Smartphonebook
Seeking
With links to 14 online data posters and 55 music videos. Based on a national representative survey about the way beauty
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is experienced in the USA.
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Beauty|USA
Demo version Try the many links hidden behind the QR codes and in the illustrations on the left pages. Open posters and music that reflect the beauty of the United Kingdom in text, image and sound. The full version of 'Seeking beauty | USA' contains 128 pages. Available in printed version (via Blurb) or as ebook (for iPads: Apple iBookstore / for Android or Windows: Kobo Store).
Link pages This booklet contains 21 linking pages with a total 69 scannable QR codes. Any QR codes will open a bigger online version of an image or music videos.
click and look
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A.
The online version of the illustration with the tree shows an image composed of photos uploaded by the participants. The photos are examples of beauty for them.
B.
click and read
The online versions of the word clouds provide an overview of the most important keywords in the answers on a question.
C.
click and read
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The online versions of the symbols provide an overview of all the answers to these questions.
D.
click and listen
The QR codes in the music notes open YouTube music videos. These pieces of music were mentioned by the participants as examples of beauty. The 55 pieces of music are listed in order of age. They are a selection of the more than 150 pieces of music that were mentioned.
© 2020
Project Beauty, Utrecht, Netherlands
Titel
Seeking beauty
Uitgave
Narcisstraat 5,
Utrecht, Netherlands
Subtititle USA Keywords
beauty, research, culture, United Kingdom
ISBN
978-94-92009-22-7 (Kobo ebook)
NUR 600 Issue 1
Concept & text Marius Hogendoorn Design
Text edits
Illustrations
Marius Hogendoorn, Frans Willem Pompe, Simon Hodges Opening
Chapters
Int Schüssler, paintings
Philip Folsom, photography
Appendix Katja Wentz, wall hanging (www.kirvani.com) Cover Front : 1. unknown (house) 2. Mic (excalibur car) 3. unknown (fragment Jackson Pollock) 4. unknown (Montana mountains) Back: 1. Vox Efx (bikini) 2. unknown (friends) 3. Charles Hackley (books) 4. unknown (Apache war bonnet) Spine W. Auerbach-Levy: George Gershwin (painting) ©
2015.
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.
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| in the United States of America |
Concept: Marius Hogendoorn Photography: Philip Folsom
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 2.000 inhabitants from the United States. 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 21% of the American population finds something that has already been used is better then something new? It is certainly informative, but what attitudes lie beneath the statistics? When it comes to beauty, statistical knowledge about "the average" American 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".
'The Beauty Tree' Composed of 294 images of the participants in the United States of America version of Project Beauty. They show their personal imagination of beauty.
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2. Beauty
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1. Opening
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4. Danger
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5. Man - Woman
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6. Time
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7. Happiness
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8. Essence
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9. Hope
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3. Experience
10. Together
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Appendix
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Linked page:
Click on the QR codes and listen to the music that touched the heart of a participant in Project Beauty | USA 2019.
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1. Opening
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Space for image from custom photoset
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On thinking
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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.
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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.
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Organisation
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The questions in this booklet are for you to answer. They were also submitted to 2039 inhabitants of the United States of America. 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 USA. In the Appendix the exact response are included.
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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 word clouds illustrations. The complete answers are contained in the symbols presented. By clicking on these they can opened and expanded. You can then see all the answers embedded in the word clouds.
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 clickable links to online clips. They give access to music fragments that participants considered as exceptional examples of beauty.
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3. Experience
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Linked page:
Click on the word cloud illustration and enlarge.
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Âś
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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.
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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?
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Linked page:
Click on the symbol illustration and enlarge.
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What is the most beautiful thing you experienced last year?
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Space for image from custom photoset
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Which two of the following forms of beauty comes closest to what you regard as the most important in your life?
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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: ...
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4. Danger
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Ideals We dream of what not yet is, of what may hopefully come. We dream of what we want to possess, experience or achieve, in every tone and colour. We dream of justice, and we dream about… beauty. Some dream together, others just for themselves. Some dream about the open road, others for a quiet fire. Beauty is good, isn’t it? Perhaps not always. Beauty can be difficult and even dangerous. Not all beauty leads to happiness. Some forms remain only a promise. A beautiful, often very seductive promise, agreed. But no more than that. "For the most beautiful” was written on the golden apple that the Greek goddess Eris threw in the hall where the wedding was celebrated to which she was not invited. Legend has it that the party almost came to an end by the riot between the other goddesses that this act caused. Because even the goddesses wanted to be still more beautiful. When it comes to beauty we balance between two poles: one where wonder slows our pace and one where the allure causes our blood to quicken. Wonder opens the moment, temptation narrows the future. Beauty’s power works both ways.
