I can’t really remember the film Moneyball. I saw it recently, and I’m sure it was fine. I think Brad Pitt looked a bit waxy, a man did something with numbers. I suppose it saved me reading the wikipedia page for either or both of them. If a friend hadn’t asked my opinion, I would have forgotten it forever. That doesn’t make it a bad film, but in my estimation doesn’t make it a good one either, it left no legacy. Is that system fair, and does it translate more broadly to experience? A measure for experience might be memorability. (more)
Turning theory into practice is one of the hardest aspects of running a critical design studio. Having theoretical stand points and acting on them are two different things, easier to say what not to do than exemplify your beliefs through doing. We are working towards it thanks to the Critical Audit that Matt gave us a while back. In that time I have always held in high regard The School of Life, in part due to it’s connection with Alain de Botton. Though in greater part, because it had a series of beliefs that it finds actual outlets for. Sermons, (more)
Yesterday we released the third instalment of Paul's Gamble. The web series is to be released in 12 weekly parts and explores the contentious nature of gambling. (warning - spoilers below)
Last week I made use of my first ever Groupon purchase - a one hour session in a floatation tank. My understanding was that such experiences centre around sensory deprivation - no sight, no sound, no smell... the body is kept buoyant by a salt solution, heated to human body temperature, which nullifies the effects of gravity and creates the sensation of weightless floating.
Experiential interventions (systems designed to improve the quality of experience for an individual) can essentially be split into two groups. One is an event – something that occupies a specific period in time and most likely a particular place, or context. The other is a passive effect and can change an individual’s perception of their circumstances, and thus the actions they commit...
The extended 2011-'12 run of immersive theatre experience You Me Bum Bum Train (YMBBT) has now finished. This means it's now pretty much okay to talk about what happens during a show. Whilst it was still running it was definitely, definitely NOT okay to talk about it. If you've plans to attend a future performance and don't know anything about the overall format you may not want to read on...
Sam and I recently discussed comfort and it’s impact on the way we live our lives; we are beginning a wider project that will explore it further. The recording was done to document our ideas and “possibly to share”, which has become “to share”.
Today we launched This Is Why You're Festive, a combined advent calendar and high-street sandwich review blog. The premise is as follows:...
It’s probably best to get the “Variety is the spice of life” axiom out of the way as soon as possible. But like most hackneyed phrases, it’s still observably true, and appropriately this is especially applicable with food. Meals are significant daily experiential events, and their consumption is analogous to other sensory stimulating activities. The argument for this post is as follows: the difference in flavour between mouthfuls is arguably as important as the quality of flavours themselves. It’s a contentious idea, perhaps. But can you imagine eating a piece of mackerel immediately after a mouthful of toffee? Or a slice of liver after a (more)
It might be ten years old and I’m definitely guilty of being that amount out of date, but Janet Cardiff’s audio tour at the Whitechapel gallery, The Missing Voice (Case Study B), is an enchanting aural dream through the back streets of Whitechapel and Brick Lane. In no way obsessed with historical details but instead a journey into the memories of the female narrator and the sounds of East London. Cardiff’s work is filmic. The girl with the red hair, the overtones (and they are overtones not subtle or implied) of crime and romance. The beauty lies in the tension (more)
