Buy nothing year?

I didn't make a new years resolution but on the 2nd of January there was a documentary on TV that definitely made me think that Buy Nothing Year might be one. Overal spullen / Stuff Everywhere by Judith de Leeuw painstakingly reveals how much stuff she has in her house, because she sets out to count it all! Not a small nor easy task. Eventually she ends up exhibiting it all in a big empty hall, categorized by type and neatly laid out flat (Things Organized Neatly style) Passers by look at the stuff and try to say something about the owner, confrontation and reflection on how stuff reflects who we are.


well, at this point the New Years resolution was already too late, because I had already been to the sales, my bi-yearly fashion fix and bought a lambswool sweater and 4 pairs of woollen stockings (you never know when they go out of fashion).
So too late to really stick with the good intentions. Earlier on I had read about the 5 pieces wardrobe principle, there is even a Facebook group for that.. I liked the idea of 5 pieces wardrobe. It's not buying nothing, but it limits your retail-therapy and it's a principle that creates awareness of your consumption patterns and what's worth investing in.

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The girls from the Free Fashion Challenge are definitely more brave than me, they really take the challenge, stopped buying clothes for one year. It's an experiment and they will record their reactions and experiences. What happens when fashion addicts kick off? and how is it that fashion has become more about consumption than self-expression?

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There is also a group on Flickr called Fabricate fashion. These people are challenging themselves to make or buy only handmade for their wardrobe for a year. A good excuse to get creative, use up their fabric and yarn stash and avoid consuming mass-manufactured goods.

So when I initially thought about this new years resolution, I really thought about buying nothing, nothing at all, not just fashion, excluding daily necessities of course. I think I have enough, there is actually not much I really need. And on-top of that I like to think of myself as a creative person with lots of yarn and fabric stash so I should be able to provide myself for a year and I could organize the occasional swap-party. But I have already relaxed my criteria, I think it's ok to buy second-hand and maybe there are just a couple of things I really need like a fully automatic espresso machine and a Media Player that can easily play content from my HD and internet on my telly. (ironic, but true) So even if I will not manage completely at least I question myself more if it's really necessary to buy something.

Besides from that an odd feeling of disloyalty to the Economy starting to creep onto me. I started to think through that if we all start to buy nothing, the economy will stop. That is really scary, the continuation of the economy as we know it all depends on us keeping consuming. There is something utterly dis-functional about that system, it must be possible to think of another kind of economy, one where the re-circulation of goods is stimulated and rewarded. Where the first time consumption of raw materials is priced according to the environmental impact of the total costs to the environment. Well I'm not an economist so these are just a couple of ideas.


Thanks to Claudia and Jacqueline for inspiring me to write this piece

Social Media fatigue

Is social media the new opium for the people? Are we getting addicted? At least our compulsion to continuously update status and tweeting has been responded to with some recent new signage; “in case of fire, please leave the building before tweeting about it” and “please look where you walk, don’t update your FB status now”. The social media moment; when somebody notices our presence and responds is addictive because it flatters our ego. It remains an odd feeling for one to be interrupted in real-life conversation because your partner has to instantly check reactions when a Twitter @mention flickrs on the smart phone, it can break relationships. Where do we live most? Social Media is our second life and our existence and response-rate has become vital to social inclusion in many circles. And with the new Timeline app to come, Facebook is promising to become our companion from birth to death, a digital red thread that records your important moments through your entire life. A sort of Museum of Me+.

But already the first signs of fatigue are surfacing. A recent study published by Gartner puts numbers to it; 31% of Aspirers (younger, more mobile, brand-conscious consumers) indicated that they were getting bored with their social networks. 24% of respondents stated that they are using the social sites less often compared to when they initial signed up, only a young and tech savvy group (37%) stated that they were using the sites more often compared to when they signed up.

Social media is also increasingly branded, which in many cases doesn’t add value to people’s social media experiences. Most people use the web for consumer research, and 54% of people admit that social media is a good place to learn about brands and products, shows a recent study by tnsdigitallife. TNS also talk about the digital waste, the pollution in the social media space caused by misguided brand presence. It leaves behind traces of dead or inactive social media pages; branded pages on Facebook or Google+ that don’t get updated anymore, probably because of the lack of a long term social media strategy by many brands and companies.

So we should not let ourselves be blinded by social media marketing, it will increasingly become difficult to catch the attention of the social media consumers, and the big question is who are they and will they be in the near future? We will need to innovate and diversify to keep their attention.

