Musa Boom's Blog

Progettare l'assenza IGIRAMA a New York

L'invisibile emoziona più della materia. L'artista William Verstraeten propone un'installazione che proiettando sul pavimento la vista che si vedrebbe dall'ultimo piano delle Twin Towers produce la sensazione di camminare su un pavimento trasparente in quota... It is like floating above the felled twin towers.
Purtroppo questo progetto non è stato approvato, per saperne di piu fastcodesign.

Treehouse workspace. Suzanne Augello

Nel mese di novembre Good, (una piattaforma che promuove e diffonde notizie di persone, progetti e business che contribuiscono a far progredire il mondo in mondo sostenibile e creativo) ha lanciato una sfida che riguarda il ripensare lo spazio di lavoro per stimolare produttività e creatività. Qui il link per vedere tutte le proposte selezionate.

Ho lavorato per un po' di anni in una azienda italiana e non ho mai sentito lamentele da parte dei colleghi rispetto alla qualità dell'ambiente di lavoro. Il malcontento derivava non tanto dalle caratteristiche dello spazio dal punto di vista del comfort luminoso, acustico, dell'organizzazione degli spazi e degli arredi o della qualità di questi, ma bensì dal prestigio. Il tema si risolveva in Open space vs Ufficio singolo, una mera questione di gerarchia, di privacy, di status. Lo spazio più ambito era quindi l'ufficio singolo, e non importava se era uno sgabuzzino vicino al bagno. Mi fa quindi molto piacere vedere queste proposte e che più che di progetti, si tratti di concept in cui si ricercano le condizioni per il benessere psicofisico, aspetto penso fondamentale per sprigionare la creatività ed essere produttivi.

La Fura dels Baus, "Rainbow drops" a Seoul luglio 2011

Sì non mi sono sbagliata, non sto parlando di an-estetico ma di estetico. Partiamo dall'inizio e ricordiamo il significato di estetico e anestetico. Estetico è un aggettivo che come estetica ha origine dalla parola greca aistetikos, che significa "sensazione" e dalla parola aisthanomai, che significa "percezione mediata dal senso". In filosofia per estetica si intende la conoscenza del bello attraverso l'uso dei sensi. An-estetico è un nome composto dal prefisso privativo an e da aistetikos "sensazione", indica genericamente l'abolizione della sensibilità, della coscienza e del dolore, in poche parole si spengono i sensi. Sinonimi: sedativo, soporifero. Contrari: stimolante, eccitante.

Anche se anestetico ed estetico non sono uno il contrario dell'altro, accettate per un attimo la provocazione e pensateli come contrari. Vi spiego perché.

In questi ultimi mesi mi sto interessando ai temi della formazione per le nuove generazioni e mi sono imbattuta in una frase di Sir Ken Robinson uno fra i più influenti esperti in formazione, creatività e innovazione che sostiene: "stiamo istruendo i nostri figli anestetizzandoli e credo che dovremmo fare l'esatto contrario".

E come non essere d'accordo conoscendo le antiquate metodologie ancora vigenti nella scuola italiana.

Per la proprietà transitiva se assumiamo che estetico è il contrario di anestetico possiamo trasformare in positivo la frase e dire:

"dovremmo istruire i nostri figli estetizzandoli e cioè stimolando in loro la conoscenza del bello attraverso i sensi".

In questo video Sir Ken Robinson espone una divertente e toccante argomentazione a favore della creazione di un sistema educativo che nutra la creatività (anziché metterla a repentaglio).

Postilla

E' curioso come a volte alcune parole che nel senso comune non sono collegate tra loro, tutto a un tratto si connettano permettendo a nuovi pensieri e idee di nascere.

Per capire questo processo può essere utile un articolo di Pierre Magistretti su Wired che nell'ambito delle neuroscienze riferisce questi fenomeni al default mode network e cioè alla modalità di lavoro dell'encefalo "offline" ossia a riposo. Il DMN serve ad elaborare la quantità di informazioni accumulate durante il giorno ovvero quando siamo "online" o come si dice in gergo "concentrati e sul pezzo".

