A-case-of-mistaken-identity - Revision history

Hd-onions at 20:09, 17 November 2022

2022-11-17T20:09:41Z

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	<div class="hide-from-book scriptothek">		<div class="hide-from-book scriptothek">
	[[File:abake-project-swap.jpg\|thumb\|class=title_image\|åbäke's Workshop assignment "A Case of Mistaken Identity," 2010]]		[[File:abake-project-swap.jpg\|thumb\|class=title_image\|åbäke's Workshop assignment "A Case of Mistaken Identity," 2010]]
	[[File:brief_Le-Magnifique_Avventure.jpg\|thumb\|Prompt “Le Magnifique Avventure,” Yaïr Barelli, Maki Suzuki, 2012]]		[[File:brief_Le-Magnifique_Avventure-horizontal.jpg\|thumb\|Prompt “Le Magnifique Avventure,” Yaïr Barelli, Maki Suzuki, 2012]]
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Hd-onions at 18:09, 10 November 2022

2022-11-10T18:09:09Z

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	<div class="article A_case_of_mistaken_identity layout-1" id="A_case_of_mistaken_identity">		<div class="article A_case_of_mistaken_identity layout-1" id="A_case_of_mistaken_identity">

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	[[File:abake-project-swap.jpg\|thumb\|class=title_image\|åbäke's Workshop assignment "A Case of Mistaken Identity," 2010]]		[[File:abake-project-swap.jpg\|thumb\|class=title_image\|åbäke's Workshop assignment "A Case of Mistaken Identity," 2010]]
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	<div class="hide-from-book scriptothek">		<div class="hide-from-book scriptothek">
			[[File:abake-project-swap.jpg\|thumb\|class=title_image\|åbäke's Workshop assignment "A Case of Mistaken Identity," 2010]]
	[[File:brief_Le-Magnifique_Avventure.jpg\|thumb\|Prompt “Le Magnifique Avventure,” Yaïr Barelli, Maki Suzuki, 2012]]		[[File:brief_Le-Magnifique_Avventure.jpg\|thumb\|Prompt “Le Magnifique Avventure,” Yaïr Barelli, Maki Suzuki, 2012]]
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Hd-onions at 13:22, 3 November 2022

2022-11-03T13:22:57Z

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	===A case of mistaken identity===		===A case of mistaken identity===
	<span class="author">~~A conversation between~~ Maki Suzuki and Anja Groten </span>		<span class="author">An Exchange Between Maki Suzuki and Anja Groten </span>

	:In August 2022, I, Anja Groten, reached out to Maki Suzuki, a member of the collective åbäke, with the request to republish an assignment I had received from him and Kajsa Ståhl at the workshop "A Case of Mistaken Identity,” held at the Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam, 2010. I have kept this document with me ever since. My request sparked the following conversation.		:In August 2022, I, Anja Groten, reached out to Maki Suzuki, a member of the collective åbäke, with the request to republish an assignment I had received from him and Kajsa Ståhl at the workshop "A Case of Mistaken Identity,” held at the Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam, 2010. I have kept this document with me ever since. My request sparked the following conversation.

Hd-onions at 20:24, 2 November 2022

2022-11-02T20:24:10Z

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	::::'''AG:''' Thank you, Maki!		::::'''AG:''' Thank you, Maki!

	<small> Maki Suzuki (FR) is the co-founder of Åbäke, a transdisciplinary graphic design collective founded in 2000 with Patrick Lacey (UK), Benjamin Reichen (FR), Kajsa Ståhl (SE) in London, England. </small>		::<small> '''Maki Suzuki''' (FR) is the co-founder of Åbäke, a transdisciplinary graphic design collective founded in 2000 with Patrick Lacey (UK), Benjamin Reichen (FR), Kajsa Ståhl (SE) in London, England. </small>

