Reflection Blog #1

Last Tuesday, I was given the chance to watch the documentary, "Objectified." Directed by Gary Hustwit.

As I watch the film, I appreciate different objects wherein the camera lens is just staring at it without any movement. It just suggests for me to watch and observe. The use of the audio was very clever. The proper placement where the music should enter and when should the natural sound be left alone was done in a clever manner. I have just few difficulties in understanding how some of the designers speak English. Well, saying this as the first part of my paragraph, the documentary caught my attention and was successful in keeping my interest on the screen.

The documentary "Objectified", for me, at first, is a story on where objects came from, who made them, how they were made and how they work.  But as the documentary progresses, I realized that this documentary is a story where people's needs came from, who made the objects bigger, how people are made by objects and how people work.

Here are some of what I have learned:

Where objects came from.
Objects came from different manufacturing companies, as shown in the documentary, from brainstorming down to the materials being used.
Where people's needs came from.
People's needs came from their way of life. Their way of life can be measured by their economic status, social status, gender, age etc. And their needs differ in these categories. Generally, People's needs came from what they lack.

Who made the objects?
From toothbrushes to the Iphone, All of these objects were made by product designers in the industry of manufacturing.
Who made the objects bigger?
People who use these objects make them look bigger as they seem to be. Some may look at a shoe as a last gift from a loved-one who died recently, while some may look at a shoe as a source of misfortune based on the events happened in their life using these objects. Some experiences make these objects inevitable while some makes these objects worthless.

How objects are made.
Objects are made in a way that it will be necessary for a person’s way of living. Maybe it was made to make work easier or it was made to give more comfort to the person, but in manufacturing companies, objects are made in a way that they are sustainable for the people to use.
How people are made by objects.

Phones have different types for different kinds of individuals. Chairs have different colors, texture and shapes, which also appeals to different consumers. This is where objects make people. People have their identities and the objects that they own, somehow, should reflect on this identity. People buy things that they want others to see them using or owning, same as how people look at the appeal of the object, rather than it’s instruction manual.

How objects work.

In the world of manufacturing, objects are specially designed for a purpose, either making a task easier, accomplishing work in a shortest amount of time possible or making life more comfortable to people. Every object has its story to tell. Many people would use an object based on what it was known for without realizing the level of relief and comfort it brings to the life of an individual.

How people work.

People can sometimes be called as an “intelligent animal”. They think and because of this, they always ask themselves questions of curiosity and possibilities. People cannot stop developing. They cannot be out of ideas to put into work. They cannot be trapped in a box for a few days. They are creative, visual and they have feelings, which make their relationships with "others" more interesting.

After the documentary, on my way home, I looked at my bag and some of the things I own and asked myself why am I always into multi-functional products?

I pick objects that would fit in my way of life.

Objects that soon will be something….

…and I would never realize that..

;)