Key ideas.Society

key ideas, taste logo
*design by Maria Martin Carrasco

key ideas, society publication A5
*design by Miglena Minkova & Maria Martin Carrasco

The 3rd and last event of the key ideas series for academic year 2010/2011 is based around the topic of society. With just over a week from start to finish Meri and I had to get all our strengths together, design the visuals, demand the delivery of the text copy on time, battle through the bureaucracy of paper supplier and internal purchase order forms to finally find ourselves at the finishing line. Meri did the initial design concepts for this event and the poster design, whereas I was in charge of implementing the visual language in the design of the handouts and other organisational matters/ such as making sure the paper was ordered, the printers were paid, the text copy delivered, the handouts circulated, the social media websites updated, the equipment booked, the photographer present and other tasks of the same kind/.

Despite my initial doubts about the relevance of the topic to the early emerging practice of 3D designers, illustrators and graphic designers, the actual event turned out to be eye-opening and very exciting. The speakers were representatives of socially engaged causes which employed creativity and arts in a variety of fields, from architectural, regeneration planning and recycle/reuse projects to refugee and community building enterprises. The event was initiated by Fabiane Lee-Perrella who teaches on the 3D Design course at Camberwell College of Arts and at the same time runs her own multidisciplinary practice. She started the day by stressing on the importance of engaging in a socially engaged practice and the benefits of being a part of a community.

Adrian Holme started his presentation by citing Douglas Heuber /” The world is full of objects, more or less interesting. I do not wish to add any more”/ and continued by questioning the power of the individual over mass production. He gave a very personal object as an example and challenged our collective agency and it’s relevance in the consumerist culture. Borrowing ideas from Guy Debord and his society of spectacle, Adrian urged for a more conscious and rational thinking / ‘What is left out is that thought is participatory, that thought has produced everything that we see here in our society. Wherever you look is the product of thought: buildings, farms, airplanes, everything, including pollution. But not only that – thought also produces and shapes our perception of reality. We see reality according to our thought. Therefore thought is constantly participating both in giving shape and form and figuration to ourselves and to the whole of reality. Now, thought doesn’t know this. Thought is thinking that it isn’t doing anything. I think this is really where the difficulty is. We have got to see that thought is part of this reality and that we are not merely thinking about it, but that we are thinking it. Do you see the difference?’ Bohm D (1996). On Creativity (Ed. Lee Nichol), Routledge, London, 1996, Pp. 125-45/

Mark Davy talked in length about his place making practice in Futurecity and the idea of “master planning”. He gave a couple of successful examples of regeneration projects in areas where through artistic practices new communities have developed. Mark stressed on the growing realisation of the commercial sector that financial profitability do not exclude the thriving of the arts, on the contrary, multidisciplinary design provides long-lasting connections and reliability.

Hannah Lewis shared her notions of the further development of the design industry by expanding the design process to the areas or reorganisation, re-evaluation and post-object problem solving. She presented the design process as a loop and introduced her creative/strategic practice as one catering for the back of this loop. Focusing on the problematic issues of today, her entrepreneurial thinking is employed in creating new outlets of creative and sustainable design.

Almir Koldzic discussed his involvement in the creation of refugee week in the UK and his attempts change the commonly perceived imagery of refugees as victims. His work includes the organisation of events promoting acceptance and understanding of different cultures and the importance of refugees for the development of the UK. A very hard and ambitious task especially in the current economic climate.

Photos are coming up soon…

Here are some links to the event:
Key ideas Facebook Group
Key Ideas Twitter
Camberwell Snapshot Blog