AN INVESTIGATION INTO COLLABORATION AND …...5 6 A Murmuration of Starlings in Reference to Utopian...

AN INVESTIGATION INTO COLLABORATION AND ITS RELATION TO THE IDEA OF A UTOPIA.- CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR GROWTH, A MANIFESTO.

LAWRENCE DAYKIN // 1100092GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION // YEAR THREE

EXTENDED ESSAY // SUPPORTED BY REFLECTION & INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Table of Contents

Abstract 1

Introduction 2

Part One: Exploring the History, Theory & Philosophy of Collaboration

and Utopia. 3

An Introduction to Collaboration 3

An Introduction to Utopia 4

A Murmuration of Starlings in Reference to Utopian Communities 5

Part Two: The Commercial World 7

The Conventional Hierarchy of Business 7

Agents of Change 8

Case Study

Airside 9

Part Three: Collaboration in Practice 11

The Double Act 11

The Ideation of Social Space 13

Interviews & Discussions 14

Noel Douglas 14

Karen Reilly 15

Fred Deakin 17

Philip Langeskov 19

Personal Experiences 20

Conclusion 21

Creating the Conditions for Growth – A Manifesto 21

Bibliography 25

Table of Illustrations

Figure 1: Humphreys, O. (2011) A Murmuration of Starlings at Gretna in Scottish borders. Available from: <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/02/murmuration-starlets_n_1072687.html#s452006> [Accessed January 2014]Page 6

Figure 2: Deakin, F. / Airside. (2002) Lemon Jelly, Lost Horizons. Avaliable from: < http://www.patrickmurphystudio.co.uk/rev%20images/big/lemonjelly-lost%20horizons%20by%20airside.jpg> [Accessed January 2014]Page 10

Figure 3: Abramovic , M. & Ulay. (1977) Liege. Available from: <http://pomeranz-collection.com/sites/default/files/Abramovic_AAA_AAA_0.jpg> [Accessed January 2014]Page 12

Figure 4: The Butcher of Common Sense (2012) The Nine Butchers. [Accessed directly from Karen Reilly January 2014]Page 16

Figure 5: Deakin, F. / Airside. (2002) Fred Deakin and Nick Franglen. Available from: < http://fanart.tv/fanart/music/4cbbf0d6-6c78-4e3d-ab25-91b13603cf7c/artistthumb/lemon-jelly-5040a93e26d6f.jpg> [Accessed January 2014]Page 18

Figure 6: Daykin, L. (2014) Collaboration is in Flux. [Designed by Author]Pages 23 & 24

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Lawrence Daykin // An Investigation into Collaboration and its Relation to the Idea of a Utopia. Creating the Conditions for Growth - A Manifesto. // Lawrence Daykin

Abstract

This essay explains the journey of exploring collaboration through theory, industry research and reflective writing: culminating in an eleven-step manifesto to create the conditions for growth within collaboration.

In this report I will research progressive design studios such as: Valve, Airside, Pentagram and Pixar; discussing and experimenting with the nature of collaboration and my own personal experiences, as well as asking how we can take influence from the notion of a utopian society. My research will not solely focus around the world of design but also art, music, business and other areas I deem relevant for exploring the importance of collaboration. The essay will focus upon industry-based research, as well as reflection and theory, for this reason I have deemed it appropriate to label it as an extended essay.

By assessing the values of different business structures and relating them to real world case studies it will be interesting to see how this is reflected in utopian theories. The report is split into three parts: exploration of the history, theory and philosophies surrounding collaboration and utopia, the commercial world of collaboration and collaboration in practice.

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Introduction

“It’s very, very rare to find cases where somebody on their own, working alone, in a moment of sudden clarity has a great breakthrough that changes the world”(Steven Johnson, Author, In an interview with the Guardian, 2013)

Personal authorship is something that attracts many individuals to design; the notion of the sole architect is glorified; however it can be argued that creativity is almost invariably a collaborative process. Design has now become so complex that a networked or collaborative approach is often obligatory. Very few designers can master all the technical and creative disciplines needed to function as a 21st century practitioner; we have to share the load with others to a much greater degree than ever before.

Progressive studios such as Valve, Airside, Pentagram and Pixar have discovered that the collective approach is the most productive way.

From the main points in this report I aim to develop a manifesto for creating the conditions for growth. My work as an artist / practitioner revolves around the influence of others, in turn influencing them, creating a cycle whereby work is produced through the collection of several minds, no matter how big their influence. This I see as the perfect model for creativity.

