Real Connections / Heightened Senses Health & Wellbeing
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Real Connections
Issue design by: Jennifer Frank Š 2017 Fashion Communication Northumbria 2
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Nurtural Nature.
Millennials are the pioneers seeking change from the global toxicity we’re encased in and the health limits we’re reduced to as a result of this. This ecological majority are craving a new wave of lifestyle which is leading to a deeper consideration of our selves in terms of the nature within us, delivering a new approach to health and mindfulness. We are letting go of the economical advancements which leave us feeling naturally unsettled, stressed and anxious. Leaving space for the curious exploration of the natural health benefits we can derive from our environment. Ecology, the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings, explores the sensory and culinary developments from living a natural lifestyle. A significant convergence of evidence suggests that “plant-based diets may help prevent and even reverse some of the top killer diseases in the western world and can be more effective than medication and surgery.” (NFacts,2016). Whilst also scientifically proven that through common notions of interacting with the environment, such as ‘grounding’, we can relieve our stress and anxieties. Meaning that the most demure of connections between our bodies and the earth is helping to free our state of mind. The transitional period of reaping environmental benefits will likely crossover between technological advancements and nature, to help Millennials health and wellbeing in our digitally driven society. Mindfulness Apps such as Buddhify, which facilitates mediation anywhere, and Breathe Sync, which guides users through calming breathing techniques using biofeedback, have began carving out spaces for restfulness through technology rather than disputing the idea of digital healing entirely. Prepare to be immersed in ecological knowledge aiming to improve all aspects of our being and discover the Earth’s resources that aim to promote our physical vitality for future generations.
OPPOSITE: Replacing societal norms with plant based influences. Photography Jennifer Frank.
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ABOVE AND OPPOSITE: Photo series exploring the essential need for nature amongst our everyday lives Photography and Collage by Jennifer Frank
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The number of Millennials turning to a plant based diet has risen by over 360 percent over the past decade and is set to be one of Britain’s fast growing movements, (Quinn, 2016). This is due to our growing environmental conscience thanks to recent political advances no longer representing Millennials voices, as just last year Donald Trump ordered a review of the global Clean Power Plan and regularly brands climate change ‘a hoax’. Just this year, the worst-polluted areas of London had fallen below the “black” level of 100 micrograms per cubic metre (Alexandra Sims, 2017). Though this problem is widened globally, with the toxic smog in Beijing has grown to be so severe it’s grounding flights and becoming the answer for “the surge in patients experiencing respiratory issues” (Rebecca Sharpio, 2016). This trend driver is set to advance in the future thanks to likes of documentaries such as ‘Cowspiracy’ and ‘Vegucated’ bringing to light the devastating effects of meat consumption on our turbulent climate.
Directory, 2017). A significant convergence of evidence also suggests this way of being may help prevent and even reverse some of the top killer diseases in the Western world and can be more effective than medication and surgery. As this develops over the years and more people transitioned to plant-based diets and grow accustomed to herbal healing, Medical care costs could drop by hundreds and the pressure on the NHS could be relieved. Plant-based diets will also help lessen greenhouse gas emissions and have a smaller impact on the environment. BELOW: An example of healthcare using spinach to build working human heart muscle, potentially solving a long-standing problem in efforts to repair damaged organs (Delaney, 2017).
As statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that 80% of the world still uses traditional plant herbalism as their main method of healthcare and healing, we can also recognise a plant based lifestyle being a driver at the heart of improving our health and wellbeing. (Therapy
OPPOSITE: Imagery exploring herbal remedies Photography: Jennifer Frank
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PREVIOUS PAGE: Exploring the notions of a plant based lifestyle through physical contact and consumption. Photography: Jennifer Frank
While food scarcity is an underlying theme in underdeveloped countries, natural edibles once branded as poverish will become a new organic solution to our lifestyles. Consumers are deriving food from it’s purest and natural form to ease them into connecting with the environment and the nature surrounding them. There are studies to suggest that eating dirt many cultures have took to eating dirt as a way of staying healthy. DR Sera Young of Cornell University studied the properties of dirt and found that it protects the body from pathogens, parasites, and plant toxins (Heather Neal, 2014). It’s suspected to be due to the clay’s ability to bind things before they can physically make you ill. This theory would explain why children and pregnant women are the most common dirt eaters; they are the most susceptible to illness. Clay may even have properties that protect against malaria.
