Proposal: Digital Design Project, Sustainable

Title

Art Mine  www.artmine.com.auThe title is derived from the combination of 3 ideas; "What's mine is yours" , "Gold mine" and the general notion of discovery & being able to dig around in stuff to find treasure.

Synopsis

Art mine is a digital platform that supports creativity and sustainability.  It facilitates the sharing of creative materials between those who have no use for them and those who do. The purpose of Art Mine is to prevent waste while at the same time enable and inspire creativity and art making.Art Mine pairs the modern issue of waste and clutter with the persistent issue of underfunded artists.  It does this while addressing the need for improved community cohesion and enrichment in an increasingly fast and fragmented world.

Objectives

Hard objectives

• Reduce waste
• De-clutter & reduce the need for storage

Soft Objectives

• Nuture creativity
• Create community
• Enrich lives – through facilitating connections & experiences
• Create a forum for exchange – enable people to give back to artists.
• Enable corporations to give back to communities and display social responsibility.

How Will Art Mine Work?

Art mine will first be a website and later an app.MaterialsItems shared could potentially be anything. It is impossible to define what Art is let alone what it could be made from.  At this introductory stage of the project the only criteria is that the Gifters believe it could be useful in a creative project.  Things could range from unused paints and traditional materials, to bean bags, old cassettes or piles of zippers.MinersArt Mine will be used by both groups and individuals.  Users will include schools, preschools, universities, theatres, community groups and individual artists (visual, performers, actors, musicians), or anybody with a creative project.GiftersAny individual, group or corporation, big or small, who has materials that they are not using and which they recognise may be useful for a creative practice.Transport of goodsThe Miners will cover the courier or postage of the goods, unless the Gifter is a business in which case they will cover the cost.  The transport of goods will be a simplified process that always uses the same service, unless personal collection is arranged.Code of ConductThere will be a code of conduct established made up of a few simple rules to make sure the operation runs smoothly and equitably.For example all goods will be presumed clean and in good condition unless otherwise specified.

Background

Ominous forecasts of a civilisation verging on collapse call for drastic measures that will shift us towards a future that is sustainable in all aspects; environmental, economic and social.  But what is sustainability and how are we going to achieve it ?In Tom Theis's book, "What is Sustainability?," he summarises the first credible report into sustainability, The Brundtland Report of 1987, in which sustainable development was defined as “…development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”  He clarifies that "while sustainable development is enabled by technological advances and economic viability, it is first and foremost a social construct that seeks to improve the quality of life for the world’s peoples."At it’s heart sustainability is an ethical goal of common sense  - “let’s not ruin things for the next guys” - but it is a responsibility that we all share.Unfortunately there is not going to be one big quick blanket solution to a complex yet imminent problem.  And although John Thackara, is very disparaging of the idea of a “half-arsed” approach being better than nothing in his blog post “What Should Design Critics Write About” , I tend to think that we need to get the ball rolling and like all processes it will take time to develop and perfect.  It is very rare that the perfect solution to anything is realised in a single blow.So, not even a drop in the ocean, Art Mine will be an H2O molecule in the ocean but a positive step which has potential to grow to unprecedented heights, none-the-less.  Niave ? maybe but as they say (who ever they are) a journey is made from a thousand steps.

Why Creativity?

In order to find solutions to problems we must innovate and do things differently.  To do this we need to think creatively.  Art mine is a small step in both thinking differently and encouraging others to think differently.Abraham Lincoln, way back in Dec 1862 recognised this very thing when he said “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.  The occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion.  As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew, we must disentrall ourselves and then we shall save our country.”  Not sure what from, but you get the idea ...in essence creativity is good for adaptive resilience.Ken Robinson an education expert and a passionate advocate for the need to nuture creativity in our kids and our schools, defines creativity as “The process of having with original ideas that are useful”.  Although having free art supplies, materials and tools will not instantly mean children have new ideas that are useful it would help establish an environment where these ideals are able to flourish.  Where children are encouraged to take something old and rethink it into something new.  The challenge is to educate for an unpredictable world and to work with what you've got.In a capitalist economy artists are typically an under funded group who struggle to cover their costs despite the fact their work is recognised as an important part of a cultured society.  As a result they often feel devalued and disillusioned.  Art Mine is a means for artists to connect with and support each other but also, importantly, for non-artists and organisations to show their support for the work they do.  Many people enjoy art but cannot afford to buy it or have the space to own it.This is a new way people can show support to artists while also helping themselves to declutter.And last but not least, creativity is good for the soul, it enables self expression and provides good mental health outcomes which in turn promotes social sustainability.

