Firstindigo&Lifestyle

21-century art

Category: sustainability

  • Would I buy a ‘poisonous’ handbag…

    Would I buy a ‘poisonous’ handbag…

    Marketing strategies are sometimes tricky, and techniques of seduction are part of the contemporary branding of products. Putting products out on displays, is then of course part of the entire strategy. We are sensuous beings. Consuming today means taking seriously the product differentiations. We should be paying attention to, how the different products feel, taste, smell, etc… In other words, a questions is, how we as humans experience and imagine objects and things.

    What is the tricky point is that we are after all quite childlike beings when we make our choices to buy something. Hopefully our product differentiation is more in line with the future aspect; what would be good for us in the long run and what would be a more sustainable aspect in our buying of new things. This relates to, what is good for the environment and does not poison our bodies.

    It is important to emphasize couple of questions: how much of the seduction in the advertisements, and in the product differentiation is based on the use of different color-combinations? How do the various techniques of branding speak to our sense of nostalgia aiming at reminding us of our childhood experiences, the shapes, designs, colors and patterns? I noticed something based on this idea.

    There was a handbag, which was on display on a ‘poisonous mushroom’. Think of the red-white spotted Amanita. The color combination would be just so inviting, so deliciously right. The color and shape is full of associations, which can be traced to children’s books and other childhood designs…Just imagine Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland  (by Lewis Carroll). What actually happened to Alice? She was growing tall, shrinking…The image appears as both fascinating and scary. We do not necessarily need to know what happened to Alice in the story. Yet we should think about the poisonous as a metaphor for things that work in the level of seduction… An important question would be, as I see a beautiful handbag on display, would I buy it as it is on a top of a poisonous mushroom? What else does ‘the poisonous’ stand for in the contemporary consumption imaginings, what are the materials used in the products; do they harm the environment and so on?

  • Sustainable coffee cups

    Sustainable coffee cups

    (Artist/educator Outi Länsikunnas enjoys Alice’s Tea Cup)

    We are mistaken if we think that we can sustain our ecosystems with the current consumption of paper cups. It is not so false to argue that we are heading towards environmental disaster with all the paper cups and plates. Price in paper has been going up, yet as simple as it sounds, recycled paper did not replace much of the ‘regular’ paper, which is used out there in making the cups. Radical innovations (with real thinking) requires replacing some old ecosystems with new ones. Then, creative economy means that idealistic visions are turned into everyday solutions. The everydayness of innovation comes with solutions to paper cups, for example. Putting high tea back on the menu with grandmother’s vintage porcelain, is an example of creative economy. Do you grab a coffee-cup with you each morning from your corner Starbucks or other coffee company? If your answer is yes, you should reconsider your everyday values. It sounds we all take papercups too easily on-the-go. An evident change would require actions.

    A question is, why do not local coffee brands, such as Starbucks, go for alternative cups, a customer could also choose a china when sitting in their premises? Believe or not, Starbucks has initiated real coffee cups in its Asian markets. You can find real china in Hong Kong while enjoying your guilt-free soy latte. That is a right direction, and North American markets should follow.

    Think again when your daily ‘design-items’ are white paper cups. One for tea, one for coffee, one for water, one for ice-water…You already noticed that there are too many ‘ones’ on the table. ‘Tea for two’ with real porcelain would now stand for the romantic teatime shared together, and it also reflects sustainable values and global responsibility!

  • Bryant Park Yoga

    Bryant Park Yoga

    The summer is full of colors which add dimension to the parks in the city. Yoga in Bryant park has invited attendees to sit, relax and stretch in a green area. This moment is quiet, waiting, before the rush…In case one wishes to escape the city, there is a ferry option going to the Governors Island, which attracts with its old time charm, and yet, it is becoming a center of all kinds of contemporary doings. It is possible to find the almost abandoned buildings, interiors and construction areas there, and even an old sanctuary/church. Things seem to be in-between state, so creative energy flows. The place is great for looking at water and the city from a little distance. The island has some green spots, and it is a perfect fit to do some modern mummy-like meditation or yoga.

    There is also program for the ‘art hungry’. Contemporary Finnish photography found its space in Governors Island this summer (exhibition called Bodies, Borders, Crossings: Photography and Video Art From Finland, curated by Leena-Maija Rossi and Kari Soinio), and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council has been programming art there as well in their gallery space.

    What adds dimension to physical exercising cultures these days is that, for example, yoga practices have taken in more performative elements. The influence of various ‘eastern’ bodily practices are coming to the ‘west’ together with the idea of world stage performances (of course there is Bollywood). In classical Indian dance, music and theater forms, the yoga is a foundation of the techniques used in the body. So when we actually look at the works, It is not only the performances that we see that influence us, but also the ways our modern hectic life keeps looking for new types of body techniques. Therefore, all trends that incorporate yoga-breathing and such into a daily/weekly/monthly-retreat routines is a healthy direction. With more centered body, the mind operates better.

    I want to occupy this space in Governors Island and fly away. What is my survival kit in the city? Finding my innerscape, designing my yoga outfit, breathing through the fabric!