Smartphonebook
Seeking
Beauty|IRL
With links to 14 online data posters and 55 music videos. Based on a national representative survey about the way beauty is experienced in Ireland.
Demo version Experiment with numerous hyperlinks hidden behind the illustrations on the left pages. Open posters and music that examplify the beauty of Ireland in text, images and sound. The full version of IRK
has 128 pages.
'Seeking beauty |
© 2015
Project Beauty, Utrecht, Netherlands
Titel
Seeking beauty
Uitgave
P.O Box 10 013, 3505 AA
Subtititle Keywords ISBN
Utrecht, Netherlands
in Scotland
beauty, research, culture, Ireland 978-90-818551-8-1 (e-book)
NUR 600 Issue 1
Concept & text Marius Hogendoorn Design
Text edits
Marius Hogendoorn, Frans Willem Pompe, Simon Hodges
Illustrations Opening : Int Schüssler, paintings
(www.int2art.nl)
Chapters : Marius Hogendoorn, photography
Appendix : Katja Wentz, wall hanging
(www.kirvani.com)
Cover Front : 1. Bachmont (doors) 2. Henry Zbyszynski (luxury watches) 3. John Butler Yeats (painting) 4. Marc Falardeau (wave) Back: 1. Dushan Hanuska (Grafiti sex) 2. Jamie Grant (family fun) 3. Castellers d'Esplugues (Dante's universe) 4. TBYH (meditating) Spine Jorge Nava (Bono screen)
©
2016.
All
rights
reserved.
No
part
of
this
publication
may
be
recording
or
reproduced, stored in an automated file, or published, in any form or by
any
means,
electronic,
mechanical,
photocopying,
otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. Despite all the
care taken compiling this book, the publisher and the author shall not
be liable for any damages resulting from any error in this publication.
Seeking beauty | in the Ireland |
Marius Hogendoorn
Publication on the basis of
“Beauty is the battlefield where God and Satan contend with each other for the heart of man.� Fyodor Dostoyevsksi
Preface This booklet is the result of a study involving 239 inhabitants from Ireland. They answered questions about the wonderful but often complicated word 'beauty'. Questions are often more important than answers. With questions something begins and opens. An answer can only close. This is all the more so when it comes to the phenomenon of beauty because it is about the most personal subject that exists. What does it tell us when we know that 29% of the Irish population finds something that has already been used is better then something new? It is maybe informative, but what attitudes lie beneath the statistics? When it comes to beauty, statistical knowledge about "the average" Irish man or woman might be interesting for a few, but often no more than that. Beauty is about what touches us. Our attitudes to it therefore show our differences. It is precisely this diversity that is central to this book. From trains to trees and from birth to death: everything has its own beauty, it appears, according to "us".
1.
click and look
+
2.
click and read
+
3.
click and listen
On use
Here are some suggestions on what to do with the beauty in this book.
1. You can answer some of the questions about beauty and discover its role in your life.
2. Look up the results of the Irish survey in the appendix and see how you profile against the average Irish citizen.
3. Discuss beauty issues raised by the questions in
this book with your friends, getting to know each other better in the process.
•
Use the numerous (over 90) links displayed troughout this e-book. These give you access to data visuals and music that help tell the story of beauty.
"The Irish Beauty Tree ' Composed of images of the participants in Ireland version of the Beauty Project. They show their personal imagination of beauty.
1. Opening
1
2. Beauty
7
3. Experience
11
4. Danger
23
5. Man - Woman
33
6. Time
43
7. Happiness
53
8. Essence
61
9. Hope
67
10. Together
77
Appendix
79
1. Opening
1
2
On thinking Thinking happens by itself and is sometimes difficult to stop. We think of something, then of something else, then of something else and something else. Is this what we want? Do we want to endlessly solve the puzzles presented to us by our brain? Do we play enough with our thoughts? Do we positively choose, for example, something that we like to think about? Perhaps we could choose something that evaporates all other thoughts and makes our heads stand still? We could think of something beautiful, just by itself. At the risk of stating the obvious, but no less true for it, thinking of something beautiful makes you happy. It can also lead you to appreciate the beauty you already have. To dwell on what we see as beauty is giving time and attention to what is really important in our lives . Our answers to the questions hereafter offer us a mirror of what our lives are mostly about.
