My little editorial introducing our 26th inspiration book.
Ad!dict’s 26th issue has become a true inspiration book with over 160 pages, packed with surprising views of numerous labmembers.
Before diving into the content, I would like to focus on the creative process of the printed matter you are holding.
The book was created as a collective work. A collaboration of so called Lab Researchers, present on site in Brussels, or via broadband access.
Ina Arends, lab ambassador for the Netherlands, looking and browsing our databases. As was Giovanna Massoni, Italian design lab researcher based in Brussels. I thought it was a good idea to add another level, by inviting labmembers to come and do the job. Giuseppe Demaio (Australia) is the first ‘guest-art director in residence’, whose job was it to start playing with gaming.
He was lucky, believe me, to be able to count on the help (day and night, as games are not entirely linked to the universal hours of the sun) of Katharina Tretter (Austria) and Nuno Oliveira (Portugal). In the last straight line – why do deadlines seem inevitable to this game of editing - we called in Fenna Zamouri and Anja Samson (Belgium) to help and finalise, all backed by mental and more support Ann Van Dievoort.
All these people have made it their goal to deliver you something beautiful.
Respect their rules. Honour their game.
I know I do.
(the book comes out November 17)
Monday, November 13, 2006
Sunday, November 12, 2006
New refreshed blog intention : Lecturing.
So.
It has been a while, sitting down and writing my thoughts.
The Ad!dict #26 on gaming is ready. Well, that is, it went to the printer last week.
And yes, its production had all good things of a deadline period.
Imagine me sitting in my car on the passenger seat with the intention of correcting all the pdf's of our new inspiration book.
Imagine fresh-addict-employee Elke taking the steering wheel to drive me to the ADDICTLAB:shop.
I could get used to have a professional driver - she only crashed already after 5 meters into another car when putting mine in its reverse gear. As a new employee, doing that to your boss... Let's just say, I could tell she wasn't happy....:-)
Flashback.
The day after. Last thursday, I was - again - a passenger in my own car. This time I had to go to Amsterdam to give a speech at the Stedelijk Museum on the ADDICT on GAMING.
Giovanna (addictlab researcher) drove the car. My car. Devastating experience. Not because her driving, she obviously could. But because of all the deadlines and ongoing projects, the only moment I was able to prepare my speech , was on the way over from Brussels to Amsterdam. My mind going over the content, the flow of the presentation, the format, and the big 1000$ question whether my speech would be ready when arriving there, or if the battery of my dear MacBook pro would end before that.
At the end, well. Yes. I think the evening went ok. The organisers (the museum) didn't communicate that well, so only about what, 100?, people showed up. The view, on the contrary, was amazing. Looking over Amsterdam. The content of the new Addict projected on huge screens on both sides of the room. A huge screen behind me. And some nice words of interest after the presentation.
After the use - again - of a selection of my powerpoint slides, I know now I have to change them. Content maybe, format for sure.
Maybe the audiences I'm talking to discover all new, but for me personally, I'm finding it more a burden then an honour.
Next lectures?
January, french speaking design & architectural school (Tournai). French. Another ball game. Je devrais me préparer.
Also January: an event in collaboration with DALUM, the Danish papercompany supplying our ADDICT paper.
And closer by: a round table at the Design in Brussels event on our Universal House? - project.
Should I ? The drive from our office to the fair allows for no preparation what so ever....
Later.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Ad!dict #25: The World Heritage issue.
World Heritage
Or the importance of being humble.
Here is what I wrote as an editorial in the new Ad!dict Inspiration Book.
This research theme has taken me to remarkable places and thoughts. From reflections on our past, on our current identity - call it patrimony - to questioning extreme conservative feelings that would force you to stick to one place or thought just because there is some ridiculous axioma that would say so.
It made me visit the Unesco building in Paris, where – summum of cultural diversity – all nationalities are working and living together on a limited surface. Oh, these are nice people all right. Yet Kafka is never far away. World heritage, for them, is building X, commission Y and convention Z. Anything beyond that, is uncontrollable, unidentifiable.
