WHY!Create

The Magic of Creative Collaboration – ‘DESH’ by Akram Khan Company

Juliet — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 22:43:12 +0000

DESH is such an incredible manifestation of creative collaboration.

Needless to mention Akram Khan’s dance, which has always been amazing. this piece is beyond a dance; it’s a holistic performance with such an impact that my heart literally trembled.

Although the piece is almost an autobiography about Akram’s connection with Bangladesh and his relationship with his father, I felt deeply immersed in the story because essentially, like Akram said, it is all about the human emotions. The sense of belonging, the issue of identity, the collision and the connections of generations, the inner child in each of us…

Someone from the audience asked whether Akram tries to communicate certain deeper meanings through the piece, and Akram smiled and said no – but, those around me who slightly shaked their heads with a smile, as I myself did, I assume they would agree with me – what could possibly be deeper than the struggle of humanity that this piece has beautifully presented in front of our eyes?

The multimedia and the animation used throughout the piece, they are not technically groundbreaking or anything, but they are absolutely breath-taking. You know that they are not in there because it’s ‘trendy’ to use technology but simply because they work wonderfully in the piece.

I feel so fortunate to have witnessed the London première at Sadler’s Wells, even more so to hear Akram himself speak about the process and inspiration after the show

Unfortunately tomorrow is the last performance for now, and the tickets have been sold out a long time ago. However, Sadler’s Wells did promise to bring it back sometime soon. I do hope they do. DESH is a performance not to be missed, and one I would always remember, close to my heart.

Visual Design by Tim Yip

Music Composition by Jocelyn Pook

Lighting Design by Michael Hulls

Stories written by Karthika Nair, PolarBear and Akram Khan

Visual Animation by Yeast Culture

David Wilson – VJ | Video | Art

gintare — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 10:38:41 +0000

NAME: David Wilson

PROFESSION: Video, VJ

CITY: London, UK

WEBSITE: http://www.davidwilsoncreative.com/

David Wilson is a director and animator based in London, UK. He likes to make, draw, and film things. He is represented by Blinkink and Colonel Blimp blinkink.co.uk colonelblimp.com

I was recommended David’s work from a close friend of mine. We than work on two projects at Latitude and Leeds Festival as part of Future Cinema presents Old Boy performance. David has a great passion for his work and a true professional. Enthusiastic, talented, friendly, good humoured, and overall really nice guy. Here is samples of his work!

David Wilson – Showreel

Click here to view the embedded video.

Metromony – The Bay

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Keaton Henson – Charon

Click here to view the embedded video.

Skream – Making off

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Theseus is dead – Psychological Thriller at the heart of Racine’s Phèdre

Juliet — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 15:07:40 +0000

Greek myths are difficult to play, especially in small theatres. Without the grandeur of stage set, they could easily be regarded as irrelevant; in which case, it relies heavily on the actors to translate the emotional connection, strong enough to draw the audience into the story because emotions are the things that we as human all share in common, regardless the space and the era.

In Theseus is Dead by The Effort, it is all about the human emotions – love, desire, betrayal, guilt, shame, loyalty, jealousy… There is no magic trickery by Aphrodite (as there was in the original version), only real human struggles (a lot of them!) neatly fit into the 60-minute adaptation, which is only possible by interweaving scenes with clever staging without confusing the audience.

Words, the beauty of spoken words. The play is built upon the abundance of classical verses, which depends fully on the actors to act every word in order to maintain the full attention from the audience. The roles of Phèdre (Charlotte Mafham) and Oenone (Sibylle Bernardin) were extraordinary in this aspect, fully engaging the audience to hear their stories. This might also explain the fact that in the end I have come to sympathise these two characters the most even though they are both supposed to be the “villain” who rightfully deserve their death. The emotional and moral struggles of Phèdre were so powerfully portrayed that she became a real woman rather than just a mythical figure. Oenone’s ultimate loyalty toward Phèdre leading to her own corruption and tragedy was played with such force that she, the nurse, in fact is the key figure leading Phèdre’s every decision which moves the story forward.

The role of Aricia (Ceridwen Smith) provides an interesting contrast; seemingly innocent in the white dress comparing to everyone else in dark colours but wins in the end somehow didn’t seem so innocent after all. Theseus is Dead is heading to Edinburgh Fringe and will be playing throughout the month of August.

Photo Source: http://me.lt/9P8SXb

Cast

Oenone – Sibylle Bernardin
Ismene – Catherine Copley
Phèdre – Charlotte Mafham
Hippolytus – Morgan Rhys
Aricia – Ceridwen Smith

Creative Team

Director – Vanessa Pope
Producer – Jon Rowe
Set Designer – Harriet de Winton
Costume Designer – Ros Marshall
Lighting Designer – Anna Barrett
Music – Effort

Canvas8 Event – From Creativity to Productivity

Juliet — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:17:38 +0000

As a devoted believer in making creative ideas happen, I wouldn’t have missed this event for the world.

