Monday, May 25, 2009

Originality [the unfinished design]

2009 / Mont Royal, Montréal / Canon Powershot SD750

For a while now, I have been struggling with the idea of originality in the design world. Everything seems a bit banal and many times predictable. I don’t know if it is still possible to see innovative and totally original masterpieces. We may have to get used to seeing copies with transformation and mutations.

It is shame, and I am sure we are all trying hard to evade this unconscious “inspiration”, but it is almost impossible. With that many images stored in our memory, and with the Internet as vehicle, information multiplies exponentially and is put at our disposition at any time.
It is almost as if what we know is what we see; what we can create is already there.

I say almost, because I would like to keep a margin for error, and for hope that I am wrong and we still can create, design and innovate.

Here’s what Jim Jarmusch has to say about that.   what do you think?

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery—celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from—it’s where you take them to."

— Jim Jarmusch.

Labels: ,

posted by _z. @ 2:00 AM 7 comments