Thinking Art and Commerce

July 30th, 2008 • Culture Briefings, Ideas & Innovation, Marketing/ Advertising

For a project at work, I’ve been thinking and re-thinking the notion of art, culture and commerce and what it means for corporations. I could swear I’ve fried my brain cells in thinking about this, but I may be finally getting somewhere… hear me out.

I was pretty ecstatic when I learned that Paris’s famous Colette is coming to New York. Alas, I was mis-informed. Colette is not coming to New York. Instead, Colette has partnered with GAP, ColettexGAP, to bring a selection of curated items to NYC. GAP is desperate for any ingredient brand to help pull itself out of the trenches, but Colette was coveted and special. Of all possible partnerships of creative brand ideas Colette could have executed in New York, a brand alignment with GAP is unimaginative and quite distasteful. And frankly, these sort of relationships and limited edition products/ pop-up stores concepts are now overused and rusty.

Colette, a purely commercial enterprise and the brain-child of Sarah Lerfel has exuded and has been perceived to be more of a cultural curator, a salon, a library of diversity and cultural relics, rather than a retail experience. Colette blurred the boundaries between commercial, artistic and cultural interests and although I have never been there in person, I couldn’t be more off the target when I say that Colette has successfully managed to give each of the three dimensions equal priority.

Anyways, it got me thinking about this whole merging art, culture and commerce, but I’ve come to realize that to succeed and have longevity now (by now I mean, in a world rocked by changing media and economic landscapes), an enterprise simply cannot afford to think of art and culture as disparate elements, as something you pick and choose in measures when the enterprise needs a boost or some fresh PR. I have come to believe that a cultural and artistic sensibility has to be in the DNA of a commercial entity. Just the way the commercial DNA was/is in-built in the works of Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Takashi Murakami.

We have moved beyond philanthropic sponsorships of art and cultural events to a more inherent embrace of arts and culture. The one strongest benefit of this rocky economy and associated budget cuts organization-wise is that business managers are being forced to consider carefully how to make the most intelligent and creative use of their budgets, while still meeting the bottom line.

I might have been too quick in doling out my judgment for the GAP+Colette partnership without having experiencing it in person. To watch a brand I have no respect for (GAP), enter into a synergistic relationship with a brand I absolutely adore (Colette) bought out a visceral reaction. I may change my opinion if this experience transforms my opinion of GAP. Let us wait and watch.

Irrespective, maybe its time GAP began to rely on itself and stopped creating these short-term ingredient brand relationships to raise their bar.

Again, I apologize – my thoughts are pretty scattered. Its like my brain has been short-circuited! LOL. But I’d love to hear your thoughts, if any on this matter.

New era of design

July 30th, 2008 • Culture Briefings

“We’re entering a new era of design where the brands and experiences we create are no longer closely held, highly controlled cathedrals – but rather bazaars of commerce and conversations.”
- Khoi Vinh, PRINT Magazine Interview

Mamma mia!

July 28th, 2008 • 1 comment Culture Briefings

I watched Mammia Mia this weekend and my spirits were lifted and I just had a warm happy glow about me. I hadn’t seen the musical before but Meryl Streep is my favorite actress and I simply had to see the movie version. Every frame of the movie was filled with inspiration. The Grecian sun, the glittering blue waters, the fresh sun-kissed skins of the actors and the colors! oh the colors – of the fabrics, the clothes, of Donna’s villa… simply beautiful!
The guy playing the piano in this clip from the Dancing Queen is Benny Anderson, one of the original composers of ABBA.

I’m gushing, but I’m so inspired. Donna, Tanya and Rosie’s friendship reminded me of my best friends. Two things are clear from the movie 1) that I’d like to spend a few months in Greece and 2) I want the Josef Frank fabrics in my new apartment. At almost $250/ meter, they are soo out of my budget right now but definitely on the wish-list.

Three reasons to watch the movie:
1) Meryl Streep
2) ABBA
3) Greece

And I know what my gift number 3 should be for my “25 Gifts to Myself” promise

This is sand

July 15th, 2008 • Culture Briefings

I’m hearting the THIS IS SAND art gallery – people have created such stunning pieces of art by simply interacting with their computers. Just point your cursor and let your imagination run amok. C’est beautiful!

All we can do is keep breathing

July 15th, 2008 • 2 comments On my mind...

This post was inspired by the Ingrid Michaelson song that I’m listening to right now, Keep Breathing.
I recently exchanged my mac desktop for a ibook (laptop) with my boyfriend (so the computer is still in the family) But something went wrong as we were trying to transfer our belongings into our new homes and as it happened, I end up losing all my music which like an idiot, I hadn’t backed up. Not even on my I-pod because I use a nano and it doesn’t save all my music on it obviously.
Sigh.

Anyways, Apple was generous enough to let me download all my itunes songs that I had paid for from itunes store. I’m so very thankful! The rest I will steal from my boyfriend’s collection however, its those songs that I cannot remember I had in my library that have now slipped into the abyss that bug me.
I did have some pure gems that were mine alone…

But, I guess like Ingrid beautifully says, all we can do is keep breathing… and the music will come
But really, thank you Apple. I heart you. Even more.

An aside – I watched Hellboy this weekend and Barry Manilow’s ‘Can’t Smile without you’ is stuckk in my head

Creative Coloring

July 13th, 2008 • Culture Briefings

Fashion designer Cynthia Rowley’s mother didn’t give Cynthia coloring books. Instead, she gave her plain white paper so she wouldn’t restrict her creativity by having her daughter color ” inside the lines.” I think if Rowley’s mother had Taro Gomi’s lovely coloring books, she would have been delighted by the creative spirits the books unleash. Check them out for yourself!

The Waterfall tours

July 13th, 2008 • 3 comments Culture Briefings

Last week, we took a field trip to watch Olafur Eliasson’s famed Waterfalls around New York City. We boarded the evening’s last Circleline tours and not only did we get a good look at the waterfalls, but also a colorless history lesson. We walked away not so impressed. The waterfalls, that cost the city around $15 million were limp and .. dull. It was difficult to grasp the artist’s vision. But we discussed the art installation at length after – maybe that was the goal in mind ?
It is projected that the city will generate $45 million in tourism. From what I experienced, I’m worried the city might not even break even!
It was a fun trip regardless – and it ended over some delicious fries and fritters at Nelson Blue – the New Zealand bar and grill on South Seaport. Here’s a fun video of our trip!

Design Manifesto

July 8th, 2008 • 2 comments Culture Briefings, Ideas & Innovation

“We believe in Cultural Design.
That Design, approached holistically and thoughtfully has the potential to impact the greater good. The designer is the connective tissue between the humanities and sciences: the alchemists of the Future who will play a vital role in transforming our world.

This harkens back to the era as artist as inventor, philosopher, politicians, humanitarian, engineer and sociologist. We don’t believe that specialization’s are the key to the future, but rather the connections among them.”

- Design Studies Manifesto, Central Saint Martins School of Art & Design