	[[File:brief_Le-Magnifique_Avventure.jpg\|class=wide_image\|thumb\|Prompt “Le Magnifique Avventure,” Yaïr Barelli, Maki Suzuki, 2012]]		[[File:brief_Le-Magnifique_Avventure.jpg\|class=wide_image\|thumb\|Prompt “Le Magnifique Avventure,” Yaïr Barelli, Maki Suzuki, 2012]]
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Hd-onions at 20:18, 2 November 2022

2022-11-02T20:18:59Z

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	<div class="hide-from-book scriptothek">		<div class="hide-from-book scriptothek">
	[[File:brief_Le-Magnifique_Avventure.jpg\|thumb\|~~Caption~~]]		[[File:brief_Le-Magnifique_Avventure.jpg\|thumb\|Prompt “Le Magnifique Avventure,” Yaïr Barelli, Maki Suzuki, 2012]]
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Hd-onions at 20:18, 2 November 2022

2022-11-02T20:18:01Z

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	<div class="article A_case_of_mistaken_identity layout-1" id="A_case_of_mistaken_identity">		<div class="article A_case_of_mistaken_identity layout-1" id="A_case_of_mistaken_identity">
	[[File:abake-project-swap.jpg\|thumb\|class=title_image\|~~Caption~~]]		[[File:abake-project-swap.jpg\|thumb\|class=title_image\|åbäke's Workshop assignment "A Case of Mistaken Identity," 2010]]

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	:'''AG:''' Do you have any other workshop scripts you'd like to share?		:'''AG:''' Do you have any other workshop scripts you'd like to share?

	~~[[File:brief_Le-Magnifique_Avventure.jpg\|class=wide_image\|thumb\|Caption]]~~

	::'''AG:''' Thank you, thank you! I was wondering about the collaboration with Yaïr Barelli on "Le Magnifique Avventure.” It was your first collaboration together, right? You had not worked together in that way before? I am asking because I feel that organizing a workshop together is a nice way to get to know each other and to start collaborating. Did your collaboration continue afterwards?		::'''AG:''' Thank you, thank you! I was wondering about the collaboration with Yaïr Barelli on "Le Magnifique Avventure.” It was your first collaboration together, right? You had not worked together in that way before? I am asking because I feel that organizing a workshop together is a nice way to get to know each other and to start collaborating. Did your collaboration continue afterwards?
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	<small> Maki Suzuki (FR) is the co-founder of Åbäke, a transdisciplinary graphic design collective founded in 2000 with Patrick Lacey (UK), Benjamin Reichen (FR), Kajsa Ståhl (SE) in London, England. </small>		<small> Maki Suzuki (FR) is the co-founder of Åbäke, a transdisciplinary graphic design collective founded in 2000 with Patrick Lacey (UK), Benjamin Reichen (FR), Kajsa Ståhl (SE) in London, England. </small>

	~~<references />~~		[[File:brief_Le-Magnifique_Avventure.jpg\|class=wide_image\|thumb\|Prompt “Le Magnifique Avventure,” Yaïr Barelli, Maki Suzuki, 2012]]
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Juju: /* A case of mistaken identity */

2022-11-02T15:05:28Z

A case of mistaken identity

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:05, 2 November 2022
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	::::'''AG:''' Thank you, Maki!		::::'''AG:''' Thank you, Maki!

	<small> Åbäke is a transdisciplinary graphic design collective, founded in 2000 by Patrick Lacey (UK), Benjamin Reichen (FR), Kajsa Ståhl (SE) ~~and Maki Suzuki (FR)~~ in London, England~~, after meeting at the Royal College of Art~~. </small>		<small> Maki Suzuki (FR) is the co-founder of Åbäke, a transdisciplinary graphic design collective founded in 2000 with Patrick Lacey (UK), Benjamin Reichen (FR), Kajsa Ståhl (SE) in London, England. </small>

	<references />		<references />
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Juju: /* A case of mistaken identity */

2022-11-02T14:48:02Z

A case of mistaken identity

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:48, 2 November 2022
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	::::'''AG:''' Thank you, Maki!		::::'''AG:''' Thank you, Maki!

