Awkward Beauty

I look forward to the future, yet there’s this thing (as depicted in most science fiction) that scares me - the uniform cleanliness of the environment and ubiquitous sleek technological devices. I’m not a luddite; I enjoy technology and embrace most innovations. What I find disturbing is the uniformity of aesthetics. The colorful and elaborate has become old-fashioned. Enter the era of conformity in clean lines, monolithic colors and sleek appearances.

A few weeks ago, Kurt Wimmer’s movie Equilibrium (2002) was shown on TV. It depicts a future where emotions have been outlawed and all objects that may evoke emotions, particularly works of art, are banned; condemned to be destroyed whenever discovered. The world is intensely efficient. There are no frills. All objects are placed at the optimal position to enhance performance.

Living in a world where Apple risks a defect in order to produce a phone that meets its aesthetic ideal, I’m not worried about an excessive obsession with performance. It’s the uncanny familiarity of that sleek hygenic home and office in Equilibrium that disturbs me. We seem on track to achieving that “ideal” – a conformity of aesthetic values focused on minimalism.

In addition to selling us things we never knew we needed, Apple with its focus on typography and white earphones seeks to educate us on aesthetics. When we buy that product, it almost seems as though we give away our individualism and buy into a carefully designed lifestyle complete with its very own aesthetic values. We recognize that we have a deficient sense of style and leave it to them to dictate what we ought to like. I overheard an exclaimation that went something like, “I never knew beauty until I found Apple!”. Well, I never knew fear.

What I think I’m missing is that little bit of awkward beauty. The deficiency of originality, where the lack of confidence and polished professional competency bring about a fresh perspective. I believe that when something good becomes sufficiently well-liked, they become mediocre. Then it takes another leap, sometimes into mud again, to bring us to a new level of beauty. If something does not offend a good number of people, it will never become great. Much of great art was ahead of its time.

So, when it comes to aesthetics, question your first instinctive response and challenge yourself (at least once in a while) to accept what you may find grotesque. Before you say “eew”, try to see it in a different light.

Advertisement