“My idea of a perfect world really can't be designed by one person or even by a million experts. It's going to be seven billion pairs of hands, each following their own passions.” (Jay Silver, Inventor, TED Talk, 2013)

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Part One: Exploring the History, Theory & Philosophy of Collaboration and Utopia.

During part one of the report I shall explore where collaboration and the notion of a utopia begin to appear within the creative world. This will show the roots of collaboration and how they have progressed to form business and personal models within the modern world.

An Introduction to Collaboration

Collaboration has a history; arguably it goes back to the dawn of man, however possibly a more relevant time to begin this report would be the 17th century, the period of the Age of Enlightenment, a time that can be described as the emancipation of the human consciousness from an immature state of ignorance.

Of particular interest in this period are the emergence of the ‘coffee houses’, a place to drink tea, coffee and chocolate. The absence of alcohol generated an atmosphere in which it was possible to engage in more serious conversation, creating a space where people could mingle and swap ideas, a place where innovation could thrive.

These coffee houses of the 17th and 18th centuries were equivalent to the Internet in modern day society. While it can be said that the Internet is filling us with less sophisticated thoughts it could be debated that the great driver of technological innovation has been the historical increase in connectivity. The Internet is a medium of infinite connectivity, allowing us to collaborate not only with other people directly but with their ideas. The Internet allows us to connect with more sophisticated thoughts than ever before.

There is something extraordinary in the stimulation of several minds concentrated on a single problem, when ideas are coined, turned over, discarded, resurrected. Such interchanges are perhaps the most rewarding part of a designer’s daily life.

An Introduction to Utopia

Utopian: Celebrating the impossible – and therefore helping to make the impossible possible. (Noel Douglas, Occupy Design, Lecture at NUA, 2014)

A utopia is the ideation of a community or society with perfect qualities. It is important to note that it is considered unattainable or unsustainable however, some interesting models can be taken from it. A utopia can also be a personal aspiration: it would be a utopia to establish a form of perfect collaboration.

A personal manifestation of a utopia would be a non-hierarchical, non-capitalist community or collective; a place, space or collection where the main goal is not to make money but to exist in order to fulfil everyone’s individual aims. It is believed that everyone’s interpretation of the term would be different but containing common underlying themes.

“Utopia means elsewhere” (John Malkovich, In an interview with the New York Magazine, 2008)

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A Murmuration of Starlings in Reference to Utopian Communities

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 – 1834) was an English poet and philosopher who together with William Wordsworth founded the Romantic Movement in England, he was also devising an ideal community, a utopia, which he called Pantisocracy and, together with his fellow poet Robert Southey, planned to introduce the concept to America. The scheme called for a small group of educated individuals to give up their possessions and labor together for the common good. Few regulations would be necessary to govern the colony and decisions would be made so as to avoid any one man having more power than another. The Pantisocrats viewed their endeavor as not only a search for personal domestic peace, but also as an attempt to change the status quo in England.

On a coach journey from the Lake District to London in 1799 Coleridge took influence from a murmuration of starlings, creating a miraculous order instinctively. An object lesson, spelled out by nature herself, as to how human beings might happen to interact and cooperate; the mystery as to how thousands of creatures operated as a single entity.

“A towering organism was moving in perfect formation with no discernable leader, no president, it whooshed through the air at forty miles per hour, each bird reacted to another birds movement in one hundredth of a millisecond, they tumbled and banked in synchronised spacial symmetry, collision free. They moved like iron fillings drawn by a magnetic field to create their sophisticated aerial society. A society that flies instead of creeping along, suborned by natural pressures and alien orders and the flocks structure echoes the physics of magnetism with each particles electrons spin, aligning with its neighbors in symbiotic harmony like a metal entity becoming magnetised.” (Heathcote Williams, A Murmuration of Starlings)

These words by Heathcote Williams begin to describe how the murmuration of starlings are a beautiful metaphor for how a utopian society should work.

“It hints at the discovery of a universal principal which seems to tap into a natural order; physiological mechanism happening almost simultaneously in birds that are separated by hundreds of feet. Since they can mimic us with an unusual facility, it shouldn’t be too hard to mimic them.” (Heathcote Williams)

There are some examples of artists trying to mimic the starlings through such periods as the Arts & Crafts movement, an international design movement between 1860 and 1910. Arts & Crafts designers sought to improve standards of decorative design, believed to have been debased by mechanization, and to create environments in which beautiful and fine workmanship governed and would flourish. While the movement was born in England it also reached North America and was the catalyst for the formation of several utopian communities. To name a few; Rose Valley, Arden and the Byrdcliffe colony, these examples are communities collaborating to create work that benefits the community as a whole, they follow a horizontal or organic business model which is something which I will discuss further later in this report.

