Nic Hughes!

I know Matt already knows Nic well (he taught him on the MACTP), but I just read his spiel on the Goldsmiths website. It's a section for graduates to talk about their experiences. I have bolded a couple of bits because I thought they were important:

Nic Hughes, graduate 2006
“I’m a graphic designer with 11 years of experience - designing for clubs, music, magazines, fashion, art, corporate and retail. I have always maintained a level of ambivalence towards my chosen career. No matter how interesting your client is, inevitably you’re in the game of shifting units. Basically, certain expressions of design cannot be explored within a commercial context. No client is going to fund an all-out attack on themselves, their product, or their culture!
Last year I packed it all in to pursue a full-time MA - the time split between this and childcare. The MA at Goldsmiths explores the relationships between theory and practice and how one informs the other. Yet more importantly it is about design’s ability to generate questions and stimulate critical debate. For me, the programme offers a space to explore through design many of the areas that commercially lie off-limits.”

OK, so maybe we know this already... We teach there for God's sake... But I really like the straightforwardness of his comment in the first paragraph.

That's why Design Research should be funded: because the Mass-Consumable Product Design Establishment does not want to ask any questions or have anyone ask questions of them because then they might sell less. Because Design is about "shifting units" and not about making anything better (not sure if that's the right word) for anyone.

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RE: Another CCTV bird box

Jimmy via email:

yes he's got that freedom oppression thing going on but without the middle-class thrill or urban right-on-ness pro activity voice of dissent...however the oppression/freedom thing is a useful system or ruse for lots of good reasons...i still think the bird box is good because its mainstream and immediately gettable by whoever we show to...but if the bracket comes into the picture it can effectively be anything that's good/nice and sticks it gently to the man.

We should probably read this paper. It's about Public Interventions and urban space. I can't attach it, but you can get the pdf at the bottom of the page.

Another CCTV bird box

I just found this. It's by a guy named Colin Matthes. This is his website. We need to know about all of these things, because it helps us define our project more effectively. We need to know why we are not doing this, nor are we doing Celine Shenton's project (the metal-roofed camera box). It's also a strong signifier that we need to move away from just birds. BBC isn't really about bird boxes; right now we have 4 because we need to prototype the act. But there's a different end-point waiting for us somewhere...

From the Seeing Green website Nicolas Lampert writes:
Colin Matthes’ surveillance camera birdhouse is now up. Matthes researched and designed a birdhouse suitable for birds in Wisconsin, constructed it out of wood, and placed it in a river corridor in Milwaukee. For birds, it serves as a perfect home for finches. For people who stumble upon it while walking down the path through the woods, the sight of the surveillance camera mounted to a tree is completely unexpected and raises a myriad of questions about the priorities people place on property, competition and issues of fear and security that dominate city living. The fact that the menacing form of the surveillance camera is humbled and made into a home for finches only serves to further subvert the camera’s original connotation and adds to the surprise of encountering Matthes’ public intervention.

Weird cam

I saw this today on Gloucester Road. It's a video camera strapped to a lamp post. It's just down from the shops (the stretch where there's Margaret Mills, a Ryman and a bookshop etc.) and it's facing up towards the zebra crossing. Looks very low-tech, in that it's not a CCTV camera. It does not speak of The Man.



I'm sorry these pics are rubbish but my phone camera is crap.

bird house instructions

the tool list according to a reputable bird box building blog

Tools Hand saw Coping saw Hammer Brace and bit (or power drill ) Screwdriver Tape measure Carpenter's square Paintbrush Goggles Dust mask

Materials (1) 2' x 4' x1/2" exterior grade plywood (1) 6 1/2" x 1/4" wooden dowel (6) 3/4" hot-dipped galvanized screws 1" galvanized brads or 3d nails Wood glue Sandpaper Exterior paint Polyurethane finish.