E' bello avere la prova anche scientifica che l'ozio, culturalmente considerato improduttivo e riprovevole, di fatto sia un'attività che permette l'elaborazione di nuove associazioni e connessioni che danno origine alle idee innovative e originali. Varrebbe a questo proposito anche leggere il libro di Domenico De Masi Ozio Creativo per sgomberare definitivamente la coscienza dai sensi di colpa.

A riprova che in questi mesi sono riuscita ad oziare...

Photo Alice in wonder land by Annie Leibovitz

Oggi mi sono presa un giorno di vacanza e per iniziare sono andata a fare colazione in una Boulangerie di Milano dove, per la cronaca, il critico d'arte ultracentenario Gillo Dorfles va abitualmente a comprare il pane, e se è vero il detto che siamo ciò che mangiamo sarebbe salutare seguire anche altre sue abitudini...

Ma torniamo al tema della creatività, i bambini e in generale tutte le persone prive di condizionamenti e pregiudizi sono una fonte imprevedibile di creatività.

Quello che vi faccio vedere oggi è uno stravolgimento di senso creativo ad opera di un bambino. Finita la colazione ho tirato fuori dalla borsa e ho messo sul tavolo delle foto d'infanzia recuperate nel weekend a casa dei miei. Mentre facevo questo gettavo un occhio alle attività ripetute e quasi infinite di togli e metti, metti e togli la molletta dalla tovaglia, e a un certo punto l'occhio prima distratto si è fermato su questo nuovo portafoto.

Today I took a vacation so at the beginning of the day I went in a Boulangerie in Milan where Gillo Dorfles, the critic of over hundred years old, usually buys bread, and by the way, if the saying is true that we are what we eat I should better follow also other his healthy habits...
But going back to the theme of creativity, I can say that children, and in general all the people with no preconceptions and prejudices are a source of unpredictable creativity.
What I show you today is a creative upheaval of meaning by a child.
After breakfast I pulled out of the bag some old photographs of my childhood found at my parents house and I put them on the table. While doing this I threw an eye to the repetitive tasks of removing and putting, putting and removing the clip from the tablecloth, and in a few minute the distracted eye stopped on a new photoframes.

The project arises from two real common situations.

The first: in previous years, before iphone apps appeared, we were used to collect a lot of maps of cities and places we visited for journey or holidays. I love maps because they both represent the journey's state of mind and the identity of places. For that reason I always want, when possible, to keep them under my eye at home but the number of walls at home are a finite number...

The second: it happens that an old inherited lampshade can be damaged after several years or can be too old style for our apartments.

And so what to do with maps and lampshade?

Throwing them away in the garbage doesn't sound good to me.

So the idea to dress with maps the lampshade to keep vivid and luminous memories of our personal journeys.

To do that you need vynilic glue, water, paintbrush, shissor and a little of handycraft.

taken with Instagram

http://www.apple.com/iphone/design/#design-video

Tap is soft and gentle.

Press is hard and short.

I am asking myself if the gestures we make so many times during the day could influence our actitude towards objects and then relationships?
I see very often people interacting with their iphones as they would do with babies, touching them with respect, softness and care...

I suppose and hope yes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR96bTVzx8M

Clockwise, from upper left: Jerry Seinfeld, Ricky Gervais, Louis CK, and Chris Rock. © HBO

There is a strong similarity between designer and comedians. See which are the things in common and learn from them! Seven things designers can learn from stand up comics. The premise of HBO's hour-long special "Talking Funny" is simple: invite four top-ranked comedians — Ricky Gervais, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock and Louis C.K. — turn on the cameras, and let them talk shop for an hour. There are laughs, of course, but the most interesting parts focus on the technical craft of getting those laughs. This is serious business. Stand up comedy is a high-risk creative enterprise, executed in real time in front of a critical audience.

