opinion
miles davis
Miles Davis once stated 'Jazz is dead'.
Quite a comment considering that, many record shops have their own dedicated 'Jazz' section. If you want to find a book, for instance, connected with Soul Music, forget it. Loads on Jazz, however. So why did Miles come out with this statement based around the music that, many would consider, he is the musical touchstone regarding the whole genre?
What has this got to do with design? Design is dead? Well, if you are a freelancer, you know what I am about to impart....September 11th. That day not only saw the terrible loss of thousands of lives, it also led to the stagnation of industry itself. The point here is no-one would admit it. One deejay, from a radio station here in London (used to host a daily chat show), said as much to me...O.K., maybe one!
twin towers and the aftermath
Following on from the sheer terror of that day, the markets, for want of a better word, 'grabbed mummy'. Personally, I was working at the time for a company in Winterthur, Switzerland (real nice people) contractors from China (more nice people) and me sitting in a small flat in Surbiton in Surrey (U.K.)
I had e-mailed out some drawings and was stuck to the T.V. as many people were on that terrible day. There were good people, from all over the World, working in those buildings, in desperation, throwing themselves out of two identical structures in New York. One person that died that day was a good friend and music producer of a soul singer I have got to know very well. The singer's name is Tashan. Check this URL: http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Tashan@Soulwalking.html
tashan and charles waring from blues and soul magazine on the london eye
I guess that the everyone was so stunned by that day, that no-one really considered what would come next? I have spoken to many people, in all walks of life, since those horrific scenes. As I said before, there is one constant factor within all cases, and that is that industry has gone into a recession. No-one will talk about it, but it is there. As one of my daughters school friends said to her (on an unrelated issue) 'denial is not just a river in Egypt'!
One very kind friend of mine sent me an audio CD of Michael Moore's 'Stupid White Men'. A very good interpretation of U.S. politics and the global view of how things stand right now.
O.K. Been waffling about non design issues. What happened after September 11th? Well, speaking personally, wages have halved. Interestingly, most of the people I am working for right now are women. The rest of the time I spend working on websites, some paying, some not.
Of the larger design institutions, well, I guess they have been hit hardest? Of the ones that are prepared to confront the recession, they will survive. Some have fallen by the wayside, which is a shame. Designers should always remember their worth. Not be arrogant, but accept they have contributed a great deal to society. It is easy to knock, but not as easy to create. Those who criticise are those who wish they could do what you guys do.
As far as the design industry stands, well you tell me. If you tell me that business is booming and all is rosy in your house, I would suggest you check the length of your nose! If you admit that things are difficult, it is the same as an alcoholic admitting they have a drink problem. First point of call for recovery.
We are three years into this new Millennium and, what with the situation in Iraq, problems in the Middle East, one wonders whether business will kick start again at all? All I can see is that many designers seem to have moved into other lines of work. Some have accepted that they need to go see the dole office, others have opened pubs and the like. What a waste of a designers abilities and what encouragement are we giving to those of our contemporaries who are interested in a career within the our profession?
If industry does not....for a want of a better terminology....'get some balls', then we will have squandered a generation of skill.
When culture dies, we are left with apathy. Look at your T.V. schedules tonight. Celebrities in the jungle? Make-over programmes? Looking for a new home in Spain? Soap opera's? Repeats? Look at the pop charts. Thesedays you could even exhibit your rubbish bin as part of the Turner Prize! Fame Academy? Big Brother? The celebration of the dense!
This is today's culture. When a countries culture dies, we all are diminished in one way or another.
Maybe Miles was correct after all? Really miss that man.
Toby Walker 13.8.03.
more opinions at http://www.soulwalking.co.uk