3
4
Organisation The questions in this booklet are for you to answer. They were also submitted to 239 inhabitants of Ireland. Their answers are processed in four ways: 1. The figures sketch the broad lines and offer numbers and percentages that tell something about "the state of beauty" in the Ireland. *) 2. The participants’ own words that are given in all disclosures to open questions. Here, the specific wins over the general. The key words are used in the illustrations in word clouds, the complete answers are contained in the symbols presented. A smartphone or tablet with scanning application and internet can open and expand these, using the QR codes. You can then see all the answers embedded in a cloud. 3. The images that were uploaded to say what words cannot tell. They are processed throughout the pages and in the 'Beauty Tree´ in which the contents is shown. 4. And finally: the sounds. The QR codes in the note symbols contain links to online clips. They give access to music fragments that participants considered as exceptional examples of beauty. *) In the Appendix the exact responses are included.
5
6
3. Experience
11
12
¶
To know and to know otherwise We know all about the beauty of science, but there is little we know about the science of beauty. Such a subject would be difficult. Science prefers well enclosed circles of knowledge. Perhaps beauty is slightly too boundless. We can of course delve into a piece of the pie. For example, art history talks about the history of artistic creations. Aesthetics allows the philosopher to think on the essence of art. Social sciences provide explanatory food for thought. Evolutionary psychology asks whether our brain is especially attracted to things that have to do with our survival and social psychology looks at the role of beauty in human interaction. For sociologists beauty is fascinating, especially when it comes to the social impact of the standards that people use for beautiful. And then we have the biology, and mathematics. And even the philosophy of science. Because is not knowledge itself also beautiful?
13
14
¶
What is the most beautiful thing you experienced last year?
15
16
Which two of the following forms of beauty comes closest to what you regard as the most important in your life? 1st 2nd choice o o beautiful clothes o o person / partner (e.g. a 'handsome' partner) o o person / partner (e.g. someone with a good character) o o house (e.g. beautiful things in your home) o o mechanical things (e.g. car) o o art o o mementos / memories (e.g. photos) o o symbols (e.g. small statue, precious stones or amulet) o o jewellery o o food or luxury foods o o music o o knowledge (such as studying or books) o o nature o o sport o o travel o o silence o o other, namely: ...
17
22
4. Danger
23
24
¶
Appendix
79
Ludwig von Beethoven, Ryan O'Shaughnessy, Temple Of The Dog, Leona Lewis, Lykke Li, Payphone, Psy, Rihanna, Autechre, Hatsune Miku, Yann Tiersen, FrĂŠdĂŠric Chopin, Skrillex, Two Steps from Hell, Rihanna, Darin Zanyar, One Direction, Avril Lavigne, Robbie Williams, Antonio Vivaldi, Ed Sheeran, The DVI group, Florence + The Machine, Glen Hansard, F. Chopin, Luciano Pavarotti, U2, Crowded House, Turlough O'Carolan, Dire Straits, Eric Satie, Cat Stevens, Elaine Paige, Phil Collins, Adele, Bill Whelan, J.S. Bach, Vangelis, Sacred Spirit, Elton John Eric Clapton, Charlie Landsborough, Bob Seger, Giovanni Marradi, This Mortal Coil, G.F.Handel, Pink Floyd, Stamatis Spanoudakis, Don McLean, James Galway & Phil Coulter, Leonard Cohen, Elvis Presley, Phil Lynott, Maurice Ravel, W.A.Mozart, Pink Floyd, Andrea Bocelli, Gustav Holst, Sean O'Riada YouTube and the YouTube logo are registered trade marks Google Inc.
The music of beauty Which songs and compositions were for the participants in the Irish version of the Beauty Project the epitome of beauty? More than 60 pieces of music were named of which 55 are embedded in the QR codes in this book. Mentioned were known composers like Ludwig von Beethoven and FrĂŠdĂŠric Chopin Ryan and performing artists like O'Shaughnessy, Temple Of The Dog, Leona Lewis, Hatsune Miku, Yann Tiersen and Rihanna,. What other musical numbers deeply moved Irish? The full list is included in the YouTube playlist(s) * of the Ireland project. These are accessible via the QR codes on the links page. *) A YouTube playlist can contain up to 200 songs.
Facebook and the Facebook logo are registered trade marks of Facebook Inc.
What happens next? The Beauty Project started around 2007 with a pilot in collaboration with a Dutch magazine. In 2010 the first national survey followed among the Dutch population. The next step was going to the UK and Ireland: here the project was conducted in 2012. In 2016 the project will go to Germany and Austria. The Irish Facebook page of the Beauty Project reports on a regular base about new steps. Also messages are posted about funny, whimsical and newsworthy affairs that beauty can bring about. Want to stay informed? The Irish Facebook page is accessible by clicking the QR code on the left page.