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We expect that our growing knowledge of environmental impact from the water and fuel used to producing potentially cancerous food will deter us from eating artificially and continue to seek out various nutrients we can derive from the environment around us.
ABOVE: Exploring the potential of new ways to receive nutrients. Photography: Jennifer Frank
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OPPOSITE: Imagery Including plants in our day-to-day routines. Photography: Jennifer Frank.
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ABOVE AND OPPOSITE: Photography depicting the idealogy of ‘grounding’ by Jennifer Frank
The notion that nature itself, crisp winds and fragrant greenery of a garden can be good for what ails us has its roots in ancient tradition and common sense and has for many years proven to be beneficial for our wellbeing. Researchers are amassing a body of evidence, proving what we all know to be true: nature is good for us and has both long and short term mental and physical health benefits.
This direct contact with the Earth allows your body to become suffused with negative charged free electrons and equalizes to the same electric energy level as the earth. The benefits of this common practice are both present physically and mentally, increasing energy, improving sleep and normalising blood pressure and muscle tension. (Wellnessmama, 2016).
A key driver of this trend is pulled from a recent study by Stephen T. Sinatra, he concluded ‘Grounding’ the process in which our conductive systems transfer the Earth’s electrons from the ground into the body as a way of healing, both mentally and physically. He also found the closer someone lived to a green space or nature area, the healthier that person was likely to be. In fact, those who lived closest to a park, nature preserve or wooded area were less likely to suffer from anxiety or depression.
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Nature is commonly presented as a new paradigm for human wellbeing. As a discipline concerned with wellbeing, the importance of natural ecology for physical and mental wellness will continue to develop within the real connections trend, to be a substantial part of Millennials knowledge within us and common wellbeing practices. A driver for this trend is the housing crisis which is allowing us to connect on a deeper level with the environment and nature within ourselves. As we turn to sharing small spaces due to economical impacts, they are encouraged to go outside and seek escape. A recent study conducted by the University of Derby and The Wildlife Trust was put in place to try and measure the impact of last year’s “30 Days Wild” campaign. The results showed that there was a scientifically significant increase in people’s health, happiness, connection to nature and active nature behaviours, such as feeding the birds and planting flowers for bees – not just throughout the challenge, but sustained for months after the challenge had been completed. As a result of this study, Impressively, the number of people reporting their health as “excellent” increased by 30% and was mediated by the change in connection to nature. It adds to a growing body of evidence that shows definitively that we need nature for our health and wellbeing (Jeremy Coles, 2016). ABOVE AND BELOW: Photo manipulation by Adam Hale / edited by Jennifer Frank
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ABOVE AND OPPOSITE: Set of images exploring the notions of accepting nature within us. Photography: Jennifer Frank
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OPPOSITE: Photography: Jennifer Frank
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The Anatomy of Technology Exploration of natural benefits through digital media.
Commonly, technology is dismissed when it comes to our connections with nature as modern Millennials are said to be living in a digitally overrun society, it put us on a path to rejecting nature entirely. But although many of our digital inventions tend to estrange us from the natural world, we expect to see technology and nature continually cross-pollinating in powerfully positive ways. In the past few years, there has been monumental health and wellbeing breakthroughs in the world of nature and technology. A neonatal surgical tape was created for new born babies sensitive skin, modelled on the structure of spiders’ webs. An imitation of viruses to create self-assembling nanoparticles which can deliver medication straight into cancer cells, and even a new colour e-reader screen ‘Quacomm’ which was created inspired by the way butterfly wings gleam in bright light (Heimbuch, 2013).