Published in edited form in Philips Design New Value News trends in December

Affordable art for Christmas

Art is fighting back by becoming affordable, that's what you could start thinking when you notice how the artistic sector is trying to enter the gifting market around Sinter Klaas and Christmas. We all know the traditional Christmas markets where you can buy traditional Christmas items and presents. This year Utrecht housed at least 3 staged artistic Christmas markets. Collectives of artists and designers coming together to expose in a temporary gifting gallery. Characteristic is the large amount of small and affordable items, affordable gifts, and it's not all visual arts, there is lots of semi-utilitarian and quirky items for the interior and wardrobe. There are also modern takes on Christmas items, like contemporary takes on the Christmas tree etc. (see my previous post on Utrechts creative markets around Whit weekend)

DepARTmentSTORE in the CBKU, Plompetorengracht 4, Kunst doet goed.
The CBKU housed a clear exhibition, with great curation resulting in a curious collection of interesting yet accessible art and design. Nice little things that you could easily imagine having at home adding an artistic touch to your interior or wardrobe. Some items where of course a little more outspoken, which made a good contrast. I believe it was mostly local (Utrecht) artists and designers which was also a great achievement.

Stitch-hacked furniture by Decodel

gallery impression

still-life and upcycled bench

Kerstboom Uit het beste resthout gesneden door http://www.gebroedersbosma.nl/

contemporary embroidery

De Super de Kunst, Tractieweg, 25-27th of November.
Perhaps the most artistic market, or contrary to what the name may make you think the least commercialized one, it felt most like the Atelier-route. The pop-up Art-Supermarket took place in a big industrial hall had been transformed into something vaguely resembling a supermaket making use of industrial scale scaffolding to create boots for the individual artists, some of them coming from other parts of the county. There was also space for some Christmas coziness with gluhwein and cookies.

Stairway to Heaven by http://www.gebroedersbosma.nl/

Toffe Peer by http://www.iliasernst.nl/

Cash & Carry @ Kunstliefde, Nobelstraat, geef eens kunst kado. As the name suggests the art can be carried away immediately upon paying. The exhibition is advertised to be housing professional artists and the level of the work seems quite high. Mostly visual arts, no utilitarian items. This gallery has been having a Christmas sales exhibition since 2002.

reverse grafitti - cleaning up the urban landscape

Is it art? or is it a crime? does it improve the neighborhood? or does it deteriorate the neighborhood? Cleaning graffiti raises many questions, it provokes us to think about who is responsible to keep our neighborhood clean; ourselves, us that live there, do we have a civic responsibility that goes beyond the front-door? Or should the government be held responsible? after all we pay our taxes? In the end the ethical question is; should somebody that cleans the street, even if it's partial, and they leave a statement behind, should they be sentenced or not? after all, they where cleaning. Apparently we still miss legislation in this area.

Meanwhile marketeers have picked up this new area of advertising. There are already verious advertisement agencies that specialize in tagging our pavements using stencils and high pressure cleaners. Is that ok? even if they apparently ask the government for permission, I think it's questionable,  after all, these tags are way bigger than the traditional stickers and they are more permanent and intrusive than flyers. even though you have to admit that it does wear out after time...

Reverse Graffiti, Range Rover Nieuwegein

Something much more witty is this advertisement by the cleaners at Cartesiusweg, (apologies for poor picture quality) they have depicted different cleaners in Russian Avangardistic style, the cleaners are demanding respect and recognition for housekeeping work. It's ironic that it is right on the walls right next to the dumpster station.

schoonmakers graffiti Cartesiusweg

Reverse graffiti can also be used by yourself to brighten up your own pavement, to add a touch of homeliness to the urban landscape. This is a picture of a carpet that can be applied to your front pavement. Makes the neighborhood cozier I would say, invites you to create a homely living room outside and to sit down and have a chat with the neighborhood.

reverse graffiti - pavement carpet

Inducing warmth and conviviality to your local community by a little maybe illegal intervention, I really don't hope this kind of action will be punished any-time soon in the future

Bunker Architecture

Architecture is turning inwards with closed facades, no more looking inside. This new kind of architecture certainly is in contrast with the traditional Dutch houses in Utrecht. These houses with closed facades seem to protect their inhabitants from the outside world, locking it out. Maybe the information overload and stress is just too much and then the home, the safe haven is where we choose to isolate ourselves to retreat to refuge. It makes the house a place for introspection and reflection.

The first house here is designed and build by Urbanizer. The facade certainly stands out amongst the very traditional houses in the street. They say themselves that it's an abstraction of the garage that used to be here. I think it has strong resemblense with a Swiss shed with the wood cladding all around and the tapered wood that allows for a bit of light to enter through the front of the house. The wood gives it a warm radiation, so the closed volume doesn't feel hostile.



















The next house here is a utility building on the Kanaalweg. This is a completely closed box volume, windows are behind perforations. Whatever is going on inside is completely closed off from the outside. And with the warning sign on the front door, you could think it was dangerous. The windows are distributed in a random kind of pattern and are hidden behind perforations. It's beautiful in it's daring and striking simplicity, particularly if build by the government you will respect such a daring choice.

This is again a residence and clearly one where the facade has gone through a significant metamorphose. You can still sense the old structure of the house behind the cortens-steel cladding. Still it's beautiful and daring. The steel is cut in thin stripes, quietly resembling brick layers.

These interventions are small gestures that refreshes and updates the look of our city-scape. the revolutionary architecture by Herzog & de Meuron have had a lot of influence.