Figure 1: A Murmuration of Starlings.

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Part Two: The Commercial World

Within this section I will focus on present day models and how they reflect the idea of collaboration and a utopian framework. This theory will be seen in real life case studies of progressive companies creating change.

The Conventional Hierarchy of Business

When discussing collaborations there are certain business models that can be referenced: but in simple terms there are two opposing business structures, vertical and horizontal.

A vertical organization has a structure with power emanating from the top down. There's a well-defined chain of command within a vertical organization, and the person at the top of the organizational stack has the most power. Employees report to the person directly above them in the hierarchy. Each person is responsible for a specific area or set of duties. In my opinion this is the opposite of a collaborative experience, but on the other hand vertical organizations are efficient. They can make decisions quickly, because responsibility lies with people highest in the chain of command. Employees entering into a job have clearly defined duties and each position involves specialized tasks, with little need to learn new tasks and skills. However, vertical organizations can be rigid, with many rules. Some employees feel stifled by this kind of structure, or feel their input isn't important.

While this model would not be supported by that of a utopia it is still successful for some major agencies. The fundamental flaws to this model can be that they are not ‘person-centric’, they are inward facing and not a response to a community of people and therefore not supported by a utopian way of thinking where everyone is treated as an equal voice to please.

Agents of Change

The model for change, and a more collaborative approach is the horizontal model; a horizontal organization has a less-defined chain of command. Employees across lines have similar input into how the organization is run. Instead of each person having clearly defined duties, employees may work in teams, with everyone on the team having input. Employees may perform many different functions and may report to several supervisors, rather than a single boss. Project managers or team leaders report to a team of supervisors, with members of each team being essentially equal in terms of power.

Horizontal organizations have fewer rules and put more power in the hands of employees, which can increase employee satisfaction. Employees in a horizontal organization may have a stronger sense of identification with the company and its goals, feeling they are part of a team. This creates the perfect atmosphere for creativity to thrive.

Horizontal organizations can be less efficient, taking more time and resources to make decisions. Workers in horizontal organizations have to learn more skills, which can increase job stress, make the job more interesting, or both depending on the individual.

A great example of a horizontal business structure working within a creative environment is at the games design company, Valve.

“Imagine a company where everyone is equal and managers don't exist. A place where employees sit where they want, choose what to work on and decide each other's pay. Then, once a year, everyone goes on holiday together.” (Leo Kelion, BBC Technology Reporter, Valve: How going boss-free empowered the games-maker, 2013)

It could be said that Valve is an ‘organic organization’, a structure that is commonly desired but difficult to prove possible. It has a minimal hierarchy and specialization of functions. For an organization to achieve this workers should have equal levels, without job descriptions or classifications, communication is key here and should work in a hub-like network form. As Valve appears to demonstrate, an organic organization flourishes on the power of personalities and relationships, allowing them to react easily to changes in the industry, it could be described as the most adaptive form of organization.

The organic model states that decisions arise from the needs felt by individuals in the group, who propose changes to the group, either by discussion or by changing behavior or operations without discussion. The rest of the group adapt to the changes, as they need. The weakness of this model is that it requires co-operation and constant adjustment from all the members, however it is the model that best fits the description of a utopia.

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Case Study

Airside

Airside was founded in 1998 by three friends; Nat Hunter, Fred Deakin and Alex Maclean, all of whom had previously worked freelance. Originally looking for an inspiring space and a social atmosphere by inviting like-minded freelancers to share it with them. This would be under one name, to appear as one big company, meaning that when a potential client arrived, the way they related to the group would change.

The intention was to exist as a collective, sourcing inspiration from London design group Tomato who appeared to have a more democratic way to run a design studio compared to the traditional model.

“We never saw ourselves as directors and employees” (Nat Hunter, Airside, 2009)

Airside’s theory was that one person doing work in isolation limits the scale and the breadth of creative work; a process called the ‘Group Brain’ was used, whereby everyone’s ideas had equal validity. Removing the role of a creative director, this being a very ego driven role where everyone follows a set style. Working collaboratively has been proven to generate much higher level of quality control. In the past not using the ‘Group Brain’ always resulted in problems for Airside.