Bees

I was just thinking about the bee-house. Bees like holes to burrow into. Then I was thinking about urban street things that have these holes already. I quite like how LED signs are made up of a hole 'matrix' (albeit the holes all have LEDs in rather than being tunnels). Some nice images in case there's anything in this.

These are solar powered

Turf wars

It's a shame this guy didn't just do the turf hair-do. I wonder if he would have been jailed just for that? Not entirely useful for our project, but I wonder if just adding the sod (no damage really) would have been an offense.

An ex-soldier has been sentenced to 30 days' imprisonment for defacing the statue of Winston Churchill during May Day demonstrations in central London.

Cambridge-based student James Matthews, 25, was also ordered to pay £250 in compensation to the Royal Parks Agency for the damage he caused. He pleaded guilty at Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court to intentionally or recklessly damaging the statue in Parliament Square.

His defacement of the statue happened on the same day as rioting on 1 May, which saw damage estimated at thousands of pounds caused to central London property.

The figure, which stands in Parliament Square, was made to look as though blood was dripping from its mouth. Graffiti was sprayed on the plinth and a turf mohican was added to the statue's head.

Source BBC News

Legal Eagle

Neither of you will be surprised to know that I am currently on the case with regard to legal issues surrounding benevolent vandalism. Not being the sort to take risks (don't laugh) I feel it is my duty to at least know what the most likely charge would be if we got into hot water.

Right now I must apologise to Jimmy because I didn't take his Health and Safety comment seriously. I think it's spot on, but while we were in the car I couldn't understand why anyone would "hang off" the things we are talking about putting up. You couldn't "hang off" one of those flat sheet street signs either, so it was the "hanging off" bit that threw me. But, the "safety" thing is 100% right. If any of these things cause personal damage to anyone (fall off and hit them etc.) we'd be liable. We'd need to look at Public Liability if we were in any way worried about covering ourselves on this.

Public liability insurance
If members of the public or customers come to your premises or you go to theirs (including if you work from home), you should think about taking out public liability (PL) insurance.

Otherwise we'd be Negligent:

Negligence is a legal concept in the common law legal systems usually used to achieve compensation for injuries (not accidents).

Other than this I'm really struggling to find anything to worry about. These are the only possible clauses or categories under which we might be committing offence, but none of them really cover covert bird box installation.

Graffiti and Fly Posting
But definitions don't include the installation of physical things. It's a graphics crime.
Litter
Well it could be I suppose.
Trespass
It's tinkering with/on someone else's property [Council]. But trespass normally has to have caused measurable damage.
Vandalism (the text is from Wikipedia, but it does give the overall gist)

Private citizens commit vandalism when they willfully damage or deface the property of others or the commons. Some vandalism qualifies as culture jamming or sniggling – it is artistic in nature as well as being carried out illegally or without the property owner's permission. Examples include at least some graffiti art, billboard liberation and possibly crop circles, Criminal vandalism has many forms, graffiti on public property is common in many inner cities as part of a gang culture, however other more devastating forms such as those involved with public unrest, such as rioting, involve the willful destruction of public and private property.

My bold in this because that's what I think we are doing at worst. If we were in Scotland it might qualify as this:

Malicious mischief is an offence under the common law of Scotland. It does not require actual damage to property for the offence to be committed, financial damage consequential to the act is sufficient, unlike vandalism which requires actual damage to property to form the offence, the latter being defined by section 52 of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995; the two are different offences.

We aren't going to damage anything directly (this is very important when we design the brackets). But there's something here for me about money. If what we do ends up costing anyone money, or hurting anyone, we are liable for the damages. If someone has to pay to have the things taken down then they will look for whoever put them up to recoup the bill. Other than this I can't see any grounds for trouble.

And I will blame you two anyway.

Big Ben? Fictional Bomb?

Acts of benevolent vandalism: response

Point-by-point response to Matt's post based on a brilliant conversation we had in the car but failed miserably to record.

I've started looking for urban objects and infrastructures that need to be 'socialized'. What are the points in our environment that isolate and control us? Is this something forceful and political or is it something gentle and subtle - the little things: the systems and structures that remove a little bit of our humanity?