Context

So what else is out there ? there must be something that already does this right ?If you are familiar with Reverse Garbage in Marackville, Sydney, I see Art Mine as a similar thing to an online version of that, only it's free (aside from the transport of the goods).Below I have listed existing online platforms doing a similar thing with my accompanying criticisms;TuShare – Have tried to be super simple but have gone OTT with branding.  Makes users feel trapped and exploited by having to give away their info too soon.FreeCycle – Not enough attention to user experienceReTrash – Confusing as to how to use it.eBay - Is obviously a different case because money changes hands but it is interesting to study to see which other aspects of it are successful.  For example Art Mine may use a simple system of 'Give & Take points’ to monitor the activity and reliability of its users, a bit like the eBay feedback stars.

Why Will Art Mine Work ?

I see incentive for this service from several angles;For the miners

• Environmental There is a strong environmental theme in the work of practicing artist indicating that environmental sustainability it is a primary concern for this group
• Financial Artists, schools and community groups are often surviving on a very low income and all help is welcome.
• Social artists often work in isolation and contact in this way however minimal would be welcome.
• Education  for schools teaching students how to recycle resources for creative projects is already part of their curriculum

For Gifters

• Social responsibility for individuals.  I believe that many people recognise creativity enriches our lives and would like to support artists but are not always sure how.
• Social responsibility for Corporations. Corporations want to be noticed doing good, particularily in online environment.  This project would give them a way of being seen as socially responsible and progressive.
• People are downsizing & de-cluttering as storage is an expensive issue.

The Scope and Future of Art Mine

Art Mine will begin as a Sydney based initiative with the intention of growing to other cities within 3 years.Art Mine will begin sharing materials and tools with the intention of moving towards sharing knowledge and expertise as well as space (for exhibitions and studios) in the future.

How Will www.artmine.com.au Be Marketed ?

Marketing Objectives

1. To advertising to the Gifters people & businesses who might post goods (artists and non artists)\
2. To advertise to Miners creative people, schools, unis and other groups to inform them of the service
3. To explain what it all about and what sort of goods are accepted – people may not understand what might be valuable to an artist.

Preliminary Marketing StrategySocial mediaSocial media is free and can be very effective.  I will start with a targeted give away campaign, focusing on my personal creative contacts, that rewards people for uploading something.  I will consider staged rewards where the main prize would be something like a trip to MoNA.Art prizes/ exhibitionsAdvertise to artists through artprizes and other exhibitions and institutions.  With care not to print material!Reward SystemFor corporations wishing to show social responsibility there will be a a system of reward (perhaps a ‘badge’ of some sort) that recognises corporations for donating material and immediately shares it on social media and their corporate blog.Connect with existing networksNAVA arts, Vis Copy, Arts Hub, Australian Council for the Arts, Regional Arts NSW, Australian Theatre for Young People, NIADA and countless othersOther media (minimal printing)Radio interviews (Sydney stations including FBi, ABC 702 & 576)School newslettersUniversity & art school notice boardsEventsArt Mine could participate as a collective at fesitvals (starting Sydney based) such as Art and About, Vivid or Sydney Festival.Art Mine could running creative workshops at festivals, events and markets.A traveling VanA traveling creative workshop van that moves from school to school running art workshops with recycled materials.

Stages of Development

• Determine categories of materials to share (eg. Tools, Hardware, Art supplies, Recycled goods, Wood, Plastics, Bulk goods)
• Designing a simple, intuitive user experience
• Streamline the experience so people stay
• Design the look & feel
• Write the Content
• Research & cement postage/courier stage
• Write a code of conduct
• Find 15 initial things to share
• Implement
• Test
• Make adjustments and improvements
• Go live
• Implement marketing strategy

Summary

Sustainability is an issue overwhelming in it’s urgency, seriousness and complexity.  Art mine emerged from the opportunities I recognised within my own area of expertise –"the art world"- for sustainable action facilitated by digital means.  It exploits the group forming powers of the web to make decentralised connections not otherwise possible and as a result reduce waste and improve wellbeing.