Alex Maclean describes this well, comparing Abundance Theory with Scarcity Theory: Scarcity Theory says, “tiny little cake – I’ll try and get as much as possible for myself”. Abundance Theory says, “there’s an unlimited amount of cake and let us help each other get as much of it as we like”.

There are no individual credits at Airside, no hierarchal structure. It is clearly a horizontal organization where group brain equals group authorship, and ‘Airside’ is always the credit.

Other companies who I have taken influence from include Pentagram, Droog and Pixar; who all demonstrate different levels of collaboration, whether it be by working within multiple practices and broadening possibilities or working as an organic organization. All can be seen as prime examples of collaborating on a large scale within the commercial world.

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Figure 2: Lemon Jelly, Lost Horizons by Airside.

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Part Three: Collaboration in Practice

The final part of this report will concern collaboration on a more personal level, meaning smaller examples of collaboration, the idea of space when collaboration is concerned and the opinions of professionals as well as my own. This will tie up the discussion by creating a broad manifesto toward creating the conditions for growth. This section will be written in a much more reflective manner, in order to talk much more personally about the subject and so as to set the scene for a personal manifesto.

The Double Act

The collaborative double is different in nature to the corporate collaboration. We see double acts like Marina Abramovic and Ulay. Gilbert & George, and Lennon & McCartney; in these examples two entities come together to form one, or a third greater more influential being. I will briefly mention the story of Marina and Ulay, a beautiful story of collaboration at its purest. By which I mean collaboration is in flux, it doesn’t always work perfectly, but in this instance there is a continual spark. Marina and Ulay were two performance artists who came together not only through their art but also in love. They started their love affair in the seventies and created much work together surrounding the subject of ego and artistic identity. In 1988 when they felt that their relationship had run its course they chose to perform together one last time. They would each walk from opposite ends along The Great Wall of China, when they finally met in the middle they would look at each other, embrace, and walk in opposite directions never to see each other again. Abramović conceived this walk in a dream, and it provided what she thought was an appropriate, romantic ending to a relationship full of mysticism, energy, and attraction. She later described the process: “We needed a certain form of ending, after this huge distance walking towards each other. It is very human. It is in a way more dramatic, more like a film ending … because in the end you are really alone, whatever you do.”

This separation lasted twenty-two years, until at her 2010 MoMa retrospective, Marina performed The Artist Is Present, in which she shared a period of silence with each stranger who sat in front of her. One of these strangers happened to be Ulay; a very poignant reunion for the double act. A very fitting story of two becoming one larger entity of work. A thing rather than two people. This has been seen in many other double acts, and similarly within the corporate world, (although it is much harder to achieve on a larger scale) I would consider the nature of becoming one entity a state of utopia, a desired conclusion to growth.

Figure 3: Marina & Ulay, Liege.

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Interviews & Discussions

In order to dig deeper into my journey with collaboration I conducted a series of interviews and discussions about collaboration to discover others experiences with it and also to share my own opinions. The very act of sharing and discussing my ideas with others is collaborating and the perfect form of primary research for this report.

Noel Douglas, Occupy Design (Thursday 16th January, 2014 @ NUA)

Noel Douglas, Activist, Designer and Teacher presented a lecture at the college on Thursday 16th January; he created the discussion of changing the current condition of our world through the medium of design. Issues such as Climate Change and the distribution of wealth were discussed. Occupy Design promotes change through design led protest; the actions of many people all wanting the same thing: change. After the lecture I took part in a discussion with him that focused on activism and the need for community in these actions for “only by building a group can you come up with alternatives solutions for the world”.

Other interesting points raised included statements such as; “without capitalism there is no innovation”, meaning that if capitalism is considered a negative system then innovations are created in order to combat this. This can definitely be considered a truth but it was his opinion that “innovation can only be created with others who share the same views”, it was my opinion that innovation can also spawn from creative tension, however collaboration must be present.

“…Your safety is in the collective… safety and strength in numbers… to be social is to survive…” (Noel Douglas, 2014)

The Ideation of Social Space

Space plays an important factor within collaboration, this space can be physical or virtual, a social space allows ideas to mingle and flow as previously discussed about the coffee houses of the 17th century. An excellent example of a modern day version of this is a coffee shop come workspace called The Rabbit Hole in Brisbane, Australia. An environment of collection and showcasing that encourages people to change their habits in how they approach creativity, productivity and general happiness. The Rabbit Hole connects talent and skills to other skills through being a social atmosphere in which to work. A simple idea which promotes collaboration and a manifestation of a utopia within a space where people work and share together in order to boost their practice.

