Ramblings of an art student

Futurist manifesto

2012-01-09T04:59:00.000-08:00

Manifestos,public declaration of policy and aims…they’ve been all the rage for at least100years. Granted the majority of polices are written by political candidatebut they’re equally suited to those in the art world.

Perhaps one of the more shocking manifestos published wasthat of the ‘Futurist’ movement. They had an 11 rule manifesto with dogmaranging from ‘glorifying war’ to ‘essential elements of our [their] poetry’. Inmy opinion they were living in such a time of change they released theirmanifesto to stand out from the crowd it were. One thing that can be said forthem, they might have promoted violence but they were inspirational in their referring to technology and their futuristic art. One such artist was Umberto Boccioni, use style and use of violent dynamics would have been controversial at the time but now comes across as filled with energy and symbolism.

'The city rises', 1910, Boccioni,

I’ve decided to put down some rules for my life and work, perhapswith less poetic flair than the futurists.

Always start the day with a cup of tea.
Be editorial, have an opinion on everything.
Be Truthful to others without being cutting whilst understandingsociety wouldn’t function without white lies.
Start acknowledging that sometimes things are out of mycontrol.
Remain ethical in my practice and notsell my soul.
Religious expressions should not be usedas metaphors, not everyone understands what a metaphor is.
At all times I shall stay informed ofwhat is going on in the world as to not forget how fortunate I am and that wemust all help.
I shall be an informed and involved citizen;I shouldn’t sit back and watch from a distance if I can help in any way.
Tea is not a meal substitute andbiscuits are not either.
To be firm in my actions but flexibleenough to change them if needs be.
Use my skills, artistic or other, to thebetterment of those around me.
Have morals founded in an own philosophy, not intradition.
Be open to new experiences and never stop learning.
Stop writing lists.

References:

Marinetti,F, 1909. TheFuturist Manifesto. [online]Available at: <http://cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/T4PM/futurist-manifesto.html> [Accessed 09 January 2012 ].

Research

Scrivner,L, 2006. How to Write an AvantGarde

Manifesto. [online] Available at:<www.londonconsortium.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/scrivneripmessay.pdf> [Accessed 09 January 2012 ].

Manufactured Landscapes

2011-12-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian photographer whose /own opening statement describes his work as themed on ‘nature transformed through industry’. He says he has ‘set course to intersect with a contemporary view of the great ages of man; from stone, to minerals, oil, transportation, silicon, and so on.’ (Burtynsky, 2010).

Burtynsky calls the places he photographs ‘residual places’ because we have already taken what we need from them and they are all that is left.

The documentary, Manufactured Landscapes, is shot on Super-16mm film in China circa 2005 (released 2008) and directed by Jennifer Baichwal. The film presents a humourless, apolitical and supposedly unbiased portrayal of China’s industrial nature to accompany Burtynsky’s own work; much of his photography is shown without context so that the beauty of the residual landscape can be perceived but also to allow the audience to be influenced without the photographs becoming didactic. As Baichwal states about the film ‘we are all implicated here, they tell us: there are no easy answers…In the process, it tries to shift our consciousness about the world and the way we live in it’.

I found the film slow but interesting, at first I would have rather had the director or subjects just come out straight and say why they had made the film. I didn’t want to watch yet another film lecturing the world about what we had done. As Stanley Kubrick, the American Hollywood Director, said in 1970 ‘The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.’ Although I agree somewhat, it does a a magic about it to draw you in, I also find that photography also has the same draw for me.

After watching Burtynsky’s own TED wish video I realise the ‘manufactured landscapes’ documentary shows the process of making his images but with very little opinion behind it. Perhaps, as he alludes to in the TED video, he keeps a low profile so that companies aren’t scared off. I think it’s easy to forget that permission must be granted by these companies, they certainly wouldn’t want to be judged poorly, for what other reasons would they grant permission?

To show off their 0.5km long factories?

To boast that one of their assemblers only takes 42seconds to put together a circuit breaker?

To show how willing their country is to tear down their cities for a greater good (as well as a wage, of course)?

Perhaps this film has shown me above all else is how change must be welcomed not fought against…the whole world supplies the demand and who are we to judge companies who are willing to meet it?

In my opinion Burtynsky takes a refreshing stance, he strives for sustainability, not an unrealistic demand calling for a stop on all polluting industries. Alongside his work was chairman of sustainability magazine ‘Worldchanging’ (until it was taken over by Architecture for Humanity in September 2011).

In regard to my work I shall try asking for open critique instead of posing questions in order to get a response.

References

Edward Burtynsky, 2010. Statement/Bio - Exploring the Residual Landscape. [online] Available at: <http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/> [Accessed 10 December 2011].