			<small> Åbäke is a transdisciplinary graphic design collective, founded in 2000 by Patrick Lacey (UK), Benjamin Reichen (FR), Kajsa Ståhl (SE) and Maki Suzuki (FR) in London, England, after meeting at the Royal College of Art. </small>

	<references />		<references />
	</div>		</div>

Juju: /* A case of mistaken identity */

2022-11-02T10:10:47Z

A case of mistaken identity

Hd-onions: /* A case of mistaken identity */

2022-10-31T08:41:11Z

A case of mistaken identity

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	===A case of mistaken identity===		===A case of mistaken identity===
	~~==== Reactivating a workshop assignment ====~~

	<span class="author">A conversation between Maki Suzuki and Anja Groten </span>		<span class="author">A conversation between Maki Suzuki and Anja Groten </span>

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	:'''Anja Groten:''' Twelve years ago, in 2010, we met at a workshop in Amsterdam. I recently reached out to you with a remnant from that encounter, an A4 workshop assignment that you handed out to a group of design students at the Sandberg Design Department. I’ve kept this paper with me, stacked in a pile of pedagogical documents consisting of how-tos, scores, assignments, gameplays, and installation manuals. This pile is an important resource for me and it holds all kinds of stories. I would like to open up the story box of this one particular workshop assignment with you. So, to begin: Do you still host workshops? What do you think about the ambiguous format of the “workshop,” and its role and function for art and design education as well as for collective practices, such as H&D and åbäke?		:'''Anja Groten:''' Twelve years ago, in 2010, we met at a workshop in Amsterdam. I recently reached out to you with a remnant from that encounter, an A4 workshop assignment that you handed out to a group of design students at the Sandberg Design Department. I’ve kept this paper with me, stacked in a pile of pedagogical documents consisting of how-tos, scores, assignments, gameplays, and installation manuals. This pile is an important resource for me and it holds all kinds of stories. I would like to open up the story box of this one particular workshop assignment with you. So, to begin: Do you still host workshops? What do you think about the ambiguous format of the “workshop,” and its role and function for art and design education as well as for collective practices, such as H&D and åbäke?

	::'''Maki Suzuki:''' Kajsa has stepped back from teaching for now but I have kept up this practice. After teaching for seven years at RCA, another seven at HEAD Geneva, and five at Open School East, I finally realized that the week-long workshop is my favorite format. As to your question about its role in art and design education, I think it depends; the workshop can be anything from a confusingly vague system to a brilliant flux of energy in a diverse curriculum. Some schools possibly have too many workshops, while others have too few. I think it is always complementary to have the curriculum of regular teachers setting up year-long programs offering longer term support for student's study trajectories. I have lost patience and fire on this and prefer the sprint-like workshop with its near immediate deadline to fuel a positive boost. The workshop you mentioned is key in my practice of workshops, which we started being invited to host almost immediately after graduating from RCA, meaning that we were then not much older than the students we met in those early years. Until 2012, our workshop briefs were written contextually to what we thought we knew of the hosting school, or the parameters we were made aware of. For instance, in Valence, we knew the school was close to a fascinating architectural oddity—Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval—so we made sure to include a bicycle trip to the place. At Jan Van Eyck, the workshop took place on labor day, so we proposed a reflection on the concept of the “three-eight” (eight hours of work, eight hours of rest, eight hours of leisure). In St Etienne, we knew there would be a large group of eighty students, so we proposed a workshop about power structures, uniforms, and democratic decisions.		::'''Maki Suzuki:''' Kajsa has stepped back from teaching for now but I have kept up this practice. After teaching for seven years at RCA, another seven at HEAD Geneva, and five at Open School East, I finally realized that [[#Interfacial-Workout\|the week-long workshop]] is my favorite format. As to your question about its role in art and design education, I think it depends; the workshop can be anything from a confusingly vague system to a brilliant flux of energy in a diverse curriculum. Some schools possibly have too many workshops, while others have too few. I think it is always complementary to have the curriculum of regular teachers setting up year-long programs offering longer term support for student's study trajectories. I have lost patience and fire on this and prefer the sprint-like workshop with its near immediate deadline to fuel a positive boost. The workshop you mentioned is key in my practice of workshops, which we started being invited to host almost immediately after graduating from RCA, meaning that we were then not much older than the students we met in those early years. Until 2012, our workshop briefs were written contextually to what we thought we knew of the hosting school, or the parameters we were made aware of. For instance, in Valence, we knew the school was close to a fascinating architectural oddity—Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval—so we made sure to include a bicycle trip to the place. At Jan Van Eyck, the workshop took place on labor day, so we proposed a reflection on the concept of the “three-eight” (eight hours of work, eight hours of rest, eight hours of leisure). In St Etienne, we knew there would be a large group of eighty students, so we proposed a workshop about power structures, uniforms, and democratic decisions.