Another example of a social collaborative space is the Berlin Artist houses (Kunsthaus Tacheles), a nine thousand square meter art centre. The building housed an artist collective, which by actively being within the same space and living and working socially together promoted creativity. Becoming the collective in Berlin instead of individuals within a space. This is a prime example of the space being just as important as the people within it.

These named spaces are great examples of space being an important factor within collaboration; in my personal experience spaces I have been part of have not always been suitable for promoting a collective attitude. While it is probably designed to suit these purposes university becomes a cold clinical environment that promotes individual development and not that of a group. It is my opinion that this should soon change in order to work along side the ever-changing economic and social climate. For no longer does one individual have the capability to create the world changing ideas, the power is with the collective, the ability to work together.

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Karen Reilly, The Butcher of Common Sense / The Neutrinos (Sunday 19th January, 2014 @ The Playhouse Bar)

The Butcher of Common Sense is an experiment in art and music, developed over a three-year period by a group of 9 artists instigated by the continuing explorations into music and performance in architecture by The Neutrinos and longterm visual artist collaborator Sal Pittman. This extraordinary project began with ten intensive days at Funkhaus Nalepastrassse, a defunct DDR radio station in Berlin, where they immersed themselves into these imposing surroundings to create a range of audio and visual art. They travelled to Berlin to find a new way of working, turning away from the conventional wisdom associated with composition and from this experience an album and a book were created, celebrating what can be created through collaboration.

So I sat down with Karen Riley, one of the nine Butchers and lead singer of The Neutrinos to talk about her experiences with collaboration. I also found myself sitting down with the Butcher himself and taking on his persona at times; so was the nature of our discussion. The Butcher of Common Sense is an entity that the nine artists have created, I learn that the Butcher is the self saboteur, he tells you to edit, chop and change the work you have created but at the same time tells you to question common sense, the norm. I suggested to Karen that, “It’s like having the angel and the devil on your shoulder”.

The discussion began by talking about music, and the process by which they created it. Karen described how there is no sole director or conductor, the song is king, and the song becomes the director. For example if you have a good guitar piece but it doesn’t work for the song, it doesn’t go in, you realise this because you’re working for the song, not for yourself. This shows that within collaboration, communication is key, you have to deal with rejection, don’t take it as a jab at your character. Reflecting this Karen commented that; “…You have to be very skillful to empower people rather than bulldoze… Collaboration is in flux, you have to be constantly adapting to the others around you”

We spoke of how the group became a thing greater than the sum of all their parts; you have to feed your ego and care for your contribution but make sure that this isn’t the reason for your part in the collaboration, finding joy in the creation of the group not just your own. This chemistry is important, you have to be able to spark off each other; “humans are eternally interested by the spark between other humans”.

We concluded our discussion by talking about space, and how space takes a very important role within collaboration, the abandoned DDR radio station in Berlin also became the Butcher; “it took over”. The space became just as much a part of the collaboration as the people inside it. Karen mentioned how this changed the entire direction of future work; “we believed we could walk into a room and harvest a song from the room – the space took center stage”. This describes what I have already written about on space, the space can be just as important as the people within it.

Figure 4: The NIne Butchers of Common Sense.

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Fred Deakin, Airside & Lemon Jelly (Thursday 23rd January, 2014 via Skype)

A discussion with Fred Deakin was much desired, being one of the three founders of Airside, and a long time collaborator in design and music. We scheduled a discussion over Skype and during this we touched on many points surrounding collaboration, discussing Airside, egos and utopian values.

We began by talking about Airsides business structure; Fred described how they differentiated between business hierarchy and creative hierarchy; understanding that the need for collaboration on these planes was different. When it came to business, there was a power structure, whereby roles had to be designated for admin purposes in order for this process to flow. On the other hand there was a very loose creative structure, this involved sitting around a table, sharing and collaborating with ideas; in this plane, everyone is equal. Once you exclude someone from the creative process you immediately create a hierarchy, you then miss the opportunity for total collaboration, real synergy. Fred mentioned how if an intern pitched an idea to the table and that idea was chosen by the client then they would take ownership, and more of a lead role, creating an environment where people “wanted to give their best, and made them feel like they were part of something where they should give their best because they were part of a group… where outcome was greater than the sum of all their parts.”

