Trend forecast 2009/2010. Well, not really.

I have been asked to write down a trend forecast for 2009-2010. For some reason, people think that goes with the addictlab-territory. And, yes, well, maybe, I have the opportunity to discover a lot of great creative work from different cultures. And if you start from the premise that artists and creative thinkers are conceiving before the masses take over, then yes, I'm a bit on the first row.

But.
I have a problem with the fact that this is but passive. I honour the job of a journalist, don't get me wrong. The analytic qualities, putting it all in a bigger perspective is a true gift. I would put journalists above art directors at advertising agencies in the hierarchic scheme of creative thinking. The work of a journalist is of utmost importance to pass on the message, crunch it, explain it to a bigger audience.

My personal ambition is not there. My addictlab 'job' (now that's a contradiction in terms) makes me a consultant, a journalist (I have a press card), a publisher, an agent and what not. Interesting how people need a framework to rely on to get things defined.

I believe in a more active role in the creation of things. I'm naive enough - still - to believe that with the collaborative force and methodology we really can make sustainable changes. I'll write about next weeks event on the plane to Europe, Sunday night, but I believe the Live Addictlab session at the World Creativity Forum is of great value, even compared to the 28 books or more Addictlab has published since the beginning.


Creation? That would make me an artist, then? A young labmember from South Africa asked me to explain to me what makes a good artist.
The young talent that I meet and discover and that I believe could be big in the future, are all mature in their thinking. Complexity in their thoughts, combining their growing know how with their equally growing know not.
With all answers you find, you discover new questions. I'm not talking about craftsmanship. Students need to learn, since you can only step outside the lines if you know where those lines are.
I believe in what comes next in that process. In an artist's tenacity to follow a well defined vision. I'm amazed by coherence in their work, the dynamics of the creative process, rather then the artwork itself. I have huge respect for artists-specialists, even though Addictlab makes me a 'generalist' pur sang.

Enough said. The trend forecast report is waiting. Knowing the prices some trend forecasters can ask for lectures and workshops, it's something to get into. Businesses pay good money for so called trend gurus it seems.
And, I admit, it's not that my eleven year old start up (...) has been an economical success so far. It didn't even get me to TED. Speaking of which, I do need to prepare a lecture for next week too. On emerging technologies and the force of creative thinking and my answer to crowd sourcing.
Ok, the trend forecast 2009/2010 needs to wait. And if you're patient enough, you'll live it, in stead of read about it, anyway.

Work on the Winkel.

Brainstorm with us during the Creativity World Forum
Addictlab will be presenting its newest book (#29, on emerging technologies) and exhibition together with IMEC at the Creativity World Forum, November 19 and 20, Antwerp.

But we will also install a 'Live AddictLab' there.

Live Addictlab: brainstorming sessions
Addictlab researchers attract creative minds from all over the world, publish them, try to accelerate their talent, but also bring them together whenever possible to create an out of the box approach and generated new ideas.
For the Creativity World Forum in Antwerp, we will do this ... live.

What projects?
We have our own research projects going on, but we are also encouraging CWF visitors to hand over a possible problem that they have in their business.

Work on The Winkel.
After an internal brainstorming session, we need to decide, write out the proposal, visualise our thoughts and hand over a file at the end of the Forum.

What can you do?
Participate in this instant brainstorming, filtering, visualising project. Expect chaos, but inspiring chaos...
Can you join Jan Van Mol on site? Or - why not - can you work with us online during the two days - and nights we will have?

What's in it for you?
A chance to expand your horizon, and a moment to collaborate with other creative thinkers. We will try to generate as much as PR as possible about the project and the collaborating Labmembers. You will receive free entrance to the Creativity World Forum. And you can bring your work in order to be selected for publication in the next Ad!dict book.

Money
is an issue, of course. We are doing this to show our process, and ... to get clients for this kind of projects. Normally, when there are clients & income involved, you are of course getting paid. In this case, however, it is a low cost project. Yet when there is a possible next step for one of the projects we worked on, we will get back to you!

Eager to start?
We already received some projects to think about! So we can start today...


Apply now
Send your application to
Jan Van Mol
jan@addictlab.com
Preferably link your name to your work on the addictlab database.
Not registered yet? Register here.

