HELP I’VE LOST
NATURE your quick fix of biophilia
about.
Hi there! My name is Amelia Stewart, I am a 21 year
most of them could do with increased
improving concentration in students, it is
old graphic design student. My personal
interaction with nature in their daily lives
going to be effective.
experience of university has informed this
since they live in such an urban area. The
project. I grew up in rural Waikato so
halls of residence are all apartment blocks
my design response to creating a nature fix
moving to busy Wellington city was quite
in Wellington so most university students
for young, university students.
an adjustment for me.
initially move into apartment buildings here.
I have been living in various apartment
As a student myself I spend almost all of
buildings for the last three and a half
my time working from home, since I have
years. Apartments are generally warmer,
everything I need there, which includes less
cheaper and safer than living in a house in
distractions. A lot of people I know work
Wellington. However apartments are a lot
better from home than at uni, so I wanted to
more confined with no back yard, minimal
focus on creating something that students
natural sunlight and often windows facing
could use in their home environment.
into other apartments. Sure there are parks
By designing a portable object this doesn’t
and public areas for enjoying nature, but
restrict the use of the product to students
sometimes that’s just not practical if the
homes, it could be transported to use where
weathers’ miserable or I’m swamped with
ever the student is working. It goes without
university work.
saying that students are often very stressed
University students in Wellington are the perfect target audience for this project as
and poor, so if there is a fun, cheap, easy and practical way to reduce stress while
The following booklet is an explanation of
DEFINING BIOPHILIA The term biophilia describes to human beings
to continue to increase, with it estimated that
intrinsic love of nature, a concept popularised
70% of people will be living in urban areas by
by conservation biologist Dr. E. O. Wilson with
the year 2050.
the release of his book in 1993; The Biophilia
With the increase in people are living in
Hypothesis. Wilson argues that regardless of
apartment buildings in densely populated areas
an individuals background, financial status or
people’s access to nature has become more
culture beliefs human beings are all united by
restricted. Therefore our innate love of nature is
our innate love of nature. This theory revolves
becoming lost in today’s modern society.
around the concept that biophilia is a product of human’s biological evolution and therefore is genetically encoded into each and every one of us. People often limit nature to things like flowers or grass, overlooking the fact that animals and the weather are also key natural elements in our lives. The United Nations (2004) estimates that for the first time in human history the majority of the world’s population live in urban areas, instead of rural environments . Urbanisation is projected
THE IMPACT OF BIOPHILIA The Biophilia Hypothesis essentially claims
Interestingly enough images that depict nature
assignments done and barely leave the flat
that human beings are dependant on regular
have been shown to have the same positive
during a hand in or exam week. This project
interaction with nature to sustain a long and
influence on humans that real physical nature
explores creating a digital and tactile biophilia
healthy life (Wilson, 1993).
does, even if its not quite the same experience.
effect designed to benefit distracted, stressed
Another researcher, Kaplan, has scientifically
In a world that is becoming increasingly
verified that office workers are less stressed if
urbanised, retaining our bond with nature has
they have a window view of nature and also
never been so important. The halls of residents
perform tasks better if they have a pot plant in
for university student’s in cities like Wellington
their office, compared to those workers that do
are all apartment buildings. This means that the
not (Heerwagen, 2010 ). Kaplan also argues
majority of students who begin university will
that by taking a short nature break a persons
initially move into flats with limited access to
attention span is replenished, therefore enabling
nature. Moving out of home to start university
them to refocus easily after taking a break.
is a big adjustment for most young people, let
Increased interaction with nature, by taking a nature break, has been proven to reduce
alone the fact that their new home is a large, densely populated city.
stress, while improving concentration and over
University students live unusual lifestyles;
all well- being. The biophilia effect is the term
they have restricted money so they’ll cheaply
that refers to the exposure of nature having a
decorate their flats with photos or images
positive influence on the well- being of humans.
from magazines, they’ll pull all nighters to get
out Wellington students living without easy access to the movement and delight of nature.