1. It's all about the basics.
"I love jokes so much," says Jerry Seinfeld towards the beginning of the show. "I love them so much." He loves them because they're the indestructible building blocks of comedy. The others agree. "So many of these young guys think it's all attitude," says Chris Rock. "But you have to have jokes under your weird persona, under your crazy glasses, under your crazy voice." Design has basic building blocks too: scale, proportion, hierarchy, contrast. Get those right first. Or, as Seinfeld concludes: "You can put in all kinds of furniture, but you have to have steel in the walls."

2. Once you've mastered the basics, make your work your own.
"Do you think you have to have a thing?" asks Ricky Gervais."Well, you've gotta figure something out," responds Seinfeld. Between all the "things" and "somethings," we know exactly what they're talking about. Every successful comedian is different. The best have an immediately identifiable attitude, whether it's Henny Youngman, Demetri Martin, or the four participants in "Talking Funny." The best designers are no different. Think of how many ways there are to design something like, say, a Vladimir Nabokov book cover. A good designer is a problem solver. A great designer can figure out a way to solve a problem that's completely unique. At one point, Seinfeld tells a Louis C.K. joke his way, and asks, "Is that how it goes?" Louis CK replies, "Well, that's a completely Seinfelded version. You made it...nice." It's one of my favorite parts of the show.

3. Respect your audience.
Chris Rock says: "A lot of comedians have great jokes, and they're like, 'Why is this not working?' It's not working because the audience doesn't understand the premise. If I set this premise up right, this joke will always work." The comics talk about ensuring the audience — so demanding, so easily distracted — is with them for every joke during the act. This doesn't mean talking down or pandering. Rather, it's good old-fashioned respect. I sometimes tell students that every design needs a welcome mat and a doorknob. The first helps a person realize, "Hey, this is for me." The second gives them a way into the design. Good design, like good comedy, is about surprise. But surprise can't happen in a vacuum. It needs a context that establishes familiarity. If you respect your audience, you provide that context.

4. Know your tools.
The tools of a stand up comic are words. Some are good for every job. Some are more powerful and should be used sparingly. All of them are potentially crutches. Louis C.K. says that Jerry Seinfeld once told him, "The F word is like a Corvette." "And I thought," says Louis C.K., "that means that it's fast and it's cool and it's got power and thrust to it. But then I thought, wait a minute, this guy grew up on Long Island and collected Porsches. So to him, a Corvette is a piece of shit, with a Chevy engine, just a flashy bullshit car." Your own favorite tool may be a typeface, or a Photoshop effect, or a certain color combination. Seinfeld says he stopped using the F word when he realized it had become a crutch. Of course, one man's crutch is another man's secret weapon. Or, as Louis C.K. observes, "Where I grew up, a Corvette is an awesome car."

5. Honor your craft.
One striking running theme of "Talking Funny" is that each of the comics works extremely hard, creating challenges where they might just as easily coast. Chris Rock reinvents his entire show every year. Louis C.K. regularly takes his closing bit — the strongest part of his show — moves it to the beginning, and forces himself to create a new show designed to top the old climax. Ricky Gervais says, "Oh, it's not just being funny. It's being proud of your stuff and doing things that other people couldn't do." Louis C.K. adds that, for him, "Easy laughs, cheap laughs, they don't exist." Chris Rock: "How many unfunny comedians have ever sustained a career not being funny?" Mastery of craft is tied to perpetual self-improvement. And, just as in design, mere technique is never enough. Louis C.K. is nervous when he feels he's relying on technical skill. "This bit is working because I know how to do stand up, not because it's something that's important to me." Hone your skills, but make certain they serve ends that are important to you.

