All posts by “Kristína

Express clearly and display aesthetically: this time painting the walls

We play with the content, with the meaning that words and images hide. We look for the right ratio of comprehensibility and beauty in every assignment. We don't like bullshit, empty words, unnecessary sauces, or the so-called professional nonsense that obfuscates rather than aptly indicates. And we don't like beauty for beauty's sake, trend for trend's sake, we approach design functionally.

Jakub approached us with a clear assignment: he wants to start a business and plans to paint apartments, houses, buildings. In addition to regular painting, he also wants to play with decorative techniques such as accent walls.

First of all, we really cleaned up what Jakub offers: painting and designing of walls. The walls are what Jakub gives, painting is only one way to them. The wall became the protagonist.

That's why we chose a descriptive and yet creative name: Pohľadné steny (Eye-appealing walls).

"Pohľadné" is a playful word. The walls are beautiful to look at - it's a joy to see a beautifully painted space. But they are also beautiful to caress - touch. Caressing the walls is a manifestation of care, detail and honesty.

The graphic identity of the brand is "construction". No unnecessary decorations and effects, clear font, matter-of-fact style. And a playful icon: A painters hat. Remember newspaper caps for painting? Jakub remembered them.

You can find Pohľadné steny at Facebooku and Instagrame and if you are from Prešov and the surrounding area, you might find them in your inbox.

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The first stage of research focused on people with Down syndrome is complete!

In cooperation with the community of families and people with Down syndrome, we are conducting research in these weeks. The first stage was focused on public attitudes towards people with Down syndrome, and the aim was not only to map attitudes, but to try to identify barriers and "open doors" in the perception of these people by the public.

Research results indicate that we perceive people with Down syndrome rather positively. Positive stereotypes are a good opportunity for communication and rapprochement, but it should be considered whether they also have an unspoken negative side. In this way, for example, we can see people with Down syndrome as cheerful, good and friendly, but at the same time we are also talking about their incompleteness (We don't want to see their anger, sadness, jealousy) and their weaker equipment for life (naively good, even childish).

Interest and how to arouse it. Not just for autism day.

Today is April 2nd, International Autism Day. It's a day of awareness. To me, enlightenment is creating interest where there is little. By interest I mean curiosity, an inner need to know, experience, understand or listen carefully.

Nášho syna unschoolujeme, čo v praxi znamená, že sa v učení riadi primárne vnútornou motiváciou. Ide za tým, čo ho zaujíma, na čo je zvedavý, kde cíti potrebu spoznať, pozorne si vypočuť, nie za tým, čo je ročníku primerané a „má sa to“. Obdivujem jeho silu a jednoznačnosť. Vidno, že dokáže mať záujem, hlboký a zvedavý, má tú schopnosť a vytrvalo ju trénuje. No aj tak sa objavia situácie, kedy jeho záujmu, snahe pochopiť alebo empatizovať potrebujem pomôcť. Napríklad, keď ho niekto nahnevá, alebo keď je niečo dôležité pre nás, a on musí participovať, aj keď nechce.

I know what definitely doesn't work in that case: informing.Information has no power over dislike and disinterest. It flies through your head without any response, like a clean shot. What can work in the short term is scaremongering, shaming or inducing remorse. Information has no power over dislike and disinterest. It flies through your head without any response, like a clean shot. What can work in the short term is scaremongering, shaming or inducing guilt. alebo vyvolanie výčitiek.

Something like "even if it doesn't affect you, it might affect you and it will be too late, autism will take your child, your family and your finances." (Autism Speaks awareness campaign from the 90s)

Or something like "They are here among us, they are suffering, and you won't help them? won't you lend a helping hand? Aren't you ashamed?" (communication standard in the topic)

Zaberie to, no z dlhodobého hľadiska vyvolanie výčitiek, strachu alebo hanby naruší vzťah a vzájomnú dôveru, čo v dôsledku vyvolá ešte väčší nezáujem, vyblokovanie a odpor. Časom už nepomôže ani pritvrdiť, odozva nepríde.

What really works?

I won't please you it's laborious, but it's humanly possible.

Active mutual relationships. Not informing but sharing, speaking and listening, contact, interpersonal communication, everyday. Down here, among us, in the block, in the family, in the classroom, in the interest circle. We will not replace the creation of mutual relations with general information. That is why I consider community support and field work with them to be key. Wherever there is one of us, people on the spectrum, there is enlightenment.

Stereotypes and totems. here is such a thing as a useful line of propriety, crossing which we provoke the exact opposite of what we intended - dislike, disinterest, at best anger (it is better because it is active, albeit negatively). By creating a reasonable abbreviation of meaning, we create a premise for interest. He may or may not come, but we gave him a chance. And this is related to the next point.

Art. Artistic means were created to convey an experience, a story, not just information. A film that I live with for a moment, a character that I empathize with, a story that touches me, a photo that makes me laugh or think, a dance that captivates me, a rhythm that moves me. No media campaign will do people on the spectrum as much a service as a single HBO series, such as Little Sheldon, will do.

