Eight months without writing. Eight months without any striking news…
Did anything happen which could have fueled a sudden urge to communicate about it?
Indeed, what can be said apart from the expected wailing which won’t allow us to go ahead…
On August 30th, an article by Guillaume Duval, editor of the French monthly magazine “Alternatives Economiques” said : « The economic situation does not stand any chance of getting back on its feet within the next few months. »
What does this mean : how do you get an economic situation “back on its feet”? How do you make an economy “recover”?
Are we dealing with a kind of disease? A kind of weather or geological phenomenon?
How can the recovery be triggered? Can it happen spontaneously? If not, what are the primary conditions?
Who will take part in it? The “others”? Politicians? Manufacturers? All of us?
All of this is so depressing that it is no use talking about it. Let us not talk either about the fact that a big part of the Industry (particularly in France) has comitted suicide and that words such as “imagination” and “enthusiasm” have become obsolete. Too sad really…
Let us not talk either about product design, our job, which has been supported for years by remarkabale people such as Roger Tallon, Dieter Ram, Marco Zanusso… who were mixing creativity with social vitality. Design, today is a meaningless word, misused in all sorts of situations, and for what use?
Is it the same situation everywhere? Of course not.
In some countries, money sometimes replaces ideas. A feeling of activity is generated because everything and anything is affordable, including design ( in China of course). But if you want to go back to the real meaning, the real substance of design, a huge task lies ahead, if it can ever be undertaken! (Haven’t we been aiming for this in Europe for the last 50 years).
Let us not talk either about all these industrialists, these company-killers (e.g Caddie’s recent collapse) who call you for a project and arrogantly judge your abilities : you will never meet their super requirements, but do they see their own inadequacies?
Let’s not talk about all this… otherwise we’ll write a novel about it.
OK, I’m stopping here, it’s depressing.
Meanwhile, let’s get on, let’s rack our brains and hopefully quickly come back with some GOOD NEWS.
