Core Studio Public Lecture: Virgil Abloh, “Insert Complicated Title Here”
Metadata
Highlights
- So what I did is, I came up with this sort of figurative wayof thinking about objects.I was like, what’s the best invention in mankind,or whatever?And then just not even really googling,just using your own head— it’s like you’re in Wikipedia—
I was like, of course, the wheel, right?Or a fire?Skip that.The wheel.And then everyone’s got all these random Tumblr imageson their laptop, or just googling.And I was like, of course, the wheel is an awesome invention,but whoever invented the doorstop was genius.I like this idea that—I’m looking at this image that these two wheel chocks couldstop a plane from taking off—
that could go around the world butexcept for these annoying yellow blocks—can stop a Boeing 747 from going from here to Tokyo. (View Highlight)
- And it’s that interruption.So these are early sketches.These are sketches only like a week old.This is after going to Ikea—trying to problem solve, but I’m tryingto think of an aesthetic.And it’s pretty similar in all my work.When I started, I always think about one detail.And I think about repetition to own it because that’s one idea.It’s not about coming up with 60 ideas for one execution. (View Highlight)
Because the ethos, for me, is like embed art.Art is sort of free.It’s something recognizable.It’s not anonymous.And it makes it intriguing and something worth coveting (View Highlight)
- But this is sort of the equation—solving very practical things with adding some value.Imagine that regular chair and thenthis weird chair with the red doorstop.To me, that’s cool to look at.It Becomes something on top of it’s function (View Highlight)
- but this is like my domino effect.I hadn’t ever overthought it.Do you know what I mean?I just made this video, screen printed some shirts,and gave them to friends.And then that’s literally why I’m standing here—
a random sweatshirt and a photo from a book that I liked.And basically it’s a two line poemon the back that sort of reads like a Jersey. (View Highlight)
- abloh’s seminal project that he believed should exist not the practical one
- if you just force yourself to dothe one project that you believe in, and then it exists,that’s going to be the one that’s going to lead you
on your career—not necessarily the practical ones (View Highlight)
- just send random email to random companies to start realizing ideas in different spaces
- Henrick who’s a design leader on my Ikea.He’s a another mentor of mine, and he madea good point that struck me.He said, we’re at an age where design is just assumed.He’s like, you don’t notice that a door handledoesn’t work until it’s broke.He’s like, but you forgot that it had been designed.So we’re in a world where we just expect design.
And obviously, this room has a higher penchant for whatdesign is, but it’s everywhere.And how can we as a collective, make people—tourist versus purist— make the outside world understandthat design is something to be cherished?That’s, to me, closer to quality of life than anything else. (View Highlight)
- I love if you could make impossible product—product that doesn’t seem like itwould make it through a legal departmen (View Highlight)
- And he’s the friend of mine that gave me
this nudge to just right on things, and don’t be precious.And I think this embodies that too.He grabbed it, and then just gave this back to me.And I was like, this is from Dover Street.You just took it off the shelf and drew and then put it back.And I was like, this is why I make stuff.It’s just spark an idea (View Highlight)
- This is streetwear— my sort of art movementthat I’m trying to claim as something advanced.But the idea to me that they make you laugh,it’s got that tinge of irony in it.It’s got that feeling like it’s juxtaposing something else.And it’s not limiting me to this sort of streetwear 1.0,but that I can tell this narrativein a far off different space.So these are just images from the show. (View Highlight)
- But it’s like, why work?What are you working towards?You’re either in or you’re out.You could just be chill, but obviously, Itake a huge passion about the creative work I do.It’s not even work.It’s just living for me.So the things that make it more tangibleis that they make sense, and that there’s a lineage (View Highlight)
- But something that was super impactful to meas a Prps vision—what it used to be, this Tumblr that Ihave that I would photograph.I just trained my eye to be creative limited to one thing.That’s what I’m doing now with the quotes.But do some random activity that forces your eye to see things
that it normally wouldn’t.That’s for sure how I’m able to sort of—and that call when I [inaudible] just iterating throughlike 13 things at one time until I can quickly get to an answer.You can’t do that if you’re casually being creative.It’s like if you have to sit and you’re like, OK,I’m going to solve this problem.You have to like intertwine it with how you see the world.
