“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.” Mahatma Gandhi
The world and our realities are constantly changing - we are living in an age of transition. Now maybe more than ever before. In the last century we have seen unprecedented advancements in science and technology, and things have become possible that were considered pure fiction not too long ago. The industrial revolutions have brought us the “developed world”, and we have been tremendously “successful". Success that came at a high price.
Almost all ecosystems on our planet are severely endangered and countless species are threatened by extinction. As human beings we are not removed or separated from those ecosystems, we are part of them. We are facing serious challenges such as population growth, depleting resources, diminishing soil fertility, pollution, waste, climate change, and many others. The longer we perpetuate the same paradigms of fear, despair, greed and self deception, the more critical and depressing the situation will get.
Although the challenges we are facing seem almost unsurmountable we do have an incredible rich and divers catalogue of philosophies, frameworks, and methodologies to work with. We have numerous tools and countless solutions that can help us perceive challenges as opportunities and bring about change - change on a personal level, local level, and also on a global level. Changes in our consciousness, our communities, and our society as a whole are essential for the current transition to a more sustainable world.
TRANSITIONS is an interactive art project by Sven Schelwach and a meditative gaming approach to cognitive balance training and rising awareness through coordination and perception exercises.
Sven Schelwach is a designer, consultant, educator, and sustainable-design-thinker teaching several courses related to sustainable design at Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea.