Färgfabriken has lauched an idea. http://www.thenewworldbank.com/

It´s just an idea so far. They lauched a theory of that the new global currency of a global “bank” would be ideas and solutions instead of money.

Say for instace, that Sudan has a need for fresh water. The need is put in to the website of “The new world bank”. Then hundreds of thousand of participants, can contribute in solving the problem. Through technology, fundraising or whatever.

The bank would trade ideas. Needs are deposited, solutions are withdrawed.

No money changes hands, as the concept is based on the same principals of “open source” software. The ideas are free to use, not to be patented or commercialized by anyone, but users may contribute back financially to the creators (s) of the solution on a volontary basis.

This could apply to thousands of different problems or needs. From architecture, hardware and software developing, social and financial systems, organizational models…whatever. The site relies on altruistic ideals and ethics.

This is what the conference was all about today. People from all over the world was there, as well as local politicians and businessmen.

I don´t know what to think yet. It is still on such an abstract and hypotethical level. But i support the idea in itself. It would need major fundraising for starters.

The founders of the New world bank would like to establish the headquarter in Östersund. Now that´s a trip.

The concept is hard to grasp, but…the foreign visitors that were at the conference was taking it very seriousy. I sat next to the legend Malcolm Mclaren (the former manager of Sex Pistols, now a trend-Guru) who was also the keynote speaker at the conference… and he embraced the idea of course, saying it took the world fourty years to come to this point from just talking about it in the hippie-era.

Well…it´s easy to embrace philantropic ambitions whan you have milions on your bank-acount…:-D No i´m not critisizing… but it felt a little bit like…”Bigshots suddenly growing a concience”.

Not that there´s anything wrong with it really. The “big finance” are embracing these values and ethics simply because there is money to be made from “caring”, and now major global, public companies are embracing the trend of “doing it for the world”, integrating it in their strategies because customers are starting to demand it.

Imagine that.

Whatever makes the world better is fine with me. If capitalism finally sees potential profit in makin the world better, so be it. I´m the first in line to gratulate.

I also salute Färgfabriken for having the courage of bringing such a vague, provocing and challenging subject on the agenda, in a small Swedish town up north, against all rules and with the toughest of odds. I like Färgfabriken as an organisation, as it bites the hands that feeds it just a little, first attracting investors, and then challenging them to evolve in a fresh rebellious (but still constructive) way that often makes all the difference, both to their sponsors and to the common man.
It will be interesting to see where all this will lead.

Myself, i´m exhausted, from both working in the studio, attending the conference, handling everyday life and helping out where i can to support the grand opening tomorrow of “Färgfabriken Norr”. The exhibition is… mindblowing. 80 artists from all over the world are represented and their work is…well..completly over the top. To big for Sweden and of course definitly to big for Östersund.

And that´s the whole idea.

I wonder if the people of this town will ever understand what hit them, looking back at it later on.

I hope so. I truly hope so.

/Stefan

After seeing Alex Schulman launching the site “1000 apor”, seeing, “Filip & Fredrik” starting yet another TV-show in an endless row of series in the same style and generally watching the overall media-scene shrinking into itself in a kind of “introvert-perverted-blog-expose-me-and-recycle-the-desperation-mode”, i can only state the fact that “Default City” is close to crashing and needs an urgent reboot of its system.

The painful lack of hight and creativity is oozing like an embarrassing odor around every little mediahouse in our capital city. The conformism, nepotism, shallowness and stupidity is limitless.

This will of course cause a counter-reaction in society eventually, turning the audiences in new directions. You can´t keep human minds hostage feeding them empty and narcissistic stupidity alone. Not forever.

I do not watch TV anymore. At all.

I had to clean my mind.

I had to detox from media pollution. TV and tabloids are so very 1998.

But, there are constructive alternatives;
-The internet is still a free arena for the mind, as you make active descisions every minute of what to feed your brain. You are active, hunting, exploring, choosing, participating, contributing.

Reading books is also a way of giving your mind a rest and an excersize at the same time.
It doesn´t matter what you read, as long as you just read, keeping your mind active in creating images and scenarios from the text.

Blogging s good. If you do it from a perspective where you explore and reflect on your day, your relations, your, future, your opinions and your life.

Healthy evolution of your mind. Taking control of your environment, your power, your free will, your future.

But if you stay in the shit, settling for the latest news on Paris Hilton, Alex Schulman and the rest of the illusionary famous, you will turn into a freak sooner or later. Living a poor excuse of a life. Drinking too much, playing Internet-poker, growing a sex-addiction, getting weirder and weirder in the hands of the market. I promise you. It´s a fact.

/Stefan