I love my friend, Piot.He’s like an art director for Off-White—showed me his friend.He’s got this Instagram that he photographs this one designerbrand any time he sees it.So the whole Instagram— so what it’s doneis, it’s trained his brain.While he’s casually doing something else,if he seems like, oh a black Chanel bag, just shoot it.And then all of a sudden, it’s like this running sortof creative side.And I think if you want to find new space,
if you want to like get to another crescendo of designand having your brain figure out howto esthetically put together something,you have to do it often. (View Highlight)
- But something that was super impactful to means a Pyrex vision—what it used to be, this Tumblr that I have that I would photograph.I just trained my eye to be creative limited to one thing.That’s what I’m doing now with the quotes.But do some random activity that forces your eye to see things that it normally wouldn’t.That’s for sure how I’m able to sort of—and that call when I [inaudible] just iterating through like 13 things at one time until I can quickly get to an answer.You can’t do that if you’re casually being creative.It’s like if you have to sit and you’re like, OK,I’m going to solve this problem.You have to like intertwine it with how you see the world.
I love my friend, Piot. He’s like an art director for Off-White—showed me his friend.He's got this Instagram that he photographs this one designer brand any time he sees it.So the whole Instagram-- so what it's done is, it's trained his brain.While he’s casually doing something else, if he seems like, oh a black Chanel bag, just shoot it.And then all of a sudden, it’s like this running sort of creative side.And I think if you want to find new space, if you want to like get to another crescendo of design and having your brain figure out how to esthetically put together something, you have to do it often. (View Highlight)
- I can just put work out and if it’s good, it works.If it’s bad, no one notices.Then I can just get better at it.And then I could run into a friend or a brand,and be like, hey, I’ve got an idea.
So that’s the reality.That’s what I flew in peace out.The cool kids are out.But that’s the reality. (View Highlight)
New highlights added September 13, 2023 at 11:28 AM
- of a bunch of random projects.But I know you guys.If you’re interested in this, you guysare interested in tackling something that isn’t seen yet.So with that, I’m done.[applause] (View Highlight)
title: “Core Studio Public Lecture: Virgil Abloh, “Insert Complicated Title Here””
author: “Harvard GSD”
url: ”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qie5VITX6eQ”
date: 2023-12-19
source: reader
tags: media/articles
Core Studio Public Lecture: Virgil Abloh, “Insert Complicated Title Here”
Metadata
Highlights
- So what I did is, I came up with this sort of figurative wayof thinking about objects.I was like, what’s the best invention in mankind,or whatever?And then just not even really googling,just using your own head— it’s like you’re in Wikipedia—
I was like, of course, the wheel, right?Or a fire?Skip that.The wheel.And then everyone’s got all these random Tumblr imageson their laptop, or just googling.And I was like, of course, the wheel is an awesome invention,but whoever invented the doorstop was genius.I like this idea that—I’m looking at this image that these two wheel chocks couldstop a plane from taking off—
that could go around the world butexcept for these annoying yellow blocks—can stop a Boeing 747 from going from here to Tokyo. (View Highlight)
- And it’s that interruption.So these are early sketches.These are sketches only like a week old.This is after going to Ikea—trying to problem solve, but I’m tryingto think of an aesthetic.And it’s pretty similar in all my work.When I started, I always think about one detail.And I think about repetition to own it because that’s one idea.It’s not about coming up with 60 ideas for one execution. (View Highlight)
- Because the ethos, for me, is like embed art.Art is sort of free.It’s something recognizable.It’s not anonymous.And it makes it intriguing and something worth coveting (View Highlight)
- But this is sort of the equation—solving very practical things with adding some value.Imagine that regular chair and thenthis weird chair with the red doorstop.To me, that’s cool to look at.It Becomes something on top of it’s function (View Highlight)
- but this is like my domino effect.I hadn’t ever overthought it.Do you know what I mean?I just made this video, screen printed some shirts,and gave them to friends.And then that’s literally why I’m standing here—
a random sweatshirt and a photo from a book that I liked.And basically it’s a two line poemon the back that sort of reads like a Jersey. (View Highlight)
- if you just force yourself to dothe one project that you believe in, and then it exists,that’s going to be the one that’s going to lead you
on your career—not necessarily the practical ones (View Highlight)
- Henrick who’s a design leader on my Ikea.He’s a another mentor of mine, and he madea good point that struck me.He said, we’re at an age where design is just assumed.He’s like, you don’t notice that a door handledoesn’t work until it’s broke.He’s like, but you forgot that it had been designed.So we’re in a world where we just expect design.
