What’s Better than Being the Best: the New or the Necessary?
Capsized by the velocity of change in a world of words and pictures, the meaning of the term “experimentation” has sunk at last, lost like a treasure chest of useless jewels. Experience, on the other hand, has gained value. “Experiences are replacing goods and services because they stimulate our creative faculties and enhance our creative capacities. This active, experiential lifestyle is spreading and becoming more prevalent in society as the structures and institutes of the Creative Economy spreads.”*
As an American ex-patriot living in Sweden, I have not only absorbed the “experiential lifestyle,” but for better or worse, have accepted a loss of hubris. Achievement, fame, fashion, and being “the best” is historically unappreciated here in Sweden. Early education encourages socialization and play; kids are not taught to read until age 7. The city closes from early July until mid-August, as families drive out to the country, unplug their computers and television, and simply enjoy the cult of nature. Ironically, Sweden has an international reputation at being “the best” at three very important economic advantages: talent, tolerance, and technology.* In fact, Sweden rates number one on the “Global Creativity Index.”* The Swedish “creativity” phenomenon might offer good advice to those Americans (or anyone) who want to be “the best” in the field of communication design. Speed, motion, typography, interactivity and visual forms are often produced in the name of experimentation, but the experiments have run cold. Truth is, I don’t care about the latest font design, music video, or website. I care about finding the next necessity.
Inspired by Marshall McLuhan’s famous statement, “ours is a brand new world of all-at-once-ness,” I recently focused on Experience Design projects with students at ZKM/HfG in Karlsruhe, Germany, after developing related Experience Design concepts in theory only over the last four years. We designed a garden with psychiatric patients, produced “real-time” and on-line events, and most recently, we created what I call “research meets retail” entitled Intelligence Labs. The students created a physical space, a virtual library, and a direct engagement with the visitor. The interconnectedness of digital research and THINGS resulted in pure invention—the risk of failure was high, but undeniably exhilarating. Four examples are quirky but emblematic of our experience: the “Book of Personal Values” asks the visitor to bring unloved objects to a shop. Through a complex connection with an “expert” and an on-line blog depository, the object becomes loved. “Restaurant Nadja” suggests a historical experience reminiscent of surrealist theater, including automatic drawing, film, a waitress, and foods that are not edible. “Animals Talk” educates zoo visitors on the language of animals—mice live in computers while dogs communicate through web cams. The “Perfume Factory” exhibits beautifully packaged vials of historical scents for educational purposes while a carnival-like performer offers cheerful information and refers to a mail-service website. All projects are all housed within one real-time “mall”—a kind of guerrilla store of unusual experiences, objects, and most importantly, a cluster of libraries.
Our work was not the “best” graphic design or even the “best” experience. However, design that travels 360 degrees around an idea releases the traditionally singular coursework of typography, posters, and other forms of tired experimentation—making the work both new and necessary. Learning through imitation—to be almost as good as the best—is meager satisfaction. To be better than “the best” is to develop Experience Design out of NECESSITY, which means reaching out to personal or global territories unaware and unimpressed by conventional cutting-edge graphic communication, far from the glamorous life. In my own experience with NECESSITY, the act of selling everything I owned, including all of my electronic equipment (useless outside the United States) meant writing my own personal cliff-hanger. The move to Stockholm refocused my career, but more importantly, refocused my perceptions of everyday life. Cultural shifts are like learning a new religion. In this case, the new religion altered my concept of ambition and in so doing, I discovered something better
*Richard Florida, The Rise of the Creative Class, page 168
**Richard Florida, The Flight of the Creative Class, page 156
Laurie Haycock Makela
I am not adverse to experiential design—if this what you are advocating—but can you build this into your day-to-day practice? As a young(ish) designer I am chasing the dream alluded to in Johnny hardstaff ‘s comment, trying to bring together my personal belief system and my commercial survival—how can I sell not being the best? I think this is an important way to start thinking (like so much on this site) but I worry that it can easily become a cool way of thinking/talking which is totally ignored in the 9 to 5 reality of the work place!
/Jodie Pearce 27/07/2005