A MAGAZINE
“Chaos is a friend of mine” - Bob Dylan
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CHAPT
ER 0
WORD O R I G CHAPT IN ER 1 CHAO S T H CHAPT EORY ER 2 CHAO S I N MESSI H E SYN E A DROM OVERC D E HOICE C HAPTE
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ARTS A
ND M
USIC
INTER VIEW WITH AI WE BOB D IWEI’S YL AN BANG INSTA LL ATIO N
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4 Photo by Beatriz Artilheiro
WORD ORIGIN
CHAPTER 0
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The word chaos origins in the Greek word khaos which means “abyss.� In ancient Greece, Chaos was originally thought of as the abyss or emptiness that existed before things came into being, and then the word chaos was used to refer to a specific abyss: the abyss of Tartarus, the underworld. When the word chaos first came into English in the 1400s, this sense was the one that was first attested to.
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Later, in the 1600s, there was renewed interest in the Classical authors, and that’s when chaos gained its more familiar sense. Ovid, the great Roman thinker, thought of chaos as not a formless void from which all things were made, but as a formless, jumbled, disorganized mass. English speakers borrowed this meaning of chaos, then broadened it into the word we recognize today: one that denotes utter confusion or disorganization. Source: merriam-webster.com
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Photo by Michael Donelly
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CHAOS THEORY
CHAPTER 1
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the ac cu If ab Ch ar or o Th c t “ o h t l o n c a e u yo e eo ha e n or al te ne le r ao b t de ly co ule s is as f c mig rar r y” os i t , i r i un n t in it w uld s, in a s call hao ht th y t he ter ou de ta y a s. is, ink o w T t s e h h su est ld c pp in be ribe ich wh con eor , no wha no ic tra y ta t os g f n t h h a o o d ed r “ m is s pa fo ict nd the ch or ta tte llo ion ch c h ao a e te r w s o os cha wi n ca s n in t aos r i res os th a n b o r erm n t ea . e he rc The the e re cog s. tra h” re or y cog niz ns - it for n itio is e, or e ize n f rat tot ven d. ro he al m r i ch calor nt a de ere os i rt o c sted s ha in os .
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Photo by Nicolas Cuenca
Chaos theory, in mechanics and mathematics, the study of apparently random or unpredictable behaviour in systems governed by deterministic laws. A more accurate term, deterministic chaos, suggests a paradox because it connects two notions that are familiar and commonly regarded as incompatible. The first is that of randomness or unpredictability, as in the trajectory of a molecule in a gas or in the voting choice of a particular individual from out of a population. In conventional analyses, randomness was considered more apparent than real, arising from ignorance of the many causes at work. In other words, it was commonly believed that the world is unpredictable because it is complicated. The second notion is that of deterministic motion, as that of a pendulum or a planet, which has been accepted since the time of Isaac Newton as exemplifying the success of science in rendering predictable that which is initially complex.
In recent decades, however, a diversity of systems have been studied that behave unpredictably despite their seeming simplicity and the fact that the forces involved are governed by well-understood physical laws. The common element in these systems is a very high degree of sensitivity to initial conditions and to the way in which they are set in motion. For example, the meteorologist Edward Lorenz discovered that a simple model of heat convection possesses intrinsic unpredictability, a circumstance he called the “butterfly effect,” suggesting that the mere flapping of a butterfly’s wing can change the weather. A more homely example is the pinball machine: the ball’s movements are precisely governed by laws of gravitational rolling and elastic collisions—both fully understood—yet the final outcome is unpredictable.
Chaos is the inherent unpredictability in the behavior of a complex natural system
In classical mechanics the behaviour of a dynamical system can be described geometrically as motion on an “attractor.”
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The mathematics of classical mechanics effectively recognized three types of attractor: single points (characterizing steady states), closed loops (periodic cycles), and tori (combinations of several cycles). In the 1960s a new class of “strange attractors� was discovered by the American mathematician Stephen Smale. On strange attractors the dynamics is chaotic. Later it was recognized that strange attractors have detailed structure on all scales of magnification; a direct result of this recognition was the development of the concept of the fractal (a class of complex geometric shapes
that commonly exhibit the property of self-similarity), which led in turn to remarkable developments in computer graphics. Applications of the mathematics of chaos are highly diverse, including the study of turbulent flow of fluids, irregularities in heartbeat, population dynamics, chemical reactions, plasma physics, and the motion of groups and clusters of stars.
