In his recent blog post, Finding the Common Themes of Braun and Apple, Adam Richardson examines how the work of two storied industrial design voices speak volumes about a society’s anxieties and desires. Always fascinating to see how these normally buried feelings can creep into human output like the fine arts, product design and film (much has been written about the role of horror films and how they help us deal with our collective neuroses)...
In what seems like a storyline plucked from a Smiths' song (Panic, Shoplifters of the World Unite), the unrest in the UK is a massively complex mixture of class, race, political policies and, perhaps most interestingly, technology. Between calls to shut down RIMM's BBM service to the twitter/FB organized public clean-ups, technology has not only galvanized people across the UK – rioters and angry citizens alike – but provide the media outlets (and individual bloggers) a means to share the experience with the world. Here's a post from TechCrunch, written on Monday evening, day 3 of the riots, detailing some of the uses of tech/social media by journalists and citizens alike:
http://londonriots.ep.io/
John Abell of Reuters and wired.com on the "Blackberry riots":
http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2011/08/09/blackberry-riots-not/
Ars Technica on the use of twitter + BBM:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/08/the-two-sides-of-social-netwo...
As part of my on-going fascination with the media's fascination with urban dissolution (a gaper once removed), I stumbled upon a 2008 article from a most venerated source, National Geographic, detailing the "reverse" westward expansion currently facing North Dakota and, to a lesser degree, the other plains states. Aside from the dramatic images (a staple in any NatGeo publication), the thing that most struck me was the near histrionic prose from writer Charles Bowden. With sentences like "for almost a century we’ve watched stranded towns and houses fall one by one like autumn leaves in the chill of October" and "sometimes a [church] congregation decides to burn the building to end the pain," Bowden paints a not-too-subtle picture of a land devoid of hope, populated by a collection of homesteaders either too stupid or stubborn (or possibly both) to right their situation.
When we indulge in this fetishization of decay (rural or urban), how does it affect those who still inhabit the areas? Where are their voices in all this, aside from providing bleak anecdotes to support an author's thesis? While there is little written from the residents' perspective, I did find this eloquent (and far simpler) op-ed piece from a Bismarck, ND newspaper editor, in which he laments the tone of the article, asking "where is the journalistic fairness in telling just one side of the story?" Aside from the newspaper letter and a few comments on the NatGeo website, there really is no representation from the other side, instead leaving their story to be told through the dramatic artifacts left behind in these abandoned towns.
Unless you've been sequestered somewhere exceptionally remote lacking outside world contact for the last 30+ years, you're probably aware that Detroit is falling apart. Literally, physically, actually decaying before our eyes. Which makes for great tv. And movies. And blog posts. And photography books. Everywhere I look/read/watch, I'm bombarded by an endless stream of wistful eulogies for the Motor City, followed by an equal number of admonishments for savoring the destruction, rather than pitching in and repairing the damage.
While the story of Detroit's rapid disintegration is a dramatic one, I think the bigger story here is why we find it so compelling, especially given the current climate in the US. We all rubberneck at car accidents, trying to understand what happened while simutaneously thanking God it's not us in that heap. And really, there's no bigger car wreck than Detroit. But beyond that, Detroit's tale stirs up a fascinating cross-current of themes and agendas including, but not limited to:
Clearly, with topics this weighty, there are no easy fixes.
As a sidenote, Detroit does not have a monoploy on the urban decay meme. Meet Braddock, PA, another rust belt casualty that has stuck an uncomfortable but promising deal with Levi's.
The Image above is from the collection 100 Abandoned Houses by Kevin Bauman.
Just got word that I've been selected to run a workshop at the upcoming IxDA conference (interaction design association), exploring how to using storytelling to drive your design process. Looking forward to it!
I'm 35,000 feet above what is probably Idaho, enjoying some free wifi in my cramped economy seat and attempting, unsuccessfully, to stream something, anything, from hulu. While I'm frustrated with the experience, if you had posed this scenario to me two years ago, it would have sounded like a dream come true. Internet, in a plane?
I routinely get teased by a collegue for not being a gadget guy, despite my role as the head of our interaction design practice. While my Clinton administration-era flip phone was a fair target, his complaints about my disinterest in the iPad misses the bigger point. It's 2010 and a tablet computer that allows me to read a newspaper is supposed to get me excited? Have we completely given up on "beam me up, Scotty?"
When I was a kid, I used to scare the crap out of myself by watching Space 1999, a riveting (though absurdly campy in retrospect) tale of a lunar colony hurtling through space. Quick math told me that in only 18 years I might find myself fleeing from hairy extraterrestrials bent on draining my life force. Thirty years later and I'm still making phone calls, typing on a keyboard and changing the channels on my tv. Is it too much to ask for something a bit more compelling from my technology? Arthur Clarke famously remarked that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Right now, I'd like some more magic.
AIGA's Chicago Design Week kicks off on Monday with "Peer Profile," a crowd-juried show - a lot like those crit panels we all endured in school. Tuesday's big event is the All-Axis panel presentation. Should be a great conversation - Scott Wilson, Dave Mason, myself and Cheryl Towler Weese (of Studio Blue) as the moderator. Studio tours are happening on wednesday night - be sure to drop by gravitytank - we'll have communications, industrial and interaction designers on hand to give tours and answer all of your most pressing questions. Thursday is the annual AIGA meeting and Friday closes with a special gallery event with the Post Family. An action-packed week! You can check out all the details here.
For those of you with an interest in urban planning and future forecasting from the 60's, Archigram has a massive collection of works, many previously unpublished, available online. One of the highlights from their body of largely unrealized work entitled "The Walking City" envisions a nomadic urban existence where mobile building structures enable the exchange of cultures and information. Great illustrations and renderings with a distinctly '60's flavor.
ALL AXIS
The McCormick Tribune Campus Center, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
6-9pm
I'll be joined by Scott Wilson of MINIMAL and Dave Mason of SamataMason with an as yet-to-be named faciliator. Should be a great evening, drawing on a fairly diverse set of backgrounds and perspectives. Mark your calendar...
