Brainstorming
Exploring creativity 16.9
Creative methods were the focus of the day. We explored the well-known brainstorming technique, very commonly misunderstood and misused in various ways. A thorough description from our collection of idea generation methods can be found in the previous post. We tried brainstorming in groups and used the post-it notes version of the technique. I worked with three architecture students, Espen, Geir and Mikael. Our “how-to” was how to sell sunlotion in Bergen.
We came up with a lot of funny, and partly outrageous, stuff and clustered all our ideas into four categories. They are presented below with a few accompanying examples:
::Strategy
-humor
-comical
-sarcastic
-accompanying umbrellas
::Info-vantage
-UV and rain
-Health risk
-Reflection from north sea
-Global warming
-Nr.1 pale person in Bergen
-Sun competetion
::Hype
-Gullars
-Siri Kalvig
-Herman Friele
-Sponsored weather day kick-off
::Re-defining
-Stay Fresh
-Smell hot!
-Rain lotion. Wax. Become shiny
-Comfort
After this we got kinda stuck, and so we decided to use another creative method from our database called “change the setting” (Either visualise a peaceful setting such as a beach or a mountain, or visit a favourite café, art gallery or other inspiring place).
We ended up going to the “Oslo reptile park”.
After being creeped out, fascinated and inspired by the various creatures and critters we had another go of brainstorming, developing upon our previous ideas.
We ended up with a new cluster:
::Lotion-adventure
-Keep your head above water. -and wear lotion
-Global warming is coming. -buy lotion
-You have raincoats. -now get suncoats
-Waterproof!
-Against extreme itching
-Against cancer
Finally we rounded off the day by watching the ABC produced show “Nightline” featuring Ideo. To demonstrate their process for innovation Ideo create a new shopping cart concept in four days.
FeONIC
I attended a visiting lecture at DogA friday morning featuring Brian Smith, managing director of FeONIC. This company has through the means of innovative research and design developed some truly unique products. These products when attached to a surface that is able to resonate, such as a tabletop or a window, transforms the whole surface into a loudspeaker.
We were given a demonstration during the lecture. Brian Smith plugged his iPod to two small units attached to a couple of large glass windows behind him, practically turning them into high-quality loudspeakers! It was truly amazing and mindboggling to experience in real life, you really have to see and hear it for yourself to comprehend. And think of all the possibilites! We were shown some videos of the devices being used as public address systems on train stations, onboard large ships and as parts of art installations. Amazing.
Head over to FeONIC for more information on their technology and products.
pang!
So yesterday we had this workshop at school (PANG!) where all students, teachers and staff where supposed to participate and work together in groups.. We were given a set of materials consisting of bamboo, some bad textile material and twine, and told to make “something”. And so we did. Below are a few pictures from the workshop, which was rather cool actually and culminated in a dinner and drinking at the AHO pub…
and below are some “in progress” pictures of the “piece” created by my group.
presenting the final result, I kinda like it’s upright, and stiff expression
also looked cool at night
Digital Creativity
Exploring creativity 09.09
Today we had a lecture on digital creativity with Birger Sevaldson, which was really quite interesting, and also a bit different as regards content. Presenting some of the few notes I made during the lecture:
:: Creativity should be uncontrolled, messy, spoiled, and not perfect. -It should get its hands dirty
:: Renowned design company Alessi wants 15% failures, or they aren’t taking enough risks. -They push out over 100 products each year…
:: Creativity
-Personal
-The domain (create your own!)
-The field
:: Emergence
-Thinking through design practice
-The importance of the source material and finding strategies
-Breaking schemata
:: Do different stuff! Go out with a camera, or out for a beer with sensible people and discuss stuff
:: Loss of control, and taking control
:: Creativity may flop, and has to be brave
:: Conformity -we need to be critical to maintain creativity
Birger mentioned Flow, a concept proposed by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. Read more about it at wikipedia.
He also told us about a design research network called Ocean, Birger is of course one of the members. Ocean is, as their website states, an international, interdisciplinary and independent research network that conducts research by design in the intersection between architecture, urban, regional and landscape design, industrial and product design, computational science, biology, music, engineering, climatology and other disciplines and fields of inquiry.
Interesting, I’m gonna have to read more about it later.
