Wieden + Kennedy Platform Season Two is upon us and this time we are going to be exploring the future of cultural engagement and what tools might be used.

Here are some of the key reasons why the focus of our work will be about this subject.

• We need to change our attitude that “tomorrow never comes, so we don’t worry about it.”

• We want to make sure we are well ahead in the ‘post digital’ age.

• We are changing our relationships with digital technologies to an attitude that is more concerned with being human, than with being digital.   

• We need to explore the interplay between digital and cultural systems, between cyberspace  and real space, between virtual and augmented reality and between mixed reality in social and physical communication.

To this end, we have hired a mix of very specialist artists and designers, who use technology to create new types of interactive experiences. They will create, share and build their experiences in the following ways.
 
1. Explore the future of cultural engagement, through themes like play, sustainability and story telling, to design new experiences between people, technologies and their surroundings.

2. Research theories and insights, then manifest their ideas through rapid prototyping to test and shape these ideas into experiences.  

3. Document their entire journey from research through to finished prototypes.

4. Share and test their findings through a forum on their blog, chairing influencer debate evenings, creating physical experiments and interactive installations.

5. Create a hackspace to build prototypes in no.10 and show and teach us all they know.

Meet Andrew Friend

Andrew is a London based artist & designer, his work is focused on designing experiences between people, technologies and their surroundings. He is interested in the extraordinary, fantastic and desirable (or indeed undesirable) experiences and outcomes that may result from these interactions. His work spans a range of media, through narrative and drawings to large-scale physical objects deigned to promote, facilitate, and question these experiences and our motivations for achieving them. Andrew holds an MA in Design Interactions from the Royal College of Art, prior to studying at the RCA Andrew trained in architecture at the Bartlett in London.  In 2010 Andrew, along with fellow RCA graduates Sitraka Rakotoniaina and Gerard Rallo founded the multidisciplinary design collective "Good One!. 

http://www.andrewfriend.co.uk/ 

Meet Gerard Rallo

Recently graduated from Design Interactions at the Royal College of Art, I studied Computer Science and Multimedia Engineering in Barcelona. While finishing my studies in the warm Mediterranean capital, I started working in a very small studio / lab, researching and developing technology for novel interactive experiences.

My interest on a very broad range of subjects, and my passion for debate, brought me to the not so warm city of London!

My main body of work built during the RCA, explores emerging social needs in the modern digital era through speculative devices.

The momentum of this concept design experience led to the formation of the Studio / Collective GOOD ONE! Formed by Andrew Friend, Sitraka Rakotoniaina, and myself. Check out the website!

On a personal level, I enjoy consuming data, discussing both, the transcendental issues of world, and the most irrelevant ones – Over some drinks, playing Risk – and speculating about video games sometimes more than actually playing them!

You can find some examples of the work I have done on my website <http://www.ideesabsurdes.net> .

My next personal project involves neural networks and hacking game boys. Updates soon.

Meet Karl Sadler

After running a record label, club night and motion graphics production company for the last six years or so, I took the decision to start exploring my own personal work and set up a bicycle repair service in order to fund my experiments as I had previously ran a bike repair workshop in Loughborough where I grew up.

This summer I have created interactive installations for bands the XX and Esben and the witch, been featured as part of intel and Vice’s Creators project, been threatened with legal action for intellectual property disputes and taught a terms worth of animation to naughty 13-15yr olds with special needs.

I'm seriously looking forward to getting my head down now and the opportunity to make thought changing projects with a promising dream team.

 http://karlsadler.com/

Meet Sitraka Rakotoniaina

Born in Madagascar, I moved to Paris when 3 years. Where I've been living until I moved to London in 2008. I first studied Industrial design before going for an MA in graphic design and multimedia. There, I started programming, and regarding my previous studies been interested in a more physical approach to computing.

I moved then to London to study Design Interactions at Royal College of Art. For 2 yrs I've been interested in designing devices meant to induce a distorted experience of reality, or simply new experiences: A prosthesis enabling its user to catch flies with chopsticks, a beam/lamp/hyperventilation device that potentially induces a temporary loss of memory, an 'impactor' which allows enthusiasts to test their trust in technology when being thrown a lump of steel at their neck.

