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'Rhyme Without Reason'


Strolling through Gamla Stan (Old Town) in superb Spring weather. Being the home to the Royal Palace amongst other attractions, this part of Stockholm dating back to the 13th century, is probably one of the most popular tourist destinations in Sweden. Having a quick look at what's being offered at window display in probably 70% of the shops, presumably this is the kind of products and souvenering tourists want to buy and remember Stockholms´ most scenic area by:









Simultaneously this is the kind of branding and aesthetics Sweden is trying to promote to the world as typically Swedish:
Hasselblad / Koenigsegg / Saab / Absolut / H&M / Robyn / Filippa K / Cheap Monday...

2008-apr-30 @ 8:29 pm Permalink
Tags: old town, stockholm


'Disco Spring'


2008-apr-29 @ 10:51 pm Permalink
Tags: mp3, stockholm, spring


'Eye Of The Beholder 2.0'


**Note: This post might be just one big blur to some and I know, it's not very well constructed and thought out. It's actually two or three ideas picking my brain all at once. Generally I try to stay away from blurting out random 'mindwalks' like this, but it felt like I should post some stuff while it's still in betamode instead of holding it back until I know exactly how I want to say it (which I never do anyway.) Consider this like one of all those 2.0 webapplications that look like shit at first but turn out rather useful with time. I'm suspecting that I'll be developing more loopy ideas around this subject in future postings.


When I snapped this photo above it got me thinking about something that seemed more profound than the actual installation in the picture itself and how that thought crucially could connect to the present development of the web (2.0) and advancements in human interaction. First, to clarify things I regard this as a piece of art, and what makes me as an observer experience it as art is not so much decided by, a to me complete unknown person placing a pile of plastic skulls in a hammock as it might be how I, the beholder choose to actively perceive and experience these objects. Through a number of fixed variables (conceptual presentation, composition, context, location etc..) and a personal definition of what art should be I am stimulated to a mindset helping me to make meaning and sense of such a 'non-sensical' object. Much art in essence is non-sensical and that's the real beauty of it - that it liberates the mind of the observer to think in abstract terms and create a highly individualized experience. What is presented to my visual senses is therefore not as interesting as what my intellect and imagination shape it to be. Some branding is very good at stimulating this mindset too, but my point is that we can choose to use the same mindset as when observing art (complete openmindedness) when also observing and intellectually interacting with any object. (and I guess this is how a child's mind work or our minds in general when exposed to unfamiliar situations and experiences).

Blah, blah, blah...

Anyhow, it's interesting to further implement this thought and the liberty of an open non-fixed mindset when discussing something like the internet and the current development of many other communicational platforms (cell phones, mobile devices). Worldleading techcompanies like Nokia, Google and Apple are all creating devices and services that users and consumers in the future are supposed to utilize and personalize any which way they please. Just as with art the experience when using these devices will be highly individual. If, or rather when this area is further developed it will open up a whole new spectra of possibilites in human behaviour. In more ways than one the technology itself is not even half as interesting as how users/consumers/people will utilize these devices and the almost infinite possibilities for self-expression and social interaction. Several product UIs (user interfaces) and implemented services are already stimulating creative and abstract thought to a wide range of consumers - as when geotagging a photograph or making videorecordings with a cellphone. Now millions but soon billions of people will have the oppourtunity to be exposed to the same experience as when observing a piece of art - only now these beholders will furthermore also be able to re-produce and distribute this highly individual experience. This is quite mindblowing as people on a global scale will be enabled to spread their 'non-sensical' observations just the same way as an artist do when exposing his audience to a pile of skulls in a hammock. In fact such an artistic expression is child's play compared to the kind of creative mindhavoc that humanity both individually and collectively will create in the near future. That's the thrill of all this - we will all be like children again; and the cell phone will become the new paintbrush.

