“Let us try to define this question more clearly. We will consider the following simplified scheme: on the one hand, a social practice, and on the other, the materiality in which this social practice is inscribed.
Social practice, a Brownian motion, constantly changing, subject to fluctuations, cycle, fashion, perpetual modifications, from the most common actions of everyday life to the most abstract philosophical reflections: this social practice develops inscribes itself, and exists in a materiality that also varies, although generally less rapidly. Materiality is discontinuous, it is composed of objects, of things; objects as material beings have an existence, a life span. They are born at the moment of their manufacture, they live, are worn down in yielding a service, allow themselves to be used, then expire when they become useless. We may speak of the life of an object and call it obsolescence. The obsolescence of an automobile today is 4 to 5 years, the obsolescence of a paper dress is only a few hours.
The object that interest us here are those that constitute urban space, in particular constructed space in the strict sense of the word.”

page 76-77 Explanation: becoming outdated
Utopie: Texts and Projects, 1967-1978
Edited by Craig Buckley and Jean-Louis Violeau

I’m working on a collage-font created by walking along Hoxton Street. More on this coming soon.

Website for a mixologist friend.

The other day, I built an online version of the census data design I made for the playa. For the site I used map tiler application to create a custom tile set

We’ve just returned from the desert. In the lead up to this year’s burn I designed the 2010 Census Data for a display on the playa. After 6 years of burning man I find my interest focusing on the long term relationships that exist on the playa. While Burning Man celebrates impermanence, there is striking continuity on both a infrastructural and social level. For instance our camp is known as Cam Neighbor Camp, a name given its name by our multiyear neighbors Fruits n Nuts. Fruits n Nuts is part of a village known as Hushville, Hushville organized by a core group of “playa” friends that go back to the late 90s. With 50% of black rock city’s population being first time burners this continuity is often missed.

The census data was printed as a tryptic set of posters. I’m hoping to have time to do an online version. The data represented covers topics from gender to income, the census seems curiously devoid of political questions. I would guess that the dominate political affiliation of burning man would be libertarian, falling in line with the rhetoric of radical self reliance and expression.

Look at the other details of the census data design

photo by Tank