Research issue?
Do you want to use this opportunity to have us think on an issue linked to your company?
Go to the Innovation_desk.

about Addictlab's 29th book and diabetes Jewellery.

[text by Giovanna Massoni] Ad!dict Creative Lab and IMEC are glad to announce the next Inspiration book: #29 issue, out next October 2008, will be entirely dedicated to the science and creativity. The in.tangible.scape.s collaboration did not only result in a book fully dedicated to this theme, it will also be an ongoing network that will generate a series of actions throughout 2008 and 2009.

In.tangible.scape.s is a hybrid title, suggesting flows of meanings, expressing fluidity and solidity at the time. Tangible and intangible, singular and plural visions… #29 is a collective, participative project, according to Addict style, but increased in intensity by gathering together a number of platforms and not only individuals. The aim is to co-building contents and meanings, hypothesis and scenarios around an open issue: emerging technologies, successful applications, liable solutions, sustainable promises and risks in bridging science (the future) and creative domains (the Erlebnis, the experience).

In.tangible.scape.s is a joint initiative by Addictlab and IMEC.

It all started more than a year ago. IMEC, Europe's leading independent nanoelectronics and nanotechnology research centre is driven by a dream: opening up the horizon of emerging technologies research, not only by widening the fields of scientific studies, but involving and informing as many people as possible. Science is for all, not only from an educational point of view, but also as a mean of increasing creativity and creating a true dialogue on science, technology, possible applications and implications. By crossing the borders between science and technology and art and design, industry, research institutes, academia, education partners and policy leaders can enter into a dialogue with the broad public. In this aim, IMEC came to Addict Creative Lab for a first project that resulted in a publication: #27 Nanotechnology.

This Inspiration Book generated workshops and exhibitions during 2007, and it’s still adopted at IMEC as a communication tool to explain both youngsters and scientists that science and creativity have no limits.
The present project is to be considered a step further: emerging technologies are becoming important media in art and design. Even if still delimited to a niche category (e.g. digital or bio-art, interactive- or experience design) we all believe that in an optic of sustainable development, this might lead to a responsible, appropriate technological evolution.

Issue #29 is a sort of portal connecting platforms and individuals in order to create new meaningful networks. Exhibition curators, as well as major companies research departments, schools and universities, organisations together with designers and artists filled the bi-dimensional space to hopefully create a fourth dimension of debate and solutions.
The publication has been built thanks to main supporters and contributors: Imke Debecker, Jo De Wachter of IMEC and Jo Decuyper of RVO-Society.

Labresearchers
The Labresearchers Carl De Smet - Noumenon, the Belgian artist Frederik De Wilde and Alok Nandi – Architempo to having increased the reflection and enlarged the field of research. And thanks, of course, to all the participating Labmembers.

The contributors network is including the following partners: Marie O’ Mahony (technological textile expert) and the Science Gallery, Dublin;
Paola Antonelli and Patricia Juncosa of MoMA, NY ;
the designer Mathieu Lehanneur, Anthony van den Bossche of Duende Studio,
Basile Gueorguievsky, and David Edwards of Le Laboratoire;
Maria Grazia Mazzocchi, Claudio Moderini and Renzo Giusti of Domus Academy/I-Design;
François Jégou, Sara Girardi Colelli, Giulia Durante and Paola Paleari of Strategic Design Scenarios ;
Jan Boelen and Liesbeth Huybrechts of Z33;
Koen Snoeckx of the Holst Centre ; Yixiu Wu, Siwei Fang and Patrick Chia Seow Leng of Design Incubation Centre, National University of Singapore;
Clive van Heerden, Senior Director Design Innovation and Jane Hardjono of Philips Design;
Kathy High, Daniela Kostova and Rich Pell of Arts Department Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and Michel van Dartel of V2_, Institute for the Unstable Media.

A special thanks to the designer Leah Heiss for her enthusiastic response, and to James King, Cynthia Pannucci of Art & Science Collaborations (ASCI), Hiroshi ISHII of Media Arts and Sciences MIT Media Laboratory who actively contributed to increase the networking.

