Gillian Dykeman, C.E.O. of Human Services Inc. pitched ideas for creative office space design, integrating creativity into the workplace, and increasing worker efficiency at the DNA Artspace opening on November 29, 2013.
I spoke at length about these ideas with the Other Business Collective in the fall of 2012.
Human Services Inc. undertakes creative office space design as a means of engaging with corporate culture. This project opened at the DNA Artpsace in London, ON for November 29, 2013 as part of “No Boys With Frogs”. The research, development and production of this work has been generously funded by a Creation Grant from ArtsNB. An accompanying performance by the C.E.O. of Human Services Inc. (me) performed and pitched the company’s philosophy at the opening of this show.
The desire to make a workplace cool in appearance functions much the same way as all-too-familiar green-washing: the appearance of changing is allowed to stand in for making actual long-term and fundamental changes to power structures and systems.
Capitalism is genius at allowing people to harm each other, and institutional distances (per Arendt’s thoughts on the banality of evil) allow human beings to do great violence to other human beings and the planet while sitting comfortably at their desk in their benign office. How much can coolness and design mask these machinations?
