#Antwerp Tote

[grrl-beetle]

Balenciaga

[heartofstanding]

There's a new novel about Joan of Kent that's coming out in September: Elizabeth Chadwick's The Royal Rebel.

1338: England has declared war on France, and Jeanette of Kent, cousin to King Edward III, says goodbye to her family and travels overseas with the royal court for the first time. Once in Antwerp, she is captivated by talented household knight, Thomas Holland, just as he in turn is powerfully drawn to her.Although both know their romance is forbidden, their love for each other grows stronger than the danger they face, and they marry in secret. But before they can make their tryst known, Thomas has to leave for war, and in his absence, Jeanette is forced into a second marriage and locked away from the world. Then Thomas returns, and the real fight begins. As hostile family members battle to keep Jeanette and Thomas apart, the defiant lovers vow to be reunited - whatever the cost...From the award-winning and bestselling author, Elizabeth Chadwick, comes an epic love story set against the tumultuous backdrop of high chivalry, deadly warfare, devastating plague, and savage rivalry in the twelfth century - the first of two parts telling the remarkable story of a woman who rose from royal rebel to formidable influence.

I have several posts on this and a glitter text gif but let me just say it again: Joan of Kent was born at the earliest in September 1326 and at the latest September 1328 (her birthday was on or shortly before Michaelmas, the year is unclear). In 1338, Joan could only have been 12 years old and quite possibly hadn't yet reached her 12th birthday when she married Holland. Holland was born in 1314 or 1315, i.e. he would have been around twice her age. No wonder her family was "hostile" to the marriage! That "powerful draw" Holland has would see him on a sex offenders registry.

Either Chadwick has aged Joan up like a tacky romance novelist loosely inspired by history, she didn’t bother to work out how old Joan actually was or she’s like “yeah totes fine nothing to see here Margaret Beaufort was the norm” when every serious medievalist will tell you that Margaret Beaufort was not the norm. Please. No more "preteen and early teenage girls could fall in true love with grown ass men in the Middle Ages and it's completely fine, nothing rapey about that."

[camillerowep]

From the British Vogue “Camille Rowe’s French Style Secrets: Inside the Wardrobe” video (February 2, 2016) — Camille wears (ALL SIMILAR):

⋆ Allan K. Antwerp – Nicole flower harmony leather tote bag

⋆ Allan K. Antwerp – Nicole flower marygold leather tote bag

⋆ Allan K. Antwerp – Parla octoweave harmony leather tote bag

[sponsoredbynabokov]

I walk to school following train tracks. In my ears the soundtrack of The Great Beauty plays. My braids bounce against my woolen chest. Yes, you are here. 

We walk in Brussels in silence and I wonder what you think about. 

My leather loafer kicks a rock on the pavement. 

A reflection of me looking small telling you I forgot how silent you can be. Your tanned face asks if this is a bad thing. You walk ahead, too chic in your coat, and when you look back at me your eyes try to be bright. 

A family of 4 skirts around my walking body. 

You sit on the hotel bed in Antwerp. “You are too young, there is nothing you can do.” Later that night, you sleep in the next room as I trace these words over and over in my notebook. 

The tram rushes past, whipping air into a frenzy. 

The bottle of water I slid into your tote before you left for the train. Ensuring your body is hydrated as it walks away from my body. My body, which won’t hold water since. 

The sun shines on my skin. 

And then we ride in your car listening to piano music, my head resting against the window frame. Wind. “I am exactly where I am supposed to be” is the phrase attached to this memory. There is a picture on my phone of our white knuckled hands clasped tightly. 

Pressure present behind my eyes. They watch a car pass slowly.  

You tell me I am beautiful as I fold clothes. I tell you I have given up on beauty, sharing this like its the answer. 

Colors fold, bloom, bleed into the next. Tinged by the last. Memories of you block my vision. To the passerby, my eyes must look frozen, but a current runs underneath. A beggar sits on the cold street corner. I hand her some of my coins. “Je parle un peu de français” when she speaks to me. And then brilliant and red, an image of an apple. An apple hovers bright in my mind. 

To have such a light head. For the sun to reflect off a window into my eyes. 