Slightly related:
Most recent iPhone ads: 1 / 2 / 3
2008-apr-23 @ 10:05 pm Permalink
Tags: mobility, massinnovation, art, sociology, iphone


'Citizen Censorship'


Usually I don't pay that much attention to the daily tabloids but the other day I got a bit curious as to why these were hanging upside down. At first thought I suspected it to be some sort of marketing trickery as to create an 'attentive disruptiveness' with bypassers, but that didn't make much sense. Being the header for the biggest newspapers in the country there really wasn't any point in that kind of strategy. I shrugged it oFf as a simple mistake until I entered the store and saw the same tabloid; again upside down:


At this point, naturally I simply had to ask the cashier what was going on. Part of the story is that there has been quite a few tragic and horrendous cases of child killings recently in Sweden. The cashier explained that there was an elementary school nearby and that she simply had taken the initiative to place the tabloid upside down as to not expose the children to this particular newsheader when passing by the store on their way to school. I thought about that small but genuine gesture quite a bit afterwards and found it quite moving. In all honesty it might not have had the desired effect since it almost draws more attention to it than if it was hanging upright, but it felt fundamentally important that a single person, not as an employee, but as an individual had felt the need to extend and express her own emotional relation to this tragic event. Of all the stories, articles and media coverage that has bombarded the nation about the murder of Engla in recent weeks this single act was probably the one that spoke to me with the most sincere language of empathy.
2008-apr-19 @ 01:08 am Permalink
Tags: disruption


'Trash Not Trash'


2008-apr-14 @ 8:19 pm Permalink
Tags: street culture, design, subway, disruption


'I Move, You Move - Just Like That!'


My obligatory 'ansjovis knäckemacka' / pitchblack coffee @ the local wifi spot

I'm not really obliged to check into an office everyday anymore which is just a fantastic feeling. Nowadays I spend about 5 hours/week in an officeenvironment and truthfully I've always been shitscared of those places anyway. Most officespaces today are just completely and utterly counteractive to creativity. Seriously, people within the adindustry and whatnot really need to get out of those hellholes more. Personally I'm steady grindin' from any café with a wifi connection analyzing and writing reportpapers on the creative industry, popular culture, digital media and whatever occurence that might connect the three. The only thing I'm lacking is a sort of studioplace to try out more screenprinting and a few personal creative endeavours I'm having, but that'll have to wait a few months. This year I'm also seriously thinking about moving abroad more permanentely with a quarterly stint in London before heading over to Asia again. Both London and Asia (Shanghai, Singapore..) are workexperiences any selfrespecting planner would want to sink his teeth and brain into atleast once in ones career. Done both but the itch is still very much alive so I guess it's soon time to seek some additional remedy. Speaking of moving, I'm also in the process of moving this channel (yes, I refuse to call it a blog!) and data to my new digital abode. Soon come.
2008-apr-07 @ 17:29:44 Permalink
Tags: coffee mornings, mobility


'A Library Thing'


I love reading magazines. On average I used to purchase ATLEAST between 10-15 magazines/month but obviously it got to a point where they just ended up all over the place and never got read. Needlees to say, it wasn't a very good investment. The problem is I still prefer some nice quiet slowcontent from a good magazine than spending time in front of my computer surveying my +300 feedsubscriptions in Shrook. A good 45 minutes in the sofa with Monocle or Fader is far more contemplative-friendly than the overinformation frenzy that the rss-feedsystem gathers for me. I've been looking for a good place to ease my magaddiction and some time ago I discovered that the Swedish Parliament here in Stockholm had a really good librarydepartment with an extensive section of national and international press, way better than the City Public Library. The latest newsmagazines and backissues of Economist, Time, Newsweek, China Quarterly and everyother magazine I used to buy. Obviously they don't carry any popcultural mags on music and such but I have still made it a weekly happening to drop in and spend an hour or two. I'm definitely the odd one out in the small bunch of superacademics and political partymembers occupying this place.
2008-apr-02 @ 4:20 pm Permalink
Tags: magazines, research


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