking a line for a walk’: walking as an aesthetic practice. In T. Ingold & J. L. Vergunst (Eds.), Ways of walking: ethnography and practice on foot (pp. 168-184). Hampshire: Ashgate.

The Death of the CyberFlâneur - Evgeny Morozov

Reading Morozov’s opinions on Flâneurie and the ‘Death of the CyberFlâneur’ made me realise that although there is evidence that the aims and goals have changed slightly over time, the Flâneur, and especially the CyberFlâneur, are not dead. Information and the way we get information has changed, and this has changed the way the Flâneur is able to access information that they don't even know they are looking for. Morozov goes on to talk about Facebook and other social media sites, and how they are changing the Internet game. But this does not mean that the Flâneur isn’t able to aimlessly stumble upon information, through the social media game. This article written by Morozov for The New York Times was helpful, as it put into perspective for me that the CyberFlâneur is still alive, and stronger than ever, with more outlets to pursue.

Morozov, E. (2012, February 4). The death of the cyberflaneur. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/the-death-of-the-cyberflaneur.html?_r=0 

Since the last demonstration of progress, my creative manifestation has changed considerably, in terms of the narrative of the video. Previously, I created an animatic that showed the process of being inspired by the range of information and knowledge available on the Internet, and found through the process of CyberFlaneurie.

 Since then, and having worked on slightly different ideas surrounding CyberFlaneurie and my manifesto, I have changed my idea. I want to focus on the social media platform of Instagram, because this is what I personally use the most when undertaking CyberFlaneurie. I end up getting lost. scrolling through hashtags and people's profiles, looking at different pictures and videos, reading quotes and stories, and looking at cool work. Many designers, artists and other creators become #instafamous from sharing their work on Instagram, and the potential of creating a viral post is large. The actual narrative shows some Instagram hashtags of #discover and #inspire, with different scenes around Wellington, looking at the urban area, design, photography, fashion, and architecture.

At this point, I feel like I need to make the images more clearly related to Instagram, since that's where I got them from. Although the square shape of the images, are recognisable, possibly including the user details and the like and comment symbols that are #instafamous, could support this idea.

The promotional material for project four requires us to create a keepsake of our manifesto and creative manifestation. My initial idea for that was to create a polaroid snapshot of a particular moment in time of an image I found on the internet.

The resulting promotional material would be a collection of different images and a quote related to a bullet point in my manifesto. I have created a couple of test polaroids to see what this would look like. I have not yet included a quote on them, as I have not quite finalised my manifesto.


I like this idea of using a polaroid camera image to capture a moment in time. However, I think my idea needs developing quite a lot because something doesn't feel right, although I'm not quite sure what.
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About

I am a designer, currently studying Design Innovation at Victoria University of Wellington. My focus areas are website and mobile media development, interaction design, 3D modelling and animation and audio-visual space. My blog shows my journey through each project as well as my learning experience through university. What do I want to be when I grow up? I have no idea. But I love what I'm learning. Although there have been many bumps along the road in this journey and despite the fact that there are going to be many more, I wouldn't have it any other way.

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