Canvas8 invited Scott Belsky, CEO of Behance Network, which is one of my key inspiration for my research in facilitating creative collaboration online and, of course, for WHY! Create, along with two other great producers – John Miles, Executive Producer at Electronic Arts & Pete Chambers, Executive Producer at Mad Cow Films to share their experience in productive creative projects.

Having read Scott’s book – Making Ideas Happen, it was quite wonderful to listening to him talk about the action methods in person where you really can feel his enthusiasm in the subject. As a creative manager, I’m almost over-excited with the idea of implementing these methods in an actual creative projects to see the difference they can make.

‘non-stimulating time’ is another thing I personally must work on, with the vast knowledge in the digital world and gadgets surrounding our lives, it has become quite difficult – but shower is definitely still THE place, can’t agree more with Scott!

I specially love the way Scott is ‘obsessed’ with actions and the idea that management should be empowering and motivating for creativity rather than creating negative restraints.

One thing I found in common among the three panelists is that they seem to constantly reflect on the process of developing creative projects and consider how they can make it better and better each time to deliver the best work in the end rather than adopting routines or habits. I hope I never lose that ability to reflect, to learn, and eventually to inspire – like Scott, John and Pete have done tonight.

Continue the coversation on twitter: #c8event

WHY! do you create?

Candy — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:35:26 +0000

Here, we love to ask questions and one of our favourites is WHY! do you create?

Simple question…really?

From “because I have to”, ”I don’t know” to “I don’t create anything” or “I want to make change”, we get all sorts of interesting responses, with some crazier than others. So…have you ever thought about what it is that makes you do it and why you love it so much?

“Create” doesn’t necessarily means it has to be something tangible. Sometimes we create impact or even affect people around us and we often do it through different creative outlet or even by starting a project that matters to us.

By asking WHY! do you create, we really want to know about the bigger picture and what really passionate you. What it is that make you tick, and how we could help you make your ideas happen, thought collaboration and by building a community of fresh ideas makers.

Two weeks ago, we had the chance to exhibit at the New Designers 2011, where we witnessed some exciting new talents and made many new friends.

We also took the opportunity to start our upcoming WHY! Video project and decided to ask several emerging creatives our favourite question.

Click here to view the embedded video.

SO WHY! DO YOU CREATE - use the comment box below to let us know, or give us a shout on hello@why-create if you wish to get involved in our video interviews serie.

Folly for a Flyover

Juliet — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:56:02 +0000

If you happen to pass by the Lea Navigation Canal in Hackney Wick recently, you might or might not have noticed this curious site. The once abandoned space is seemingly filled with music, laughter, and hipsters from all over London.

I do encourage you to brave the way down the bridge to join them and promise you will not regret it.

Everything on the site is constructed by volunteers over a month with donated materials from the local community and will remain only for 6 weeks until the end of July when everything will be disassembled. To see photos of the construction process.

In the cafe, there are plenty of drinks to choose from and a variety of bagels that deliciously fill you up. You can then stick around swinging to the music or hire the colourful row boats to explore the water way around the area. There are plenty of daytime activities for everyone.

The cafe

Every piece is hand-built by volunteers

Rowboats

Tranquillity by the canal

Screen for the cinema screening

The seating area is thoughtfully cushioned for the comfort of viewing

Later into the evening when the main events begin. There are different live performances leading to the screening of an amazing playlist of films which start at 8:30 pm. I was unable to stay for the film but very curious whether the traffic on A12 would affect the experience. If anyone has stayed for the cinema, let us know!

I would, however, suggest you to bring an extra scarf or jumper for it can get chilly after a while, though you are quite safe from the rain under the protection of the bridges.

For more info about the location and list of events: http://www.follyforaflyover.co.uk

WHY! after the New Designers 2011

Juliet — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:53:34 +0000

This year, WHY! was also exhibiting at the New Designers 2011 alongside the MA Creative Industries and Creative Economy from Kingston University.

This was where WHY! stood at New Designers

Various businesses run by MA Creative Industries students+graduates from Kingston University, including us!

During the intensive 4-days exhibition, we witnessed some exciting new talents and made many new friends. Although we cannot post every great talent we saw at the exhibition, we would still like to share some of them with you. We also took the opportunity to start our upcoming WHY! Video project at the site. Do look forward to the update on that!

Nice trick with light and shadow by Paul Brandon at New Designers 2011

Simply couldn't resist this nostalgic yet creative design By Christine Harrison from Nottingham Trent University

Thoughtfully designed kettles that are more playful and more personal than ever by James Tricker

Clever design to help you paint better and less messy by Andre Pereira from Kingston University

Why don't they have this already? By Jon Warren from Kingston University

Turning stool just gets even more fun! - Musical Chair by Jo-Yun Wang from Edinburgh College Of Art

Automotive Design by Simon Laumet from Coventry University

Automotive Design by James Quayle from Coventry University

Secret War at New Designers

The creativity that filled the air at New Designers was very inspiring, and we are glad that we made some great new friends! WHY! looks forward to seeing more amazing works from these graduates of 2011!

5 things I ♥ : 5 July week

gintare — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 21:06:41 +0000

1. Moving Platforms

Click here to view the embedded video.