Giovanna Massoni in collaboration with Imke Debecker developed the concept, the network and the editorial partners’ coordination. The Art Direction has been assured by the young and talented Marike Hechter, Addict South Africa labmember.

Sponsored by Sappi
Headquartered in Johannesburg, Sappi is the world’s leading producer of coated fine paper and chemical cellulose. They produce specialty papers, uncoated graphic and business papers, as well as packaging papers, newsprint and pulp. Out of a strong believe in Addictlab's mission and view on creative processes and sustainability, Sappi kindly offered the paper used for this book.

Triple Green demonstrates Sappi's on-going commitment to producing high-quality coated fine paper in a sustainable and environmentally-sound way,
The three pillars on which Triple Green is based are processes that not only minimise the environmental impact of paper manufacturing and ensure long-term sustainability, but also assure end users that the procurement chain has been stringently monitored by independent environmental bodies. They represent Sappi Fine Paper South Africa's pledge that:
• the primary source of pulp used in the production of paper products at Sappi Stanger Mill is sugar cane fibre, which is sourced from local suppliers
• the bleaching process is elemental chlorine-free
• the wood fibre used in the production process is obtained from sustainable and internationally-certified afforestation, using independently-audited chains of custody for incoming fibre
Sappi Stanger Mill is one of only a few mills in the world that uses sugar cane fibre as its primary source of pulp.

Sappi also contributes to Ad!dicts #29 book on emerging technologies with a unique story of an out of the ordinary and bold company vision.


one of the concepts: diabetes Jewellery




Leah Heiss in collaboration with Nanotechnology Victoria is developing a range of jewellery for treating diabetes.

The Patch Projects are focused on developing jewellery-based wearables which contain Nanotechnology Victoria's MicroArray patches. MicroArray patches are small (10 x 2mm) circular discs which have an array of micro needles on their surface. They can be infused with insulin to replace syringes, as the insulin can enter the body through the dermis. The Patch projects include a wearable applicator device - a necklace which allows you to administer the patches to the skin.

In addition, Leah has been developing a series of rings which hold the patches in place once they have been administered. This project is being developed as part of the AIR residency with Nanotechnology Victoria, supported by ANAT - Australian Network for Art and Technology and Arts Victoria

Go to her labfile

Your Own Chinese Look.

I thought it is quite interesting to see that the Spanish team's 'We are ready for China' picture is send around the world as seen as racist. They did get a lot of criticism.


In order to increase the own competitiveness and its penetration of the global market , the Chinese society currently tries to conform itself to the western model. But as the Chinese force becomes stronger, this might very well turn the other way. We Western people might need to adapt to them. Looking at their Gold Medal success, it might not even be a bad idea.


The project 'Chinese Look' we published in Ad!dict on Heritage is a critic on the current paranoia that leads us 'from the West' to stare impotent to the imminent advent of a Chinese Future.
It's a jewel in titanium that the westerners can wear in order to assume the more obvious oriental somatic features, showing off fascinating almond-shaped eyes. It's also an instrument of visual correction that offers westerners the possibility to look at the world with Chinese eyes, helping them to face... a hypothetical new world order.
Ha. Let's see how many people will actually wear this in London in 2012.







Go to Oscar & Lara's labfile on addictlab.com:

Oscar Brito + Lara Rettondini

Mini Creative X-Ray© in Brussels. (addictlab brainstorming process)

Bring 10 creative minds
together, stir firmly, and leave a bit out of control: of course you get weird stuff.

I can’t really tell you why, for whom and certainly not what we’ve talked about, due to the confidentiality of these kind of projects at Addictlab. But the process is worthwhile mentioning.

Last month, I facilitated a brainstorming session as part of a system to generate new ideas for a company. We do these projects since I believe in the fertile environment of a mix of creative people. Preferably a lot, but, no, this is not crowdsourcing.

Crowdsourcing is the new buzzword. But it’s too
impersonal.

The added value of our ‘Creative X-Ray’ should be :
(1) having a track record so that we are sure we can deliver, and (2) have ways to deliver them. But, ok, I’m sounding too much of a salesperson now. If you’re interested, be sure to contact us.