	::'''AG:''' This question of workshop momentum is really interesting. Workshops as temporal collectives can create momentum, and disrupt routines and conventional ways of doing and making. But I also recognize what you said about workshop fatigue. I like that you speak in terms of thresholds. Speaking as someone who regularly hosts/participates in workshops there is a moment when there are too many workshops, or the workshops become too long. And there are definitely moments that I feel too exhausted to host and join them as well. I seldom do full-week workshops. This happens perhaps once a year, when three or four of us from H&D get a chance to hang out in an unusual place together for a full week without distraction, which is difficult to arrange with the fullness of our day-to-day schedules. So while we might be invited with the intent to distract people from their daily routines, for us, an external invitation to host a workshop is actually a way to sustain some form of continuity. During such workshops we often build on something that someone from the collective has experimented with in past workshops—perhaps an experimental publishing tool, or a Wi-Fi module that can be hacked and repurposed, or a battery-powered toy that can become a drawing tool. Often these technical experiments and prompts have been pieced together by a set of people from the collective and are then picked up by another group and continued. Existing documentation is tweaked and improved, while being grounded in the respective workshop environment. Working in this way, asynchronously and in a decentralized manner, is also a way of strengthening collective ties.		::'''AG:''' This question of workshop momentum is really interesting. Workshops as temporal collectives can create momentum, and disrupt [[#Spreadsheet Routines\|routines]] and conventional ways of doing and making. But I also recognize what you said about workshop fatigue. I like that you speak in terms of thresholds. Speaking as someone who regularly hosts/participates in workshops there is a moment when there are too many workshops, or the workshops become too long. And there are definitely moments that I feel too exhausted to host and join them as well. I seldom do full-week workshops. This happens perhaps once a year, when three or four of us from H&D get a chance to hang out in an unusual place together for a full week without distraction, which is difficult to arrange with the fullness of our day-to-day schedules. So while we might be invited with the intent to distract people from their daily routines, for us, an external invitation to host a workshop is actually a way to sustain some form of continuity. During such workshops we often build on something that someone from the collective has experimented with in past workshops—perhaps an [[#Interfacial-Workout\|experimental publishing tool]], or a Wi-Fi module that can be hacked and repurposed, or a battery-powered toy that can become a drawing tool. Often these technical experiments and prompts have been pieced together by a set of people from the collective and are then picked up by another group and continued. Existing documentation is tweaked and improved, while being grounded in the respective workshop environment. Working in this way, asynchronously and in a decentralized manner, is also a way of strengthening collective ties.

