Are you not curious?
By Jan Beringer - Creative Director
The experiential eco-system is saturated with words to define our working methodologies and processes. However, when so often used across popular culture, words can become bereft of meaning and specificity. With this in mind, I went down a rabbit hole of eudaemonic* curiosity to explore the etymology and phenomena of commonly used words like curiosity and wonder, trying to ensure we’re using them intentionally and substantively within our projects.
“While curiosity and wonder are related—they both involve an engagement with the world and a desire to understand it better—they differ in their focus and emphasis. Curiosity is more about asking specific questions in the active pursuit of knowledge and understanding, driven by a sense of uncertainty or desire to solve problems. Wonder, on the other hand, is more an emotional response to something extraordinary or awe-inspiring in experiencing and appreciating the beauty, complexity, and mystery of the world without necessarily seeking to explain or understand it in a systematic way. In essence, curiosity drives exploration and inquiry, while wonder inspires awe and appreciation. Both are important aspects of human experience and can enrich our lives in different ways.” (Edited response from ChatGPT)
Curiosity and wonder are not to be extricated from cultural, educational, scientific, or historical alignments. These words need to be considered as integrated parts of an ‘ecology of knowledge’ where we can acknowledge our diverse values, biases, and social structures. How can curiosity and wonder upend existing norms to see the world anew? How can they break down barriers and open people up to engage with radically different perspectives and ideas?
As I read Seth Goldenberg’s Radical Curiosity, I feel like the world of experiential and immersive design needs to be a more active participant. We need to be leaders that embrace the semantics of the words we use and consider how we can evaluate their efficacy in our work.
When used with intention, wild curiosity and wonder can do more than exist in documentation or conversation—it can support the development of an emotional, intellectual, and innovative resilience in project teams and visitor engagement.
I think of the future as both awe-inspiring and full of questions. I try to create spaces for a mindset where we can all actively adapt, innovate, and integrate new ideas within a rapidly changing world.
*If you're curious, here's some additional information:
领英推荐