[outfitsinspiration]

Who: Carol Morais (cazevedor)

What: Bimba Y Lola Medium Cow print leather Pocket tote bag (£435.00) Where: Instagram - September 15, 2024

Worn with: Essentiel Antwerp shirt and pants, Alohas flats, Gigi Studios sunglasses

[childofphivorce]

this is more of just a list for me but merchwise i want to buy at antwerp:

parasocial long-sleeve

dan and phil made me gay tshirt

tit hoodie

jacket patches (if they let me buy them individually)

then im gonna buy at one of the uk shows:

tour tshirt (at wad these ended up being cheaper at the later shows iirc)

poster (there might be an equally good one in the vip package in which case i might pass) (plus if i bought it in antwerp i would have to carry it around all the time im still there the next few days which is quite inconvenient)

tote bag (again there might be a bag included in the vip package)

[fashionableimperfection]

Errands on a Saturday

Acne studios konny v-neck cotton and wool blend vest

Essential Antwerp black denim maxi skirt

The Row black sling boot

Jil Sander black cannolo tote bag

Marni dice earrings

Wales Bonner pink and white story necklace

Numbering white and gold bracelet

Cartier ballon bleu watch

Harlot Hands silver veil ring

[thisiskatsblog]

HSLOT ANTWERP RAINBOW PROJECTS - 7/7 - PLS REBLOG!

Hello friends - please help out by reblogging this post! 

There are not ONE but TWO rainbow projects happening at Harry Styles’ concert in Antwerp. 

The FIRST and MAIN one is sectored rainbow lights across the arena, and mini pride flags on the floor for “Treat People with Kindness” - this is organized by harryantwerpfanproject on Instagram and here’s the layout

If you are on the balcony, do get in touch with the organizers to coordinate - you can help by bringing lots of sticky notes, stickers or other colored paper matching your section and handing them out to your neighbors.

I myself am teaming up with them and handing out ca 900 mini pride flags for the floor section. 

I NEED YOUR HELP TO DO THIS as I cannot be in Antwerp very early to hand out the flags to people lining up and I doubt I’ll be let in with a big bag full of flags so I need  people from different sections of the floor who are willing to take in 100 flags in their tote or backpack (this shouldn’t be a problem security wise, at least it wasn’t at Wembley) and then hand them out to people in their vicinity.

The picture above just shows 4 sections on the floor but in fact, the layout for Harry’s show looks more like this:

I will be the VIP section of the arena seats behind zone B close to the B stage (zone 003 in the pic above), so I need people in:

- Standing Zone A

- Standing Zone B

- Arena Seats Zone 001 and 002

- Arena Seats Zone 003 and 004

I will bring the flags - I just need you to take them over from me outside the venue around 7pm when I expect to arrive at the venue, take them in and hand them out to your neighbors with instructions on when to wave them (that’s during Treat People with Kindness) 

IF YOU CAN HELP - SEND ME A DM ON @thisiskatsblog​ or to @lewiskatryn on Twitter 

-----------

Then, there is a SECOND rainbow/multicoloured project, and that’s scattered multicolored glow sticks for Lights Up (which will actually come earlier in the setlist this risks getting confusing if Harry asks people to put their lights and flags up for this but no matter, we’re just going to do both! )

It is organized by doyouknowwhoyouare_ap on Instagram and TikTok

[gagosiangallery]