On this particular day, I selected the Addictlab spot in Brussels. It’s a bit controversial, has the right vibe to do these kind of things, and was conveniently for me and the Shanghai based client, at that time.

The selection of resources is of utmost importance. As opposed to crowdsourcing, I need to know whom I inviting, for what, and almost anticipate what is going to happen when we bring labmember x together with labmember y on project Z.

Take Lieven De Couvreur, whose very first job was being a Design Lab Researcher at Addictlab. Ok, the economy & market reality made our ways to be separated, and he is now a teacher at the school he went to. When he enters, he brings his homework that I have asked, but in a powerpoint of 105 slides, that blow me away. I remember: this is why I do what I do. Feeling privileged to work with this kind of thinkers. Feeling honoured to be able to push their creative boundaries and have them come up with new ideas.

Lieven enters.
His lab/homework exists of 105 powerpoint slides that blow me away.

The whole day, we will have discussions going on, and I’m taking their minds on a journey through my sinister brain giving them assignments according to the Addictlab X-Ray methodology. Sometimes clear, sometimes unclear where this or that question will lead to. My job being to anticipate, filter, facilitate.
One moment, I see Boyoung being puzzled by some question I had raised.
A complex question it was, and not having received an answer I tend to switch to another angle. Yet she stands up, and moves to another spot in our space.
She needs some time alone and wants to come up with an answer.
When I go sit next to her, she has sketched out mentally a possible solution for the problem at hand, going much further then I could have imagined. I bring in Emilie & Celine to help investigating this route, while the others keep on my initial track.

At the end of the day I’m a bit of a wreck. But it was worth every second of it. The result, in this case, will not be tangible in the near future, yet it will be reworked in a ideadatabase to be used by the brand & their creative resources.

selected labmembers
Pieter Verhoeven
Lieven De Couvreur
Celine Poncelet
Emilie Lecouturier
Boyoung Jung
Emmanuel Wolfs

facilitators:
Niki Vranken
Jan Van Mol
+ clients



More info?
All labmembers received the same remuneration and signed confidentiality docs. The session was part of a three month Mini Creative X-Ray program. Interested brands or agencies for these kind of sessions can mail info@addictlab.com

Shit design. (Pardon my french)

One of the things we can do with the Addictlab concept, is set up collaborations with schools and have their students work on one of our research themes. Preferably in a out-of-the-classroom surrounding, and on a project that is far away from their normal habitat.

Have a look at the ongoing Kidsresearch.

Some examples?
Take labbie Silke Rombaut.

She contributed with her great Kids Cage concept on her labfile.



But look a her 'Shit Down' concept, a bold design statement in the beginning of your career.. But on second thoughts, not bad. Useful it is, since you need kids to train to do their little thing on a toilet in stead of in the Procter and Gamble device. These house breaking rules are not that easy. (I have two kids, I know). Yet I'm not too sure about having a huge fecal look-a-like in my bathroom, but ok.






Second remarkable concept is by Labbie Dagmar Stozek
She is clearly a fan of the prestigious Nip Tuck series, and who can blame her.
She created a very strong image, with a lot of impact and 'stopping power' as we say. During the Labbie workshop they can think of concepts for products, but also reflect on the matter at hand. Which is even more important.



And then a nice one by Marilyn Verwimp. This flower changes color, indicating the right temperature of the water when the baby needs to take a bath. A concept with a possible commercial value..



We do welcome schools to take on similar projects. Do not hesitate to get in contact and have your students become our labbies.

Aanvallah! - A football blog.

So here we have it. The Dutch soccer team defeated Italy with a 3- niks score. And it could have been worse.

I'm not a football freak. I did play some, ages ago, at the infamous S.K. 's Gravenwezel. And the only time I wore a teams colors was when I drove my motorbike to go see Lierse becoming Belgian champion. An exhibition of fan behaviour from that magnitude, in my case, that needs some explanation.

I had an advertising agency, MotuNui, and we had arranged for my client Daewoo to be sponsor of the Lierse team.
A Korean client, at that time, was a sort of adventure for my then pretty young company. We had no 'car' experience what so ever. Still that's what made it a success I guess. (We gave a way 100 cars to test drive, added free petrol for a year, all things you wouldn't do with a car back then. We used FMCG marketing concepts for cars, which became an example for the competitive brands.)