6. Don't be afraid of failure.
Good comedians experiment constantly. Every time they test a new joke, they risk bombing. That's why they'll try out new material in smaller venues, polishing pieces in front of live audiences: they need to hear what's working and what's not working. Seinfeld admits that when he was starting out, "I was hitting 500. I would have a good show and a bad show, a good show and a bad show." His very first show was bad. "But success wasn't my objective." He was desperate to simply be on stage, and was willing to risk failure every other night to get there. Designers take risks for the same reasons. Trying something new means not being sure of the outcome. But it's the only way that anyone working in a creative field can hope to make progress. Ambition is a strong enough antidote to fear. Louis C.K. remembers how he idolized good comics: "I wanted to be one of them, and I didn't care if I sucked at it."

7. Finally, never forget you have a special gift.
Ricky Gervais, in a revealing moment, asks, "Don't you ever think, when we make people have this feeling of laughter, and they pay us money: what if they discover they can do it themselves?" The other comics are rather stunned at this. Seinfeld shouts, "But they can do it themselves!" Gervais, almost glumly asks, "Then why are they paying us?" Louis C.K. answers, "We're a high octane version of it. We're pros. They can play touch football, too." And Seinfeld adds: "But that doesn't hurt the NFL." We live at a time when the tools of design are more available than ever before. What client doesn't have a nephew who knows InDesign, or, better still, a spouse with a newly discovered enthusiasm for Powerpoint? Graphic design: anyone can do it, right? Well, yes. But the professionals still understand what it means to do something well. And that confidence makes its own statement.

Source http://observersroom.designobserver.com/oblog/post/seven-things-designers-can-learn-from-stand-up-comics/27038/

One of the semifinalists: The Portable Light Project

The Buckminster Fuller Challenge is an annual international design award grants $100,000 to support the development and implementation of a "bold, visionary, tangible initiative that is focused on a well-defined need of critical importance and comprehensive, anticipatory, integrated approach".

Winning solutions to the most significant challenges including:

ocean restoration
protecting indigenous knowledge
combating women’s illiteracy
connecting the remote developing world to the communication grid

"When evaluating these entries we were looking for those projects that mark the emergence of a new paradigm, one that not only addresses the problems but carries us beyond— into a new mode of being. These finalists do just that. Reviewing them has been deeply inspirational"

Jean Gardner, 2011 Challenge Juror

Here all the semifinalists

Scent of Lithuania

Lietuvos Kvapas is the first lithuanian national scent.

Audronius Azubalis the foreign minister says: "When creating the Scent of Lithuania, our goal was not only to impersonate the fragrances of the country, but also to tell a story about its cities and villages, its nature, ancient traditions and cultural heritage, the character and the achievements of its people: everything what we are justly proud of and respected for".

We will see if it has the same success of the fragrance Eau de Cologne created by Giovanni Maria Farina an Italian perfume designer and maker. In the 17th century Eau the Cologne became rapidly famous worldwide and was an indispensable accessory at all royal courts. Being the very first perfume of its kind on the market, the word "Cologne" quickly became a household name. This perfume contributed to Cologne’s global fame. (source Wikipedia).

Again about scent marketing, never forget that the Church was the first institution of all the time that invested in scent to convey and spread its brand.

Eau du Cologne

photo Carlo Van de Roer

Towards new renaissance here is an experiment to capture the intangible of ourselves. A Polaroid camera developed in the 1970s to capture the unseen, a subject’s aura. The camera translates biofeedback into near-fluorescent colors that show the subject’s potential, present emotional state and future possibilities.
By New Zealand photographer Carlo Van de Roer.

Upcoming Exhibition:
The Portrait Machine Project
M+B Gallery Los Angeles USA
16 April - 14 May 2011

photo Carlo Van de Roer


Fragile Future

Fragile Future III edition is a modular system (based on the former Fragile Future) in which 3-d bronze electronical circuits contain luminous dandelion seed heads and bolt together.
Infinite possibilities to create forms with breaths of light.
By Drift Design and Carpenters Workshop.