Un-fat architecture

Could an enriched environment help turn white fat into brown fat? New research on mice is showing that there are 3 lifestyle changes that might trigger the biological processes that can make your body naturally burn fat instead of storing it. One is becoming more socially engaged, two is presenting yourself with new challenges and the third is staying physically active.

This points at a new challenge for architecture to create enriched environments that stimulate activity and social interaction. This goes against some existing ideas such as comfort, architecture will need to start integrate "obstacles" and discomfort that will stimulate us to take the healthy route. I.e. lifts should not be central and accessible in a building, they should be hidden, the staircase should be central and inviting so that people instinctively take the stairs.

A great example of architecture that stimulates conversation, social interaction and activity is the recently station Overvecht. It was redesigned to include a amphi-theater like seating arrangement and a slide.

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I also think that this example of a staircase by Droog at their Dry Tech exhibition is a great example of stimulating architecture.

Danish architects 3XN have thought about healthy architecture when they designed the Orestad college. The central staircase is so big that invites to social interaction right there on the staircase.

Orestad college by 3XN architects

The Japanese architects Arakawa and Gin have extended the idea and call their work reversible destiny architecture, architecture against death. In 2008 they build the destiny lofts in Tokyo in 2008. The apartments are full of challenges that stimulate physical activity, so that the simplest tasks may turn out to be physically demanding.

needle-point grafitti

"we live not according to reason, but according to fashion" a quote by Seneca (4 BC till 65 AC) has been used and abused by the fashion in-crowd for long. But i think that who-ever embroidered this in reclaimed street-art graffiti way on the Zeedijk in Utrecht was thinking of something quite different than excusing fashion excesses. It seems more like a statement of protest. 

The statement is embroidered with what seems to be scraps of old fabric that have been torn into strips like a super-sized thread.  A fence that has probably been put up to prevent the public entering a vacant building-lot has been used as canvas. there is a fictive grid on the canvas on which the embroidery has been placed with great care. It's not the simplest, plainest letter-type that has been used, it's a cerif letter-type which is even more demanding to execute perfectly onto a fictive grid on a fence. For each stitch a knot or twirl has to be made to attach the thread. Whoever did this calculated the statement and the grid and with great perseverance and precision carried out the work. It all has an air of reclaimed art, reclaiming the street, this fence, using reclaimed fabric to make a statement.

This is clearly not fashion, nor is it fashionable (less urban art is fashionable of course). This is an area of Utrecht that is housing some creative scene, some old factory buildings that have been housing some of this creative scene are being demolished to give space to what? Modern urban living apartments for the hip hipster. The creative scene becomes homeless to house hipsters, that must be the essence of the statement; most people live according to fashion and not what they believe in. 

we live not according to reason, but according to fashion

we live not according to reason, but according to fashion

Ok, I admit it, it's tweaking the traditional essence of the statement, but I think in this case it might be what was truly meant. If you have been following my blog for longer you will know that I love reclaimed street-art, especially if it appears in the crafted form, love trying to solve the riddle. see also "in a world full of crooks".

The Hair Paradox

To be hairy or not to be hairy, that’s the question. It’s an urban myth that only women are vain, men are vain too, only their means of expression are different. Take for instance facial hair, it offers an excellent opportunity to mark that you are a unique and interesting person. Facial hair can even be a means of identity, how many beard styles are not named after a famous person that wore it? I.e. the Clark Gable pencil moustache. Beard-styles are of all times.

Intelligent Life, Summer 2011, Moustaches

In the not so distant past men that worked in offices had clean shaven faces; proving they where clean and hygienic, taking good care of themselves. The clean shaven face being a symbol of neatness and civilization.

But recently facial hair has become a real statement; famous is the full unkempt Buddha beard of Rick Rubin, music industry executive at Sony. It says “even though I’m an executive I don’t have to act like one; I’m actually a laid back relaxed hippie”. The full beard has recently become more and more popular; it’s a sign of the so-called menaissance, men demanding back masculinity, the right to be a real man.

Rick Rubin

Paradoxically in parallel at the same time body-hair is disappearing, maybe fuelled by the Philips body groomer? At least body-hair for men for the moment seems to be going through the same eradication that facial hair went through earlier. You show up with body hair in the shower after sports, then you are a not taking good care of yourself, not cultivating your body.

So the wearing of hair for men seems to have been turned upside-down, we are now going through the phase of smooth body and lots of facial hair. The question is if and when it will turn around again? The popularity of Mad Men and their neat and smooth faces together with the recent reports of the rise of the male barber salons suggests that we might be going towards taking removing facial really serious and the rebirth of the barber rituals as a moment for men to treat themselves, and recent numbers show that the barber-business is thriving in the shrinking economy.

Mad Men

F.S.C. Barber on Horatio Street in the West Village.
Joshua Bright for New York Times

One thing is for sure men are taking their appearance dead serious and the opportunity for brands to grow to really serve the genuine needs of men in this area is big, don’t forget that under all that hair there is a skin that is crying for attention and treatment too.

Published in edited form in Philips New Value News, August, in Design Trends