Research

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0832903/ Manufactured landscapes -

http://www.youtube.com/embed/SZnZOe_tKCs - above.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0309061/ War photographer - Nachtwey

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1268204/ Wasteland - Vik Mumiz

http://www.worldchanging.com/

http://architectureforhumanity.org

The sustainable lie

2011-12-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

Mugs are evil. Out of context this statement brings forth memories of broken handles, scrubbing tea stains and cursing poor ergonomic design. Put into context, mugs must be used a minimum number of times before being deemed more efficient than paper cups.

Here’s a table showing the “break-even

point.”. The reusable cups take into account heat and water needed to wash them after use.

My last novelty mug must be watching me from heaven now, halo precariously balanced on its chipped rim for its 6000-ish cup service record.

Every coffee shop nowadays sells ‘reusable’ travel mugs labelled as eco-friendly and ‘green’. The cynic within me wonders how many uses the lid will survive, how many inevitable knocks it’ll take…let alone the amount of energy used to produce such a marvel of engineering.

Now, let’s go from adult Sippy cups to the baby bottles. Did you see what I did there?

I was clicking through throngs of greenwash vendettas, scrolling past the usual candidates…nestle, Volkswagen, Fur is Green (FCoC), nestle, BP, nestle, nestle etc I came across one blogger adamant on calling out all those greenwashers. A bit extreme it seems but hey, the public discontent has to be heard and if it’s backed up by WHO guidelines and law then I’m all for it.

The website this product is sold on, even in its name, claims to be ecologically bold. They’ve highlighted their website in green and leaves from their URL picture to the bottom most hyperlinks.

The Seven Sins of Greenwashing

1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off – Not guilty

2. The Sin of No Proof

· ‘Nourish Baby’ when all it contains is water…unless it’s a command to put milk replacement formula in it, which would be against WHO guidelines.

3. The Sin of Vagueness – Jury’s out.

4. The Sin of Worshiping False Labels – Not guilty.

5. The Sin of Irrelevance – Guilty.

· Bisphenol A is banned baby bottles in Europe and Canada from 2008, Connecticut June 2009 (Bodach, 2009) and from Jan 2012 in all of the United States.

6. The Sin of Lesser of Two Evils – Guilty.

· Producing a recyclable product that is promoted as only being used once, from ‘Nourish Baby eases the stress of feeding time when you’re on the go. Best of all, when you are done - you can toss it into the recycling bin.’ which promotes energy wastage from recycling when washing would suffice.

7. The Sin of Fibbing

· ‘Sealed for your child’s protection’ – sealed to keep the water from spilling and/or going mouldy.

During my career as an illustrator I can't see myself becoming responsible for the design of a product or its packaging, but sure, I can see myself having difficulty promoting such a product due to my eco-friendly and anti-greenwash morals.

References

Bodach, J, 2009. Connecticut first state to ban BPA. [online] Available at: <http://www.thehour.com/story/470418> [Accessed 3 December 2011].

Physorg.com, 2010. Europe bans baby bottles with Bisphenol-A [online] Available at: <http://www.ecobold.com/products/2820-nourish-baby> [Accessed 3 December 2011 ].

Terrachoice, 2009. GREENWASHING AFFECTS 98% OF PRODUCTS INCLUDING TOYS, BABY PRODUCTS AND COSMETICS. [online] Available at: < http://sinsofgreenwashing.org/?dl_id=6 > [Accessed 3 December 2011].

The World Health Organisation, 1981. International Code of Marketing of

Breast-milk Substitutes. [online] Available at: <http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/code_english.pdf> [Accessed 3 December 2011 ].

Research

http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/10/whats-your-coffee-order-are-yo.html#ixzz1itVN1rry

http://www.dcigift.com/prod_images/iAmNotA_papercup1.jpg

http://sustainability.tufts.edu/downloads/Comparativelifecyclecosts.pdf

What is Design?

2011-11-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

Two of my favourite Victor Papanek quotes are ‘Design for the real world’ (1971) and ‘The only important thing about design is how it relates to people’…I couldn’t help but think of that last one when looking at one of the 4 winners of ‘Design For the Real World REDUX’ competition for 2011. Baring in mind the brief called for an ‘environmentally sustainable and socially responsible design’ I can’t decide if this theoretical product would have gotten my vote. To my knowledge it already exists, albeit in a different material.

Let me explain, this is the point where all menophobes and haemophobes should hit the back button.