Setting up sponsorship with a football team seemed a good idea to increase brand name awareness. The first match of the season, with big boss Kim attending (50% of all Korean people are called Kim) Lierse was defeated, with a humiliating 8-0 against Anderlecht.
Everybody thought our sponsor deal was wasted money. I thought I wasted my client.
Who could predict that at the end of that soccer season, that small team would actually win the cup. There are blurry images in my mind of Korean marketing responsibles dancing on their own cars. (You have no idea how a couple of years in Belgium can actually destroy your good manors :-)

So, yes, that's why a drove my bike and Petra - both with yellow scarfs - to that last remarkable game.

Football, since then, was never that good. Today, the Belgian soccer team is perfect in sync with the Belgian government. Blatantly incompetent to do the job at hand.

And what did we see yesterday? The Netherlands performing pretty well. Holland, playing as a team! Let me repeat that : 'as a team'. Done with the primadonnas and ego's of the last century.
You must know that there is always this sort of rivalry between Holland & Belgium.
Lately, the Belgian Flemish speaking part has some problems with the French speaking part, and vice versa, leading up to thoughts to bring Flanders together with Holland.
Thoughts that can only emerge after watching a boring football game in a burning sun when your face itches from the orange paint and your intestinal flora are being infected with a liquid substance called dutch beer.
Since no two cultures are more different: The Dutch eat sausages out of a wall and drink a pint of milk with it!)
But hey, if it's about a national football team that performed yesterday, then yes, we would welcome them with open arms. It's not that we still have a Justin Henin or Kim Clijsters to keep our country together. But that's another story.


Now how did I started writing this blog? Dutch labmember Jeroen Tebbe mailed me this morning that his 'Aanvallah!' concept was getting more and more international response.

'Aanvallen!' is what you would yell if you, well, charge to take over another country. Yet the Allah! at the back is a pretty good tongue in cheek discovery to add another level. It's a way to get Dutch muslims united with the Dutch soccer team.

A social integration project using football. Didn't I say that creative thinking can actually change our world?




Jeroen Tebbe's labfile

Your silence blows my head off.

Dutch labmember Jeroen Tebbe has uploaded another great concept on Addictlab.com.

Here you have something ordinary and small, and let's admit it, a bit gross. Any thought of another human beings ear smear is not what I consider a feast. But ok, ear plugs are quite necessary and helpful, from a medical perspective that is.

So you take Jeroen's creative brainwaves, and hup, this little device becomes a communication tool. He uses a tongue in cheek humour that I can appreciate a lot.
The iDEAF should be a hit on the workfloor.

What am I saying, in your day to day relationship aswell.
The first one, for when she really isn't talking to you. Kind of saying: Talk to me, your silence is blowing my head of.
And the second one more for the opposite, when she talks too much. It would mean : Shut up, screw you...

Ok, I'll stop. My imagination is taking me too far.

Addictlab Labfile

Consumers becoming Condemners.

I must say, the last couple of months the world seems darker every day. Myanmar, China, the financial crisis, Austrian incestuous grandfathers, you get my point.
(I'm not even talking about the internal Belgian political arena since it is too stupid for words, and most of all the rest of the world thinks 'Belgian' is something you just add to a chocolate brand anyway.)

Now, as much as I believe in the whole green & sustainable movement - hell, ELLE decoration did a feature about me as a 'big thinker helping to shape our eco-conscious future' - I realise the planet needs more then just being greener. (And thus the only way to survive, I know, I know).

But there is hatred out there, and you can't solve that with biodegradable utensils, wood pellets heating systems or solar panels.

Who bothers thinking about cradle to cradle when you have no cradle to put your child in?

Let alone know how to keep it alive with the food that you don't have?


Where are those Parisian May 68ers when you need them? I know, married, children left the house, just bought a Harley, and jealous of Sarkozy - not for being a president (Hey, Bush is a president too) but for having legally a naked Carla Bruni in your palace.

So maybe, maybe, we have a creative duty. I believe, as a creative community we have the moral duty to use our creative thinking not just for the brands we work for, or the pure commercial value of it. We also need to use that talent to reflect on our society and our surrounding, and create sustainable (in all means of that word) changes by doing so.
Organisations and governments, should not underestimate the power we can have.


