The Multi-Disciple

The Multi-Disciple’ is a textile/metal installation accompanied by a manifesto I wrote. The description of the manifesto goes: “Something’s rotten in the state of graphic design, as it is in the whole breadth of the creative field, as it is in the state of the world; what constitutes a good career, a good life is no longer clear. ‘The Multi-Disciple’ is an effort to deal with these circumstances, to make sense of them and hammer out a new view, a new state.

With my spectrum of creativity, ­crafter-designer-artist, and Hannah Arendt’s three basic human activities,­ labor- work-interaction, I attempt to figure out what a ­creative’s way to live can be, what the meaning of ­creating is, and how we can balance the three activities within our ­life’s ­profession. This manifesto is not about ­design. It’s about the world. It can apply to everyone, if they let it. This ­manifesto is a plea for an equitable, ­collaborative view on life and ­creation: the view of ‘The Multi-­Disciple’.”

The manifesto combines philosophical analysis of life and art with more practical, material realities of being a crafter-designer-artist. It is 76 pages and for sale for around 7-10 euros, so it is very accessible for all to read. In the installation itself there is also a book stand where it can be read for free.

The installation features (besides the book stand) six welded metal frames with unbleached cotton panels hung with tiny magnets. The panels are themed after the main chapters in the manifesto: labor, work, interaction, crafter, designer, artist. Each have a screenprint and a foilprint on them, with an image that relates thematically and a few keywords bordering that are meant to invite visitors to want to learn more about the project and read the manifesto.