Cut-Click

@cutclick interview #7 with Melissa Sterry founder of @societas

Tell us a little bit about yourself

As a child I turned every surface into a canvas; using a new kitchen carpet to create a chip fat collage and a newly wallpapered living room wall for a crayon mural. All surfaces from books to sofas to table clothes got covered in my creations (probably much to my parents annoyance). Now grown-up, I consider every medium a potential outlet for creativity, be it a real or virtual space, place, gathering or event. My time is divided equally between my academic and professional activities, which span design science, futurology, sustainability innovation across design, media, communications, the visual arts and social enterprise.

Who or what inspires you?

All sorts. People, places, books, films, music and many more things besides. However, on the whole, the thing that inspires me most is nature, for while humankind has achieved some incredible things, our innovations and abilities are still relatively amateur when compared to natural animal, planet and geological technologies.

What is design science?

‘Design science is the comprehensive and anticipatory application of the principles of science to the creative design of solutions to the problems of society. It is a way of changing the world in preferred directions that is based on innovation and thrives on transparency’ Design Science Lab, Buckminster Fuller Institute. The most famous design scientist was Buckminster Fuller, who, like all design scientists was a highly skilled interdisciplinary multi-tasker, in his case an architect, author, designer, inventor and futurist. Though not commonly called a design scientist Leonardo Da Vinci was one too and like Bucky Fuller, Da Vinci created a design paradigm that was well-ahead of its time. You will find design scientists working at the outer-most fringes of new design theories and practices, usually in unorthodox fields that are yet to become established.

How did societas and the creative graduate prize start? What made you
decide to set up the prize?

Having migrated across board roles with communications, branding, design, digital media and publishing companies, I felt the time had come for an interdisciplinary, progressive, flexible, nimble, ethical and sustainable approach to running a creative agency, therein Societás was born in spring 2004.  From the start my aim was to develop an entity that could effortlessly move across creative disciplines, geographic regions and technologies; a shape-shifter. Since launch the Societás business model has been morphological in nature, adapting to new environs and challenges. The think tank and incubator were created to enable the development of in-house projects such as the Creative Graduate Prize and NEW FRONTIERS.

The Creative Graduate Prize came about because of my early experiences as a creative graduate. Having obtained a 2:1 BA (Hons) in Design Practice, I stepped out from university in 1996 thinking the world was my oyster, only to find that the UK design industry was in turmoil, with companies shutting down left, right and centre and junior design jobs few and far between. Despite having a strong portfolio, excellent grades and work experience from not one, but several top companies, my options appeared very limited, especially if I were to stay in the UK. Like many graduates I had huge debts and affording a place on a Masters course, was at that time, out of the question. Making matters worse was the fact there were no life-rafts for graduates in my situation - no design competitions to talent-spot fresh graduates, no bespoke advice bureaus, indeed the only organisation on hand to offer any help at that time was the Chartered Society of Designers, of which I became a member. Laurie Cansfield and I set the Creative Graduate Prize in 2005 to talent spot graduates during those early years before they’ve made their name, when the going can very tough and a helping hand can be the difference between success and failure. Entities such as Creative Graduate Prize and Cut Click magazine help ensure that talent doesn’t fall into an abyss never to be seen again and instead is able, bit by bit, to make it’s way to top.

Given the current economic situation, what role can think tanks play
in helping the arts to continue to thrive?

Not one, but several colossal global challenges are thundering towards humankind at an alarming rate. There are 9 critical biosphere thresholds. Until relatively recently all nine of these were at critical levels. One of them, the Ozone layer, is now back from the brink, because thanks to the Montreal Protocol CFC production was phased out by 1996, ensuring the protection of this vital component of the stratosphere. However, the other eight biosphere thresholds are at tipping points, including climate change and biodiversity loss. Dealing with global catastrophes is nothing new for humans, we’ve been doing it since our earliest ancestors first walked the Earth 4 million years ago. However, the scale of the challenge today is many times greater than it was for our ancestors, namely because there are many more of us, than there were of them. I first predicted the economic meltdown in 2004, penning blogs and magazine features on the subject from 2006 onwards. I sit in the school of thought that believes that our current global economic model is no longer fit for purpose and will continue to hemorrhage until the point of collapse, for an economic model reliant on growth will fail in a world in which human survival is dependent on resource efficiency and frugality. Thinks tanks and the arts are two-sides of the same coin, for they both create spaces to consider life’s big issues. The arts need no help from think tanks to continue to thrive, for the arts have thrived in the face of the most adverse challenges since their very creation; the current economic situation is molehill compared with the mountainous challenges many artists have faced in the past from world wars to ice ages. However, both think tanks and the arts can work together to ask how humanity can continue to thrive in the face of an environmental meltdown of such proportions that several leading extinction experts think it could wipe our species out by the year 2300. It’s time to think beyond our previous limitations.

What blogs, magazines, books or exhibitions should we all check out?

The British Library has a huge archive of vintage magazines, which is well worth exploring, because in many respects the past two decades have been the weakest for mainstream magazine publishing, as almost without exception publishers put commercial concerns above creative output. I also recommend seeking out independent publishers and DIY magazines, because on the whole, this is the field of publishing where the most creative ideas are emerging. I tend not to read a vast volume of books, because by the time something’s been published in a book it’s usually history - when I want to find out what happened yesterday I read a book, when I want to find out what’s happening now I go online and when I want to find out what’s going to happen tomorrow I read an academic paper. I read a prolific number of blogs and zines across a diverse range of fields including architecture, engineering, science, ecology, design, the visual and audio arts, sustainability and many more areas besides, with favourites including Treehugger, Good Magazine, Dezeen, National Geographic, Planet Green, Huffington Post, The Guaridan’s Environment Blog, New Scientist, Science Daily, G Living, Inhabitat, Amelia’s Magazine, SHOWstudio, Design Week, What Women Make and Iconique. Exhibitions wise I don’t get to see nearly as many exhibitions as I’d like to; if an event is extremely significant or a one-off I’ll clear a space in my diary, but if not I’ll watch footage of the event online. On the whole I think it’s more important for a creative to be creating themselves, than looking at, or reading about the creations of others. Be inspired by your peers, but above all ensure you inspire them.

Where can we find more information about your projects?

http://www.newfrontiers.uk.com
http://www.societas.ltd.uk
http://societas-ltd.blogspot.com