Monday, November 13, 2006

research 26: Gaming

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)

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.