It was interesting that Fred said this because it was something that mirrored what Karen Riley said when discussing egos; this was what we discussed next, “don’t fetishise your own role.” It is crucial in the communication structure that people realise how important other people’s jobs are; so as not to think too highly of yourself. I mentioned to Fred that “you have to leave your ego at the door”, his reply was that you must create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable and safe enough to trust one another; a social atmosphere without egos. This was our criticism of art education; we both agreed that this atmosphere isn’t created. This is because everyone is competing with each other to get the gold star; this is the capitalist environment that education is based on, not a utopia. You can teach collaboration, but it’s much easier to teach individuality.

Through further discussion it became apparent that it isn’t just education where this atmosphere is lacking, the client is the classic difficult collaboration. The best clients become part of the team, understanding that creating synergy is the best way forward; the job can easily fall apart if this is not created. Collaboration is to be an equal partnership. In a utopia, everyone is equal. “Working collaboratively creates better well being”; individually we are powerless in society, we don’t always realise we are working with others.

“You’re surfing the creative wave rather than being the wave yourself.”

Fred summed up the discussion by making it clear that while we both agreed this to be a better way of working it isn’t monotheistic; not everyone should be made to work this way, collaboration isn’t always natural.

“Collaboration is like dating… your not meant to collaborate with everyone…”

Figure 5: Lemon Jelly.

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Philip Langeskov, UEA Tutor - Enterprise & Engagement (Saturday 25th January, 2014, discussion via email)

Philip Langeskov is a lecturer at the University of East Anglia; he teaches literature and creative writing, I became aware that he was about to begin a unit teaching collaboration. I began by asking; what are your reasons for teachings in collaboration? I received an unexpected reply, “I was asked to”. This changed the whole nature of the discussion; I thought he might have chosen to teach it because he thought it a necessity. But actually a higher power thought it necessary. I thought education didn’t care for collaboration.

Philip went on to tell me that he thought that the value of collaboration is to provide the opportunity for play, for trying things out, also, for trying things out with another person who might not share your sympathies, opinions or views. He told me how he encourages students to think of all creativity as collaboration: “We don’t write without reading, we’re constantly inserting ourselves into other peoples narratives, we collaborate with the world simply by looking at it and attempting to make sense of it.” So, when we strike upon something new or innovative we’re very rarely doing it alone – even if that doesn’t make sense with the romantic idea of the artist as the lone operator.

Being a figure within teaching I figured it would be important to talk about collaboration’s place within education; it was suggested that perhaps education shares the suspicion that has long been felt towards collaboration – that its not really serious, that its just messing around. Although, of course, messing around is never just messing around. There are also practical reasons for the lack of teaching within collaboration, logistically its difficult to organise, it can be hard to assess the precise contribution of each collaborative partner.

He told me how he considers the marking process, “as far as I’m concerned the marks aren’t important – all the value is in the process – but that’s not really how the students seem to feel.” Students, on the whole are more concerned with individual success, getting the gold star or the pat on the head. Students find it difficult not to let their egos run the show; there is the idea of hybridity that comes with collaboration, the third mind that is created, “you need to think along the lines of it’s not me, it’s not you, but something else, formed of both of us.”

Personal Experiences

By design, college is a time free from many of the commercial elements that will be dealt with afterwards. One of the reasons for collaborating is to prepare for what we assume will be expected of us whether we were to enter industry individually or as an established group; as leaving education is recognized as one of the most difficult times in one’s life.

My view on the matter is that inflated egos and designers should be separated at an early age. There is nothing wrong with celebrating your own creative work, but not many projects come to fruition without the input of various other people, and it is wrong to underestimate the importance of this input.

Having partnered with friends with whom I share broad principles and goals I have realised that there is strength and comfort to be found in the communal nature of a studio. An option that is available to us if we harness these strengths is to take control of our creative and financial destinies and without having to answer to a third party.

The point that needs to be stressed the most is to leave your ego at the door, by working for your own gain compared to that of the collective can not only dilute collaboration but ruin friendships.

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Conclusion

More often than not collaboration is seen rather than heard, actions rather than words. I have developed an eleven step manifesto to create the conditions for growth within collaboration. It is important to understand that it is not monotheistic; this set of rules will not apply to everybody but they are broad guidelines for successful collaboration. Not everyone is a natural collaborator, but it can be taught, if all points were followed, utopia within collaboration is achievable:

Creating the Conditions for Growth – A Manifesto

1. You’reNeverAlone

We are constantly collaborating with the world around us, the romantic idea of the artist as the lone operator is a lie. You can’t help but to collaborate, it is very rare that someone on their own will change the world.

2. Leave Your Ego at the Door

If you work to fuel your ego you will never fully collaborate; the aim is to create good work collectively, not just for your own personal gain.