Here’s the winner in question:

Jani Sanitary Pad: Lars Vedeler with Marc Hoogendijk, Sophie Thornander, Karin Lidman, and Kristin Tobiassen

I wonder though, have they taken into account projects already in place offering similar solutions to water hyacinths posing such a threat to wild life and to fishing. Such as the USD105million financial plan put to boards of which 21% is to go to forestry at Lake Victoria. So far USD90million has actually been put forward, of which USD1,5948,413.93 has already been disbursed (The World Bank).

How will their product be produced if the ‘Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Phase II’ continues? Wouldn’t the water hyacinths be an integral part of their manufacturing process? Would they start farming this weed elsewhere once they’ve used all the Kenyan portion of Lake Victoria’s water hyacinths or just give up on the project? Where would they set up their factory? Where would they produce the ‘biodegradable plastic’ for these one-use-only pads?

Pads are often too expensive to the women and girls in Kenya but to us in the western world it’s a necessity to buy such products. The idea of using newspaper, grass or just torn fabric seems preposterous but some of the girls are desperate enough to engage in ‘transactional sex’ to afford sanitary pads…all the while putting themselves at the risk of HIV and STI infections ( Biriwasha, 2008).

Charities for the last decade at least have already distributing free pads and alternatives to schools directly such as Zanaa, Sisternet and Lion-Rotary project but only SHE is using sustainable sources.

So, let’s set aside the ‘problem’ and focus on the solutions 6 phases of production and pollution.

Choice of material – originally nearly all water hyacinth, now about half with the rest biodegradble plastic and glue.

Manufacturing process - None disclosed, in trial stages.

Packaging – a card printed strip for individual packs or bundled in card with a strip for packs.

Transportation – across Kenya and wherever it can be sold (KES4 each, as opposed to KES10 for current cheapest brands)

Waste – disposable, biodegradable plastic and roots during the farming stages.

On the whole I’ve been cynical but only due to my hate of disposable goods, when compared to standard brands the whole idea of using something that needs disposing of as well as possible future job generation would work excellently with grass roots charities.

As any T shaped designer should the team has applied their breadth of knowledge with their advertising skills and ethical values that McKinsey and Company could be proud of. As a global citizen I shall apply the breath of my knowledge, the depth of my skills with my moral and ethical grounding so that my work will not adversely affect people or wipe out entire forests with a simple choice of paper.

References

World Bank, 2011. National Library of Guidelines. [online] Available at: < http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?Projectid=P100406&theSitePK=40941&piPK=64302772&pagePK=64330670&menuPK=64282135&Type=Financial > [Accessed 20 November 2011 ].

Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha, 2008. Menstruation Pushes Young African Girls to the Edge. [online] Available at: <http://www.groundreport.com/Arts_and_Culture/Menstruation-Pushes-Young-African-Girls-to-the-Edg_1/2858050r> [Accessed 20 November 2011 ].

Research

www.aphrc.org/download/?id=3

http://www.janipad.com/

http://www.zanaa.org/2010/10/did-you-know-you-don%E2%80%99t-need-a-million-shillings-to-keep-a-girl-in-school-during-her-period/

http://www.zanaa.org/2011/04/do-pads-keep-girls-in-school/

http://www.sanitarypadsforafrica.org/project.htm

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/af/119007.htm

http://www.ecouterre.com/banana-fiber-sanitary-pad-offers-inexpensive-solution-for-rwandan-women/

Designers and ethics

2011-11-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

The choices we make as designers, illustrators, artists etc. affects the world around us. Simples. ‘The compassionate designer must strategize an ethical practice and be an informed, involved citizen in a Jeffersonian participatory democracy, agile and flexible, prepared to turn the tools of visual communication to a broad spectrum of needs’ (Heller and Vienne, 2003, p6)

Do we have a choice to say ‘no’ if we don’t agree with a brief? Yes, but of course there are consequences…so sometimes people sell their metaphorical souls at a price. This is where ethical policies and manifestos come in. I like the idea of a studio agreeing to which briefs aren’t acceptable. One such firm I’ve found is ‘cog design’ where they state ‘the agency will not work for or directly promote petrochemical manufacturers, pornographers, arms manufacturers or dealers, or the tobacco industry’; Sounds good to me. These sorts of boycott obviously won’t stop a product being sold but over time it should become acceptable to turn the larger companies down and make the companies ask themselves why they can find no one to promoted them. Unfortunately there’ll always be someone out there willing to anything for a price. I can quite safely say I follow Cog’s ethics and wouldn’t be afraid to just say NO.

References:

Heller, S and Vienne, V. 2003. Citizen designer: perspectives on design responsibility. New York: Allworth Press.

Laura Snoad, 2011. Design and ethics - Can you stick to your beliefs?. [online] Available at: <http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/?featureid=3322942> [Accessed 12 November 2011 ].