Gagosian at Frieze Los Angeles Online

July 23, 2021

FRIEZE LOS ANGELES ONLINE Chris Burden

July 27–August 1, 2021 __________ Gagosian is pleased to participate in the inaugural Los Angeles edition of Frieze Viewing Room with a survey of works by Chris Burden (1946–2015). The works will be available simultaneously on the Gagosian website and in the Frieze Viewing Room, accessible at viewingroom.frieze.com. Ranging from ink-on-paper drawings to monumental site-specific sculptures, the presentation commemorates Burden’s significant career and body of work on what would have been the milestone of his seventy-fifth year. A radical figure with a fierce political consciousness, Burden possessed a unique ability to wield conceptual art as a tool for sociopolitical change. Dealing in incisive metaphors for the power dynamics of industry and institution, his work remains relevant—perhaps even more so than before—in today’s world. Burden first gained notoriety using his body as his medium. In his performance work Shoot (1971), he filmed himself being shot in the arm at close range—a searing commentary on the dangerous entanglement between media depictions of gun-toting machismo and the very real violence of the Vietnam War. He documented twenty-three of his early performances in Chris Burden Deluxe Photo Book 1971–73 (1974), a unique self-published artist’s book that adds vital commentary and context to his pioneering and often extreme performances. Burden continued to ground his works in contemporaneous issues throughout his career; his installation of thirty larger-than-life police outfits in L.A.P.D. Uniforms (1993)—one of which is included in this presentation—is a looming reminder of the persistent national crises of racial discrimination and police brutality. America’s Darker Moments (1994) restages five of the country’s twentieth-century atrocities—including the bombing of Hiroshima and the Kent State massacre—using detailed lead figurines made in the style of antique toy soldiers. By presenting these scenes in a vitrine, Burden equates the act of scrutiny with the governmental abuse of power that sparked the events he portrays. In the late 1970s, Burden began working extensively in large-scale sculpture, marrying his interests in architecture and engineering with his meditations on the strictures of the urban world. Dreamer’s Folly (2010) stands in stark contrast with the consciously aggressive aura of his early performances. Three white cast-iron ornamental gazebos—seemingly plucked from a traditional English garden—are draped with intricate lace, forming a single whimsical structure that remains rooted in history. With its exploration of the relationship between the body and public space, the work recalls Urban Light (2008), Burden’s site-specific installation of over two hundred antique streetlamps at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art that has become a landmark for the city as a whole. The Hidden Force (1995)—a little-known sculptural installation originally commissioned by the Washington State Arts Commission in 1993 for the now-demolished McNeil Island Corrections Center—will be re-created for the first time by the Burden Estate. For the original work, Burden installed three shallow circular concrete pools in a green space near the penitentiary’s cellblocks. Each pool was equipped with a floating elliptical object containing a magnet at one end, effectively creating a trio of outsize compasses that point north. Visually understated yet powerfully symbolic in its purpose and design, the work hints at the unseen forces that guide individuals toward the “right way. ”The presentation anticipates the publication of Poetic Practical: The Unrealized Work of Chris Burden, a comprehensive illustrated volume published by Gagosian that will catalogue Burden’s various unfinished works of art. Chris Burden was born in 1946 in Boston, and died in 2015 in Topanga, California. Collections include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Instituto Inhotim, Brumadinho, Brazil; Tate, London; Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna; and 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan. Exhibitions include A Twenty-Year Survey, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA (1988, traveled to Carnegie Mellon University Art Gallery, Pittsburgh; and Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, through 1989); When Robots Rule: The Two-Minute Airplane Factory, Tate Britain, London (1999); Tower of Power, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna (2002); Beam Drop Antwerp, Middelheim Museum, Antwerp, Belgium (2009); Three Ghost Ships, Portland Art Museum, OR (2011–12); Extreme Measures, New Museum, New York (2013–14); The Master Builder, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA (2014); and Ode to Santos Dumont, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2015). _____ Chris Burden, The Hidden Force, 1995, concrete, aluminum, magnets, and water, in 3 parts, each: 36 × 108 × 108 inches (91.4 × 274.3 × 274.3 cm), installation view, McNeil Island Corrections Center, Washington (commissioned by the Washington State Arts Commission in 1993, decommissioned in 2011) © Chris Burden/Licensed by the Chris Burden Estate and Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

[hopetofantasy]

Culture, parallels & meta - S3 E1

Previous season Prologue: Vlogs (1) - Vlogs (2)

°

Zaterdag 21:43

The time lapse already showing us a string of places that will be important later, like the dark alley, the Meir with Noor’s workplace, the university neighborhood, the Scheldt river where the boys hang out, ...

Perfect parallel: 

The second season starts Zoë’s POV with a (washing machine) door, whilst the third opens with a door to a party that Robbe attends.

Robbe glances back at Noor passing through the shot this episode, an action he repeats when he spots Sander in the second episode. - A very subtle hint to where his love life may lead.

The first one starts with two unknown LGBT+ girls kissing at a party, the last episode shows two known LGBT+ boys (Sobbe) kissing at their own party.

The aerial shot through the floor to introduce us to Robbe’s POV here and the aerial shot through the roof to say goodbye to him in the last episode.

Moyo saying “No one would do you” to Aaron in this episode, Aaron realizing “No one here wants to do me!” in the last.

