#cometogether in London

Edge of Arabia launched #cometogether in the Old Truman Brewery on Brick lane last on Saturday. Open till Oct 28th, #cometogether is a collection of Middle Eastern contemporary Artists’ work that address issues of identity, culture and society. I’m a big fan of Edge of Arabia, an initiative that started in 2007 with contemporary Saudi artists. They are now expanding outside Saudi to include other Arab and North African countries.  As excited as I was, circumstances beyond my control only allowed me to check it out on Monday. As a designer, I really liked how you could collect a flyer on each artwork, therefore compiling your own brochure of your favorite work. I did wish they had some sort of file or folder to hold them in and maybe a bag (because it was raining outside and I didn’t want the exhibition magazine or flyers to get wet).

Below are pictures of my favorite pieces, and why:

This piece titled Approximate Feast is a collaboration by Hala Ali & Lantian Xie, what interested me about it was on several different levels. A- its an interactive wall projection, so it fits right in with what my MA research has lead me to. B- Its a social critique. C- Its witty.

This group of men can be seen from afar to be eating greedily in a non-stop loop, but as soon as you approach them they start slowing down until they come to a full stop when you are right in front of them. They don’t start eating again till you move away. Read into it what you will, I found it both comic and accurate!

This piece, The Situation Room by Muzamil Choudhury pretty much speaks for itself. The texture and materials used are linked with south Asian craft, used by the Pakistani-descent artist to challenge this famous photograph and create a dialogue around it.

Ahmad Mater’s installation was perhaps the most overwhelming and impressive for me. Made of of four screens with four channel videos projected onto them, you sit in the middle and experience a sort-of sensory overload. The sounds from the four alternate, but the images from Makkah, birds in the sky, a drummer, light toys twirling endlessly, views of the Haram (Mosque) all come together to give a very intimate and very vivid experience with the city. Since I come from Jeddah, a city that is an hour’s drive away and that shares a lot of its culture due to the pilgrims entering the country through my city, I instantly felt that connection. It was like a flashback into the old town, only deeper because this is Makkah. The sounds build up to a crescendo by the drummer, then they die out suddenly with the end of the videos.

I might go there again just to sit in that corner and lose myself in the light and sounds.

The rest of the works were awesome as well, but those were the ones that stuck in my mind most of all. I’m also just giving you a taster so you can go check it out for yourself and see what resonates with you. For more info check out the Edge of Arabia Facebook page or website.

The LaLa Land of Design Website is Launched!

 

So I’ve finally gotten my act together and created my own website (about time, right?). This blog will still be where I write and share my thoughts, and perhaps the process of some of the projects on my website. Its still in the first phase and there is a lot of updating and tweaking that needs to be done, but I needed to get it out in the open first because that was the scariest part for me!

So go ahead, check out www.lala-landofdesign.com and please feel free to share any comments you might have, constructive criticism included!

 

The Problem With Patents

When do patents and copyrights stop promoting the progress of useful arts and hinder it instead?

A thought-provoking TED talk by Kirby Ferguson titled “Embracing the Remix”.

Moral of the story, we ALL steal. The progress of mankind depends on building on the work of others. So how can we protect the rights of the Artists/inventors/creators of a product without stopping others from making it better? Where should this line be drawn?

DIA AZZAWI’S SABRA SHATILA (1982-83) ACQUIRED BY THE TATE MODERN

Sabra & Shatila is perhaps the most famous massacre of the Palestinian people. The name is taken from the names of the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, where some number between 762 and 3,500 Palestinian and Lebanese civilians were murdered in the space of three days. (How can the estimate be so big?! Surely they can tell the difference between 700 and 3,500 dead bodies?!)

Dia Azzawi, a leading Arab contemporary artist, created his piece “Sabra Shatila” right after the massacres happened. This piece has now been acquired by the Tate Modern, and will be displaying this July (2012) at level 3. I. for one will definitely go see it! Its bound to bring up some unpleasant feelings, but I feel its a part of Arab history that we need to face. And stand in a moment of silence for those innocent lives that were shown no mercy. Perhaps if we reflected more on the past, we can prevent such ugliness in the future, but perhaps I’m just naive.