	:::'''MS:''' Yaïr and I are interested in how the supposed distraction of how, for example, someone performing a text that was written on a roundabout and surrounded by cars, can have consequences for a student studying jewellery, and how those methods can be translated from one field to another.		:::'''MS:''' Yaïr and I are interested in how the supposed distraction of how, for example, someone performing a text that was written on a roundabout and surrounded by cars, can have consequences for a student studying jewellery, and how those methods can be translated from one field to another.
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	::'''MS:''' In 2012, I was invited to do a week-long workshop to which I invited choreographer artist Yaïr Barelli to participate in something we named “Le Magnifique Avventure.” We decided to extend the workshop hours to last the full week—including nights—from Monday morning to Friday evening. The driving force was guided by the individual wishes of the participants, and realized collectively. The first edition involved a whole group of students and two tutors walking around Leman lake in the Alps. One student suggested we repeat this every year, and we have done so ever since, for ten years running, with different institutions and self-initiated contexts.		::'''MS:''' In 2012, I was invited to do a week-long workshop to which I invited choreographer artist Yaïr Barelli to participate in something we named “Le Magnifique Avventure.” We decided to extend the workshop hours to last the full week—including nights—from Monday morning to Friday evening. The driving force was guided by the individual wishes of the participants, and realized collectively. The first edition involved a whole group of students and two tutors walking around Leman lake in the Alps. One student suggested we repeat this every year, and we have done so ever since, for ten years running, with different institutions and self-initiated contexts.

	:::'''AG:''' Yes! I read the script in the book ''Taking a Line for a Walk'' (eds. Nina Paim and Emilia Bergmark). Such a good brief! It also makes me think of the ways in which you situate workshops, as you say, in a location, community, or according to the vibe of a group. It requires quite an open mind as well as generosity, a sincere interest in the specific context and that you—as the workshop host—are also a guest in that context. Scripting a workshop does not really work with such an approach. I’d imagine it requires being in the moment.		:::'''AG:''' Yes! I read the script in the book ''Taking a Line for a Walk'' (eds. Nina Paim and Emilia Bergmark). Such a good brief! It also makes me think of the ways in which you situate workshops, as you say, in a location, community, or according to the vibe of a group. It requires quite an open mind as well as generosity, a sincere interest in the specific context and that you—as the workshop host—are also a guest in that context. [[#Re- and Un- Defining Tools\|Scripting a workshop]] does not really work with such an approach. I’d imagine it requires being in the moment.

	:::I assume your approach also only works with active participation. There is no possibility to engage at 50% as a participant. It requires commitment from all sides, as you said. Have there been instances when this was not working?		:::I assume your approach also only works with active participation. There is no possibility to engage at 50% as a participant. It requires commitment from all sides, as you said. Have there been instances when this was not working?

	::::'''MS:''' Absolutely, it’s not for everyone. In the first edition we didn’t need to specify this as our workshop was one option out of seventeen that the students could choose from. We are now very careful to mention that this cannot be a mandatory workshop. That being said, I am typing this while having breakfast in a hotel in Pristina after an intense week-long workshop with graphic design students of EKA Tallinn. It was mandatory for the first years and an option for the second years. Everyone came. We organized a road trip from Estonia to Kosovo where we were granted a slot in the lecture program of REDO. The aim of the trip itself was to generate content for a performance that took place yesterday, accompanied by a publication, which was printed on the road; merchandise; and other texts and songs. We became a circus, a band. It’s still fresh but I recall there being a human pyramid, songs played on the guitar, belly dancing on stage. I love that these people were brave enough to perform just after Laurenz Brunner. Performing is unusual in the practice and study of graphic design and discomfort is an element I welcome in these contexts. Failure is essential to work through.		::::'''MS:''' Absolutely, it’s not for everyone. In the first edition we didn’t need to specify this as our workshop was one option out of seventeen that the students could choose from. We are now very careful to mention that this cannot be a mandatory workshop. That being said, I am typing this while having breakfast in a hotel in Pristina after an intense week-long workshop with graphic design students of EKA Tallinn. It was mandatory for the first years and an option for the second years. Everyone came. We organized a road trip from Estonia to Kosovo where we were granted a slot in the lecture program of REDO. The aim of the trip itself was to generate content for a performance that took place yesterday, accompanied by a publication, which was printed on the road; merchandise; and other texts and songs. We became a circus, a band. It’s still fresh but I recall there being a human pyramid, songs played on the guitar, belly dancing on stage. I love that these people were brave enough to perform just after Laurenz Brunner. [[#Interfacial-Workout\|Performing]] is unusual in the practice and study of graphic design and discomfort is an element I welcome in these contexts. Failure is essential to work through.

