Inspired: Powers of Ten

I first saw ‘Powers of ten’ as a kid on a black and white set. The 1977 film begins with a guy dozing by a Chicago lakeside, it pans out to the edge of the Universe increasing the distance by a power of ten every ten seconds before zooming back in through the Milky Way to the guy again and finally dives into a skin cell in his hand. It blew me away – talk about putting life in perspective. This you must remember was Pre-Discovery Channel 70s TV, when science usually meant bearded men in white coats.

My mind was blown again; many years later when at college I learned that Charles and Ray Eames made the film. That put design in perspective. Not only had these designers pushed the limits outside their field, but also expressed their approach – the value of looking at things from the next largest frame of reference. This ability to abstract creative thinking from their chosen mediums of furniture and graphic design, and apply it to disciplines as varied as film making and science education was truly inspiring.

I still refer to ‘Powers of ten’ in a metaphorical sense, when thinking through a problem from the big picture to the atomic level details.