A Fashion History Lesson
Transport yourself back in time via this beautiful snap-shot of a video, courtesy of Chanel. Paints a (brief) picture of the world she lived in - the world that led to a birth of an icon.
Release Early, Often, and with Rap Music
“How much impact can you have with the least lines of code – that was important to hackers. But I think that same kind of thinking applies to making anything ... I think it can be applied to any creative pursuit.” - Evan Roth
We have been fans of Evan Roth for a few years now, projects like the open source music video for "Brooklyn Go Hard" by Jay Z and The EyeWriter have opened our eyes to the great cultural impact technology and digital experiences can have on the individual, and the world.
Artists are Hackers
Check out the Ideas Worth Spreading or #pirateTED project from Evan Roth's collective, Free Art & Technology Lab (F.A.T.).
Brooklyn Go Hard
The EyeWriter
However, it was the article "Evan Roth: the badass artist hacking popular culture" by The Guardian, that reminded us why he has been so prolific, and successful at changing the world around us - hacking. Hacking is a mindset, a way of mashing up seemingly unrelated ideas and creating something new that minimizes friction or effort, providing alternative cultural perspectives or solutions to problems. We have called this mindset of divergent thinking The Mashup Class, however it was born of the open source movement.
“For me [open source] ideas really resonated outside of just making software,” Roth says. He subscribes wholeheartedly to the idea of maximizing cultural impact with the least amount of effort – an idea that came from code." - Evan Roth
This also made us think more about the industry we work in, advertising and marketing, and how it is broken. Specifically, a presentation our dear friend, Gareth Kay, Chief Strategy Officer at Goodby Silverstein & Partners, shared at Cannes Lions 2013. In order for our industry to thrive, Gareth argues that we must move beyond advertising, and become hackers.
A Stark Warning to the Advertising Industry
This has been the obvious path for all advertising and marketing professionals, however very few have realized how to change relative to the world around them, instead they have complained. More frustrating, is the fact that they didn't even apply their own expertise (i.e. creative problem solving) to their own industry to foresee the dramatic shift, or even react. The world needs less mad men and more creative problem solvers. Now, let's get to work.
Smart Growth for Cities
Today, 3.6 billion people live in cities around the world. However, by 2030, 5 billion people, 60% of the world’s population will live in cities. In effort to better understand how we can improve cities, McKinsey & Company conducted an in-depth research study, interviewing 30 stakeholders, including mayors and other city government officials, in cities on four continents. Their efforts resulted in a report titled "How to Make a City Great" that reveals the best practices civic leaders must adopt in order to improve processes and services from urban planning to financial management and social housing. The best practices fall into three categories:
Achieve Smart Growth
"Cities must invest in infrastructure that reduces emissions, waste production and water use, as well as in building high-density communities."
Do More with Less
"Private–public partnerships can deliver lower-cost, higher-quality infrastructure and services."
Win Support for Change
"Successful city leaders must build a high-performing team of civil servants, creating a working environment where everyone is accountable ... They must take steps to recruit and retain top talent, emphasize collaboration, and train civil servants in the use of technology."
How to Make a City Great
Download the McKinsey & Company "How to Make a City Great" research report here.
Source: McKinsey & Company
108 Years of Herman Miller in 108 Seconds
Source: Herman Miller
At Herman Miller we think, learn, and communicate through design. It is the language with which we share new ideas and address the problems people face. Before we decide what we do and how we do it, we must first ask “why?” It is in this spirit of inquiry that we approach the stories we tell on WHY. For us, design is never just about a finished product. It is a narrative that extends from the designer’s vision to the people it touches and places it transforms. With WHY, we invite you to discover why we do what we do at Herman Miller.
"At Herman Miller, design is never just about a finished product. It is a narrative that extends from the conceptual thinking that informs a designer’s vision to the people it touches and the places it transforms."
American Noise
We stumbled upon "American Noise," a documentary by Nokia Music and The Sundance Film Festival that reveals the emerging sounds of our nation. It's a great series, and we're looking forward to the future additions as the investigate the rest of the country. It features:
If you scroll to the bottom of the page you can also vote for the next city to be included in the series. Hint, hint, hint...VOTE CLE.
From Nokia:
Each film will take place in a different city and showcase the new guard of young talentand unique sounds of American music today. Showcasing diverse genres: the strip clubs of Atlanta, the indie scene in Portland, genre mixing soul music from Detroit, the sensation of New Orleans' sissy bounce, underground alternative rap culture in New York City, and electro music created in LA's valley, each of the films will reveal cinematic portraits of distinct music sub cultures.
