Two weeks ago I made my way from the Gold Coast to Sydney for Semi-Permanent 2010.  I commute to Brisbane quite a lot so I could quite easily have waited until the Brisbane event, but the line up for Sydney seemed too good to risk waiting until Brisbane's line up are announced.  The extra expense was worth it.

I'm quite a nervous type, though apparently I hide it quite well.  Being surrounded by people I don't know terrifies me so going to a design event like this was incredibly intimidating.  Between the stress of worrying about Jetstar fuck-ups, not knowing exactly where I needed to go and then only just arriving on time because somehow (and I have no idea how because I promise, I'm quite bright really) I managed to get confused by the one hour time difference, I arrived feeling a little on edge.  I have no clue why I get so nervous - my eccentricities are rarely based on any rationale.  The majority of attendees were not at all intimidating and consisted mostly of students, many of whom (though not all I must say) seemed to treat the two days like a fashion show in which they were attempting to out do one another with their attire.

That said, once I my bum was firmly placed in my seat, every single speaker made me forget that I was alone in my least favourite Australian city and reminded me why I was there - to immerse myself in a world of creatives and escape the demands and realities of everyday work.

The Semi-Permanent organisers did a fantastic job of bringing together a group of speakers whose artistic range was incredibly diverse.  Such diversity could have resulted in several bored moments sitting through presentations that had no relation to your chosen area of design.  Instead, every speaker managed to capture my attention in one way or another.  From photographers to illustration artists, from advertising to the world of magazine publishing, the majority of speakers communicated in a way that resonated.  For me, however, there were two stand outs; Ashley Gilbertson, and Jessica Hische.

Photography is something I've always had a deep appreciation for, but that I've always failed at spectacularly.  The idea of taking a camera anywhere feels quite unnatural to me, and I'm even more uncomfortable when I'm in front of a lens.  It just doesn't feel like a natural extension of myself, so I admire those who make it so.  Presenting at the end of the first day, Ashley Gilbertson's presentation came with the warning that the imagery may be distressing, and distressing it was, but stunningly so.

As a photojournalist, Gilbertson is known for capturing scenes of war particularly from Iraq and Afghanistan, so confronting images were to be expected. Most confronting for me though, were those with no dead bodies, no blood, no weapons.  Gilbertson's recent project, Bedrooms of the Fallen, consists of a series of black and white photos of the bedrooms of deceased soldiers, hauntingly preserved as though their return is imminent.  A heartfelt narrative made the images all the more powerful, and his honesty, frankness and ability to professionally communicate without disguising his emotions had me in tears.  This might seem an obvious reaction, but his determination to see something more done for the families left behind, and for soldiers who do return was what really struck me.  He spoke about the detachment of civilians from the casualties of war, highlighting the lack of ongoing support for devastated families, and the even greater need for continued support for sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder.  

If you consider PTSD, you'd likely think about the rate of suicide amongst soldiers upon their return - far more soldiers commit suicide on return than have been killed in combat to date.  Eerie photographs show fathers mourning the loss of a son, friends maintaining shrines in remembrance of soldiers whose severe PTSD led to suicide, but they also show consequences of the disorder that most would never consider.  A deserted car park in America where a soldier was shot dead by other American soldiers suffering from PTSD.  A street where a couple were killed by a group of returned soldiers.  PTSD doesn't only make victims out of soldiers, nor does it limit it's victims to the families of those who commit suicide,  it can affect anyone, no matter how detached they think they are from war.  It begs the question of why more isn't being done to care for the mental health of those that have volunteered to protect their nation.  Wherever your opinions lies in regards to war, Gilbertson's work is provoking.  He seemed (though this is merely my interpretation) to show signs of embarrassment that some of his images were not photographically ideal in terms of composition, lighting and so on.  Personally I think they're all the more powerful for such 'imperfections.' They're real, and it's a reality that ought to be faced.

I think of a design crush as an appreciation and/or admiration for a particular designers work, not the person themselves.  A certain amount of green-eyed envy may also be involved, a healthy amount providing a great motivation to better oneself, whereas an unhealthy amount might lead to flat out jealousy and tall-poppy syndrome.  

Over the past year or so my perfectionist tendencies have developed into a burgeoning love for typography so I was looking forward to the second speaker of the day, and developing design crush, Jessica Hische.  Having found a niche within the typography world, Hische is fast becoming a household name in the design community and with good reason.  Her work tends to have a vintage feel, whilst maintaining a timelessness that prevents her work from becoming a part of the passing fads.  Hische's ability to manipulate type from a mere tool for communication into a beautiful creation in it's own right is incredible (her Daily Drop Cap project is a stunning example of this).  I could go on and on about her work, but that would probably be at the risk of sounding like a bit of a crazy person, so you should probably have a look at her lovely website and perhaps then you'll understand why her work is beginning to fall into the category of 'design crush.'

Any design event has the potential to either fall a bit short, or leave you feeling overwhelmed with self-depreciating thoughts, wondering if you'll ever be good enough.  2010's Semi-Permanent, however, left me with the perfect amount of inspiration to want to keep bettering my skills.  Occasionally I forget that I spent 4 years studying product design, moulding my mind to approach projects as a three-dimensional product designer (it's further removed from what I do today than you'd imagine).  As such I am usually my own worst critic, judging myself against my peers as though I have been immersed in this world for as long as they have.  I know that I can't go back in time and choose to spend those four years studying something directly related to web or graphic design, and to be frank, I wouldn't do it any differently if I could.  At times it can be frustrating but for the most part I love that I approach jobs with a different mindset - who knows, perhaps that will help to set me apart from the crowd.  Those two days in Sydney demonstrated how every single creative person gets to where they want to be via a different route, and generally speaking that is what has made them as successful as they are today, and ultimately that's why Semi-Permanent made me feel inspired.

Submit your comment