World Heritage for them, is limited to physical spaces, because a convention said so. Yet World Heritage is far more.
I don’t think they knew what to do with this Ad!dict lab, marshalling thinkers from around the world, wanting to reflect, research, point out those parts from our patrimony they consider important. A pity, since we offered this force for them to use, no strings attached. Maybe this positive, unbiased attitude has become rare in our society.
Preservation is deciding what is valuable to maintain. Do we do that as individuals? As tribes? Or as a global community? We have divided the different projects and reflections in 5 different chapters, taking you from an individual approach, via physical spots to concepts that would change the world if one lets us.
World Heritage is the openness to consider all that. And it is my grandfather who just celebrated his 95th birthday. Defined like that, we all should be very humble towards such a richness of experience. Only the past can create a better future.
Personal Heritage
Reflections on the future usage of one’s personal past or current identity
Future Dialogue
Reflections on the future usage of one’s past relation to another individual
Cradle Bonding
Reflections on the future usage of one’s relation to a geographical location or physical space.
Social Dynamics
Reflections on the future usage of one’s past as offspring from and in a certain culture
Global Heritage
Reflections on the future usage of our collective past or current patrimony.
In this last chapter we have added two projects as ‘work in progress’. We have asked fashion designers and interior designers to think of the possibility to create one Universal Collection, one Universal House respectively. Over 40 Labmembers from 20 countries already responded. Each with their own heritage. Each with a will and open mind to create for the better. And you? Can you stay on the sideline?
jan@addictlab.com
Subscript picture:
Dedicated to my grandfather Jules, who just celebrated his 95 years. World Heritage is that too. I hope we can still learn a lot from him.
Or the importance of being humble.
Here is what I wrote as an editorial in the new Ad!dict Inspiration Book.
This research theme has taken me to remarkable places and thoughts. From reflections on our past, on our current identity - call it patrimony - to questioning extreme conservative feelings that would force you to stick to one place or thought just because there is some ridiculous axioma that would say so.
It made me visit the Unesco building in Paris, where – summum of cultural diversity – all nationalities are working and living together on a limited surface. Oh, these are nice people all right. Yet Kafka is never far away. World heritage, for them, is building X, commission Y and convention Z. Anything beyond that, is uncontrollable, unidentifiable.
World Heritage for them, is limited to physical spaces, because a convention said so. Yet World Heritage is far more.
I don’t think they knew what to do with this Ad!dict lab, marshalling thinkers from around the world, wanting to reflect, research, point out those parts from our patrimony they consider important. A pity, since we offered this force for them to use, no strings attached. Maybe this positive, unbiased attitude has become rare in our society.
Preservation is deciding what is valuable to maintain. Do we do that as individuals? As tribes? Or as a global community? We have divided the different projects and reflections in 5 different chapters, taking you from an individual approach, via physical spots to concepts that would change the world if one lets us.
World Heritage is the openness to consider all that. And it is my grandfather who just celebrated his 95th birthday. Defined like that, we all should be very humble towards such a richness of experience. Only the past can create a better future.
Personal Heritage
Reflections on the future usage of one’s personal past or current identity
Future Dialogue
Reflections on the future usage of one’s past relation to another individual
Cradle Bonding
Reflections on the future usage of one’s relation to a geographical location or physical space.
Social Dynamics
Reflections on the future usage of one’s past as offspring from and in a certain culture
Global Heritage
Reflections on the future usage of our collective past or current patrimony.
In this last chapter we have added two projects as ‘work in progress’. We have asked fashion designers and interior designers to think of the possibility to create one Universal Collection, one Universal House respectively. Over 40 Labmembers from 20 countries already responded. Each with their own heritage. Each with a will and open mind to create for the better. And you? Can you stay on the sideline?
jan@addictlab.com
Subscript picture:
Dedicated to my grandfather Jules, who just celebrated his 95 years. World Heritage is that too. I hope we can still learn a lot from him.
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