Last, but not least, of this set of programs on Dutch Design was about landscape and garden designer Piet Oudolf. Ranked as one of the 100 most creative people of 2009 by Fast Company, Oudolf is a grandmaster of color and structure composition with plants, grasses and trees.
Explaining a bit on Design, hopefully making it a bit more accessible and less highbrow, was fun to do.
This time, industrial design. Dutch design agency WAACs, most famous for its Senseo coffee machine (Philips and Douwe Egberts), talks about its 'Exclusive Inclusive' philosophy. My point of view leads to the designers dilemma of the sustainability of product design. A question Raymond Loewy, godfather of industrial design, at the time didn't have to worry about.
Still working on the idea of the Creative Industry Sofa, the bank which we can not call a bank, Which is ok, because first step is to establisch a fund anyway. However, in the aftermath of the financial crises people are interested in what's next or what's new. Dutch free newspaper De Pers did an article on people with new 'banking' ideas. My partner in dream Adriaan Kukler and myself were interviewed as well.
This episode of Kunstuur is about Gilian Schrofer. Schrofer is the interior designer who co founded Concrete, amongst other designs famous for the Supper Club interior. And his 'holistic' design for a dutch pharmacy (no, not a coffeeshop) is impressive. His exhibition Models for Concern was recently shown in NY. And he is trying to establish a master course in spatial design.
Yesterday funding for the Dutch creative industries was discussed in parliament. A very short session with the Minister of Culture, who was also representing the Minister of Economic Affairs. Green party representative Mariko Peters put forward three resolutions: one on the initiative by Economic Affairs to stredge the funding possibilities for Tech Starters to creative Non Tech starters, one on promoting Green Design and one on suggesting research on further initiatives based on fiscal incentives for investors in the creative industries.
The Minister was ok with the first two, but hesitated on number three. Obviously because there was no possibility to check this with the Ministry of Finance on the spot. However it was mentioned and that in itself is already a good thing.
When I came up with the idea of the Creative Industry Bank and starting researching it by talking to classical bankers and other quite formally dressed men and women, people started wondering about how long it would take before I would get rid of my golden earring. Never I said. I'm a man of principle, not of good taste! And look here, I've got a friend in the financial world: Sweden's Finance Minister Anders Borg. Although I'm still wondering about the pin-striped suit.
This show features Piet Hein Eek and his ideas on scrapwood (and other used materials) as the starting point of his design philosophy. As Eek states on his site, the combination of uncommon material and also uncommon, but simple methods of working became the thread through his work.
I was asked by AVRO television (Kunstuur, Saturdays from 5 pm till 6 pm) to be a sort of design host for their viewers during the Dutch Design Week. Just once. I thought. However, they asked me to stay on and during the next five shows put the featured design discipline and designer in a broader perspective. To explain what Dutch Design is all about to a mainstream, non professional audience. Strange to see yourself on tv...however it was fun to do.
This first show is about the Dutch Design Week where we visited the always sparkling Graduation Show of the Design Academy, all sorts of commercial design at Strijp S and the Dutch Designa Awards Exhibition.
Back from Brussels. Attended 'Open Days', the European Week of Regions and Cities. At least, part of it. I was invited to speak on how the creative industries could help in restoring growth after the crises. Nice and interactive discussion with the audience (policymakers from different European regions). My suggestion to move towards the idea of the creative industries being part of a wider creative economy seemed to catch on. I explained why I thought the next thing to do is to establish a 'creative ecosystem' focused on growth potential instead of subsidizing start-ups. Not only focusing on the supply side of creativity, but also try to develop the demand for creativity. In fact we could learn from how a notion like sustainability became mainstream over the last 30 years. Something that was an idealdriven hobby once, is now established business. Such a 'creative ecosystem' should consist of Chambers of Commerce starting cross-over 'Rooms of Creativity', financial institutions to rate and fund ambitious creative companies, new educational teaching bussiness creativity, media to popularize creative potential. Anyway, it was interesting to see that we are really in a post Richard Florida situation now for policymakers: they all embraced the creative industries as a phenomenon, but now have to deal with it in a more traditional way.
It works except for framing of pics and coming up with right categories.
Testing my iPhone
Anyone interested in what the Dutch Creative Industry is doing in New York, check out this article in Fast Company. There's obviously more to say about, but it will give you an idea of what's going on during the Husdon 400 celebrations
Annie Leibovitz is a world famous photographer. Worked for Vanity Fair, Vogue and Rolling Stone. Made amazing pictures of the rich, famous and powerful. And needed money to buy the house of her complaining neighbour. Lots of money. So she went to The Art Capital Group and besides some houses she put up all hercopyrights, photographic negatives, contarct rights (existing or to be created in the future) as collateral.At an interest rate of something between 6 and 16 percent. And tomorrow is payback time.
The gentlemen of the Art Capital Group made a deal and they're sticking to it. Annie is an artist and had no idea what she gave away to these cultural sharks, is the reasoning you often read. But Annie must have know that she had an 'artist' lifestyle. Nevertheless, I hope they can work out some sort of settlement. Because it would be a shame if Leibovitz would decide to put her camera aside
Anyone interested in evolutionary thinking and design (not in the religious way), should go and check out the Sources and Senses seminar the Design Academy Eindhoven is organizing on September 8 and 9. Can we still learn from mother nature or should we focus on biotechnology? The seminar is a first proof of a new interest in challenges faced by designers in our modern an d changing world. I'll be chairing a part on Wedsnesday afternoon, focusing on the future of food. Dennis Avery (former Hudson Institute fellow) will take us into a cultivated future. Forget Slow Food! Ouch!
Wired Magazine had a really interesting article on it some time ago.
Found myself working on projects for the last few months and then of course it was holiday season. A very dry holiday season, me and my fellow villagers found out last Friday when a huge part of the dunes next to us got on fire. Scary stuff. Luckily, winds didn't turn our way, so we weren't in the direct dangerzone for 'flyfire' as it is called. So what you see is NOT my backyard.
Anyway, that's all over. It's time to share some insights on the world of socio-economic creativity again.
Had a great meeting yesterday with colleague Heads of Departments and the Board of the Design Academy Eindhoven. All about startegy for the coming years. The institute is well renowned for its man central curriculum, but it can't afford to be slowed down by appraisal. There's too much going on in the world today, in which design can play an informative, inspiring and innovative role (here I go again, my business mantra so to speak). The academy has to re-invent itself, renew without loosing the current strength. In my point of view it has to develop from a House of Concepts (is also the title of the book that describes its 60 years history) to a Community of Content, Concept and Context. That trains for design thinking as well as design doing, for creating services as well as creating products.Former director Lidewij Edelkoort did a splendid job putting the academy on the world map, but it's now up to new directors Anne Mieke Eggenkamp and Alexander van Slobbe to put the students on the world map. Not only as cultural artists, but also as creative entrepreneurs and social thoughtleaders. Of course, with all the Heads of Departments to support them.