2. Design Matters – doing better with less

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3. Great classics

Stranger than Paradise (1953)

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The 400 Blows

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Jules et Jim

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4. Beyonce New album documentary short

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5. Fluxus Art movement

Fluxus—a name taken from a Latin word meaning “to flow”—is an international network of artists, composers and designers noted for blending different artistic media and disciplines in the 1960s. They have been active in Neo-Dada noise music and visual art as well as literature, urban planning, architecture, and design. Fluxus is sometimes described as intermedia.

WHY! @ New Designers

WHY! — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 22:55:56 +0000

Now in its 26th year, New Designers is unrivalled in Europe in bringing together such a broad cross-section of fresh, new design talent – over 3,500 newly graduated designers, representing the top 200 UK design courses - under one roof.

As part of the ‘Connecting Creativity and Business’ stand, in association with Kingston University and Designers Block.

We’ll be on stand B10 from this Wednesday 6th to Saturday 9th July, so if you’re there do not hesitate to come along and say hello!

WHY!PLAY Meetup on June 29 – Experimental Board Game Design

Juliet — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 23:37:29 +0000

Accompanied by the bouncing ping pong and the pleasantly distracting indie rock in The Book Club, we were so overly-excited by the idea of designing an original board game to facilitate creative collaboration that I think we could have been screaming with joy – even though the board game itself does not even exist yet. But hey, you’ve got to be excited by the idea of it before making it happen, right?

Though our brainstorming session lingered understandably over the various board games we have played – good memories! The idea finally lands on collaborating with our WHY! friends to develop a board game which focus on facilitating creative collaboration – that’s right, lots of collaboration happening in that sentence already!

We definitely want Alison from Bracket to be there – one of our friend who dedicates herself to facilitate creative collaboration. She prepares the crew by generously sharing her tips on creative collaboration -

Never neglect project management and the planning stage before doing it!
Let go your ego, let go now.
Communicate, communicate & communicate!
Don’t always work with people who are just like you, work with people are are different from you! Diversity leads to creativity.
Be honest with what you want from the collaboration
Set your shared vision and common values from the start!
Manage the working environment – both physical and virtual.
Set agreements from the start ( i.e IP)
Conflicts are good – as long as you can resolve them together.

Brett J. Gilbert, a board game design guru also kindly shared some great board game design tips with us:

Simplicity – don’t make the game too complicated to understand
Interaction – all players must interact with one another!
Decision Making – let every player’s decision matters!
Brisk pace
Experience – don’t forget gaming is all about experience!
Replayability – How does this game make people want to play over and over again?

The result of this first experimental meetup to design a game was absolutely amazing! The two teams presented two completely different ideas and approaches within only an hour to brainstorm and prototype:

Team A – DEBTORS PRISON

Starting with an intriguing title, Debtors Prison is a game about learning the hardship of different stages of life, and it requires various skills and knowledge in order to become the winner. Throughout the game, players have to answer different questions correctly in order to move forward, they have to collect different items, and they might be thrown into the prison if they are bankrupt, with an interesting twist that prisoners can actually receive government allowance like they might in real life. The context of the game is extremely current and close to the reality in life. Interestingly, Team A also discussed the game’s sponsorship and marketing potential, even though that was not included in the brief.

At first, we did not see the direct link between the game with creative collaboration, but one could see that each player’s skill and personality would become apparently throughout this game, which then would help each player to understand one another much more after playing this game, which is brilliant! We also think this game can be great for entrepreneurs!

Team B – Natural Selection

An entirely different but equally brilliant approach from Team B chose to go with a card game after a great team effort to explore what elements really matter in creative collaboration, and they have focused on the aspect of team building. Each card would represent a characteristic, skill or personality that are relevant to collaboration (here I thought of a creative collaboration Tarot card set, how cool is that?!). Players each get a certain amount of cards in the beginning of the game, and they each get 5 minutes to talk to each individual before deciding which cards should be given to which player; moreover, they want to try to hold on to the cards which they believe best present themselves… In the end, when everyone shows his/her cards, Voilà!

This game has applied the peer2peer review process into a card game that can be played in a meeting room, in a class room, and even in a bar! Although the concept is still very rough, we think that this could not only help team building, it could be a great ice breaker game in networking as well. Depending on what you put on the cards, the same concept could be applied in many team working situations. The process to create the cards itself, deciding what characteristics are relevant to collaboration, could be very insightful on its own! It is quite a simple idea, but very quickly, we can see its unlimited potential in many circumstances. Great job!

Next Step

We are fascinated by the great ideas our friends have generated in such a short time. To be noted, most of them had just met one anther at the event as well! It was no doubt a great creative collaboration. Thanks to all of you who have joined us! We are looking for more contributors to further develop these ideas and hopefully turn them into real games through which people can have fun and be more prepared to collaborate with others. We are looking to share every step of the development with the entire creative community and eventually the game itself, which we play to register under Creative Common.

If you like our idea of WHY!PLAY, get in touch with us!

Follow WHY!PLAY on twitter: #whyplay

*Thanks to the event collaboration of Dreamstake & Club Workspace for the great space!