It works the same way in our family. Since I started with that, I will add that Otis gets caught up in something that we live by, just as we get caught up in what he lives by. We have a relationship. When a situation arises that his interest in another needs to be helped, we use abbreviations, stereotypes, simplifications, ideal visualizations, that is, something like "totems" that can be grasped and put his interest into. And finally, we watch stories, on YouTube, in games, movies, books, conversations with people, in music, we give ourselves the opportunity to perceive, feel, experience.

Inšpirovala ma moja známa, Denisa, ktorá je tiež Aspergerka, včera zdieľala kampaň značky VANISH. Dávam vám ju sem. Nie preto, že by dokonalo spĺňala všetky menované kritéria, ale robí pár vecí dobre:

They use film-making, a relatable story that gives it plenty of space. It uses stereotypes, which means being on the spectrum, for activists is incorrect, but reasonable and functional. It uses icon, a soft sweatshirt that I wear until it falls apart, protects me from the world and gives me comfort, e.g. even when I rub her sleeve.

They have other activities related to the campaign connected to community, although I see that more can be done there. I love the accompanying traveling exhibition "Me and my favorite piece of clothing". It shows the stories of different people on the spectrum, and at the same time it is equally engaging for those who are not on the spectrum, because clothes are fun for all young people.

VANISH nie je značka vychádzajúca z vnútra komunity, aj také sú, napr. HikiApp alebo Loop, ktoré rastú z presvedčenia, čo je dobré pre ľudí na spektre, môže byť v konečnom dôsledku dobré pre hocikoho iného. No témy sa VANISH zhostil dobre pre všetky zúčastnené strany. Ľudom na spektre záleží na oblečení, ale trochu inak ako väčšine. Záleží nám v prvom rade na tom, aby naše obľúbené kusy oblečenia vydržali čo najdlhšie, aby sa nemenili, zostávali s nami a chránili nás. VANISH v tejto potrebe našiel svoje miesto. Klobúk dole.

Anyone who has read this far has shown interest. I am grateful for that, I know it requires time and energy.

Kristína

We are preparing new collaborations and services

We wish you the holidays as you want them to be. We want them to be full of work, but quiet work. We are not into Christmas rituals, we manage to live without a Christmas tree and we are glad that we don't have to adapt the food to local customs. Does it make us feel excluded? No. We discovered that we are not the only ones rewriting the boundaries of the culture in which we live. Maybe our culture is asking for those changes.

We are happy to be home and all three of us are healthy. We are happy that each of us is doing what we enjoy. It's a festive feeling and, at the same time, a state that we want to carry on to the rest of our days. We manage that with the occasional stumble.

We will work on brief we gave ourselves. We want to be more open to cooperation and offer new services.They are tied to the creation of meaning through text, image, events, and people, but they put more tools in the hands of you, the people who create your brands, topics, and communities. And all this in cooperation with a third person (no, it's not Otis) with whom we usually complement each other.

May your end of the year be as you wish, see you in the next one!

K & J    

A conversation about the meaning of facts and stories

Another one of our partner interviews. We really enjoy talking. If someone enjoys listening to it, it's like they're visiting us, and we enjoy that too. This interview is about the importance of facts and stories, we deal with a sigh of relief on the subject of "people don't listen to facts unfortunately". We also talk about examples, including those from our workshop, for example, Armistice or Beznavod, but not only. Video tu.

Prímerie as a therapeutic space

We found her world of meaning for Aneta, and its first embodiment is a new website primerie.sk

Aneta came to us with a very important assignment. Not only did she want to change her job, but also the city where she would do it, the place where she would live. A new beginning.

She decided to create a therapeutic space in Bratislava. Her experiences have taken her through the world of autism, but she is not limited to it. Her first words to the assignment were: “Fine. I want to help people experience that feeling, the feeling of being at ease. No matter what's going on, feel inner peace on your way."

Finally, out of several name options for her new service, we chose the name "truce" - a state that does not deny that difficulties exist, but gives a breather from the struggles, clears the mind and offers insight. And this feeling was best associated with water, with the water surface that moves, waves and flows endlessly. We even managed to misspell "coastline" (prímorie) while writing texts for the website, and the grounding "ground floor" (prízemie) was also heard.

Aneta experienced firsthand that the biggest enemy is often the person himself. That's why the Prímerie (Truce) offers a safe space to lay down the weapons we aim at ourselves. All our inner voices that punish us, control us, hold us back, and don't let us breathe.

A truce with yourself, people and the world is the most important thing that Aneta gives to the world. And today it is really needed. But not in its superficial or naive form. For Aneta, this is not about a nice-looking, but inside fake reconciliation with what we don't want to reconcile with or can't reconcile with. Nor is it about denying the differences and conflicts in which we as humans naturally live. A true truce is aware of the world in all its forms, but it gives us a breather, allows us to lay down our arms, at least for a moment to think and walk consciously onward, to battle or to our more peaceful days.