Beat 2012
DJ Mark Ronson will be traveling the world to meet up-and-coming athletes in order to intentionally record their passively generated music, or record the sounds they make when they compete in their sport.
I'm a huge fan of intentionally passive music composition, it's absolutely brilliant and always inspires me. I hope this inspires you as well. This anthem will be created for Coca-Cola in preparation for the summer Olympics in London. The track will be used in advertising, but I think the documentary, directed by Kim Gehrig, will be much more interesting.
Thinking Cities
We've been daydreaming and dreaming about the future of Cleveland since Hallie's first day back in the city and my first day ever in the city. It's our passion to understand current urbanization trends and adapt those best practices to our city. We all need to understand these trends, because each of us will be affected and more importantly, some trends may reflect your passions in life allowing you to get involved and not only voice your opinion, but actively participate in the future of Cleveland. Before you can do this, you need to understand those trends, a documentary called Networked Society does an excellent job of revealing this information.
As we enter a new era of mobility, an emerging mindset is creating endless opportunities that are limited only by our imaginations. Technology has enabled us to interact, innovate and share knowledge in entirely new ways – creating a dynamic shift in mindset. People are empowered, business is liberated and society is more connected than ever. At Ericsson, we’re just beginning to explore the possibilities of a Networked Society.
The urbanization trends featured in this documentary rely on information and communication technology (ICT) immensely. There are also a few excellent case studies to illustrate the trend.
- The Science of Cities
- The Talking City (Case Study: Trash Track Project)
- The Social City (Case Study: Citizens Connect)
- The Smart City (Case Study: Stockholm Royal Seaport)
The contributing experts are:
- Geoffrey West, Physicist, Distinguished Professor, Santa Fe Institute
- Carlo Ratti, Director MIT’s SENSEable City Lab
- Mathieu Lefevre, Executive Director, New Cities Foundation
- Elaine Weidman, VP, Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, Ericcson
- Nigel Jacob, Co-Chair, Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics, City of Boston
- Jonas Claesson, Urban Planner, Stockholm Royal Seaport
- Marie Fossum, VP, New Business, Fortum
The documentary analyzes the cities of Stockholm and Boston in regard to the trends identified throughout the documentary. Our hope is to bring these innovations to Cleveland and we know you share the same hopes and dreams for the city we all love. What lessons can we learn from this? And how can we reinvent Cleveland together?
Remix the City
Once again, mobile apps are redefining how artists compose music. I stumbled upon this app the other day and immediately saw the potential in utilizing this technology for the CLE. The app is called Fresh Push Play, it was developed by W+K Tokyo Lab, HIFANA (a breakbeats duo from Tokyo that created the Nike Music Shoe) and Rhizomatiks. HIFANA launched the app by taking it to the streets of Tokyo and documenting their journey, collecting sounds of the city as they explored, until they reached their destination - a show with friends performed with only their iPhones and iPads.
Just imagine the potential for CLE. Can you imagine the song that we could create for Cleveland?
The Mashup Class
It was Richard Florida - author, professor and researcher, that coined the phrase "The Creative Class." A concept that identifies the essential elements required for urban revitalization: Technology, Talent and Tolerance - The three Ts.
Cities must invest in technology, nurture talent and be tolerant or accepting of diversity for creative people to come live, work and play. The growth and prosperity of a city is dependent on these attributes because they attract a unique group of people – The Creative Class. This concept fascinated me for the past six or seven years, it occupied many of my thoughts and influenced many of my actions during a time when I moved from Detroit to Boston to Cleveland.
Another concept that I've been following for the past few years is The Creator Class. Another set of three words enriched with alliteration: Creators, Communities and Companies - The three Cs. This concept was devised by Piers Fawkes of PSFK, it analyzes the intersection of these areas and how they affect culture.
Members of this community leverage digital distribution, thrive in niches, market via networking and collaborate. I found this concept particularly interesting when looking at the world of advertising, due to the creation of new agencies like Victors & Spoils, co: and Made by Many, and also open innovation groups like The PurpleList or Behance Network. However, it was another kind of Creator that attracted my attention and ignited my curiosity over the past few years: The mashup artist. People like Banksy, Poster Boy and Girl Talk, who blurred the lines of creation by mashing original and borrowed works to a point where the originator was indistinguishable and remixed everything, even culture.
I am anxious for more artists to use multidisciplinary tools and harness the power of technology to remix our world and mashup production, consumption and distribution. And it's happening now, you are the artist and consumer.
