Last Saturday was probably the best day in my artistic career. It brought all the elements I’ve been mulling over in my head for a while into reality. It allowed me honestly reflect on what we are all doing and where our time should be best spent. I’d been having a lot of mini existential crises about my job, it always felt like there was more to be done, but I didn’t know what. During the creation of ‘You Could Suffer in Heaven’ I spent a lot of time consuming philosophical ideas, political ideas, artistic ideas and it seemed hard for me to see these ideas resonate with any real force outside of their echo chambers. As I kept digging into the likes of William Blake, the core to a lot of these transformative visionaries was a childlike view of the world, not a naive one but a deeper connected one. There was some magic there. This world view has been pivotal in making effective progress in the world, being able to see the world for what it is and not being told what it is. Children naturally do this and the wise adults try to claw it back. Recent years have devastated a lot of the developmental processes children need to remain creative with the likes of social media, worsening quality of media and more distracted parents. Imaginations dwindle and atrophy as a result, leading to a world where our most creative become stunted and seen as numbers on a stock market ticker. Intentional steps must be taken to undo this, whether safeguarding, new laws, to a transformation of our media landscape. Compare children’s media of today to say the 70s. Using early ‘Sesame Street’ as a comparison to ‘Cocomelon’, there’s a clear disparity in ethics and care. A lot of these modern shows are only designed to hold attention of children to generate higher profits. There are few sources of hope like ‘Bluey’ but they’re few and far between. If we want positive momentum in the world it starts at the beginning, the soil where ideas are formed, we need imaginations that can break through constraints and imagine a better future. This is the place where ‘The Idea Institute’ was dreamed up. I wanted to create a world where ideas and imagination were tangible and something accessible to everyone. Think better, do better. It was a fascinating week in Milan. We had the opening with the adults drawing. We incentivised this by rewarding them with a drink, whatever works. They seemed somewhat interested in the works, mostly chatting amongst themselves, although the drawing table was busy for most of the time. Some of the adults were hesitant to draw but once they got going they were off. But, that Saturday was where everything clicked. A group of six children and their parents sheepishly entered the exhibit space and hung their coats up. With a bit of coaxing from Brando they were off. Their initial mission as TII Junior Detectives was to find three characters in the space and draw them. And for the next two hours, that’s what they did. Time wasn’t present in that room. Me and Carlo were unsure whether to intervene with the next task as they were still scurrying about looking at the screens then running back to their seat to record what they’d just seen. It was a rare moment where I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, they were mostly silent with a bit of jazz in the background and the occasional voice they’d give to Gurt or Hypno. Brando eventually gave them their second mission, to draw their own creative companion, with each mission they’d sit through a portion of the video guide as we’d try to tie it into their missions. By the end of the workshop we’d been introduced to the likes of ‘Signor Topo’, a mouse with a blue house and Marino who lives in an eight bedroom grey semicircle. They were building their own worlds. There’s a point where the two ends meet with regard to making a more creative population. Adults may need freeing from restraints and children may just need dedicated time with some guidance.

some days

stickers

Gotta keep your ducks in a row

gm

gm

tiny demons process in adobe illustrator

tiny demons

The Circus (2022)