CREATIVE FORCES

Pioneering design solutions for the modern world

- MARNUS NIEUWOUDT

As countless speculative definitions of the ‘new normal’ relentlessly bombard our fatigued attention spans, we can all agree that the last year has been challenging. However, on a cautiously optimistic note, it also saw human ingenuity pushed to newfound territories in problem-solving, adaptability and resilience. Upon further reflection, creativity was perhaps the unifying, collective driver that kept the world afloat during a myriad of hardships spanning all aspects of our lives.

Creativity as a human characteristic has long since broken the confines of perception as a miraculous trait found only in the realms of what the West considers to be ‘high art’. Now, there is a shared understanding that this driver of optimal human performance can be found across the spectrum. As a skill, creativity is equally valued – if not essential – in the arenas of business, art, computation, design, science, engineering and architecture. This list could go on to include almost every field of human output.

In celebration of its broad range, we looked into the manifestation of creativity as seen through the lives and work of four forces currently pushing the limits of their creative skills, all while breaking down limiting definitions within their respective fields of what it means to be creative.

Neri Oxman, Mothering Nature by Design

Neri Oxman embodies the renaissance individual – an architect, inventor, scientist, engineer and designer working across all these fields. As the founder of The Mediated Matter research group at MIT, Neri is also opening up a laboratory in a ’20s New York building.