You support happiness Part of the amount you paid for this book is intended for a particular purpose associated with the theme of this book: the perception of beauty. It is decided to use this money to support a knowledge centre that focuses on developing a method by which the level of welfare of a country can be mapped: the Gross National Happines (GNH) Centre in Bhutan. It is customary to compare nations on the basis of their economy. A key measure used for this is the called Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This GDP especially shows the level of prosperity and says little about the degree of well-being. The GNH Centre in Bhutan develops an alternative unit that aims to balance the one-sided focus on welfare of GDP: Gross National Happiness (GNH). With the purchase of this book you support the research and development of the GNH Centre in Bhutan. www.gnhbhutan.org / www.grossnationalhappiness.com
'Seeking your beauty': create your own book "Seeking beauty | Ireland' is based on the answers of 239 Irish. They completed the questionnaire and answered personal questions about their dealings with beauty. The online questionnaire of the Beauty project can still be completed. It also possible to make your own personal book where your answers are included with colored markings. This way you create your truelly personal copy, titled "Seeking your beauty | IRL with < Your Name >'. You can create "Seeking your beauty | IRL' for yourself, but it also use it as a gift: invite friends to explore their beauty and give them their personal copy of "Seeking your beauty | IRL' as a present. www.seekingyourbeauty.info
www.b-u-t.net/irl/app
App with attention for beauty: 'Beauty Today' Take a moment every day for the beauty that has happened. The app ‘Beauty Today' helps to focus on this at a self- chosen time at the end of the day. We walk fast, work hard, worry a lot and think deeply. When we do look around, it’s usually to see what’s gone wrong, what we should have done better. Of course, things sometimes do go well, but then we often think they could have gone better. Always in a rush, usually we scarcely have time for the beautiful things around us. What a shame, because they’re there, those beautiful things. When we do take the time to reflect, it makes us feel so much better. That’s the reason for this app, to remind you to pay more attention to the beautiful things in life. In the ‘Personal’ mode the app functions as a notebook for the most beautiful moment of the day. On top of this in the ‘Share‘ mode it is possible to share these moments and to receive particular moments of beauty from other users of the app. www.b-u-t.net/irl/app
This publication is also available as a printed book. 'Seeking beauty | in Ireland’ can also be ordered online as a gift book. It holds a mirror to the reader that he or she can use to look at the meaning and the place that beauty has in his or her life. In addition, many references are included to the way in which Irish in 2012 looked at this special phenomenon. Through the many QR codes that are included in the print publication the reader with a smartphone can access a wealth of additional information on the Internet. The links open web pages with images of the posters that were produced based findings of on the research. Scanning the codes opens up dozens of online music videos: our selection of the best examples of what survey participants found beautiful.
Blurb and the Blurb-logo are registered trade marks of Blurb Inc.
In the serie ... Next to this Irish version the Beauty Project has also been conducted in other countries or regions. At this moment the following books on how beauty is experienced and perceived are available or being prepared: • • • • •
Seeking beauty | in the United Kingdom Seeking beauty | in Scotland Seeking beauty | in Wales Seeking beauty | in Northern Ireland Op zoek naar schoonheid | in Nederland
For the most recent overview of publications from the Beauty Project please visit: www.b-u-t.org. Some of these issues are also available as ebook.
“Let beauty surprise you.” In memory of John O'Donohue. (Irish poet philospher)
Beauty, a puzzle. A stand-still, sit-down and take-your-time book. ‘Seeking beauty | in Ireland’ is about the meaning and experience of the difficult but powerful word 'beauty'. What is it about and what does it do to us? These and many other questions about this fascinating phenomenon are central to this book.
What are our own answers when it comes to the role of beauty in our lives? This gives book a series of challenging intersections, such as: "To what extent do you believe that you can influence the degree of beauty in your life?" and "Does beauty lead to happiness?". Our own answers to these and many other questions that are asked show how we live our life. Because that is what our own idea of beauty shows us: a mirror. 'Seeking beauty | in Ireland' came about thanks to the cooperation of 238 Irish men and women: their responses are included in this publication. They show how Ireland deals with beauty.
This publication was made possible by the generous support of NETQ Netherlands and SSI Benelux.