Health by App is expected to be one of the fastest growing markets in technology and lifestyle over the next decade. Currently valued at $1.4 billion, the mobile health industry is projected to grow to more than $20 billion by 2018, whilst the healthcare analytics marker within mobile Apps is set to be worth $21 billion by 2020. (Mhealthshare, 2016). We will stop seeing technology and nature as an unnatural connection and start concentrating on helping them to flourish as a pair.
OPPOSITE: Image of the first successful cyborg digital grown rose, which can change color with the flick of a switch Image: Business Insider, 2016.
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ABOVE AND OPPOSITE: Intertwining technology with nature. Collages: Jennifer Frank
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LEFT AND ABOVE : Exploring natures relationship with the digital world. Above: Energy by Anne Joyce Left: Jennifer Frank
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Heightened Senses
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OPPOSITE: Collage illustrating the Healthcare Handover trend by Jennifer Frank
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Healthcare Handover Heightened Senses
Millennials living within relentless digital and media overload, are constantly craving new advancements as part of a basic societal need. Aided by the convenience and constant access provided by mobile devices, the rapid growth in the use of technology has opened a dimensional door in the world of health and wellbeing to radically shift the healthcare paradigm. As innovation in medical technology beings to accelerate, along with it are concerns around a growing ageing population and a rise in common diseases. Increasingly, aspects of health and wellbeing are being handed back to the people via technology as it meets our growing demands for physicality. Yet the mental and physiological side effects of our digital dosage is a potent path to be discovered. With the World Health Organization recently announcing that mental health is its top priority in the next decade, minorities are quick to blame our online habits for our rapid deteriorating state of mind. As a moral imperative to try to digitally find relief, technology will begin to explore integrative approaches to help reinvigorate Millennials health and wellbeing by bringing the benefits of traditional healing into modern day technology. Thanks to the technological advancements curating new tools and swift advances in our human capability, we’re gaining a higher level of control over our bodies and how life works, to allow us to seek out health advice from the ease of our digital devices at our fingertips. As a result of this emerging paradigm, technology will begin to arise in already reliant forms of mental wellbeing approaches, such as yoga and spa retreats. Forming a craze of multi-sensory experiences to focus, calm and replenish our state of mind and bridging the gaps between mindfulness and new media agents. Expect to see rewired receptors bringing our sensory capabilities to new heights and an influx of virtual reality programmes paving potent paths for our state of mind. 36
ABOVE: Exploring the notions of health and wellbeing through virtual reality Photography: Jennifer Frank
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BELOW AND OPPOSITE: Whilst initially rejected, we are beginning to see a shift in consumer attitude towards the physical benefits of digital healing
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PREVIOUS PAGE: Imagery mimicking societies current state of play of almost always being switched on and plugged in Photography: Jennifer Frank
Virtual Reality is an impactful driver within the heightened senses trend to promoting health and wellbeing. Since emerging, this profound technology has began to change the healthcare industry as a whole and provide a safe environment for practicing healthcare professionals to even carving peaceful resorts to help our state of mind. A driving example for this trend is Samsung’s 2016 ‘Be Fearless’ campaign. This consisted of 27 people using VR to overcome their phobias in life. Participants underwent a four-week VR course intended to help them overcome these phobias and find ways to prevent it. Those afraid of public speaking, for example, faced a series or VR environments in which they were asked to speak, starting with a smaller crowd and building to a larger audience. This campaign helped 87% of participants to reduce their anxiety levels (Daniel Farey-Jones, 2016). As we expect virtual reality to adapt and grow , it holds the potentials to change the whole healthcare experience. A given rise in augmented environments can allow consumers to relieve stress and travel to calmer, quieter places. It can also be put in place to help train healthcare professionals to learn new skills as well as refreshing existing ones in a safe environment. This provides an economical boost and potentially allowing our society to become better acquainted with medical practices and preventions to help sustain a better lifestyle.