Fragile Future III

Photo Magnus Larsson

Thank to a bacteria, sand is solidified into a habitable structure that protects from wind and sand. As the architect Magnus Larsson said: "in this way, we can start 'growing' controlled oases in the desert, and stop the sand from pushing people away from their homes and villages, which, in the worst-case scenario, may lead to huge migration floods, food shortages, wars, and other horrible situations". Starting upon a research carried out by professor Jason De Jong's team at the Soil Interactions Laboratory, UC Davis (http://www.sil.ucdavis.edu/people-jason.htm), as well as conversations with professor Stefano Ciurli at the University of Bologna, Larsson designs to flush a particular microorganism, Bacillus Pasteurii, through the dunescape to cause a biological reaction that turns the sand into solid sandstone.

Photo Magnus Larsson

In 2008, "DUNE – Arenaceous Anti-desertification Architecture" won first prize in the Holcim Awards 'Next Generation' category for Africa/Middle East (http://www.holcimfoundation.org/T865/A08AMng11.htm).

Photo Magnus Larsson

For those throwing his favourite pair of jeans is like mutilating, now a viable alternative. Old jeans and apparel live again with a different shape and use in this chair. What was born for dressing are now revived for seating. Sustainability through recycling. Designer Tobias Juretzek for Casamania.

A boost towards the future where emotions will be designed by colours of ultra gamma rays that currently do not exist. Five giant cones under LED technology lighting, controlled by a workstation, featuring changeable hue and lighting intensities depending on the colour chosen by each person.

Designer Ezri Tarazi and the d-vision Group. A design installation at "50 + 50 Designing the Future" during "Salone del Mobile" Milan Fair.

By Agnieszka Lasota a reflection on interpersonal relationships, women conditions and flaunted nudity. Hanging embroidered linens with strategic holes like first wedding nights some decades ago in the south of Italy.

At Designersblock Ventura.

Nendo at Galleria Jannone, a solo exhibition that explores transparency.

This chair is made with transparent polyurethane film with high elasticity and ability to return to its original state, commonly used as a packing material. The chair seems to consist of nothing but a backrest and armrests.
Interesting and contemporary the theme of working on material taken from other contexts of use and reducing to minimum the need of joint, assembly and product weight.
Sustainable!

About transparency see also Kartell, last year with The Invisible of Tokujin Yoshioka.

Opera in everydaylife = Emotions in everydaylife!

"The Royal Opera in Stockholm had a problem. Young people did not listen to Opera. The solution was to let the target group experience Opera in everydaylife. They replaced every subway station in the Stockholm subway with an emotion. And for every emotion there is a designated piece of opera- or ballet music. Enter the emotions you want to travel between in the Emotion Planner and you´ll get a playlist of music to enjoy along the way"

Progettare l'assenza IGIRAMA a New York

Create your ideal workspace

Step 8 - NETWORK SCENARIO. Musa Boom design a sustainable table

Step 7 - PRODUCT. Musa Boom design a sustainable table

Step 6 - DESIGN. Musa Boom design a sustainable table

Step 5 - CONCEPT. Musa Boom designs a sustainable table

Presto un estetico!

Hi, we are going to discover things we will show you in September 2011

Photoframe. Kids creativity

Memory Lamp. Musa Boom designs a recycled lamp

Musa Boom studio

Step 4 - OPPORTUNITY OF INNOVATION. Musa Boom designs a sustainable table

Could tapping influence our kindness?

Overturning a creative technique

A good designer is a problem solver...

The Buckminster Fuller Challenge Finalists

Olfactory charme - Scent marketing

Shoot your aurea

Milan Design Week 2011 - Breaths of light

DUNE - From sand to stone

Step 3 - MARKET TRENDS. Musa Boom designs a sustainable table.

Milan Design Week 2011 - Rememberme

Milan Design Week 2011 - Ultra Gamma

Milan Design Week 2011 - La dote

Milan Design Week 2011 - Nendo's Transparency

The Emotion Planner

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