Peoples Architecture

GET IT LOUDER 2007

[History]

The first Get It Louder exhibition took place in Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing from April to June in 2005. With an average age of 25, 100 artists from around the world (primarily the Asian Pacific area, North America, and Europe) participated in the exhibition. Among them, 80% are of Chinese descent and 50% are from the youngest generation of artists and designers in mainland China. The exhibits included works in poster design, illustration, photography, publication, toy, t-shirt, fashion, product design, animation, moving images, short film, interactive installations, digital media installation, architecture design, sound installation, and music performance etc. Totaling over 120,000 in visitors, Get It Louder 2005 saw one of China's most successful exhibitions ever.

Get It Louder was organized by the Modern Media Group. Making use of its media and marketing resources, the Modern Media Group not only established a stage for young artists and designers to get their voices heard, but has created opportunities for the big brands to get in touch with the younger creative generation and consumer groups in China. Based on the successful experience, the Modern Media Group plans to establish Get it Louder as a Biennial. The second exhibition is set for 2007 with aims of attracting more public attention.

[Theme]

Creative Life

1.What is innovation?

The IKEA restaurant in Beijing has sign-requesting customers to take initiative and collect their own dishes. Their reasoning is as such: if customers put in a little bit of effort, IKEA could save time and employees to provide customers with better services at lower prices. This logic unites the consumer and the supplier. When the consumer realizes what a little effort can "purchase" for them, they will be obliged to take initiative. Innovation is the persuasive power of simple words or concepts turned into action. This idea may be applied on a small scale: telling people to plant more trees, or employed on a big scale: governing a country. China needs to develop as a civic society. If citizens and country can unite as one, then citizens will join in public services out of their own incentive and as opposed to pressured by authority.

2.What is Creative Life?

Creative life doesn't necessarily equal a life of luxury. Creating a comfortable home within spatial and resource limitations is the true way to "creative life." Conservation has been humanity's greatest innovation. During his travels to Yunnan and Tibet, Andrew (online pseudonym) saw first hand how poor rural areas in China were. Textbooks, stationeries, or even the simplest of writing utensils are a luxury at village schools. On his return from the trip, Andrew began mobilizing the "1KG More" project, calling for all travelers to take one kilogram more worth of books and stationeries to give to children at rural regions of China. The "1KG More" project represents a form of "creative life." Right now, China is focused on the industrial values of innovation, but overlooks the social advantages it can bring. Governing a country, changing a social system, incorporating NGOs within in the state all need creativity. Creativity is not only associated with the arts, but assigns a higher meaning to social change.

3.The social values of Get It Louder

The Get It Louder exhibition took place in Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing last year. Its chief motivation was to provide a stage for young people to sound off, allowing young architects, fashion designers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians to collectively "speak louder." Get It Louder attracted a great number of young audiences, testifying China as a top heavy society where older people have more power. The younger generation, therefore, turned up in masses, as there has never been a exhibition of such a scale. As the result of the Get It Louder exhibition, a selective group of young architects and designers including Ma Yansong, Wang Yiyang, Guang Yu, and Liu Zhizhi began garnering attention. From the perspective of economic value, these young artists have yet made great achievements. But Get It Louder believes in their future prospects. They are the "Olympic generation," riding on an abundant of opportunities brought on by China's economic growth. The recent years have seen the development of the culture industry, and lessening restraints for many publishing and culture related jobs. These young designers see to a new kind of independent work pattern. Establishing client relations is no longer the first step for them. Instead, they seek to promote finished works to clients. This independent work pattern will become the main blueprint for this generation, and will incur a widespread social influence.

4. Get It Louder and the civic design movement

Chindogu is the Japanese art of inventing ingenious everyday gadgets by everyday folks, for example: a small fan installed on chopsticks to cool off noodles. The design has no effective utility, but is nonetheless interesting. This is a representation of the civic design movement, letting amateur spirit and doing something for the sake of fun to take precedence. The Get It Louder exhibition does not limit artists to industrial and commercial effectiveness for their work. Rather, it believes in the possible future commercial prospects for the artists, only that the opportunity hasn't arrived. This year's Get It Louder exhibition strives to raise the volume on Chinese artists and designers, and to promote the exhibition in Chinese communities around the globe. At the same time, the exhibition will begin working with different foundations from Europe and Japan to introduce international varieties of creativity by young people to China. Let the ideas collide and sparks fly.

[TIME AND VENUE]

GUANGZHOU
Date: June 23, 2007 - July 7, 2007
Location: Grandview Mall

SHANGHAI
Date: July 21, 2007 - August 4, 2007
Location: Daning Life Hub

BEIJING
Date: August 16, 2007 - September 1, 2007
Location: Soho Shangdu

CHENGDU
Date: September 13, 2007 - September 25, 2007
Location: Bai Lian Tian Fu Shopping Plaza