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OPPOSITE AND ABOVE: Collages illustrating the abstract ideals of augmented reality
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Current budget constraints as a trigger effect from ‘Brexit’ are placing unprecedented pressure on the NHS. This is paving the way for new forms of technology to transform radical care pathways in the UK. Giving people greater control over their health and wellbeing through digital innovations and allowing consumers to know when an actual diagnosis is needed, to prevent wasting appointment times with minor illnesses on an already strained healthcare plan. A review of the research conducted globally on the digital self-management of asthma concluded that this new wave of ‘health by App technology’ can improve self-care, life quality and medication use. In a US budget impact model for diabetes, digital self-management technology managed to delay complications and generated savings to the health system. Just the singular remote monitoring of blood glucose, alone, saved $326 million over ten years (Lorena Tonarelli, 2015).
OPPOSITE: Photography by Jennifer Frank
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As we submerge ourselves in the world of alternative digital health and wellbeing approaches, we will start to see the popularisation of multi-sensory experiences revitalising common wellbeing practices. Millennials are seeking ways to relieve the stress of everyday life through their own digitally fuelled means. An example of this intertwining of both mindfulness and technology is ChromaYoga. ABOVE: The first Multi-Sensory yoga experience in the UK Image: ChromaYoga
ChromaYoga is the first studio in the UK that combines colour therapy, soundscapes and bespoke scents with the aim of creating “an immersive, sensory experience� not yet seen (Deven Pamben, 2017). The idealogy behind this practice is built on current research into the ways in which light can be utilised to improve sleep quality and mood, increase energy and aid muscle recovery.
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OPPOSITE: Bringing digital advancements to the recognisable health and wellbeing Photography: Jennifer Frank
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Revitalised Receptors
Our wave of digital extremities are building new and exciting capabilities for telemental health through our senses, in particular our taste buds. A recent development in the world of augmented technology is a synthesiser created by Nimesha Ranasighe at the National University of Singapore. Nimesha discovered signals that can reproduce the four well-known major taste components salt, sweet sour and bitter and can be transmitted through a silver electrode touching the tip of your tongue. “We have found noninvasive electrical and thermal stimulation of the tip of the tongue successfully generates the primary taste sensations,� (Ranasinghe, 2017) Although the device is still undergoing redesign, this movement has set the foreseeable potential for healthcare in the future. People suffering from diabetes could use the taste synthesiser to simulate sweet sensations without bringing actual harm to their blood sugar levels. Or cancer patients could potentially use the receptors to improve or regenerate a lack of taste during chemotherapy. As a recent study also proclaims that sugary drinks can damage vital proteins in the brain, (Jessica Griggs, 2015) this methodology could be used to allow consumers to still experience that initial sugar hit without the impactful damage, ultimately leading to improve our overall health.
OPPOSITE: Photography: Jennifer Frank
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The food industry started with a slow influence from the digital revolution but with recent technology and new innovative ideas emerging, keeping track of our compulsive eating habits and discovering our health potentials is becoming increasingly popular. In the past, dishonest brands could get away with misleading Millennials with confusing labels and clever copy writing tactics, but in today’s connected world, that is becoming harder for companies to do. Social media and smart phones has connected consumers to information about the potentially harmful effects of certain ingredients, the source of products, and how things are made. This accountable trend of inter-connectedness is demanding accountability from food giants.
ABOVE: Photo manipulation depicting millenials digital adaptations Left: David Carrier / Right: Sonia Lentsch
Also set to disrupt the food industry as it expands and develops within the heightened senses trend is 3D printed food. As Millennials grow more conscious of the environment and try to be as tactile as possible when it comes to limiting our waste impact, a positive change for the future is create our meals with these devices. The Foodini is a 3D printer designed for the home kitchen. The user prepares the ingredients with a food processor or blender, and the 3D printer can print shapes out of the mix. It’s meant to take out the time-consuming process of making things by hand. The Foodini has created food items such as burgers, pizza, and desserts. As this knowledge develops it’s inevitable that new advancements will begin to lean towards curating healthier alternatives and provide us with a packaging-free, healthy solution to our sustainable needs.
