da Scriffles

Joseph Pine released a report last year called Beyond Experience: it continues on the same theme of creating Authenticity for the Experience Economy.

 See Scriff File 244

I haven't yet read the report but you can download it here: http://www.artsandbusiness.org.uk/Central/Research/Branding-consumption/Beyon...

<p>Beyond experience: culture, consumer & brand - panel discussion from Arts & Business on Vimeo.</p>

As an Arts Reporter years ago, I interviewed an opera singer, theatre practitioners and visual artists who identified with this idea that business could learn from the arts and likewise the arts could learn from business. That was 10 years ago, it's not a new idea.

What's new is that Joseph Pine thinks it's key to unlocking the main ingredient customers value in a product or service : Authenticity.

"Are you a Fake fake, a Fake real, a Real fake or a Real real? - I think a lot of artists think they must not be tainted by business.

Businesses like advertising and media are in the culture business whether we like it, are conscious of it or not.

My niece *8* walks around talking fast talk interspersed with  "boom-chika!" on the end of a hip thrust and a huge grin - she's created her experience from a controversial TV ad for a men's deodorant. Yes, it drives women wild.  

I don't think she's even seen the ad, she's not allowed to watch commercial TV, her friend told her about it.

Business is not about enlightenment - Art is about enlightenment. How do you overcome this? - business has to care about more than the mighty dollar! That's authenticity.

I listened to the audio book: Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. It's great in-depth journalism. They have in one book summed up the digital revolution as they've experienced it and given people an insight into how it works. Why is it that mainstream journalism has not been able to do this? Is it conflicted? Is it just ignorant? Smith and Brogan are big on authenticity.

Start hobbling, start walking, sprint if you can because you're going to need a head start on this voracious new generation coming up the track - unless your market is going to be skewed towards the authenticity of the 20th century for the older generations.

I reckon the integration of humanity and technology is just that far away and the arts is the only way to hold on to humanity.

Like Joseph Pine says, authenticity is about knowing yourself, about being connected, being true to yourself and to others.

The arts is the INTERFACE connecting us - images, video, music, film, stories ... yes, even design.

It's always connected us from the first lullaby and the first cave painting to Avatar.

But you have to learn to use an interface - don't you?

Wow! I'm sorry to those of you who are offended by my pic. Yes, it's a provocative shot, but so are Victoria's Secret Ads. And this is just a bikini, not even lingerie.

I'm saddened that some of you think of the porn industry as dirty, when in reality, we are providing a service to the community, making lonely people happy, and helping couples spice up their relationships. This is what Sexpo is all about, its supposed to be fun, educational and open minded, don't put all pornstars in the category of dirty/skanky and std ridden. That's a complete misconception.

If you read my book 'Absolute Mayhem - confessions of an Aussie pornstar', maybe you'll think twice about the way you feel. (think what you will, shameless self promotion, but the book really will help you see things from a different perspective, and that's all I care about).

I understand as far as not wanting kids to see this, but they're not really advertising sex. And the pictures aren't explicit, any kid could see the cover of Maxim in a store and its pretty much the same style.

If you don't like sex and anything to do with sex, i'm sorry, but please don't ruin it for those who do. I know, your entitled to your own opinion and I accept that. But It's bad enough that the Australian government is so conservative to the point where hardcore porn is illegal! I mean really, who has the right to tell any consenting adult, what they can and cannot watch!

Well, the parishioners and school community think they have the right to feel comfortable in the community they actually inhabit - and they are not happy that the council has failed to represent their interests in favour of the interests of business. 

As Dr Gilbert Burgh, whose comment appears right at the bottom of the story comments, says the objections to the positioning of the Sexpo supersites are many and varied.

Dr Burgh, Ethics and Philosophy Lecturer at the University of Queensland, says:

I don't know why so many people are accusing those who find the billboard inappropriate as necessarily being prudes or wowsers! If you read many of the comments carefully you will see that many, if not most, of the objections are not about the amount of nudity but about what they see as displaying women as submissive or as being objectified. In other words, it is not about nudity per se but rather they way in which the woman is being depicted regardless of the amount of attire being worn.

The puzzling thing is that those people who are stereotyping those who have this kind of objection as prudes or wowsers are making the claim that there is no problem with the billboard solely on the basis that the woman is clothed, and in support of their claim compare the woman on the billboard with the scantily clad women on the beach and other adds where models are wearing much less. I can only infer from this that what they are trying to say is that the amount of clothing makes that difference, and that were the woman, for example, full nude then they might consider that the billboard would warrant being called inappropriate.

If like me, you see no problem with nudity, even on billboards, but object to negative images of women even if they are fully clothed (e.g. in submissive poses or imagery alluding to sexual objectification) then this, I think, is hardly what you would label as being a prude or wowser (if what you mean by these terms are someone who finds nudity or semi-nudity offensive).

This is a complex issue which requires a balance between freedom and censorship, the rights of adults to choose and the influences of exposure of adult themes to children who have not yet developed the capacity to make informed choices, and individual liberty and social responsibility. To see it as only nudity is to simplify the matter and to not understand what others are saying with regard to the effects of negative depictions of women. Moreover, if the degree of nudity were the only measure for deeming appropriate or offensive then would it not be the case that the bearer of such beliefs would more aptly fit the labels 'prude' or ' 'wowser'?

The Russian Orthodox community is sensitive because the weeks of Lent leading up to Easter is the holiest time of the year.

They have lodged an objection with the Advertising Standards Bureau also.

It does raise questions about the thinking of the councils. Don't you think?