This is courage too.
I just read an article from Stylepark titled “Success depends on courage”, where they analyze the Salone Satellite lack of courage, and the pretentious professional-syndrome of young designers, as well as the lack of digital-related products among others.
Now, I wonder if these journalists or contributors have a minimum preparation or knowledge about what Satellite means to young designers, or if they can recall a daring young designer that now is working like a pro. In my scarce memory, I actually can’t recall anything like they hoped to see. Baby designers know that perfectly, and maybe this is the awareness we gained along these years: maybe journalists and magazines have a great desire for never-seen-before objects, digital, iPod compliant spaceships or whatever, but are they thinking about the cost of a single prototype? Do they know how many risks is taking a young designer (even the most boring) by exhibiting at the Satellite? Do they think businessman (they don’t have the time to step inside a booth and they walk rapidly giving little more than a glance at the products) would indulge in trying to understand the new, courageous object? I hope they don’t know that, because otherwise they would be far more naive than the people they are criticizing. A Satellite booth costs a minimum of 2500€, just for the space rental, and for us it MUST be a “one shot” way to speak with people that, normally, is scattered all around the world and we cannot reach. I think it’s perfectly normal giving companies what they want: a way to do money and MAYBE do research. So, welcome to fully-industrialized, strong products, complete objects with a feminine allure, that won’t involve moulding or expensive technologies (or, god bless them, new behaviours or typologies). Too many times boys from Satellite were seen as bohemien-alike boys with strange ideas, looking ahead. Well, courageous or not, young or younger, we have fears, like everyone. We are a lot (700, this year), and we know there won’t be enough companies to absorb our creations, whatever they are. So the choice is reduced to doing an easy, understandable product or not. What I saw at this Satellite is a growing awareness, a rising overall quality and many products sustained by an idea, not by the fact they were green instead of yellow, and I think this should at least make design professional happier and more optimistic.
We are human products of our time and our society: so probably when companies will demonstrate a sincere faith in innovation and in “visions”, we will give them what they want. When Satellite will return to what it was, that is a way to discuss with owners a vision or an idea, we will surely show the best side of us.
Otherwise, and I don’t mean to be insolent, talking once more about our lack of courage is just a “non-courageous” way to write an article.
