Noevo, In Praise of Disrupting Routine
Last summer, I traveled to Peru for a month. It was the first time I was traveling alone and it turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. Being immersed in such a different culture for this limited time pushed me to be more active in visiting places, meeting local people, experiencing new things. I wanted to get the most out of my trip. One of the things that amazed me most was the ease, and the frequency, with which I met and talked to people, both locals and tourists, making friends in the most unexpected places.
I came back to my hometown, Paris, with unprecedented energy. I felt more active, social, and adventurous than ever. I wanted to keep on exploring and trying new things. And I did — for a while. But over time, this energy faded away. As routine took over, I slowly caved back into the holy comfort zone.
My experience is not an isolated one, though; most people feel the same about traveling.
Here is the paradox. When we travel, we are curious, open-minded, active — we explore. When we are at home, however, we fall in a routine, we go to the same places with the same people — we get lazy. Yet, we tend to be craving for more travel, more adventures. Are we not trying to escape routine? Why do not we embrace this mindset at home too? We go to school or to work every day, we eat the same food and have the same conversations with the same people. By staying within our own bubble, we quickly lose sight of what we truly wanted out of life.
Do not get me wrong, I do value routine — it’s a necessity. But escaping it from time to time is just as important for our well-being. By trying something different now and then, you get new perspectives on yourself, on your life and on others. You break your assumptions and confront your fears. You might even discover something you love and had no idea about. You grow.
From this reflexion was born Noevo — an interactive installation providing a new eye on the city by suggesting you an event or activity to do today. It invites you to step out of your routine and play to get surprised by an unexpected outcome. By interrupting your commute to stop by and play, you already do the first step. By reaching the center of the maze, you will be rewarded with the ball containing a message, suggesting a surprising activity to do today in the city.
In our daily lives, our time is constrained by our obligations. We don’t have as many occasions to embrace the unknown, and holidays are often perceived as an escape from our routine. And that is okay. After all, it does not have to be a daily thing.
I just want you to keep Noevo in mind as you go on with your day-to-day: “When is the last time you tried something new?”
Whenever you feel bored, or that you are craving for some holidays, think about Noevo. See it as an invitation to disrupt routine and bring some of your travel mindset in your daily life. Because you do not know what awaits.