1. Beijing 2008.

It has something noble, attracting the whole world, being the host to the biggest event on earth, to compete in an open and friendly environment. It has also a big marketing value for the hosting country, for current and future investments, and it has a true commercial value. They will make money of it, but that's because we teached them capitalism.
I won't go into the politics of it, but the Human rights issue in the country and the treatment of Tibet on the political front is clashing with the global Olympic thoughts. So. Bam. Enter the "ADanarchists" or the "CommunicationGuerilla" and hup. You're expensive logo is wasted and will never be the same. These were send to me via Facebook.




Or this one.



2. South Africa

Then my temporary adoptive country, South Africa. Remember my blog about being robbed in our house. I do remember it, every night, when checking the house, the electric fence, the inside and outside alarms. Back then, I wrote a piece about the fact that just that event send out a message that South Africa wasn't ready for the Football World Cup.

Here you have a country, that by brave men & women and a lot of courage (including the white minority who voted against apartheid...) has been changed radically, in 1994. The rainbow nation, as Mandela called it, was a fact.
And now, in the 'informal settlements' & townships (there are about 2 million people living in Alexandria alone) there is hatred. True hatred against people from another country. (Countries that helped the ANC, by the way). Beyond hatred, evil, or how else can you explain that human beings are setting other human beings on fire?

I believe the World Cup to be a blessing for South Africa. In view of perception, international credibility, investments... There was no other African country that has this kind of boost. The ANC, après-apartheid, received a lot of help and support also. But today, the country's leaders are ignoring the current threat. Even worse. The people responsible for the violence are ANC voters.



So in true ADanarchism style, I've changed the SA2010 logo. Notice how the football playing figure has changed into the poor burned victim of the recent xenophobic violence, a photo that went around the globe.

From a branding point (no pun intended) of view, South Africa and the 2010 event really need to work hard to correct an image that is getting more negative with every Facebook group, protest march, or negative blog. And it's not the messengers that need to be taken care of, it's the very origin of the violence.

If Beijing 2008 and South Africa 2010 both look at us as 'consumers & fans' they should be aware not to treat us as ignorant or naive consumers.
With the powers that we have, the blogs we write, we can be condemners.

Know about the Ad agency Ogilvy's Lovemarks theory? Sissies. Advertising has nothing to do with love and barbie and pink Romantics. It's a war out there.

Addictlab & Urban Forest in Design Indaba Magazine

Remade plastic trees


South Africa's second Open Lab was held recently at the Design Quarter in Johannesburg. Brainchild of the almost year-old local chapter of international creative think tank Addictlab, the event drew participation from local and international designers.

"South Africa should be more proud of its creative talent," says Jan van Mol, Belgian founder of Addictlab. The role call included Haldane Martin, Vlaemsch, Juventa, Michaelle Janse van Vuuren, Kensaku Oshiro, Clive Rundle, Kofifi, Amanda Laird Cherry, Tempest van Schalk, Darryl Gouwes, Emile Kotze, Melanie Brummer and Mtkidu.

Van Mol himself contributed the Urban Forest light installation. Consisting of objects shaped like irregular tree trunks and made from recycled plastic, the installation criticises the world's consumption attitude. The built-in LED lights can change colour depending on the atmosphere, soundscapes, seasons or any other emotions linked to the location of the forest or reason for gathering. The inside can also be used as drinks cooler, turning the light objects into a lounge accessory, guerrilla tool or design object.'


Go to Design Indaba

Addictlab:
#28 Research: eco-research

Go to Urban Forest Labfile

Look. I'm thinking of you.

Addictlab's most recent research (our #29th already!) is all about 'in.tangible.scape.s' (You might ask yourself : 'What's with the dots?' - or you might think we're actually really clever to have at least 4 meanings in one title...)

Most promising is the fact that Addictlab has been receiving support from some organisations that are not the least in their line of work...
Thanks to Giovanna Massoni's Lab Researcher activities resulting in collaborations with the MOMA, NY,
Design incubation Centre, Singapore,
Science Gallery, Dublin,
Philips, Netherlands
V2, Rotterdam,
Imec, Leuven
and Domus Academy, Milan we do are developing our labresearch more globally.