Directly linked to The Anti-social project, about challenging the way our (urban) environment is regulated and constructed, either by state (legal) or by social (unwritten) mechanisms. There's nothing wrong with that at all!

But if your trigger is the bird-box surveillance idea then we have different readings of where that project could go. Your direction takes "benevolence" as the central theme, and the aim is to address the problems with human interaction in urban residential environments. The bird box fits, because it takes a symbol of oppression and dis-ease (perhaps) and turns it into an object of beauty (in function not form) and benefit. Beneficial to birds (and environment) and to us (for looking at birds).

But in my head that project is more about nature, and us allowing for it within urban contexts, than it is about community or human interaction. It is about taking the language of a new 'natural environment' (i.e. lamp posts, bollards, post boxes, electric service boxes etc.) and making space for wildlife within it. We appropriate the current municipal vernacular (JL) so as to camouflage these wildlife amenities appropriately. At the same time, we are putting classic 'natural' forms of ornamentation back onto the urban furniture (JL). It's like living decoration. So to sum up, this direction takes "urban nature" as the central theme, and the aim is to address the problems with human-animal interaction in urban residential environments.

Two mini projects have come to mind- both maybe shit and the wrong sort of thing, but here goes:

First, is the 'Gated Community'... last week I tried to ride the Thames pathway, it's a beautiful ride that gives you a new sectional view of London, except for the fact I had to steer off course to avoid the dreaded Gated Community. How can we design things to socialize the anti-social? How could we integrate the isolated?

Next is my Lost Winter Garments project... It's a stupid thing that I do, but the thing I like best is the invisible acts of consideration. People place gloves and hats in obvious places to draw peoples attention- the thing to draw out of this is the idea that some people do care- how do we highlight and promote these acts of social consideration?

Well I think "acts of social consideration" is a great idea. The thing is, I'm not very social or considerate so I may not be of much use.

The upshot of all of this is that I don't think any of the thoughts here are shit, but with regard to the benevolent vandalism conversation we all had last Tuesday in the studio, they are in a different direction than I was thinking.

could it be linked to current events in the news because this is how we understand the world, it's where excitement lives and we get our ques or excitment fix....celebrity get me out of here is as close to the fight or flight as i get..actually thats excluding taking drugs in public and shop lifting ...but i can't sustain that.


in 2008 a group of architects declared: 'we are no longer living, but dying in our buildings' and created a manifesto called 'architecture and the warm facilitation of the end' featuring a series of architectural proposals that were exhibited at RIBA later that year.

Real actual Super-heroes

These dudes are all listed as active on the World Superhero Registry.

CITIZEN PRIME
General do-gooder

ANGLE GRINDER MAN
Wheel clamp vigilante

RED ARROW
Force for goodwill

Here are the FAQS:

Q: What is a Real-Life Superhero?

A: A Real-Life Superhero is a person who does good deeds or fights crime while in costume.

Q: What is the purpose of wearing a costume while fighting crime or performing good deeds?

A: There are a variety of purposes. Here are a few:

-To inspire others

-To illustrate commitment to an ideal

-To protect one's privacy

-To avoid litigation

-To protect one's safety and the safety of one's family

-To conceal vulnerabilities in one's protective gear

-For concealment or camouflage

-To have more fun with public service

Q: Is this a role-playing game?

A: No. This is a movement among ordinary people to make the world a better place in an extraordinary way. There are always those who will take something less seriously, but the Real-Life Superhero community is generally composed of sincere, well meaning people who have finally decided to go out and make a difference.

Q: Is costumed crime-fighting legal?

A: That depends on how it is done and where it is done. Citizen's arrest statutes vary by state. Some states ban the wearing of masks. It would be wise to review the laws of your state and adjust your crime fighting strategy to comply with them. Some Real-Life Superheroes are sanctioned by the local law enforcement, others are forced to avoid the police at all costs.