3. Empower Rather Than Bulldoze

When working hand in hand with others no one should assume a lead role, in order to grow you must all empower one another. Holding each others hand along the way, not pulling or pushing them. It’s about cooperation and communication.

4. “All for One, and One for All”

No individual can create something as innovative as several together forming a single entity, many become one and in this unit all must be equal, when you create a hierarchy collaboration becomes diluted.

5. Forget about the Gold Star

Stop working for a gold star or a pat on the back, your not doing it for yourself, your doing it for the benefit of the group, creating something bigger than the sum of all your parts.

6. Stay Connected

By design collaboration is being connected with others and other peoples ideas. The Internet is your greatest tool, it not only allows you to communicate with others but it allows you to access ideas you may not have even come across before. So by staying connected you are increasing your chances for creativity.

7. Adapt

People and their ideas never remain a constant, others are forever changing and so are their values, so adapt with them, and question them so as to remain in the creative loop.

8. Be the Self Saboteur

As an individual and as a group you must always question your actions so as to ensure there are no stones left unturned. You can’t effectively critique your own work; you must allow others to critique it for you.

9. Surf the Creative Wave

You are not the wave, the power of working as a collective generates a creative wave, spark from each others ideas and you will create something much more innovative than if you followed your own linear path.

10. You Are Alone

Unless you allow others to work with you then you are alone, and it’s much harder to grow alone. Don’t shy from criticism or advice; don’t assume that you know everything, share skills with others in order to boost your creative potential. Don’t be secretive.

11. Remember, “Collaboration is like dating”

You can’t collaborate with everyone and sometimes you will have to accept it, remember there are always plenty more fish in the sea. It’s not always going to work first time around, but that’s part of the learning curve.

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Figure 6: Collaboration is in Flux,Lawrence Daykin

“Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno”“All for one, and one for all”

(The traditional motto of Switzerland, and also associated with The Three Musketeers,

written by Alexandre Dumas, 1844)

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Bibliography

Books

Airside (2009) Airside. London, Airside.

Baker, S. (1997) Process: A Tomato Project. Ginko Press

Chwast, S. (2004) The Push Pin Graphic: A Quarter Century of Innovative Design and Illustration. Chronicle Books.

Dumas, A. (1844) The Three Musketeers.

Farazmand, A. (2002) Modern Organizations: Theory and Practice. Greenwood Publishing Group

Johnson, S. (2011) Where Good Ideas Come From. London, Penguin UK

Marx, K. (2009) Das Kapital: A Critique of Political Economy. Regnery Publishing Inc

Mau, B. (2005) Life Style. Phaidon Press Ltd.

Mau, B. (2004) Massive Change: A Manifesto for the Future of Global Design. Phaidon Press Ltd.

McCarthy, S. (2013) The Designer As...: Author, Producer, Activist, Entrepeneur, Curator, and Collaborator: New Models for Communicating. BIS Publishers B.V.

Richards, D. (2013) The Beachwood Airship Interviews. Not Yet Published.Shaughnessy, A. (2013) Essays: Scratching The Surface. London, Spin.

Shaughnessy, A.(2010) How to be a Graphic Designer, Without Losing Your Soul. Laurence King.

Taussig, G. (2002) Coleridge and the Idea of Friendship, 1789-1804. University of Delaware Press.

The Pentagram Partners. (2007) The Pentagram Papers: A Collection of 36 Unique Publications Designed by Pentagram. Thames and Hudson Ltd.

The Pentagram Partners. (2003) Profile: Pentagram Design. Phaidon Press Ltd. The Pentagram Partners (1998) The Compendium: Thoughts, Essays and Work of the Pentagram Partners in London, New York and San Francisco. Phaidon Press Ltd.

Tomato. (1999) Bareback: A Tomato Project. Laurence King Publishing.

Interviews

Deakin, F. (2014) In conversation over Skype, 23rd January 2014. [Skype]

Douglas, N. (2014) Discussion with NUA students 16th January 2014. [In Person]

Langeskov, P. (2014) Discussion vie email, 25th January 2014. [Email]

Reilly, K (2014) In conversation at The Playhouse Bar, 19th January 2014. [In Person]

Online Articles

Banham, R. (2010) DIY Design. Eye Magazine. Available from: <http://www.eyemagazine.com/blog/post/diy-design>[Accessed October 2013]

Burkeman, O. (2010) Steven Johnson: ‘Eureka moments are very, very rare’. The Guardian. Available from: <http://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/oct/19/steven-johnson-good-ideas>[Accessed November 2013]

