Environments are invisible- is a unique poster created as an outcome of intertextuality between a text from the book ‘The Medium is the Massage’ and a letter written by me to my past self. The idea behind it was to create a wrapping paper to gift to my past self.
This poster comprises of different textures inspired from natural elements. These elements portray very different aspects of me as an individual. Yet when pieced together they form one single whole- a background, an environment. I see these different textures as unique patches which when stitched together created this patchwork. The text blends in with the background highlighting its meaning.
Media work as environments. They are inherently intangible and interrelated. An environment is not a thing to identify; rather, it is the intricate association of many things. By definition, these things are part of the background. They are everything and no thing. McLuhan noted that “their ground rules, pervasive structure, and overall patterns elude easy perception.” A medium shapes us because we partake of it over and over until it becomes an extension of ourselves.
It’s the ordinariness of media that makes them invisible. When a new medium enters society, there’s a period of time in which we’re aware of its novelty. It’s only when it fades into the background of our lives that we’re truly subjected to its patterns––that is, its environmental influence.
Environments are thus invisible. Over here, technology is considered as environment.
The period that my letter talks about, is when I was about to change my school. I could see a drastic change in the environments (literal meaning) of both my old and new school. Once I entered the environment, I became a part of it. I immersed in it so much that the environment became invisible to me.
Even though the environment is invisible, the changes I saw in myself were quite distinct. Every environment emphasizes different senses and encourages different habits. Engaging with it day after day conditions the senses to take in some stimuli and not register others.
There were many changes that I noticed in myself. The softness of the veins speaks about the shy, timid girl I used to be. The ruggedness of the tree bark texture highlights the bold, confident person I turned into after changing my school. The marigold flower rangoli portrays my increasing liking about my culture which my school helped me rediscover. All these were very different aspects of me as an individual, yet they came together to form one single whole- a background, an environment. I see these different textures as unique patches which when stitched together created this patchwork. The text blends in with the background highlighting its meaning.