Press Pause Play
Press Pause Play is a documentary that introduces the creatives at the frontier of production, the technical enablers of collaboration and distribution, the artists, the pop stars, the film makers, the business men, the visionaries and the ones left behind. Itʼs a story from the smallest molecule to the largest corporation. Itʼs a snapshot of today, but at the same time predictions of a near future.
A new generation of global creators and artists are emerging, equipped with other points of reference and tools. The teachers are not certified schools anymore - itʼs web sites, discussion forums and a “learn by doing”-mentality. We see the children of a digital age, unspoiled or uneducated depending on who you ask. Collaboration over hierarchy, digital over analog - a change in the way we produce, distribute and consume creative works. Press Pause Play is an amazing documentary that will inspire any creator or mashup artist.
Collaborate and Remix Life
Walking on Eggshells: Borrowing Culture in the Remix Age is a documentary about appropriation, creative influence, re-use and intellectual property in the remix age. It is a conversation among various musicians, visual artists, writers and lawyers.
Remix Everything
Remixing utilizes the techniques of copying, transformation and combining; with all creations infused with inspiration from another work. Everything is a Remix is a four-party documentary. At this moment, only three have been published:
The Future of Art & Ideas
This video from the New York Public Library features Larry Lessig, founder of Creative Commons and author of "Remix," Shepard Fairey, artist and founder of OBEY, and Steven Johnson, author of "The Invention of Air." This panel answers the question, "what is the future for art and ideas in an age when practically anything can be copied, pasted, downloaded, sampled, and re-imagined?"
The Mashup Class
After researching all of the sources above as well as many other reference materials, several key elements or trends were revealed. The idea that a breed of individuals exist that thrive in remixing and mashing up culture - The Mashup Class. And this is not limited to street art or music, it extends to the arts, business, technology and beyond. This culture has innate motivations and identifiable behaviors:
- Collaboration - Many people think that mash-up art is created by stealing, but it is actually the greatest collaboration between artist and the beholder. Collaboration is an action where creative inspiration adapts and evolves to create something new.
- Community - This is naturally created during collaboration, but also when the creator pays homage to those that inspired them
- Culture - Inherent in this practice is the association to pop-culture and act of borrowing cultural references as need to inspire or express. Cultural and historical references are your canvass and influencers are your inspiration and instruments. Crowdsource - Inspiration is not pulled from one, but many sources. Crowdsourcing is not always a visible action, but can be covert
- Openess - Transparency is not necessary, everything can be reverse engineered, whether purposely made available or not
- Defiance - In order to be innovative and creative, you must, at times, break the rules. And also, be willing to pay for the consequences
- Transform - According to copyright laws, the extent to which a work is deemed transformative will determine if the work is fair use. However, the expression and interpretation of art is native to the individual, the means by which language is translated or transformed from one to another. Originality is not a goal, plagiarism is not a fear, and authorship becomes unknown as the line between author and orignator is blurred.
- Instrumental - Technology has created an endless number of new tools and instruments for artists to use.
- Craft - Often the craft is learned through the process and individuals are self-made. Just as experise in the craft increases over time, so does respect for the craft
- Share - The old distribution model is dead, sharing works digitally is the new methodology for exposing others to your works
- Create - Be prolific and continue to remix and be creative
Art, Science & Technology in Music
Bjork's latest album may be her most ambitious project yet. Biophilia is a collection of songs composed with the themes of nature, science and humanity infused. For preparation, Bjork researched astrophysics, string theory, neurology, biology and other domains where science and music collide.
Listen to Bjork "Biophilia" in its entirety here on NPR Music.
With this inspiration for Biophilia, Bjork then created a unique environment to experience the music. The Biophilia app immerses the user into an intricate galaxy, with ten different destinations, each representing unique songs. Each song is available to purchase and download in-app, for $1.99 each. According to the app’s release notes:
Biophilia is an extraordinary and innovative multimedia exploration of music, nature and technology by the musician Bjork. Comprising a suite of original music and interactive, educational artworks and musical artifacts, Biophilia is released as ten in-app experiences that are accessed as you fly through a three-dimensional galaxy that accompanies the album’s theme song Cosmogony. All of the album’s songs gradually become available inside Biophilia as interactive experiences, beginning with the first single Crystalline.
Download the Bjork "Biophilia" iPhone and iPad app here.
Read, learn and explore other digital music innovations in our series of posts called "A Digital Rolling Stone."