FINDING NATURE IN A BOX This is an unconventional book, that explores
from their daily lives. As children we were
the concept of creating a digitally produced
encouraged to read books, spending hours
biophilia effect, acting as a easy nature break
fantasising about the world of Harry Potter. By
for busy university students.
the time you reach university though, reading
Our society has never been more reliant on digital technology. We all depend on
books has become part of a educational chore and is often overlooked as a form of escapism.
technology for work, socializing and carrying
By capturing a stylised version of nature in
out daily chores. These digitised devices are
a book format this offers the university students
all recent, man made objects that we are very
a practical and an easy way to access nature.
accustomed to, whereas nature has been
If the weather is miserable or they’re having a
around since the beginning of time and yet it
melt down at 3 am, the student can turn to this
seems to be disappearing from our daily lives.
book, hidden in their desk to give them a stress
It was my communication objective to rekindle
relieving biophilia escape. The design of the
people’s love of nature and consequently
book set was purposely kept simple, which is a
offering escapism from their stressful, modern
contrast to their busy lifestyle.
everyday lives. Books have traditionally used as a form of escapism. People today are now turning to TV and virtual worlds, such as The Sims, to escape
THE DELIGHT OF NATURE By using pop up construction the books are
a different, arbitrary order, therefore subverting
remembering personal memories associated
brought to life as it captures the movement of
the monotonous quality of a typical book.
with these elements of nature. The abstract
Abstracting images of nature in a digitised
textures were intended to not be realistic as
surprise that nature brings into our lives. This is
form (through the process of scanning imagery
this book set is clearly not nature and cannot
a tangible way to interact with a representation
and laser cutting) gives my design a fresh twist
replicate real nature. Using photographic
of nature through the tactile use of pop up.
on real nature, which is appropriate for my
images would have produced an unrealistic
Often it is not enough to just see nature, you
mediated target audience. Our modern society
imitation of nature.
want to touch and interact with it too.
is becoming increasingly over cluttered with
nature, therefore mimicking the delight and
I wanted people to respond to my project
images and therefore people today pay more
with a smile and I have found that the surprise
attention to new or unusual images than
of the pop up design achieves this. You never
familiar ones.
know what to expect with nature, for instance
This project was originally inspired by the
that moment when you’re smelling a sweet
beauty of real nature, the gorgeous colours and
rose and out pops a bee. This element of the
textures that together create the allure of nature.
unknown has been translated into my design.
I have expressed the intangible essence of
Having the pop up pages looking identical
nature through a more expressive graphic style
from the outside adds an supplementary layer
than photography. The illustration styled and
of spontaneity to the design. Every time the
watercolour textures that portray nature visually
student looks at the books they’ll open them in
capture a dream- like quality that evokes
SUMMER IN WINTER Help, I’ve Lost Nature expresses nature in the
students can take a fun, quick and easy nature
seasons of summer and winter. As they are the
break when ever they’re feeling stressed out.
two seasons with the most recognisable and
Escaping into a nature break should replenish
distinctive imagery of nature. The book named
students attentional systems which consequently
winter in fact holds images of summer nature.
improves their concentration and overall
People always feel a desire for what they don’t
academic performance. Help, I’ve Lost Nature
have, therefore gazing at an image that evokes
offers the same beneficial effects that actual
a sunny day at the beach when it’s a freezing
nature does. This project further replicates the
cold winters morning is appealing.
movement and delight that nature brings into
Our society has conditioned us to expect
our lives. This pop up book set is not intended
things instantaneously, for instance immediate
to replace nature, but merely provide students
access to information on the internet. This notion
with a quick fix of biophilia for when they find
of quick access is reflected in the simplicity of
nature hard to come by.
the design of the books, enabling the student to effortlessly access biophilia. By capturing elements of two seasons of nature in a box this allows students to posses a selection of biophilia in a practical form. By keeping Help, I’ve Lost Nature on hand,
This pop up book set would be available for purchasing from quirky gift stores, such as Iko Iko, as a gift for people going to university.
Heerwagen, J. ( 2010 ). Biophilia. Retrieved from http://www.haworth.com/en-us/Knowledge/ Workplace-Library/Documents/Biophilia.pdf. United Nations. ( 2004 ). World Population To 2300. New York, NY: United Nations. Wilson, E., & Kellert, S. (1993 ). The Biophilia Hypothesis. Washington, DC: Island Press.