Source: Britannica Photos by Nicolas Cuenca
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va nia bu the ac ch tha t h The a g c t i n o t t n e g s ju erfl r y ord ng e , h r a ng y a in e s t g fl l h f e al o le, ap re f to wo ly E an s i th u r ro d ts w e t ld i p C e sub in ny h , . s � t e gs h a q ue in th ing os n tly e A s. A a ma s z t o rm ora -
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Photo by Ashraful Arefin
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CHAOS IN HEAD
CHAPTER 2
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MESSIE SYNDROME WHEN CHAOS RULES THE PEOPLE
Hamburg -
Mountains of garbage, labyrinths full of trash, boxes of useless things - for many people, a completely normal state of affairs. In Germany, around two million people are affected by the messie syndrome. According to experts, the number is growing.
At last, her apartment resembled a cave: mountains of magazines, old letters and bills, vases, plates and, again and again, cleaning agents. Rags, scrubbing brushes, sponges, cleaning solutions in all variations. Andrea collected and kept. Throwing them away - that was out of the question for the young woman. “I didn’t feel like a collector at all,” Andrea recounts, “For me, they were people who were looking for something special: Cacti, cars or dolls. I had a hundred thousand reasons for every x-anything why I couldn’t part
with it.” After a while, the young Berliner realized for herself that she had a “quirk”. In her apartment, her precious acquisitions were piling up, her purchases were lying around wildly, and in the end she couldn’t even get the garbage down. Her own chaos was getting on top of her.
Psychologists call people like Andrea messies - a disease named after the word “mess” (disorder, chaos). In the end, there was not a single spot left in the entire apartment where the mother could spend time with her children. But Andrea refused
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that the messie syndrome often overlaps with other diseases. Although they are not a homogeneous group, according to experts, those affected often suffer from depression or anxiety. Triggers are often critical life events, for example the loss of the life partner or the job. Werner Gross of the Psychological Forum Offenbach also sees the reasons in the parental home. “Many,” he has found, “have simply not learned the necessary structures.”
Her professional life was quite different: As a good soul, Andrea kept three large households in order. What she could no longer manage at home - here, paradoxically, it worked out with absolute perfection. “Actually, I’m a total organizational genius,” Andrea says of herself. “You have to be if you’re a messie.”
In a society that is becoming increasingly anonymous and placing greater demands on mobility, messieism seems to be on the rise, according to Gross. People from fast-moving professions in which there are many changes are particularly susceptible, reports the psychologist, citing as examples people who work in social areas, but also stock market brokers or computer specialists. Holding on to
There are about 1.8 million people living with messie syndrome in Germany, estimates the Professional Association of German Psychologists. But the condition is still largely unexplored. “There is still no clinical diagnosis,” says Gisela Stein, a psychologist at Bielefeld University. What is certain, however, is
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Photo by Shweta Muzumdar
to let the overwhelming clutter around her get her down. Again and again, she bought cleaning supplies. “I wanted to clean up the mess, but just couldn’t do it.”
objects creates perceived security for them. “In this group, it’s particularly blatant,� Gross says. Knowledge pressure and fear of failure also play a role. Every scrap of paper, no matter how small, with something written on it is kept and hoarded, is how one former sufferer describes her desperate search for a foothold.
classes, 20-year-olds can be just as affected by collecting fever as 80-year-old old people. The spectrum ranges from total chaos to sophisticated penibility. Only in extreme cases do messies live in completely cluttered apartments in which individual rooms can no longer be entered. But there is also the other extreme: Like Anton, for example, who installed a sophisticated shelving system in his apartment, in which he
Photo by Beatriz Artilheiro
According to the findings of psychologists, however, there is no uniform pattern: Messies can be found in all social
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meticulously stowed away all objects. Using a computer system, he found the tube of Uhu he was looking for or the screwdriver he needed in a matter of seconds - walking sideways because the aisles of his labyrinth had become too narrow over time. In the end, there was no room left in the apartment for himself: Anton slept on the canopy with a tent. Until he was sued out of the apartment by the owner.
lived in the same house, didn’t know for a long time about the collecting mania that was raging just a few stairs above her. “Lying, cheating, you’re inventive,” Andrea says. To the outside world, she always kept up appearances: neat, well-groomed, always wearing accurate makeup. Today, in her mid-30s, Andrea has her collecting mania more or less under control. As a member of Messies Anonymous, she advises people on a telephone hotline who, like her, can no longer cope with the hullabaloo at home.
