Imperfection, failure and contingency are sometimes more attractive than perfection, while societies require us to be perfect. People who fail at something are exposed on the internet and subjected to digital lynching. In Japan, ugly-shaped foods are not sold. In addition, the spread of SNS has increased the social crisis that people feel to being forced to pretend to a ‘perfect self’ around the world. As Haemin Sunim mentioned in his book, many people strive for a perfect world.
This Wonderful Imperfect World is a project to visualise the positive side of imperfection, failure and unconsciousness, especially for teenager to 30’s who grew up with SNS culture.
The inspiration of this project came from my backpacking memory in Europe. Compared from Japan, Europe had joyfully imperfect elements- finger scribbles on snow covered signage, an art of advertisements poster stains on a station walls, the beautiful shape of a mattless abandoned in the street. There are strong creativity and playfulness in items that are recognised as “wrong” condition from usual perspective.
As a hopeful response to the social situation of perfection, the posters of this project are based on my seven-year picture logs, which have recorded mistook items/moments involving playfulness, unconsciousness, or something unpredicted. Mistakes can lead to creation, and there is the exciting possibility of accepting imperfection, fostering a sense of optimism.
The project features elements made by experimental trials. Rolling apples randomly while scanning them, pouring water on typography drawn by watercolour pen, mixing 3D modelling images and hand drawings, and more. All of them are based on an analysis of the picture log: what part made this situation curious? Composition? Unusual texture combination unconsciously assigned by people? What is the contrast between urban city and graffiti? All analyses are evaluated to visual elements and make a unique point of this project.
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