Where’s Wally? Noor greeting Marie, accompanied by Jana and Britt. Max dancing with Keisha in the crowd.

How ‘meta’ of you: Newsflash, yes you are!

Nod to the OG: 

The deliberate messy POV: following everyone that we know already and then slowly settling on the Isak version in a tub.

Robbe saying Noor looks like ‘Natalie Portman’, which is what people said to the OG Emma when they flirted with her. Everyone, except Isak, that is.

Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: Moyo keeps pressuring Robbe into explaining what type of girl he likes. The boys laugh it off when he answers that ‘he doesn’t have a type’.

Lost in translation: Moyo mocks Noor’s Dutch accent, making his ‘g’ and ‘st’ sound harsher, while also adding ‘hoor’ at the end - a typical word used by the Dutch to emphasize a point.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Jens is playing with the weed bag. Keisha is one of the girls that Moyo mentions as Jens’ ex-girlfriend or ex-fling. Not only did Noor nót flush the toilet, but she didn’t used any toilet paper either!

°

Zaterdag 22:44

C is for culture: 

Noor rescuing Robbe on her scooter - In Belgium, you’re allowed to drive a moped or scooter once you’ve reached the age of 16. Nothing is needed if the vehicle doesn’t go above 25 km/h. If it stays between the range of 25-45 km/h and max. 50 cc, you need to pass a theoretical exam, 4 hours of driver’s ed and a practical exam to get the license. Anything other than that, has a whole new set of restrictions, types of driver’s licenses and minimum ages.  Noor and Robbe are, however, still breaking the law. As long as you’re not 18, you’re not allowed to have an extra passenger with you. Especially if they’re not wearing a helmet. (Plus they ignored a red light. Those rebels!)

“You do know that you always have to have it with you?” - The Belgian law states that everyone above age twelve, has to get an ID to identify themselves. Some might have had a Kids-ID already - for travel purposes - but that’s not mandatory. However, once you're fifteen years old, you’re obligated to carry your ID with you at all times.

Perfect parallel:

Luca being all jealous whilst staring at Noor and Robbe making out in S3, her glaring at Maud and Robbe every chance she got in the last season.

Robbe and Noor having fun on the scooter while screaming and Robbe filming their adventure in this episode. Robbe and Sander doing a similar thing, but on their bikes in a later episode.

Wink to other remakes: Robbe sporting a brown jacket. (Eliott, anyone?)

Surprise bitch, guess who: It’s Willem Chanterie, the on-set costume designer and social media production assistant!

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Noor has a ‘Fuck Trump’ sticker on her helmet. Robbe says “Hey, it’s red” in a very clear Antwerp accent. 

°

Zaterdag 23:11

Hello from the outside: The garbage truck they sprayed, still drove around the city regularly. The art piece itself is named ‘#Genoeg mama' (= ‘#Enough mommy’). It blames the consumer society as toxic, making young people its victim.

Oopsie: Inside the graffiti den, Noor suddenly sports a tote bag with supplies, even though we never saw her wearing that in the previous shots.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Noor has black combat boots. The photographer is obviously Sander, in case you have missed that subtle clue.

°

Zondag 13:41

Lost in translation/Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: 

“Check die pekie’s”. The word ‘pekie’ is actually Amsterdam slang for ‘beautiful girl, girlfriend’. In recent years, more and more Dutch slang are making their way into the Flemish dialect, because of the Dutch rap songs gaining popularity with the youngsters.

“Vamos, flikkers”. The word ‘flikkers’ can mean ‘wussie’ as well as a derogatory term for ‘homosexual’. Again establishing the fact that the boys use a lot of homophobic or toxic words for each other.

Robbe’s clumsiness meter: +1, him tossing the bag behind Jens instead of into his hands.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: There is a football right next to the skateboards.

°

Maandag 16:04

C is for culture: “The whole art school was talking about it” - 

Secondary school is divided in four sections: general, technical, art and vocational. Which section you choose can have effect on further education. In one of these sections, you pick what you want to study from your first to last year (‘directions’). That means that you have some courses purely focused on the direction and others that are obligated for everyone, regardless.

Art high schoolers can choose to go to work or study a specialization afterwards. Their coursework isn’t solely art based, there are general required courses too. That’s why some foreigners - including the Dutch - come to Belgium, since they’ll get a more rounded and higher level of art education than in their countries. ‘de!KUNSTHUMANIORA’ is the high school in Antwerp Noor goes to and is known for having students with unique styles.