For more info on the piece and the Artist, click here.

Workaholics Are Bad For The Environment

Don’t believe me? check it out here.

Long story short, if you work more hours, you make more money, you spend more on electricity and energy. From what I understand, If you make less money you’ll be more careful with your energy consumption.

It sounds to me like working less makes one less driven to consume as well, like hopping off that hamster wheel in the Rat Race. Makes perfect sense. Less income, but better quality of life. To quote Susan Sarandon from the trailer of Arbitrage “How much money do we need? Do you want to be the richest man in the cemetery?”. BY the way, can’t wait for that movie to be released not only because it looks good, but also because we got a fellow Saudi (Mohammed Al-Turki) as an executive producer! Woohoo!

In the end, its an Age-old question, isn’t it? How much money is enough money?

Youtube Video Inspires Photographer for Change

What is is that’s so shocking about seeing children mimic adults with cigarettes? Perhaps its the reflection upon ourselves, or seeing those who we hope to stay innocent and untouched behaving in a way that is self-destructive and harmful.

After watching this video, photographer Frieke Janessens was inspired to do a series of photos titled “Smoking Kids” about how children are affected by Adults smoking around them. She sets the mood and outfits of the children to fit a time when smoking was a social norm, and people smoked freely around their children. She maintains that not children were really holding or smoking cigarettes, using incense sticks for the smoke effect and photoshopping the cigarettes or cigars in later.

I love the detail in her photographs, she is able to take me back in time to where I can almost here the sounds and smell the noises of that era. And she really managed to get the most out of her child-models expression-wise. They really do mirror larger than life Old-school hollywood characters to me.

What I find worth mentioning is that we can truly find inspiration anywhere. A video on you tube, a comment a friend makes, a crack in the street or a news cast on TV. The sources are endless. For me, I get my best ideas when I’m praying or doing yoga or walking with a friend. Also right before I sleep. I think my mind wanders (even when it shouldn’t) and makes links between issues that I normally wouldn’t do. Different things that I see or hear throughout the day are stored in my mind, and they key is to be able to access them and link them together at the right time. This can apply to new business ideas, new products, and solutions to any problems I might have as well.

So here’s to Inspiration! May we come across it easily and naturally. Though in reality its normally more like giving birth. Ugh!

Mustache Mania!

It started with Movember, the November campaign to raise awareness of men’s colon cancer through sporting funky mustaches on both men who can grow them or women who will stick them on in support. But its seems to have taken on a life of its own. Everywhere I turn these days, I seem to run into a mustache design that has somehow managed to find its way into some of the most absurd and unexpected places! Baby pacifiers, women’s accessories, party favors, even pet tags! Fridge magnets, beer bottle rings, glass decals, poster art and T-shirts of course are but to name a few. Below is a collection I found online today, I’m sure I can find a lot more. Have you noticed any that weren’t included here?

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My New Guru: Johnny Cupcakes!

The store front. Doesn’t look like a t-shirt shop, does it?

looks like it should be food in there…

the tee my friend bought- exclusive to the London shop!

Last week, I had a friend visiting over from back home and I decided to take her through Cranaby st., simply because it has some really cute boutiques and its nice to be away from the cars. We saw what looked like a bakery, with a big sign saying “Johnny Cupcakes” on the outside. I was like “Yummm” and quickly walked in. As many of you might already know and I’m ashamed to say I didn’t, Johnny Cupcakes is NOT a cupcake shop. He is a T-shirt designer, and a prankster! The t-shirts were presented on trays inside of glass fridges as any bakery would, and most were pretty funny, using pop-culture and visual metaphors where the Johnny Cupcake logo (A cupcake with two crossbones) was somehow incorporated in.  The friendly salesmen also explained to us that some tees were exclusive to this shop, while others can be found online, but whichever design it was, there was a limited amount printed, with no re-prints. So if they’re out, they’re OUT. Forever. wow, talk about pressure!  My friend loved them though and bought a Tee, while I was a bit overwhelmed and decided to come back later in a less indecisive mood. We still got a gift packet each, with a button, stickers and candy (who wouldn’t love that?).