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ABOVE AND OPPOSITE: Exploring our relationship with technology and food Photography: Jennifer Frank
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PREVIOUS PAGE: Our need for technology adapting to our physical needs Photography: Jennifer Frank
As we step into the foreseeable future of multisensory experiences, our health and wellbeing will also begin to be manipulated through the use of audio technology. Companies and composers have begun to curate software which makes music customisable to your brainwaves, building new capabilities for our brain chemistry. Soon consumers will be able to plug in headphones and relieve themselves of stress with a playlist synchronized with your unique brain’s chemistry. This methodology is believed will be able to increase productivity, sleep quality and even help fight against anxieties. As consumer desire for technological outcomes increases, the ability to listen to music that is literally in tune with your brain will provide a whole new business opportunity in the world of music streaming. At the moment, we have Spotify looking at our musical choices and providing selections based on our own tastes, if we have something that is connected to our own physical biology, it’s heightening our own technological abilities.
ABOVE: Image documenting the brainwave to soundwave process By: Michaela Rehle
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References
Image References
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(Alexandra Sims, 2017) https://www.timeout.com/ london/blog/sadiq-khan-has-issued-a-black-leveltoxic-air-alert-for-the-first-time-012317
(MHealthShare, 2016) http://www.mhealthshare. com/mfactsheet.html
Spinach Heart Tissue. (http://news. nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/human-heartspinach-leaf-medicine-science)
(Rebecca Sharpio, 2016) http://www. huffingtonpost.com/entry/beijing-smogprompts-residents-to-flee-seeking-breathable-air_ us_5858b932e4b03904470a7675 ( Sue Quinn, 2016 ) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ food-and-drink/news/number-of-vegans-in-britainrises-by-360-in-10-years/
(Heimbuch, 2013) https://www.treehugger.com/ clean-technology/qualcomms-upcoming-e-readerwill-mimic-butterfly-wings-for-energy-sippingcolor-displays-video.html
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Cyborg Rose. (http://uk.businessinsider.com/ electronic-flowers-like-cyborg-roses-first-smartplant-2015-11?r=US&IR=T)
(Daniel Farey-Jones, 2016) http://www. campaignlive.co.uk/article/samsungs-be-fearlessgear-vr-campaign-combats-fear-heights/1385830
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(Therapy Directory, 2017) http://www.therapydirectory.org.uk/articles/herbalism.html
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(Delaney Chambers, 2017) - http://news. nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/human-heartspinach-leaf-medicine-science/?
(Lorena Tonarelli, 2015) https://www.raconteur. net/healthcare/smartphone-apps-are-key-forpatient-health
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Energy by Anne Joyce https://uk.pinterest.com/ pin/833306737272324407/ PAGE 48. Yoga by ChromaYoga (https://www.chromayoga. com) PAGE 54.
(Heather Neal, 2014) https://www.babble.com/ body-mind/7-surprising-health-benefits-of-eatingdirt/
(Deven Pamben, 2017) http://www. healthclubmana g ement.co.uk/health-clubmanagement-news/Yoga-London/331444
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(Katie, 2016) https://wellnessmama.com/5600/ earthing-sleep/
(Jessica Griggs, 2015) https://www.newscientist. com/article/dn24579-sugary-drinks-tinker-withvital-proteins-in-the-brain/
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David Carrier (https://uk.pinterest.com/ pin/833306737272403691/) & Sonia Jentsch (http://trendland.com/9-best-set-designers-toknow-right-now/) PAGE 61. Music Streaming. (https://qz.com/959683/brainfm-and-other-music-streaming-apps-can-nowcurate-music-based-on-your-brainwaves/)
(Jeremy Coles, 2016) http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/ story/20160420-how-nature-is-good-for-our-healthand-happiness
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