Mood 3: Just let us sleep!
OUR NEED FOR RESTITUTION
Our much needed R’n’R is the price we pay for our fast-paced and busy lives.
There aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything ‘done’, our constantly connected state keeps us available at all hours, and the commercial industry finds new ways to entice us to consume around the clock. With Netflix’s confessing their biggest competitor is sleep, it’s easy to see why they’re angling to keep us from it!
Medical studies demonstrate links between concerning health issues and the overwhelming state of sleep deprivation the majority of us are apparently in. We no longer live in a society that supports our need for restitution.
Shops for Rest
If we’re fighting the challenging temptation of binge-watching (apparently this is now a ‘sport’ as decreed by Netflix) we need to find ways to find rest during our day-to-day tasks. There is a vast opportunity for brands to venture into here — as a way to ‘give back’ to the busy consumer; carving out moments in our day -to-day, by creating concepts that remind and allow consumers to pause and just ‘be’.
Selfridges — No Noise
Not recent but highly relevant and certainly lots to learn from is Selfridges’ 2013 campaign ‘No Noise’, which tested various tricks to encourage mindfulness and meditation.
They opened the Quiet Shop: where they worked with a handful of leading brands to re-move direct labelling on products, as a comment to the overload of visual information.
They gave Headspace: by dotting ‘head-space pods’ throughout the store, allowing shoppers to pop their heads into an individual booth, where they then followed a 10 min. guided meditation — supported by a sensorial trigger (perfume in the Beauty Department pod, music in another).
They brought people together: by joining in mass mediation sessions.
They gave back: by integrating a Silence Room (designed by Alex Cochrane Architects) within the heart of the mega store. This larger gesture was probably the most effective as it actually did make a difference to people’s days. This inner sanctum was cleverly designed to absorb sound and encourage rest, with shoppers actually using it to take power-naps.
Interestingly this was apparently a nod to the great Harry Gordon Selfridge himself, who’d once built a room that allowed visitors to escape the stimulation of the department store, demonstrating that even in the early 1900s people were aware of the effects of sensorial overloads. Jeez we’re slow learners!
Sleeping at Work
Rumour has it that world leaders across the ages have never been big sleepers, but instead favoured ‘power naps’ as they improve alertness and performance.
Google & others
Google and other large organisations facilitate napping at work — which if done with the right intentions is a great idea (this is of course a known point of contention as the aim is potentially to avoid you needing to go home).
The Chronarium
At a Singapore showcase on ‘The Future of Everything’, London based experimental artist / architects / tech practice Loop.pH showcased their dreamy environment: the Chronarium Sleep Lab. The purpose of which is to reposition sleep as an indispensable element within our social fabric.
To achieve this they’ve imagined an audio-visual chamber, drawing somewhat on womb-like characteristics to immerse the user. Once cocooned inside a silky hammock, a 15 minute audio sequence guides you through varying states of being (from alert to deeply relaxed), whilst coloured lights wash over the draped nest, heightening the emotive experience.
The scientifically curated combination of sound, light and touch behind this is brilliant, as is the fact that the chambers also block electromagnetic frequencies.
Welcome to Dreamland!