Many messies find the increasing isolation that comes with their illness particularly bad. They become lonely because they desperately try to keep their illness a secret. No one is allowed in the apartment anymore - for fear of being exposed, for shame of having to reveal the hopeless chaos.
The network of self-help groups, which has been growing since 1996, also offers help. Step by step, those affected try to reorganize their home and their lives. Friends and fellow sufferers can help to separate themselves from the mountains of clutter. Box by box, a step toward normality.
For messies, it is therefore important to maintain the facade. And in many cases, they succeed: for example, even Andrea’s best friend, who
Source: spiegel.de
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Photo by Shweta Muzumdar
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OVERCHOICE
the possible choices they have. It states that increasing the number of choices will logarithmically increase the decision time. For example, research shows that when looking for an option in an alphabetical menu, people will take longer to select a particular command if the list is longer.
In many cultures, freedom and autonomy are considered critical to our well-being. Having the ability to do what we want, when we want, and to explore our options seem like healthy attitudes. This is why supermarkets are filled with so many variations of similar products. We think that the more choices we have, the better off we are. But the relationship between choice and psychological well-being is not as straightforward. Having too many options can be overwhelming. The many potential outcomes that may result from making the wrong decision result in overchoice.
Making a decision involves knowing what you want, understanding what options are available, and then making trade-offs between the available options. It makes sense that the more information we have, the longer it takes to scan it, consider it, ponder it—thus prolonging the decision time. Picking between two options is indeed quicker than picking between ten options.
Named after British and American psychologists William Edmund Hick and Ray Hyman, the Hick–Hyman law describes the time it takes for a person to make a decision as a result of
But what’s interesting is that overchoice does not only impact decision time. Having too many options is not only
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bad for decision making, it’s bad for our mental well-being. Many studies have documented overchoice, and found that it leads people to delay or completely opt-out of decision-making, report lower choice satisfaction, and make poorer decisions when they are faced with a large number of options.
1970. It occurs when people are in a situation where many equivalent choices are available to them. Research found that the satisfaction of choices by number of options available follows an inverted U model—in other words, there is a sweet spot with not too few, and not too many options—just enough to maximise our perception of freedom and our mental well-being.
Making a choice can be seen as a battle between freedom and commitment. While we are exploring options, we’re free to pick any. We feel autonomy. But, once we make a choice, we are committing to an option, and therefore closing the door to the other ones. This may mean having to make trade-offs or missing opportunities. Having too many choices makes this battle between freedom and commitment even more complex.
If we have too few options, we feel frustrated. Too many, and we may experience analysis paralysis, fear of a better option, and even regrets afterwards. Did we really make the right choice? Wasn’t another option better than the one we picked? Source: nesslabs.com
The term “choice overload” was coined by Alvin Toffler in
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Photos by Shweta Muzumdar
What makes me happ What do I want? This or that? Why do we Is this the wrong choice? This or that? Is this Is this the wrong choice? the wrong choice This or that? Is this the wrong choice? What do I want? Is this the wrong choice? What do I want? Which one is better? This Is or thisthat? the wrong choi What do I want? This or that? Which one is better? What do I want? Which better? This or that? This or that?one is What do I want? Thisme orhappy? that? This or that?What makes This or that? This or that?What do I wan Do I need this? What makes me happy This or that? Do I need this? What makes me hap What do I want? Which one is better? Do I need this? What do I want? What do I want? Which one is better? What do I want? Which one is better? Why do we live? What do I want?
