Where on earth are we going? A 200 pt. type sign on the ABC home window storefront on 888 Broadway in Manhattan. The moment of truth: highlighting social responsibility, sustainable business, global consciousness and cultural diversity. ABC home has developed fourteen icons in total that tell the stories of each of the products they sell. So the products are classified as follows: organic, fair & square, good wood, beautiful, handmade, pure, consciously made, local economy, community made, exculsively at abc, cruealty free, sustainable, indigenous, recycled. Their tag-line “this is the moment to consider our collective future, follow our conscience, vote with our dollars, consume with heart and purpose”.
It made me smile. It is positive that big brands are taking positions and communicating the way they think about the social and environmental circumstances of our planet. It’s worth looking at the Body Shop company values and American Apparel mission, both brands with strong personalities and work focusing on the community, context and human condition.
May 21st, 2006
I visited Finland for the first time, fresh smells, a cold and consistent breeze, dark-blue evenings and quiet streets. I worked hard, nevertheless I had time to enjoy the beauty of the city, wonderful salmon, and finish art & design. At the Design Forum, Marja Kurki’s Scarves and Ties, a three dimensional timeline of their work from 1976 up to now. A one woman’s business that became an international house of design, according to Tapani Kurki, CEO of the company their articles “meet the basic criteria of design products, timelessness and renewal”. I appreciated the variety of their portfolio and I enjoyed finding design moments specific to the 80’s and 90’s decades through their use of patterns and colors along the exhibit.
At Kiamsa, Museum of Contemporary Art Helsinki, ARS 06 an exhibit that examines how art meets ambivalence, good and evil, joy and sorrow dissolving as one. My favorite a piece by Kalleinen & Kotcha-Kalleinen, the Complaints Choir of Helsinki, choral work created by everyday complains of ordinary people. And finally re-discovering Alvar Aalto’s world of beauty and simplicity, after visiting the Artek store, which was founded in 1935.
May 21st, 2006