Sugarfree

Near Far 2013

Kjetil Berge’s wonderful photographs of his family and friends were taken on a old camera lent by the artist's father to record his progress in London. Instead Kjetil turned its lens on his friends and family, documenting those close to him.

They have been collected and published in a new book we've designed. Often taken at low light levels or on the move in a context where there is no possibility of composing a shot, they capture the unexpected side of family life. The images are at once warm and embracing, yet also slightly at odds with his subjects, snatched in a moment. The book's title developed from the Norwegian for Father – Far, and the moving images Kjetil took of him during his final years.

We are so pleased that these pictures can finally be seen as originally intended by the artist. The publication features a series of essays by artists and academics and there is an introduction by Tacita Dean. The final book, some 3 years in development, was launched on 9 May 2013 in London by Nabroad and published by Teknisk Industri AS, Oslo.

Soft Power Network

We have created a new identity for Soft Power Network. Soft Power Network is an online resource for the promotion and application of Soft Power as a technique for enabling change. The website is aimed at those individuals who are looking to employ Soft Power effectively either within a personal or a wider geopolitical context.

Soft Power is a term originally coined by Joseph S. Nye in The Means to Success in World Politics, as a means of influencing the context of international diplomacy to win over supporters and influencers and to gain advantage over an imposed and opposing point of view. This view has shifted, however Soft Power is still seen as a useful tool in achieving outcomes that can be adopted by opposing interests.

We wanted to create an identity based upon an infinite figure eight depicting an aspect of Soft Power as an open ended process, rather than an end in itself. The Soft Power Network is a more focused entity and the identity needed to reflect the work Indra Adnan, the network's Director has done during the last five years promoting Soft Power at government level, with its potential for more effective conflict resolution and for general consensus building. Soft Power Network's re-fresh coincides with an international conference held in Brazil. To view the website please click on the link.

AMA Conference 2013

We have just completed the identity for Game Change, the forthcoming AMA Conference 2013. Arts Marketing Association conferences are national forums for professional marketers and the best way to explore the latest trends and thinking in marketing, audience development, media engagement, connecting more effectively with the public.

This year's identity was built around an idea of an old toy puzzle. Contrasting the technological changes marketers have to face to be successful, with old school values that may no longer be relevant. We wanted to include word play and to use word puzzles to deliver the theme of the conference, about managing change and expectations.

AMA conferences are a great way to meet with colleagues, pick up tips from the most influential minds in the business and to network. The programme for this year's conference is outlined on the AMA's website, click on the link to know more. If you cannot be there, why not sign up for their social network feeds?

Barents Spektakel 2013

Draw Near Far is a touring exhibition of drawings commissioned by the Barents Spektakel 2013, Norway, selected from artists working across several disciplines by Kjetil Berge and Sarah Williams. The drawings show how artists view the world as a place of dissonance looking at the impact of world events upon the landscape from a personal perspective as well as at an international scale. We have designed a publication to accompany the exhibition which was launched at Bergen Hordland Art Centre, and that tours Norway for the next 6 months, contributing to the discourse about climate change initiated by the Barents Spektakel 2013.

In his own contribution to the Barents Spektakel 2013, Kjetil Berge has recently completed a long road journey in a 'homemade' ice cream van (the van is homemade, not the ice cream). In Breaking the Ice he makes apparent the process of global warming experienced by the people he meets along the way. Starting from London, driving across Europe via Russia covering hundreds of miles, his journey concluded in Kirkenes, the site for the Barents Spektakel 2013. The festival overlooks the Barents Sea, which has recently been made navigable year round by rising temperatures in northern Norway.

The drawing shown is by Annika Ström, courtesy of Gerhardson Gerner, Oslo and Berlin.

London Starts Here

London Starts Here is a new website that shows visitors the inside track to London. Backed by a consortium of real travel experts, the website extends the valuable work we have been doing promoting areas of the city during the last 10 years.

London Starts Here will launch in late June 2013 in the form of a blog enabling contributors to add items as they are on the move around the city. We will push time sensitive visitor information in an instant feed to hand held devices, for a more immediate feel for users who want to keep up with the latest on the events featured.

There will be editorial about central London's lesser known hot spots as well as underrated neighbourhoods. There will be spotlight features about selected retailers and events including festivals, concerts, live shows, street markets and special one-off retail events. We look forward to seeing you soon, refreshed.