Life-draining
Today, people must work to live. In fact, people have always needed to work to survive. In prehistoric times, there were no shifts, but people went hunting to feed themselves. When societies settled, they practiced agriculture and animal husbandry. Later, trade began, and with communal living, various types of work emerged.
I have a concern with how people work. The eight- or nine-hour office shifts that tie people to a desk, the hours spent glued to a computer…
People spend their days sitting in chairs, staring at screens. In return, they earn money and get a limited time each year to go on vacation—to move, to travel, to exercise. Essentially, all the things we long to do, including just moving our bodies, are postponed to these brief holiday breaks, all in exchange for a year spent tethered to a desk.
In this system, every worker thinks about quitting, but no one can leave this almost essential work needed to survive.
Unfortunately, our bodies suffer from this inactivity. The human body is designed to move. Someone who has spent 25–30 years working as an architect at a desk might go on a three-day ski vacation only to suffer a heart attack. Or a 29-year-old may complain about neck calcification. People experience back pain, neck pain, joint pain, headaches, and suffer psychological and organ health issues. They lack the energy to pursue hobbies after work. Urban life adds traffic, family, and household responsibilities to this burden.
Initially, my goal in creating this project was to highlight how we long for nature while being trapped indoors, yearning to leave our desks and run to the fields, the sea, nature, and sports. Now, with the home-office concept, people are even more confined to their homes. People are becoming further disconnected from social life, and even more cut off from nature. The need and longing for open air, travel, and exercise has only increased.
Working like this kills our spirit, drains our body, and grinds away our lives…
Füsun Uygur
Project: January 2020
Project Link: In “Videos”
