Live visualization for co-creative evenings about sustainability at the Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam. --- With Thijs van Himbergen
KamerVragen started as a small initiative by a couple of Amsterdam-based entrepreneurs. The first couple of years I became involved in the project by making live designs for a number of the events. Later on Thijs van Himbergen also joined in the sessions. The events usually concentrated on a range of subjects dealing with questions of sustainability, beginning with a short case-study presentation followed by brainstorm sessions and discussions.
The point of making live illustrations during these events was to give the guests some visual broccoli with their intellectual meat and potatoes, to create on-the-spot visual commentary. Usually the visualizations would be about what was being discussed and the idea was to present the designs to the audience, however terrible or incomplete they were, at the end of the session. The time limit and stressful feelings of doubt and panic, mixed with the inspiring subjects being discussed and the steady flow of beers being served, made for a great creative atmosphere. By listening to what was being said and simultaneously cutting out pictures, making collages, taglines and quick sketches we managed to create a number of designs within an hour or two, not really good ones but good enough. At the end of the evening we would usually show our creative regurgitation's and explain our inspirations and thoughts about the subjects being discussed by the rest of the group.