Just after graduating last July I started a studio/collective called GOOD ONE! with two classmates (Gerard Rallo and Andrew Friend).  We are now designing experiences meant to expose "new alternative perspectives and possibilities that are enabled by advances in technology and the public understanding and engagement with these new technologies."
 
‘Shocking’:
http://www.studiogoodone.com/Photos/shocking

Time conditioning’:
http://www.studiogoodone.com/Photos/time-conditioning%E2%80%89

http://sitraka.co.uk/

Meet Rich Harvey

Started in Audiology before transferring to interactive Design Ba, now at the RCA for an Ma in Design Products. 

I like to make responsive structures that mix digital analogue.

http://vimeo.com/12081310

www.richharvey.co.uk <http://www.richharvey.co.uk>

Recently started a company called poietic www.poietic.co.uk <http://www.poietic.co.uk>  

Meet Keivor

Keivor has worked in various fields over the past five years.

Whilst working at the Chesil Motor Company from 2005 – 2006, Keivor and 3 others built a replica Porsche RS 60 from the ground up.

During 2007 – 2008 Keivor trained to become an adventure sports instructor, teaching groups of children how to climb, zip wire and abseil.
 
Keivor then went on to graduate with a BA (hons) in Spatial Design from University College Falmouth.
 
Most recently he and Richard Harvey have formed Poietic, a multidisciplinary practice with backgrounds in interactive & spatial design, art & engineering.
 
Poietic create concepts, sculptural installations, immersive environments & public interventions. Their work explores the limits of technology, science & imagination by developing unique mechanical structures that offer real experiences & celebrate the poetics of engineering.
 
Examples of this work can be found at <http://www.poietic.co.uk> 

Please follow us on twitter and facebook at wkplatform

Sam

Every now and then, we get a stonker of an unsolicited application. Here's one just in (name changed but otherwise unaltered):

Hello ?

Somebody sseer ?

OK, I will start… So, here I am. Yes.

Misha is the name. Misha, yes … It is only written with "sh" as in french France, they do not have the "sch". Did you know that ? I didn't, before I heard of. They also heaven, no — havn' — have not gott (damned) "got" the "W". Did you know that ? Thsi is why my sirname at the end is written with "ff". Ja, Ja, that's what it is like… And you ? How are you doing ?

Here, it's fine, so long. Quite warm today, nearly 20 Celsiusses (or "Celsi" ?) imagine this one. Went biking for 2 hours… Oh, "cycling", moreuber, Sorry ! My English sacks a bit. But my prrronauncaician is qwite fine — rreelly now !

Hm, what did I want ? Oh, yes: Ahm (this is German for "Er"), so you guys are running a firm that tries to make such things like — publi…advent…publi-commarketing — such stuff ?

Becaouse, I kuutt be tempted to give it a try as well. Oh, Yes. Yes, Yes, Yes… I ssought ssatt maybe for maquing for you, and your companies you work for as well, clear, so to say that perhaps, if you do not mind, only, for sure ! To make my point rather earlier than later, I had the idea becom — to — for (?) becoming, no: getting for you a — Copywriter ? (Finally !) Hmm ? Would this amuse you a bit, maybe ?

 Becaouaose I am have true super idears, ErHmmm ! Funny ones. All my friends always luuf about me. And ssey call me "The Enabler". Yes, Yes, Yes… Kuutt I has ssis tytle on my name-ticket ?

 Come on, you DO want to hire me, right ? 🙂 Ssis is no problem, london*, you are not allone, we tschust had to having has to neg…talk about all the money I want to have from you.

*Is it allowed to have sis prename in London ?

You must not have to… You do not… I expect… I have time, so don't… You know what I mean ?

 Now I am a bit exh–ATCHOOO ! (Wait a second…TRUMPEEEEET !!! Sorry, I have a cold cuff)…a bit flat (plat ? plat-flat ?) me am now, from sis masterpeace hier.

 So, Oh ! time is overtooking me, the counter in this internet cafe without cafe says that…10 seconds, Oh my God, london, I am waiting for your r… [PLOPP !]