And obviously, this room has a higher penchant for whatdesign is, but it’s everywhere.And how can we as a collective, make people—tourist versus purist— make the outside world understandthat design is something to be cherished?That’s, to me, closer to quality of life than anything else. (View Highlight)
- I love if you could make impossible product—product that doesn’t seem like itwould make it through a legal departmen (View Highlight)
- And he’s the friend of mine that gave me
this nudge to just right on things, and don’t be precious.And I think this embodies that too.He grabbed it, and then just gave this back to me.And I was like, this is from Dover Street.You just took it off the shelf and drew and then put it back.And I was like, this is why I make stuff.It’s just spark an idea (View Highlight)
- This is streetwear— my sort of art movementthat I’m trying to claim as something advanced.But the idea to me that they make you laugh,it’s got that tinge of irony in it.It’s got that feeling like it’s juxtaposing something else.And it’s not limiting me to this sort of streetwear 1.0,but that I can tell this narrativein a far off different space.So these are just images from the show. (View Highlight)
- of a bunch of random projects.But I know you guys.If you’re interested in this, you guysare interested in tackling something that isn’t seen yet.So with that, I’m done.[applause] (View Highlight)
- But it’s like, why work?What are you working towards?You’re either in or you’re out.You could just be chill, but obviously, Itake a huge passion about the creative work I do.It’s not even work.It’s just living for me.So the things that make it more tangibleis that they make sense, and that there’s a lineage (View Highlight)
- But something that was super impactful to meas a Prps vision—what it used to be, this Tumblr that Ihave that I would photograph.I just trained my eye to be creative limited to one thing.That’s what I’m doing now with the quotes.But do some random activity that forces your eye to see things
that it normally wouldn’t.That’s for sure how I’m able to sort of—and that call when I [inaudible] just iterating throughlike 13 things at one time until I can quickly get to an answer.You can’t do that if you’re casually being creative.It’s like if you have to sit and you’re like, OK,I’m going to solve this problem.You have to like intertwine it with how you see the world.
I love my friend, Piot.He’s like an art director for Off-White—showed me his friend.He’s got this Instagram that he photographs this one designerbrand any time he sees it.So the whole Instagram— so what it’s doneis, it’s trained his brain.While he’s casually doing something else,if he seems like, oh a black Chanel bag, just shoot it.And then all of a sudden, it’s like this running sortof creative side.And I think if you want to find new space,
if you want to like get to another crescendo of designand having your brain figure out howto esthetically put together something,you have to do it often. (View Highlight)
- But something that was super impactful to meas a Prps vision—what it used to be, this Tumblr that Ihave that I would photograph.I just trained my eye to be creative limited to one thing.That’s what I’m doing now with the quotes.But do some random activity that forces your eye to see things
that it normally wouldn’t.That’s for sure how I’m able to sort of—and that call when I [inaudible] just iterating throughlike 13 things at one time until I can quickly get to an answer.You can’t do that if you’re casually being creative.It’s like if you have to sit and you’re like, OK,I’m going to solve this problem.You have to like intertwine it with how you see the world.
I love my friend, Piot.He’s like an art director for Off-White—showed me his friend.He’s got this Instagram that he photographs this one designerbrand any time he sees it.So the whole Instagram— so what it’s doneis, it’s trained his brain.While he’s casually doing something else,if he seems like, oh a black Chanel bag, just shoot it.And then all of a sudden, it’s like this running sortof creative side.And I think if you want to find new space,
if you want to like get to another crescendo of designand having your brain figure out howto esthetically put together something,you have to do it often. (View Highlight)
- I can just put work out and if it’s good, it works.If it’s bad, no one notices.Then I can just get better at it.And then I could run into a friend or a brand,and be like, hey, I’ve got an idea.
So that’s the reality.That’s what I flew in peace out.The cool kids are out.But that’s the reality. (View Highlight)
