Me & My Shadow is a B.A. final year project which touches on the problem that people no longer have, or see the need to have, solitary moments in this highly social society.




Background
 
“All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”
– Blaise Pascal 

We live in a day and age where much emphasis is placed on communication, networking and group ideation – the need to be extremely social. Day in and day out, we are swarmed by text messages, emails, calls… And more often than not we would always be around people, pressured by the society to come out of our introverted selves and become adaptable social animals, or risk missing out on the best things in the world such as potential business deals, once in a lifetime opportunities, or simply, the good fun. If, ever, we are alone, we’d be plugged in to the world with our cellphones and gadgets.

This constant human engagement via physical or technological means creates a problem in this society – that Man no longer have, or see a need to have, “alone time” in their lives to recharge and restore their body and mind. Are we constantly socialising because we fear missing out, losing out and being alone? When then, can we eventually have time for ourselves, to breathe, to rest, to grasp reality, and to reflect on our lives? 
 

The Project

Through a series of projects such as the building of temporary spaces for passersby to experience mental and physical solitariness, Me & My Shadow explores how the use of graphic design interventions can allow one to realise the importance of alone time in today’s highly social society. 

The objectives are to educate the target audience on the misconceptions and importance of solitude, and explore whether moments of solitude can be created for the laymen using self-reflection and the creation of solitary space in the public area.


> View all of the Me & My Shadow projects together here

The results of this project are extremely varied. Some participants prefer staying at home, while others choose to go outdoors for a midnight run... with the camera!

The photographs are then developed and designed into posters that can be folded and made to stand. The card can be unfolded and flipped to show other selected photographs.