Perfect parallel: 

Noor waiting outside the school for Robbe and him reacting somewhat confused here, Sander doing the same and having an instantly happy Robbe in a later episode.

Robbe having no problem kissing a girl ‘as a straight guy’ in front of the gates in this episode and scared for what might happen if he kissed a boy ‘as a gay guy’ later on. 

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: The insta caption underneath the art work says ‘An inspirational message on a Sunday! Just discovered this in Antwerp city today. Artist unknown... Can you remember when you last called on your mother?’ (That last sentence, oooofff, the symbolism!)

°

Dinsdag 14:57

C is for culture: 

“Yes, mini enterprises are so chill.” - Mini enterprises are often used as a tool for Economics in the fifth/sixth year. The goal of these is to ‘learn whilst doing it’. Like the name specifies, mini enterprises are actual miniature companies set up by a group of students. During the school year, they’ll try to work together on commercializing a product. All aspects of entrepreneurship are at play here: writing a business plan, holding meetings, doing bookkeeping, marketing the product, produce and sell it, ... If the enterprise idea is good or well executed, it might even win a national prize by the company making this education formula.

“What if he contacts child protection services” - Actually, those services doesn’t really exist in Belgium. There are, however, other youth organizations for these types of things, like JAC - Youth Advice Centre, CLB - Centre for Student Guidance and the Centre for Mental Healthcare.

Perfect parallel: The boys hyping Aaron up to walk over to Amber and talk to her - yet he fails in this episode, them doing the same and he succeeds (after some fails) in the last episode. 

Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: Jens saying “Damn, seems like someone is on his fucking period”, after Robbe snaps at him due to the difficult telephone call with his dad.

Lost in translation: Jens saying “Mijn kop staat er niet naar” (= “My head’s not standing there”) can actually mean different things: I’m not in the mood, it’s not the right time, I don't want to do it, my head’s all over the place, ... It depends on the context, on which interpretation would suit the situation the best. 

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: The girls are all fawning all over Britt’s cellphone, so there is a good chance that they’re discussing (pictures of) her boyfriend, Sander. Also, Jana’s braces are gone! 

°

Donderdag 17:13

Perfect parallel: Robbe stating that he can’t talk to his dad or he’ll fight and Zoë getting that, as she said a similar thing to an understanding Senne about her parents in S2. 

How ‘meta’ of you: Ah, yes, fandom ship names in SKAM. We applaud!

Oopsie: If you look really hard, you see that the body type and hair of Robbe’s dad, doesn’t correspond with the version waiting at the restaurant later on.

Wink to other remakes: This shot reminding you of a certain S3 trailer?  👀

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: The numerous references to Zoënne’s relationship in their room (relationship pics, Senne’s guitar). The paper Milan gifts to Robbe is the written permission by his parent to live with them, as is obligated by law.

°

Vrijdag 20:04

Perfect parallel: 

Senne pulling Zoë up after a kiss here, just like with their first kiss in S2.

Robbe pushing Milan away after thinking he wanted to kiss him at the party in S2, them hugging it out in after talking about it in S3.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Zoë and Milan making some healthy party snacks like cauliflower and cocktail sauce, cheese with tomatoes and salami squares. She pulls back the bottle of gin that Milan wants to steal. Senne also bought paprika and tortilla chips from Colruyt (a discount store).

°

Vrijdag 20:54

C is for culture: “Noor, Robbe’s girlfriend” - (Teen) dating culture is different in Belgium. Usually, if you have kissed, hung out, texted or just said/did something to show your mutual interest, you’d pretty much consider yourself in a relationship. It can go from 0 to 100 very quick. Unless there is, of course, an agreement that what you’re doing is no such thing. Also, nobody really ask you to be their gf/bf. It just implied or stated to their family or friends. 

Perfect parallel: 

A reluctant Robbe pushing himself to do stuff to Noor (playful dancing, kissing, riling her up) as far as putting his hands on her bra here. A totally different, excited Robbe not even thinking twice about doing these things to Sander, even licking his nipple during their reunion.

Noor pushing Robbe on the bed and climbing over him, whilst Robbe looks all sad in this episode. Him pushing Sander on the bed and being happy as Sander crawls over him during their reunion.

Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: Robbe tries to convince himself into liking heterosexual sex with Noor and fake laughs with his friends about having it.

Where’s Wally? Keisha laughing with Amber and later dancing with Marie.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Jens is talking to Senne. The decorations behind Milan saying ‘Welkom Robbe’ (= ‘Welcome Robbe’). Noor has a beautiful tattoo of a pin-up girl covered with butterflies on her lower arm.

[inmyarmswrappedin]

I hope you have that hilarious drawing you did the other week handy, bc now that Wtfock confirmed that Moyo isn’t a blocked character, I’m sure the “he was just too expensive” excuses are gonna start, er...pooping back up again (sorry, I had to say it 😂)

Hi anon 🌸

Wtfock: literally paying tiktokers to promote the show, manufacturing thousands of Wtfock tote bags to place in Antwerp high schools, has one of the most expensive soundtracks in terms of artist relevance and chart positions, was able to buy the rights to four seasons of Skam to start with...

The few people still defending this mess: Mahdi was just too expensive 🤧

🙄

[grrl-beetle]

Balenciaga

[9251101]

Pretty Sister Fashion Ep.09

coat : ANDERSSON BELL AWA100W merlyn worsted coat (₩229,000) top : GREYYANG turtle neck top in tosca T81004  (₩59,000) jeans : SYSTEM SY1I3NPCQ03W  jeans (price unavailable) bag : BURBERRY Black Leather Brogues Banner Fringe Tote  ($2,290)

watches : ROSEMONT RS#45-05BR (₩454,000)

coat : ISABEL MARANT Dias Wool-Blend Coat ($1,150) skirt : ESSENTIEL ANTWERP SIT-A0-SK05 (₩300,000)

bag : VINCIS’ FORTE Tote Bag VD8SFBGSL022VAA (￦312,330) earrings : ERGHE LES PETALE Earrings DJMIEQ8AS059SC000 (￦83,300) shoes : STUART WEITZMAN Peekamid Leather Bow Pump ($287)

[wolfwithafoxtail]

wandering in Antwerp w my new beret & tote bag, definitely channeling that inner hipster

[grafiary]

Enter the grey zone

Two designers and master students in Visual Communication Design visited Antwerp for Integrated 2017, a conference with a focus on criticality and the politics of art and design.

Integrated is a biannual art & design conference arranged Nov 14-15 in Antwerp, Belgium by St Lucas School of Arts Antwerp. The conference is in its sixth edition, with the theme of 2017 being Between Creativity and Criminality: the Art and Design of the Civil Domain. It initially attracted us with its impeccably branded appearance, experimental website and provocative manifesto, and for being one of the few – if not the only – conference with a clear focus on critical practices and politics in design.

On the first day we reached the venue of DeSingel arts centre by city bikes. At the registration desk we were given cool, gradient festival wristbands and tote bags filled with posters and excessive printed matter. The program started early and would continue with back-to-back lectures until late evening with a few short coffee breaks and a complimentary lunch. Unfortunately, it turned out the coffee was weak and the lunch was sub-standard; a beautifully wrapped dry baguette with a slice of cheese inside (just sad really). We sat through the rest of the talks hoping the program would justify the catering let-down.

Diversity and criticality

Within the 2 days and 26 presentations there were some contradictory issues with the structure and values of Integrated that we could not ignore. Despite an insightful introduction by co-organizer of the event Pascal Gielen (BE) on The Art of Civil Action – Political Space and Cultural Dissent, we feel that the event itself fell short of upholding the criticality it refers to. First and foremost, the cultural diversity was shockingly narrow - with less than 10% of the speakers from outside of the EU. Secondly, in a few instances, “mankind” was used to address all genders, which prompts a speculative contemplation on the male majority of speakers. Mike Monteiro (US) addressed his concern for diversity and proposed: “When your design team is 90% white and male, you have already started marginalizing.” We recognize that when discussing critical design in a biannual conference setting, eurocentricity and patriarchal language will only hinder our collective global initiative.

