The Workings Of The Global Village

Last night I watched BBC News, Sky News, Google, Wikipedia, Twitter and thousands of blogs and fansites explode as the news of Michael Jackson's death broke.  Within 4 minutes of the first celebrity gossip website posting an official death notice, 56,000 Twitter users had tweeted the story.  Wikipedia had closed editing access to the pop star's page and fan-based web communities were suggesting that all the ticketing money would be spent on funeral costs rather than returned to disappointed (and often seemingly heart-broken) fans.  

The friends that I was with were calling and texting as far afield as LA, we even ran a few online searches looking for the first tribute pages and t-shirts.  Perhaps insensitive given the subject matter and the star's physical and mental health difficulties in later years, these searches pinpointed several things about today's society but none was more clearly demonstrated than the extent to which we use global networks.  The global village has never been so widespread or so small.

It's strange to describe the tallies of Twitter posts as exciting but an event like last night's really gave the networks that we have constructed an authentic test and a chance for total demonstration.  I'm both excited and scared for what the future of communication holds.

Edit:  Youtube tributes are pouring in and have been since literally minutes after the official announcement.

Fin de Partie

The graduation shows are on at Chelsea College of Art and Design for only one more day, in case you haven't had enough graduation malarky for one academic year.

I am tired of false endings and excuses for celebration. Let's move on.

New Work - Buxom Bangs

Check out my university blog space for my final major project work, the identity, photography and fashion promotion for Buxom Bangs.

Milan 2009 - The Working Title

The office:

Hard at work on Thursday afternoon after a 4am start:

The exhibition wall:

Ed's Umbilical t-shirt, my letterpress prints and the KithKin/Beyond the valley collaboration:

Distribution:

Party! Hosted by DesignersBlock, this included a whole range of things that are hard to show in an image, like a bagpipe player and beatboxer collaboration, a karaoke marathon and a lot of accidental beer swapping.

Clientele? Rory from DesignersBlock papped this kiddo reading and then tucking into our publication. 

All of the issues produced can be found here at theworkingtitle.co.uk - just click the little numbers at the top. Please have patience and check back in a few days when hopefully we'll have the rest of the articles and maybe even some sounds and videos up there. 

Milan 2009 - Shows

Fabrica - Product Design

Really beautiful building, just a pity that the graphic identity for the exhibition seemed to outshine the work on show.

A photo of someone taking a photo of someone else taking a photo of a clock series that insures you are on time:

Tuttobene

See above.

Milano Design Village

Big money work from Alias, Poltrona Frau, Cassina and Cappellini.  Some really impressive fits, a very dramatic space which was ruined by the number of Italian business men rushing around trying to push the hard sell.

Amazing chillout space with a new take on a cafe and lots of reading material. A few units up from the Milano Design Village in what seemed to be a bone china factory.

Established & Sons

Amazing fit, all spectacular dramatic lighting and exposed planed wood. as usual, a fab selection of work from Estd. & Sons, complimented by lots of free champagne.

Object I wanted most:

Diesel: Successful Living from Diesel

Very fashion/lifestyle rather than pure product innovation so felt more like adapted or styled existing designs than new work, but nevertheless a worthwhile show. Again, high drama, including sound and light installations and a rooftop full of tents displaying this season's interiors prints.  Also a good chance to have a snoop around Diesel HQ in Milan as it was in their head office.

I also made it to a few smaller shows and one or two that aren't worth mentioning (like any of the champagne company sponsored work that paired big designers with big vineyards and were a big disappointment). A very busy few days - too much to see and too little time to see it in!

Milan Suitcase

1. Digital SLR

2. Laptop

3. Minidisc dictaphone

4. Notebook

5. Air bed foot pump

6. Pens + Pencils

7. A.D. Moon party dress

8. JCDC Man Ray shirt

9. Westwood Red Label skirt

10. White shirt

11. McQueen stilettos

12. H&M jeans

13. Converse

14. H&M mac

15. Rodnik blazer

16. Black vest

17...oh, lots of other things...

And of course passport, toothbrush and lots of Euros.  Checking in at 5.20am tomorrow morning, hello Salone Internazionale del Mobile.

Milano + The Working Title

Milan's big design event is coming up next week and I'm heading over there for the event.  I'm part of a team who are producing Working Title, a daily publication for the event and a platform for voices of those who haven't quite made it into the pages of Wallpaper/Monocle/Creative Review/Heat World yet.  Keep checking the site over the next few days, the blog should run live soon, and please pay us a visit in the office/buy our stuff/invite us to your swanky party if you happen to be at the event (not sure if we'll be listed individually but we're with DesignersBlock so look out for them too).