Now have a look at the following concept, send to us via the Design Incubation Centre from Singapore.


Roly Poly
Web 2.0 is changing the way people interact resulting in the emergence of a new social eco-system. This concept would like to address the unmet and undefined needs within this new social eco-system through the creation of robotic social tools. Roly Poly looks at the phenomenon of people living apart and examines gesture as a different mode of communication other than speech and text. Through gestures, one is able to transmit him/herself physically to the other party even when miles apart. Roly Poly connects two individuals in real time through a familiar gestural dimension. Roly Poly is a manifestation of how sophisticated robotic technology can be integrated into our daily lives as expressive and communicative social tools.

Ok, I do not think the playful 'Roly Poly' name is doing justice to the concept. But imagine how this concept allows for communication and interaction between people miles apart, in distance, or, why not, in time. It's romantic, or sad, depending how you look at it.
Of course, if you change the hardware you 're pretty close to having real virtual sex - but that is then the more tangible result of an in.tangible concept.



Labfile

Labmember from Indonesia: No cup please.

I know, I do feel privileged to be in contact with geniuses from all over the world. Here is a very fine idea, uploaded on Addictlab all the way from Indonesia. It's interesting because of its simple concept, but also its sustainable and ECO-potential, cutting away part of the consumers consumption process (and thus waste).


New labmember Chandy Widiastara has been doing research on instant coffee packaging. You won't need a cup, since the packaging changes function. Just add water, and hup. How instant can you get?


Thank you Roosydin Harris, to become our new Labambassador in Indonesia. If there are other people in other creative hubs out there, do not hesitate and join our labambassadors from Vancouver, Gent, Joburg, London or more. Have a look at Addictlab.
As a labambassador, you try to discover great local talent, and by linking them with Addictlab and have them register on our website, it is your energy that will make their work being published in one of our books, being exhibited wherever we can (or are invited), and being produced whenever we get a client/company looking for innovation.
Know anyone working at D'Ouwe Egberts or Starbucks or any other worthy Coffee , Soup or food brand? I'll be happy to make the bridge.
Jan


Labfile Cupchet

Evil is in the eye of the beholder

There has been a bit of a stir in England on a logo that is created for the OGC, the Office of Government Commerce. It cost about 17000 euro to create, but it will probably not be used due to the .. well... erotic connotation it gets when you look at it sideways.




Now, if I was the creative director of the slick London design agency, I wouldn't worry too much about controlling the hormones of my design team or their will to create some hidden persuaders. I do would fire them and start looking for a team that could create something unique for a client, in stead of going 'shopping' and getting more then a bit of inspiration in .... a bottle water.

trend research on designweek.be

It's but one of the products we should package more and better: Designweek.be has the potential to be a weekly updated website on the design activities in Belgium. And there is a lot of it happening nowadays. If there are people outthere wanting to collaborate (and advertise :-) feel free to contact me.

To kick off our new approach for the website designweek.be I wanted to show the work of new Labmember Marijn Dionys. I simply love his 'stock' (a wordplay with the dutch word 'stok' for branch)? There is romantisme involved because of its irregular shape, but most important, it shows the original source and the functional end result in one object. Very clever.

Guest blogging for Elle Decoration.

The recent issue of Elle Decoration magazine here in South Africa is all about Eco design. Of course , there are other magazines attacking the subject, but Elle Deco is actually the first one to ... feature me in it as one of 7 'Green Keepers', 'Big thinkers helping to shape our eco-conscious future.'


Check www.elledeco.blogspot.com these weeks, since they've asked me to be a guest blogger on their site.

Fitness in third world countries.

I live in South Africa. In that part of Johannesburg where the rich black & white population enjoys supermarkets with an abundance of food, restaurants on a Friday night (and Saturday and Sunday since it's that inexpensive, for that matter), a braai now and then and an occasional robbery if you're popular as I am. (Or just bad luck, who knows...)
A place, where that richer population almost without exception has a a subscription to a golf course and a Virgin Active fitness chain.

