Two Artists with Strong Ethics

1.Vik Muniz

Vik Muniz is a Brazilian artist whose work depicts social and political issues. I will take one of his projects - Wasteland - as an example illustrating Muniz's aims as an artist.

Wasteland is a 2010 documentary filmed in the world's largest garbage landfill, located in Brazil. Muniz works with poor marginalised people who pick the refuse, a job that is crucial in remediating modern culture's overconsumption and careless disposal. Together with the garbage pickers, Muniz creates art out of recycled materials, which he photographs and then put in auction. 

Muniz returns 100% of the proceeds to the subjects so they can improve their labor union to educate and protect the workers of the landfill. The artworks stand as testimony that art can indeed change lives in small and great ways.

2. Liu Bolin

Liu Bolin is a Chinese artist famous for his series of images entitled Hiding in the City, in which he literally paints himself into urban scenes. Camouflage, in the animal world, is used as an adaptive tool to protect against predatory attacks. Bolin declares that his art is a protest against the actions of the Chinese government, who is known for censoring their artists. 

Bolin’s camouflage photographs denounce the censorship and oppression contemporary artists are often confronted with in China. 

Alphabet

I created my alphabet with water on a red surface. The result is a creepy-looking collection of letters, liquid and resembling blood. Good for horror movies...

CSR at Cisco

Cisco is an American multinational technology company that designs, manufactures and sells networking equipment.

Cisco is renowned to have an excellent CSR. Their products connect people, processes, data, and things in meaningful ways. Moreover, Cisco technology is the foundation of the Internet of Everything (IoE), which enables countries, industries, and businesses to develop new models, deliver better customer experiences, and create new revenue streams and operating models to drive efficiency and value. 

Cisco creates opportunities for their customers — creating jobs, making cities smarter, and enhancing healthcare/education by changing the way the world works, lives, plays, and learns.

For instance, over the last 18 years, the Cisco Networking Academy program has helped more than 5.5 million students at 9500 learning institutions in 170 countries develop the skills to thrive in the digital economy. 

Another example is Cisco's four-year investment in the Jordan Healthcare Initiative, which has benefited 150,000 patients through a series of projects that use collaboration and communication technologies to transform how healthcare is delivered.

In addition, Cisco have increased energy efficiency and renewable energy through their EnergyOps Program, and have broadened the scope of their goals to include our supply chain. 

More examples demonstrating Cisco's outstanding CSR can be find in their 2015 CSR report below:

http://www.cisco.com/assets/csr/pdf/CSR_Report_2015.pdf

Moving Images

The first 'moving image' video that came to my mind was this video clip of the music Unintended by the British alternative rock band Muse. It was directed by Howard Greenhalgh and features the band sitting in a surreal environment. I don't really know why but It has always fascinated me. Maybe it is because it is so weird... 

    In the video clip, people are filmed through a strange 'photoshopped' technique, they appear to be super flexible and extremely distorted (this must be a metaphor for the fact that psychologically the persons are distorted by painful feelings).

    Below are some screenshots of the clip, but do watch the entire video to get the whole sensation :)

--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9LOFXwPwC4&ob=av3e 

Zaha Hadid

I choose the Heydar Aliyev cultural center in Baku, Azerbaijan (completed in 2012). 

Because of the building's curved lines, I first tried the typeface Colonna MT. However, after second thoughts I realised it was a bit too complex and ornamented for a building that, despite its curvy and flowing features, actually reflects purity and elegance of form. Thus I needed to find a font that would suit these two opposite qualities...

... So then I tried with Helvetica Neue Ultra Light...

...and it made it look like an AIRPORT!!!!...

... So I ended up choosing a type that I thought sat in between Colonna and Helvetica, and that type was American Typewriter Light. It combines subtle curves with thin legibility. Just like the building combines flowing forms with grace.

Legible London

 Walking is the best way to get around in London because it is free, healthy, quick and environmentally friendly. Legible London (implemented in 2009) is a wayfinding system for London, designed to bring a solution to inconsistent signage and confusion about distances between areas.If more people walked more often, we would have less traffic and noise, and better air quality.

    

With approximately 1300 maps round the city, this successful system enables people to walk more, which makes public transports more efficient and less overcrowded. Road space is freed up, alleviating congestion. Moreover, populated streets reduce crime, and people feel safer. Finally, the maps provide knowledge of unfamiliar areas, which decreases people’s reluctance to walk because of a lack of confidence.

The Legible London maps show simple 3D drawings of notable buildings in order to fix given points in people’s minds.

A clear sans-serif typeface is common throughout the maps to get an optimum of legibility, and the sign is readable by wheelchair users.Furthermore, the maps use high contrast colours for optimum legibility (dark blue background with white or yellow text + black text on yellow background).

By defining known areas in terms of five-minute walks or fifteen, journeys between areas seem more easily walkable.

Also notable to point out, the Legible London signs are solar-powered! Amazing...