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5. Man - Woman
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In-divisible Man. Woman. Unity in diversity? Often not quite. When it comes to beauty the balance often stumbles. Being beautiful is not an even distribution. Certainly not if we include "at first sight". Then beauty sticks more to women than to men, as many women find themselves. This is a sensitive issue, because it sometimes rudely disturbs the path towards a harmonious balance of he and she. There clearly is no equality between men and women when it comes to beauty. Men enjoy the beauty of women. The beauty of man is less apparent. It seems we have to thank evolution for this, but I wonder if that explanation feels any better... Moreover, external beauty is not evenly distributed, something that is a little socially undesirable. Because let's be honest: is it just that some of us may be able to count on help less easily, just because of what we very irresponsible could call 'errors of form'? Differences are nice, but inequality is something else. Perhaps it is of some consolation that aging makes us appreciate more diverse forms of beauty. So as we grow older we become happier
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8. Essence
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What for you is the most beautiful? o o o
a thing, an object a person an experience
Which of the following terms do you most associate with beauty? o o o
excitement silence / quietness cannot make a choice / both
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9. Hope
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Beyond now Dreaming is recommended. Dreaming is like playing with blocks of peaceful or alluring imagery. We can scroll through them endlessly. To see if we can find a suitable image for the tomorrow that hopefully ever will be now. It's like flying, but we don’t need wings. Many of the dreams in which we see ourselves playing a role are about life. To make it, to share, or just simply to live it a little longer without defects. How simple and yet how complicated it can sometimes be? Dreams can give and take. They give when we dream in connection with our present; if there runs – however thin - a wire between today and possibility; if they offer perspective, as this source of hope is often solemnly called. They can also take, or rather: they sometimes obscure our view on reality. That can be fun for a while, but difficult when it persists, or when we lose ourselves in it. Then dreams become refuges of desire. Therefore dreams also require something: they ask for honesty and courage. Honesty to enter them and guts to get out again.
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10. Together This book came about thanks to the co-operation of 2039 people. It was that many Americans that participated and answered the sometimes very personal questions which constitute the basis of the Project Beauty in the United States of America. With their diverse and often touching, contributions they created the unity of this book, a unity that paints a picture of what beauty can inspire. Altogether they made Seeking beauty | USA a unique project. For that 2039 x thanks.
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Facebook and the Facebook logo are registered trade marks of Facebook Inc.
What happens next? The idea of Project Beauty was born around 2007 in the Netherlands during a cooperation with a Dutch magazine. In 2010 a survey followed among the Dutch population. The first international step went to the UK and Ireland: here the project was conducted in 2012. Since then Project Beauty has grown steadily and now has been conducted in seven coutries on three continents. So far over 10.000 people took part and completed the survey. The Facebook page of Project Beauty 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? Follow us on Facebook. The page is accessible by clicking the QR code on the left page.
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This publication is also available as a printed book 'Seeking beauty | USA’ 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 Americans in 2019 looked at this special phenomenon. Through the many QR codes that are included in the 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.
KoboÂŽ and the Kobo logo are registered trademarks of Rakuten Kobo Inc.. TunesÂŽ and the iTunes logo are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.
Also available e-book "Seeking beauty | USA" is also available as downloadable e-book in the Apple iTunes and Kobo store. Over one hundred links provide access to a wealth of additional information on the web. As the QR codes in this book these weblinks will open web pages with pictures of the posters that were created based on USA survey. The links also give direct access to 55 YouTube music clips which according to the participants in the project were the epitome of beauty.
In the serie ... Next to this USA 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 | United Kingdom Seeking beauty | Ireland Auf der Suche nach Schönheit | DE Auf der Suche nach Schönheit | AT Op zoek naar schoonheid | NL
For the most recent overview of publications from the Beauty Project please visit: www.b-u-t.net. Some of these issues are also available as ebook.
“Let beauty surprise you.” In memory of John O'Donohue. (Irish poet philospher)
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Beauty, a puzzle. A stand-still, sit-down and take-your-time book. ‘Seeking beauty | USA’ is about the meaning 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.
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What are our own answers when it comes to the role of beauty in our lives? Who dares to start out on this quest? This book gives 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 | USA' came about thanks to the cooperation of 2000 American men and women: their responses are included in this publication. They show how the USA deals with beauty.
Info: www.b-u-t.net. This publication was made possible by the generous support of Winkle.