Q: How do I get added to the superhero registry?

A: Usually, we become aware of a Real-Life Superhero's activities and add them on our own initiative. If you wish to request to be added to the registry, please read the recommended submission guidelines. We will review your request and if we feel it meets our standards, it will be added.

This is my favourite

Q: Why didn't you accept my application to the registry?

A: The most common reason for not being added to the registry is a lack of evidence that you are engaged in heroic activities. Evidence usually takes the form of media documentation of such activities, or testimonials from established Real-Life Superheroes. If the registry ever has the funds to send representatives to verify heroic activities, we will start doing so.

The second most common reason is that the applicant appears to be a Superhero Role-Player, which is different from being a Real-Life Superhero.

Another common reason for delaying or refusing addition to the World Superhero Registry is an apparent commercial incentive. If you are a paid spokesperson for an organization, or trying to promote a business or band by pretending to be a Real-Life Superhero, you do not fit The Registry's definition of a Real-Life Superhero.

Yet another reason to exclude someone from the registry is lack of an appropriate costume. If your outfit is clearly offensive or shows too little effort, your application may be rejected.

There's a project in itself. To be put on the World Superhero Registry. You'd have to do enough stuff to be noticed: the more attention you get the more chance you'll be listed.

The Pursuader

A machine gun shaped handbag.

Then there's The Peace-keeper


These are by a guy named James Piatt and there's more on his website. To be honest I don't quite know what to think about any of it. There's a lot of 'glamour' photos of women in odd situations. One poor woman is completely swamped by potatoes and only has a shiny handbag for protection.

OK this is more like what I mean

It comes from a site called Radical Cross Stitch (Australian):

Earthsharing Australia has a campaign to visually demonstrate the true picture of the housing affordability crisis. Every time you hear the real estate lobby arguing for more land release on the fringes of cities, ask yourself what they’re doing with the land that’s already zoned residential, already has infrastructure and in heaps of cases already has a house on it!

So we decided to do a cross stitch about the I Want To Live Here Campaign to highlight to the people of Newcastle the madness that is going on in their own city.

I'm not only interested in fabric/sewing related things, but I suppose they are stereotypically 'anti-masculine'. I'm not even looking for that really... It's about resistance without the blood and sweat, and probably without the bombs to be fair. I don't know... but it's absolutely not about feminism.

Matt's right in that I have no content. I have no target. This is what I need.

But if my target had been property developers, I think this is how I would like to have approached it.

Sick and aimless

Because I'm not very good at doing nothing at all, I thought I'd just make something for the hell of it. It was going to be a crocheted grenade [not because I think it's a good idea just to keep my fingers occupied]. I found these on flickr.




I like them in a way. They are much weirder and 'real' than the pink and green 'sculptures' of weapons. Why the hell would you make a cosy for a grenade? I can't think of any reason whatsoever, except because you can. See them all here.

On a Barbara Kruger trail

With regard to the content of the resistance, i actually think that Barbara Kruger is great. Although it's full on feminism, that i know Laura wants to avoid, she does highlight and communicate some of the 'top issues'. Here is a couple of examples;


This i like because of its link to the masculine idea of the hero.


And this because it highlights the personal body space as a place of resistance.

Consumed

I think the feminized resistance project could go in a few different directions... Looking at the Fight Club catalogue and thinking about Project Mayhem, it's really important that they are resisting capitalism - the overwhelming cultural pressure to consume. I think, as designers, this is something that we are uncomfortable with. So far, we've avoided discussing the 'content' of the resistance... maybe we need to explore specifics?

When 'resistance' is prefaced with 'feminized', is it important to link it to the act of consumption - shopping? Are the acts of resistance, acts of resistance against the stereotype of feminised consumption?

Fight Club Catalogue

As a promotional gimmick members of the Press were given copies of a Fight Club Catalogue (Fall Fashion). It looks like a real, glossy, lifestyle brand-type marketing tool. Here's a page:

The rest you can see here.