Hill, L. (2008) King Con: John Malkovich. The New York Magazine. Available from: <http://nymag.com/movies/profiles/16859/?> [Accessed January 2014]

Jarrett, C. (2013) 9 Facts Every Creative Needs to Know About Collaborative Teams. 99u. Available from: <http://99u.com/articles/16850/everything-youve-ever-wanted-to-know-about-teams>[Accessed October 2013]

Kelion, L. (2013) Valve: How going boss-free empowered the games-maker. BBC News. Available From: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24205497>[Accessed October 2013]

Noble, I. Bestley, Russel (1999) Punk Uncovered: an unofficial history of provincial opposition. Eye Magazine. Available from: <http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/punk-uncovered>[Accessed October 2013]

Poyner, R. (2004) The Two Cultures of Design. Design Observer. Available from: <http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=2077>[Accessed October 2013]

Shaughnessy, A. (2004) From Here to Here. Creative Review. Available from: <http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-115077433.html>[Accessed October 2013]

Turner, D. Lewis, Perri (2013) A New Era in Creative Collaboration. The Guardian. Available from: <http://www.theguardian.com/blackberry-keep-moving/creative-collaboration-lennon-mccartney-robert-rodriguez>[Accessed October 2013]

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Video

Babylonroyal (2014) A Mumuration of Starlings [YouTube Video] Available at:< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRhv_tVMifk&feature=youtu.be> Accessed January 2014

Silver, J. (2013) Hack a banana, make a keyboard! [TED Talk] Available at: <http://www.ted.com/talks/jay_silver_hack_a_banana_make_a_keyboard.html?quote=2173> Accessed January 2014

Web Pages

Airside. Available from: <http://www.airside.co.uk>[Accessed October 2013]

Coplin, D. (2013) Where Good Ideas Come From: The “Adjacent Possible”Available from: <http://www.businessreimagined.org/where-good-ideas-come-from-the-adjacent-possible/>[Accessed October 2013]

Gillick, L. (2003) For a functional Utopia. Available from: <http://www.liamgillick.info/home/texts/for-a-functional-utopia>[Accessed October 2013]

Hawthorne, Madison. The Advantages of Horizontal Organizational Structure. Available from: <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-horizontal-organizational-structure-30904.html>[Accessed October 2013]

Incomplete Manifesto for Growth, Bruce Mau Design. (2011) Available from: <http://www.brucemaudesign.com/4817/112450/work/incomplete-manifesto-for-growth>[Accessed October 2013]

Nesbit, M. Obrist, Hans Ulrich. Tiravanija, Rirkrit (2003) Utopia Station. Available from: <http://www.e-flux.com/projects/utopia/>[Accessed October 2013]

Occupy Together. Available from: <http://www.occupytogether.org>[Accessed October 2013]

Occupy Wallstreet. Available from: <http://occupywallst.org>[Accessed October 2013]

Pentagram. Available from: <http://www.pentagram.com>[Accessed October 2013]

Schmelzer, P. (2006) Open-Ended Utopia: The Art of Rirkrit Tiravanija. Available from: <http://eyeteeth.blogspot.co.uk/2006/07/open-ended-utopia-art-of-rirkrit.html>[Accessed October 2013]

Tomato. Available from: <http://www.tomato.co.uk>[Accessed October 2013]

The Rabbit Hole. Available from: < http://www.hellorabbithole.com> [Accessed January 2014]

(2011) The Biennial Project. Available from: <http://www.the-biennial-project.com/Why.aspx>[Accessed October 2013]

Two Hundred and Ten Years Ago To The Day Samuel Taylor Coleridge Observes Starlings (2009) Available from: < http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/morleyd/entry/two_hundred_and/> [Accessed January 2014]

Utopia Station. Available from: <http://universes-in-universe.de/car/venezia/bien50/utopia/e-press.htm>[Accessed October 2013]

Valve Software. Available from: <http://www.valvesoftware.com>[Accessed October 2013]

AN INVESTIGATION INTO COLLABORATION AND ITS RELATION TO THE IDEA OF A UTOPIA.- CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR GROWTH, A MANIFESTO.

LAWRENCE DAYKIN // 1100092GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION // YEAR THREE

EXTENDED ESSAY // SUPPORTED BY REFLECTION & INDUSTRY RESEARCH

AN INVESTIGATION INTO COLLABORATION AND …...5 6 A Murmuration of Starlings in Reference to Utopian...

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