It wasn’t until I was at the library today, looking at a book called “Brand Story” by Joseph Hancock that I realized exactly how big Johnny Cupcakes really is. A short visit to his website also revealed something else: he is crazy. I guess there is some truth to that saying about a thin line between genius and madness. Don’t believe me? Check this out:

But the genius part is bigger. Known for his love of pranks and jokes, Johnny was nicknames Johnny cupcakes while working at a comic store. That nickname stuck to him so that he made his own t-shirt with his nickname and icon on it. That icon, a cupcake with crossbones, became his logo. “baked since 1982″… same year i was born, only by age 26 Johnny was selling his T-shirts out of a suitcase while going on tour with his band. When he was selling more T-shirts than his band was selling their own stuff, he realized he had a good thing going.

You can read more about his story here , which is only proof that consumers love a good brand story. It makes them feel like they “know” the brand, like its their friend and they can relate to it. And everyone likes a good success story, it’s like our modern version cinderella only the prince charming here is that great business idea. This has enables him to create a following so strong that it’s almost cult-like, with loyal customers standing in line to attend his shop openings and new collection launches. Just see what the London shop opening looked like!

As comic and easy going as Johnny may seem, this kind of success doesn’t come by without some serious thinking and some hard work. He definitely understands consumer behavior and exclusivity, he understand collaboration (like his collaboration with hello kitty), and he understands that location is key. He placed his shops at key locations right next to high-end brands, and therefore associated himself with them. Oh, and did I mention hard work? Being so involved with the marketing and expansion of the shops, the business is DEFINITELY high up there on the priority list.

The Price of War on the Human Soul

Claire Felicie  is one of those photographers whose photographs speak volumes. Born in the Netherlands, she’s been a photographer for the past 24 years, and does a lot of black and white photography. Her most recent subject of interest has been the Netherlands Army members who have been deployed to Afghanistan. She Photographed members of the ’43e Gemechaniseerde Brigade’ , who were being sent to Kunduz before, after and during their deployment and titled the series “Marked”. She says that she has kept the lighting and surroundings the same, though I’m not sure how exactly that can be followed over a few years time. Looking at the images, I find a hard time believing its only the soldiers that have changed and not a trick of light. I have no doubt as to the cost of war on the human soul, but I never realized it would be to this extent.

When I look at how war has affected soldiers, I can’t help but wonder about the civilians caught in the cross-fire. People who had no choice about this all. People who had no training, no health insurance, and no weapons. People who have no escape, whom war has come to them, not they to it. Only you can’t really photograph their faces “before, during and after” because you don’t really know when the next war will strike, or where, or who exactly will be caught in it…. can you?

Claire’s work is just one example of how maybe Art can help people understand each other’s humanity, and perhaps prevent wars in the future… or at least Un-Glorify war to the point where politicians that favor it will become unpopular.

 

 

It’s not WHAT You Do, It’s HOW You Do It

A friend sent me a link to a very interesting project: 50 Problems in 50 Days .

I found it quite interesting, because although this young man is a designer, and initially solving “50 problems in 50 days” seems like a daunting task, once you go through the beautifully designed website you realize that’s what life is. A series of little daily problems that require us to adapt and think creatively to solve them. The simpler a solution you can find, the more creative you are. Some problems aren’t easy to find, and that is where training comes in handy. That is where a designer comes in handy, because we are trained to find problems then solve them.

Some problems he solved were super-simple, like putting a used fabric softener cap on his bike handle to prevents scuff marks on his wall, or discovering new uses for different objects. Other were a lot more complicated, like the facebook time line camera integration. His interviews showed some insightful revelations, but all in all, its the way her presenting his 50-day experiment that really makes it all so wonderful. The website is simple and easily navigated. The daily info is concise and to the point. The way he presents his findings and his process is really to the point. That leads me to think that he is not inly a good communication designer, but also an excellent editor. Personally, I liked the grid view of the website a lot more. It helped me go through the days on chronological order and not lose my place.

All in all, his experiment really gives insight into the direction of design today, and how collaboration really is the way of the future.