What do I wa we live? WhichWhy one do is better? Why do we live? Is this this the the wrong wrong choice? choice? Which one is better? Is Which one is better? IsIs this this the the wrong wrong choice? choice? What makes me happy? What do I want? What do I w What makes me happy? What makes me happy? 27
ARTS AND MUSIC
What do I want?
CHAPTER 3
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Coverpicture of Bob Dylan’s Album “Bringing It All Back Home” by Daniel Kramer, 1965
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INTERVIEW OF BOB DYLAN A: ”Little Brown Dog.” “I bought a little brown dog, its face is all gray. Now I’m going to Turkey flying on my bottle.” And “Nottemun Town,” that’s like a herd of ghosts passing through on the way to Tangiers. “Lord Edward,” “Barbara Allen,” they’re full of myth. Q: And contradictions? A: Yeah, contradictions. Q: And chaos? A: Chaos, watermelon, clocks, everything. Q: You wrote on the back of one album, “I accept chaos but does chaos accept me.” 30
A: Chaos is a friend of mine. It’s like I accept him, does he accept me. Q: Do you see the world as chaos? A: Truth is chaos. Maybe beauty is chaos. Q: Poets like Eliot and Yeats-A: I haven’t read Yeats. Q: they saw the world as chaos, accepted it as chaos and attempted to bring order from it. Are you trying to do that? A: No. It exists and that’s all there is to it. It’s been here longer than I have. What can I do about it? I don’t know what the songs I write are. That’s all I do is write songs, right? Write. I collect things too. Q: Monkey wrenches? 31
A: Where did you read about that? Has that been in print? I told this guy out on the coast that I collected monkey wrenches, all sizes and shapes of monkey wrenches, and he didn’t believe me. I don’t think you believe me either. And I collect the pictures too. Have you talked to Sonny and Cher? Q: No. A: They’re a drag. A cat got kicked out of a restaurant and he went home and wrote a song about it.
Parts of an interview of Bob Dylan by Nora Ephron & Susan Edmiston, 1965
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Photo by Michael Donelly
Photo by Roman Mensing
AI WEIWEI’ S BANG INSTALLATION AT VENICE ART BIENNALE 2013 In China, every family typically has at least one stool which serves a range of purposes and that is passed down through each generation; each one of the wooden threelegged structures having been manufactured in a uniform and used across all sectors of society for centuries. However, following the cultural revolution, the production of the simple objects dropped and metal and plastic became standard materials for furniture construction. For the 2013 Venice Art Biennale, Ai Weiwei’s work ‘bang’ employs 886-three legged wooden stools made by traditional craftsmen whose expertise is now something that is rare to find, and has installed an expansive rhizomatic structure which speaks of the increasing volumes of organisms in our world’s megacities. The single stool can be interpreted as a metaphor for the individual, and its relation to an overarching and excessive system in a postmodern world which is developing faster than it can keep up with.
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“Bang“ by Ai Weiwei for the 2013 Biennale, Photo by Roman Mensing
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39 Photo by Michael Donelly
But what would our world be without the chaos? Would anything ever change?
Fonts | Font Sizes & Leading: Body Text Futura 12/14 pt
Credits Free University of Bozen-Bolzano Faculty of Design and Art
Big Body Text Futura 20/25 pt
Bachelor in Design and Art – Major in Design WUP 20/21 | 1st-semester foundation course
Caption Text Futura 7/8,5 pt
Project Modul: Editorial Design Design by: Amelie Schaeberle Magazine | Chaos
Title Text Futura 57/25 pt
Supervision: Project leader: Prof. Antonino Benincasa Project assistants: Andreas Trenker, Emilio Grazzi
Subtitle Text Futura 24/28,8 pt
Photography:
Layout Grid: 7 Column Grid
Beatriz Artilheiro (4,20) Michael Donelly (8,33,38) Nicolas Cuenca (12,14) Ashraful Arefin (16) Shweta Muzumdar (19,22,24,25,26) Daniel Kramer (29) Roman Mensing (34,35,36)
Module proportion: 1 : 1,412 CPL | Character per line - Body Text: 48 characters including spaces Printed: Bozen-Bolzano, January 2021 Digital Printing
Format: 170 x 240 mm
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