Some spent their quarantine spare time learning a new language. Some were busy setting records for running the fastest 5km. Most were baking cakes or cooking. Of course there were a handful of people channeling the inner influencer in them (I guess). I on the other hand have been busy making memes and aggressively scrolling on social media. Which can get exhausting. Everyone on Instagram and Twitter (the main two platforms I stay on) has an opinion about everything.
For that reason, it could be a good idea to avoid it during a global pandemic and when the world is pretty much turning to shit as we know it. Or to actively surf on it and change geolocation settings from time by time like I do – depending on how you see it, of course.
Amidst all the memes, rants, arguments, petitions, etc. some of the things being posted by everyday people like you and me just had to be read (so the key word here is “some”). Not only was it super refreshing to see that some people actually had similar opinions to mine, but it was also refreshing to see other people’s different opinions and how I could try to see it from their perspective. It could be Instagram stories, Twitter rants, and even LinkedIn posts if you’re feeling super professional. I had friends, friends of friends, friends of friends of friends (you get the picture) – who would address current topics and issues through designs, artwork, rants, opinions, written pieces, poetry, photography, and so much more, that I felt would be a shame not to highlight.
Expressing social issues, in the most abstract way.
The whole intention of Abstract Column isn’t just to have “an abstract column” that shows random bits of information here and there. Rather, the whole idea of it is to have a collection of creative and critical like-minded people showcasing their creations in hopes of inspiring others to do as well. Not only do I feel that Abstract Column could be a medium for everyone and anyone to talk about almost anything – but it could also be a place where such content could influence debates and trigger different opinions.
I decided to get in touch with some of my friends who also felt the same way. After a few months of talking about it and planning things out, we eventually started by crafting up a website from scratch. Abstract Column’s design and colours were something we thought about for a long time as we wanted to make sure that the identity stays – well – abstract, basically. Although we eventually realised that it was the content that would make Abstract Column, an abstract column. For that reason, we’re aiming to actively look for interesting creations online to create even further value in the site’s content. We also decided on actively using Instagram and Twitter as a place to further display the content we have up, and to reach out to people we think could contribute to the site. Not to mention “our version” of a visualized weekly round up from the latest things happening in our beloved Indonesia and the rest of the world too.
On that note, we hope that everyone enjoys Abstract Column just as we enjoy running it. We’re always happy to get any content or input that we can get. As we all try to make sense of the things happening around us, it’ll always be our goal to see it being done in the most abstract and creative way possible. Without any bias or expectations, we’ll always ask people to contribute anything.
Literally, anything.
Abstract Column 