Mike Monteiro

Nonetheless, there were a few unforgettable and engaging presentations that exceeded the norm. The presentation by Daniel van der Velden (NL) of Metahaven left us in visual bliss and deciphering their words: “The critical vocabulary is exhausted exactly when we need criticality the most.” There was also a particular instance where Nadya Tolokonnikova (RU), from the activist artist group Pussy Riot, took the initiative to include the audience in a spontaneous Q&A session after sharing her captivating experiences of rebelling against oppressive governance.

Nadya Tolokonnikova

Santiago Cirugeda (ESP) of Recetas Urbanas spoke of their practice of negotiating illegal and legal action in architecture in public space and encouraged the audience to study their constitution and to occupy their cities. Recetas Urbanas uses recycled materials in urban environments to collectively build alternative and communal facilities. In his presentation he questioned the purpose of aesthetics in design and asks: “Why does it have to be beautiful? Everyone has ugly friends too, who carry other, more important qualities in them.” This insight begs us to question the aesthetic emphasis and branding of design conferences such as Integrated. When considering the “civil domain,” we ponder if the need to design an abundance of free posters and printed ephemera should eclipse the need to design a balanced lunch.

Call for urgent civil action

Mike Monteiro (US) closed the conference with a riveting speech where he rhetorically asked: “How is ethics in design even still a question?”. The Integrated conference concerned the majority of its time with the obvious and with too few instances of worthwhile, broadening and criminal ingenuity. In this sense, we feel that the conference remained neutral in its intention, undermining its audience of designers, who have likely been aware for some time that design is, yes, in fact political. Our frustration resides in the fact that many of the speakers painstakingly narrated their own careers and too few speakers addressed the world’s enviro-socio-political issues with the sense of urgency they require. It was too often that the audience had their heads down, fingers scrolling through their smartphones and minds deep in another world.

As Anja Groten (DE) accordingly pointed out, “a critical designer asks questions, but also acts critically”. As designers, we see that demand for civil action and socio-environmental responsibility from all designers is paramount. If we wish to move forward, design that works within and grasps neoliberalist structures, institutions and resources is not going to suffice. We see that there is a need to bring designers together to question problems within the design industry but we question what constitutes expertise and if the one-way lecture structure is the best method for this cause. An aesthetically well designed and “thought-provoking” conference doesn't necessarily equate provoking action and the value of a design conference is perhaps in it’s timely opportunity to address a diverse group of people, with a diverse group of people, and by using diverse methods. It should value and recognize the audience as a contributor to the shared knowledge. It should facilitate the discovery of why we need to change and most importantly, awaken agency in an unprecedented collective dialogue and action.

“For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us to temporarily beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change” (Audre Lorde).

Text: Robynn McPherson & Kiia Beilinson

Photos: Samuli Saarinen (sad lunch pics), Mirror Mirror (Integrated 2017 brand pics)

[tulivoimainen]

you see this coming... but I'd love to hear your answers on OMD ;)

How long have I listened to them?I've been listening to OMD since early 2010, so almost 8 years now

Favourite song:I can't pick just one song. There are just too many good songs.Some of my faves are (Forever) Live and Die, 4-Neu, The Romance ofthe Telescope, Radio Waves, She's Leaving and I could go on forever!

Least Favourite song:White Trash, though I do like the demo version of it

Favourite Album:Organisation with Junk Culture being a close second

First song I’ve heard from them:Maid Of Orleans (I remember being little and liking the melody)but the song that turned me into a fan was Electricity

Have I ever seen them in Concert?I’ve seen them 8 times so far and I’m seeing them again on the 6th of December in Antwerp. I know I’ve been super lucky that they come here a lot and I feel kind of bad because I know there are so many people in the world (including you, Gita!) that would love to see them and they don’t get the chance.

Any merch I posess:Tbh for me being a massive OMD fan, I don’t really own that much merch. I just have a couple of shirts, a tote bag and some pins. Oh and cd’s and vinyl. 

Favourite recorded concert, If available:I’d have to go with the 1981 Drury Lane concert. They sound so good. In more recent years, I’d pick Live in Berlin, because I saw them for the first time on that tour :)

Favourite Single/Music Video:Electricity, because it was that one that turned me into an OMD fan (and a Paul fan)

Favourite Member, current:Now who could that be?? 😛 Of course it’s Paul! 

Favourite Former member(if available)This just has to be Mal!! I’ve had the pleasure of talking to him in 2013 and he was so lovely.

Thank you so much Gita!!