And I know, since I'm member too. (Not the golf, that I still - wrongfully, I know - consider a sport I will take up in 30 years or so.) Who could have thought that I would once go 'work out' in a fitness center. The moral and ethical boundaries of running on a specially designed treadmill were to high, but my life (and my body) needed some sort of structural work, so I figured a fitness and workout membership could do the thing.

Running , on the streets, seemed not an option. That is considered dangerous. In many ways. yet after a while now, I'm running on the streets anyway. From my house to the gym. That way I skip the boring treadmill with built in TV screen and ipod connector, but keep the workout sessions.

Watch the guy that I caught on photo, in full exercise. Dragging a tire behind him up a hill towards township Diepsloot.
Respect.

trend research : The Penguin in all of us.

So here you go. The internet is doing what we all think it should have been doing 10 years ago. Until the bubble burst - and that was not my fault. I didn't find an investor back then. (Interested parties can always apply, though after the Kuwait Prince and the Malaga scam I am a bit, well, suspicious.)

But I wanted to point out a web 2.0 concept : I find myself throwing a party for my son Lucas, turning 8 years on Friday. Not a real one. A virtual one.

Both he and Emma, my daughter of 6, have understood what internet is about. If you look for something - for a project at school - you type orca, killer whale, My Little Pony or clown frogs in the little Google window on dad's computer. You select, you print, and hop, work is done.

It gets better. If your parents drag you from your friends in Belgium all the way to South Africa, than that's cool. You make new friends, discover new stuff, can swim while everyone in Belgium is freezing and hoping some sort of government actually would start to do something. But - you can stay in contact. Not with boring Skype and fractional images of grant mother, but ... by becoming a penguin.
So on Friday, Lucas' friends in Belgium will be joining him in ... his igloo, for which he 'bought' a dance floor, a DJ set, a palm tree and much more.
After the virtual cake, they will go and play in Penguin Land. Eat a virtual pizza, do some sledging, or stroll around the Penguin island to discover other friends.






Become a penguin here

All about Ann.

Running Addictlab has been a sort of rollercoaster experience.
This multilayered concept of creating platforms such as our books, or exhibitions, or consultancy towards brands, of being a gallery and doing trend research, it all makes sense to me. I realise that that's not always the case for everyone else. That's probably why running Addictlab sometimes was and sometimes still is a burden.

As opposed to my naive attitude of wanting to create a very creative global and fertile surrounding, of introducing creative chaos in a work environment as an asset,
I need an organisation and people whom I can build on.

And the last years, I've had the honour and privilege to be helped by Ann. She has the looks, but I won't go into that. She has also the brains. And above all, she has the emotional intelligence to take on life as it happens.

I realize that life is full of constant changes, and up until Addictlab has a major breakthrough and has the resources to create constant growth, it is quite normal to have a flux of people coming in and leaving the company. In Ann's case, it's a bit different. She has been watching over addictlab in a way I never could have hoped for. Reliable and loyal are understatements. A Beacon of Hope for people around her , that's more like it.

Today is Ann's last day on the job. She will go and take on other challenges. It wouldn't be fair to say the timing is wrong. That there are going to be some major changes in the Addictlab organisation, and all that. There are always major changes in a concept like Addictlab.
But there aren't always people like Ann to believe in it. To support it. To help it grow.
I'll miss her. And that too, is an understatement.

You romantic twit.

'Follow me'. That is basically what all your GPS navigation systems are saying. But they do that in a functional, dry , engineery kind of way.
Now forget the engineery, go fairy.

Meet Dandella, A GPS direction pointing device that works with the GPS mobile
phone to find direction. The idea was to replace the complicated
digital interface with a physical and intuitive device that shows the
direction by pointing.
Forget Tom Tom, go ET.

This project received the Grand Prix from
Osaka International Design Competition 2006.






contributed by Design Lab Researcher Giovanna Massoni

The Design Incubation Centre is a design research
laboratory which investigates and develops tools to help
us better understand ourselves and our environments,
and to find new possibilities and new relationships
between man, objects and his environment. The
Design Incubation Centre is part of the Department of
Architecture, School of Design and Environment,
National University of Singapore.

Makes you think.

Pretty well done, if you ask me.