	::::An art school is by definition a paradoxical educational context. Am I wrong to think that during our studies we are gradually learning not to do what we are being taught, and instead bloom into a practice that questions the very foundations of our education, as well as the courage to find one’s voice?		::::An art school is by definition a paradoxical educational context. Am I wrong to think that during our studies we are gradually [[#Learning to Experiment, Sharing Techniques\|learning not to do]] what we are being taught, and instead bloom into a practice that questions the very foundations of our education, as well as the courage to find one’s voice?

	:'''AG:''' If so, in what contexts do you host workshops, how frequently, and what do you like about hosting workshops?		:'''AG:''' If so, in what contexts do you host workshops, how frequently, and what do you like about hosting workshops?
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	:::'''AG:''' Yes, and it is often only in retrospect that a workshop starts to resonate with its participants, the memory and residual effects of this shared moment. In the case of your workshop at Sandberg, we obviously had a good time. It was productive and fun and interesting. But afterwards, too, it was frequently referred to by students, and it has continued to shape up, influencing everyone’s projects and learning situations.		:::'''AG:''' Yes, and it is often only in retrospect that a workshop starts to resonate with its participants, the memory and residual effects of this shared moment. In the case of your workshop at Sandberg, we obviously had a good time. It was productive and fun and interesting. But afterwards, too, it was frequently referred to by students, and it has continued to shape up, influencing everyone’s projects and learning situations.

	:::While studying in art and design schools, students are approached as individuals—rather than as a collective. They are assessed as individuals, receive individual student numbers, individual key cards, work on individual research projects, write individual theses. The A4 handout "A Case of Mistaken Identity" reminds me of this powerful moment of being given permission to approach and apply myself actively in the work of others, and simultaneously being able to hand over the burden of my individual project. How do you feel about the role of collective practices within the history of design and design education? What inspired and enabled you to work collectively within a field that is still rather occupied with individual signature / authorship / iconographies?		:::While studying in art and design schools, students are approached as individuals—rather than as a [[#Across Distance and Difference\|collective]]. They are assessed as individuals, receive individual student numbers, individual key cards, work on individual research projects, write individual theses. The A4 handout "A Case of Mistaken Identity" reminds me of this powerful moment of being given permission to approach and apply myself actively in the work of others, and simultaneously being able to hand over the burden of my individual project. How do you feel about the role of collective practices within the history of design and design education? What inspired and enabled you to work collectively within a field that is still rather occupied with individual signature / authorship / iconographies?

	::::'''MS:''' I am part of a collective and have been since I graduated. However, you will have noticed I no longer use the collective "we" as the four of us who make up åbäke mostly work independently (we live in London, Stockholm, and Copenhagen). Ten years ago, we were part of a group show in which we explored the different collectives we were or had been involved with.“The Inventory of Aliases” was a residency at Somerset House during which we had moved our entire studio for a couple of weeks to the gallery and changed the setting and activities every day according to the different collectives we participated in (this was fourteen at the time). Today I enjoy being part of temporary collectives, those that last sometimes for no longer than a week-long period, while others have lasted years. Ultimately, I feel this is true of each project and includes all participants such as curators, producers, printers, advisors, designers, anyone met during the research, etc.		::::'''MS:''' I am part of a collective and have been since I graduated. However, you will have noticed I no longer use the collective "we" as the four of us who make up åbäke mostly work independently (we live in London, Stockholm, and Copenhagen). Ten years ago, we were part of a group show in which we explored the different collectives we were or had been involved with.“The Inventory of Aliases” was a residency at Somerset House during which we had moved our entire studio for a couple of weeks to the gallery and changed the setting and activities every day according to the different collectives we participated in (this was fourteen at the time). Today I enjoy being part of temporary collectives, those that last sometimes for no longer than a week-long period, while others have lasted years. Ultimately, I feel this is true of each project and includes all participants such as curators, producers, printers, advisors, designers, anyone met during the research, etc.