BUBBLES
Big cities attract people.
They are international hubs.
I have been attracted by Paris, Beijing and Tokyo so far. I have lived there for the past 6 years.
It is fascinating how easily we can get along with what first seemed to be radically different environments. Often, they gather so much richness from all around the world, but at the price of melting and sanitizing themselves.
Cities overwhelmed by the same international brands. People watching the same movies, listening the same music, buying the same furniture for their house. Restaurants offering food from all around the world, or exporting the same food to all around the word… And what about creators having the same ideas?
Think Ikea, MTV, CNN, MacDonald’s, Starbucks, Chanel, Gucci, Nike, Adidas, iPod, Levi’s.
Think Internet, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Myspace, MSN, Twitter.
Think NewYork, Paris, HongKong, Sydney, London, Singapore, Los Angeles.
These are the places I call bubbles.
Growing, sticking and merging together.
Building an invisible wall to the outside.
My journey: bicycle beyond bubbles.
:)
GLOBALIZED?
Nowadays, for many inhabitants of the international bubbles, taking a plane is almost like taking the bus. Work experience abroad has become a minimum and no longer a ‘plus’. In a snap and a few internet clicks we can reach the other side of the planet.
After a while of living abroad, having the chance to see and experience many iconic international buildings, I started to feel the need to step out of the design concepts of the super star designers.
Now, I need to deepen my understanding of the world’s local cultures. So I have decided to take my time, and take my bike… to go in a slow motion and look behind the screen.
MASTOCYTOSIS
I am directly concerned by a rare disease since about 10 years ago: the mastocytosis. It is a sort of unpredictable allergy covering my whole body with red marks. It reacts to sunlight, heat, stress, alcohol, shock, and to endless list of food.
There is no treatment available.
Recently it has became more and more serious and annoying to me, so I want to promote the French association in charge of the medical cure researches:
Please visit the website, and possibly make a donation.
I give 50% of the money from my sponsors to this association.
PERSONAL
Free boy, i am free from everything until now. No ring on my finger, no one in the kindergarden…
I also have the chance to own a free worldwide passport. So i feel like this chance to hold a french passport and been born in the rich countries side gives me so much opportunities to do what billions of other people (born on the other side) can’t do.
Freshly turned 30 y/o, i am feeling the strong desire to achieve something memorable. Not for glorry or glitz, but because i try to know myself better by giving me challenges to tread over.
The direction of the route is meaningful to me as well; starting from Japan is a way back to home, and not a run away from my original cocoon.
Last, this project is the beginning of a professional shift. I have been working in the fields of architecture, interior design, urban research and 3D computer graphics, so now i want to dedicate my energy and motivation to video edition.