Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a Grip

Last Tuesday, Unbox attended a workshop ran by Hamid van Koten, entitled, "Sustainability: What Students Want?". The workshop was brought on by the Teaching and Learning forum that was held last month, and consisted of some awareness activities, feedback on what we as students actually wanted, and some free food courtesy of O'Brien's sandwich bar! Unfortunately, this isn't what I'm blogging today. For a really good write up on what went on on Tuesday, check out Struan Pendrich's blog post at http://resigndesign.blogspot.com, where he goes over everything that went on that day. Yes, he even includes the results of Hamid's heavily anticipated 'Eco Race'.

Today, I'm posting the video that Hamid decided to kick this workshop off with, Leo Murray - a graduate of RCA's, "Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip". His vivid interpretation of the messy situation we find ourselves in is not only eye-opening, but is also extremely hard hitting and relevant to designers, tutors, and everyone else charged with the crimes of destroying our planet. Opening up with the line, "This really isn’t about polar bears any more. At this very moment, the fate of civilization itself hangs in the balance", it is clear to see Murray's intentions, and throughout the animation, you find yourself torn between the despair of "these extraordinary times", and the excitement of being part of the solution.

"Wake Up, Freak Out - the Get a Grip" is an excellent depiction of climate change and the times that we live in. Obviously, with everything you read and watch, you should take it with a pinch of salt, as he does push the theory on a little, but i'll let you see that for yourself.

A PDF of the script with other useful links, etc, can be found here - http://wakeupfreakout.org/script.pdf and for some more general information on the project itself, check out http://wakeupfreakout.org.

Enjoy!

Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip

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