"The destiny of every walking man is to immerse himself in the panorama surrounding him, to the point of becoming one with it and, ultimately, to vanish". ― Federico Castigliano, Flâneur: The Art of Wandering the Streets of Paris I found myself ruminating on the French concept of the 'Flaneur' or as Wiki defines it, 'an urban explorer or connoisseur of the street'. As I age, I am of course slowing down a bit, and can see myself as somewhat of a 'Boulevardier' as they say, watching my surroundings more closely and having - dare I say it, the perspective to appreciate the work of those around me, of our talented staff and the camaraderie of other design professionals. I had the opportunity to travel some time ago, a whirlwind three-week tour of Europe by car with my wife and three kids. My 'children' are hardly that anymore - with the youngest graduating next year and the older two now working - one as an industrial designer with Peloton and another in medical school. (As an aside, these are the kids that told me they would be woefully behind because we wouldn’t give them cellphones and laptops until they were about 15 - but that’s another story altogether.
It's amazing what a kid will do when they are bored and books and art supplies are laying around.) Anyway - the trip! With the fleeting thought of the nuclear family in mind, we set out to take what may be one last 'just-us' trip - and saw some amazing architecture, wandered in lovely gardens and spent some fine time together. It got me thinking about our modern hectic world, and the fact that we don't take enough time to walk where we need to go - and pause long enough to enjoy the landscape around us. The eroding time we have with our family is much like the effect of time on the gardens we create, as - without attention - our environments become unruly and chaotic. nd so, I was conscious and am still - about my need to be more of a Flaneur - refining and redefining my focus.
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