She is still working on the physical space, but you can contact her. At primerie.sk you will find clearly written services it offers. Feel free to contact her or read her personal blogs.

The Depp vs. Heard: toxic existence?  

Live stream of the globally watched trial Johnny vs. Amber is over. With his verdict, a few lazy evaluations have also appeared in our local area. However, in an effort to have an opinion without having to pay attention to the topic, they remained on the surface of this fascinating event.

The process of Johnny vs. Amber was not just an extravagant show, even if it engaged human sensationalism to its heart's content. It had so many levels of meaning and so many cultural interpretations that it would be a shame to let it float into oblivion, on the surface of our shallow media waters.

What we consider sacred, pure and what profane, dirty

Domestic violence is gender-based violence, it is committed against women. Men live in cultural superiority, I don't ask for it because I live it. Male power is real. I won't give you too much insight into my personal experiences, but it is definitely worth noting, as it shows in our work meetings. The men present often respond to my comments and questions to my partner, not to me. They persistently ignore that I exist until the question of whether everything is written down comes up.

Even from how difficult it is for me to write the following lines, it is clear how for me a woman is untouchable in the event of violence. I feel compelled to describe how much it is necessary to maintain the image of the sacred - innocent and pure woman and the profane - punishable and dirty man. The formula must remain clear because it could cost someone their life. And if not life, then soul. But the meaning changes unstoppably, and the relationship of these two people has become one of the milestones of transformation. The transformation may not be considerate, but pretending it isn't happening is comparably reckless.    

What authenticity means and how we construct it

At first, the process unfolded slowly, like an ocean of confusing and contradictory events. I hesitated whether I wanted to dive into it. Well, that response irritated me. Comments and notes from people around. I felt that this was a moment where culture was happening - something that was beyond us and we needed to fit in with it, live it and derive from it.   

"A desperate act by two toxic shooting stars" was the most widely shared and at the same time the laziest comment. He guaranteed that one would remain wise with virtually no effort. A fool would fall for one or the other, wouldn't he? Maybe not. The corners of our collective soul have been swept away by the fascinating power of authenticity. What can we believe as real and what can we not? Who is "ourselves" and who is not? What is the decisive criterion?   

393 / 5 000 Výsledky prekladov Výsledok prekladu Both participants were actors, so the audience was accompanied by an unusual vigilance. We wanted to examine the statements. We were more alert and interested in the evidence, the testimony of others. For the truth to be confirmed from the outside, independently. But despite this vigilance, an experience began to settle in the audience - an indecipherable and inexplicable feeling, which at the time had no factual, evidentiary background. Something was different, something didn't fit.

This feeling soon translated into an endless amount of memes with Amber. Regardless of the physical evidence, Amber proved to be out. She was out not only to the social media users who participated in her public lynching with the greatest fervor, she was also out to the jury, as the verdict showed.

Mimo means inauthentic, self-contradictory. As one reporter for Law and Crime, which was broadcasting live from the courtroom, said: “Amber lost it the moment she spoke. Maybe not even because of what she said, although that also weighed, but especially how she said it." She personified the limits of authenticity and made us feel what it's like when someone is "not themselves", not in line with what they present . It is not in accordance with its own truth.

Trustworthy doesn't just mean consistent or pretty    

Johnny Depp entered the online world with the telling communication concept "Never Fear Truth". He is active on the domain of the same name and mainly shares his artistic and musical achievements. He says that a person creates believably for others only if he is in harmony with his own truth. No matter how ugly she is. He carries the motto with him for years. But this public tribunal portrayed him in unexpected plasticity.

His integrity did not put him in a position of trust. In the narration of others, but also in his own statements, he proved to be very contradictory. Loving and hateful, cruel and gentle, dark and falling, both bright and anchored. He was definitely not clean.  

He did not deny his endless addictions, his unreliability, his harsh humor, or his impulsiveness. Without hesitation, he talked about how he punched a photographer who did not respect his privacy. But he also showed his sensitive and perceptive face when he talked about the people he cares about.  

We are human, we easily slip into meaning abbreviations. A "junkie" can hardly be clean and fair for us. Someone with such a harsh and graphic vocabulary, so unstable, changeable and so often reaching into darkness, cannot be innocent after all. That's hard to digest. But the non-plastic one-dimensionality of Amber Heard was much harder to digest. As my husband said, Amber offered the world a corporate brand. All clean, nice, caring and finally with an eco-friendly advice "save the planet, don't print this email". Stable, unchanging and perfect.  

Pushing the physical and psychological boundaries of the public

Depp has never allowed a lot of prying into his privacy and the intimacy of his family. He kept children out of social networks, out of public interest until they were adults. To this day, his son has no social media and his daughter only makes professional public appearances (note for less savvy readers - Depp has children with Vanessa Paradise, not Amber). The same was true of their father until recently.

The trial became his first, and at the same time open to consequences, act of disclosure. Disgusting and fascinating at the same time. He made available to us the notes of personal doctors, psychiatrists, recordings of private conversations, photos, videos, scenes from the partner's life. He slammed the door on his kitchen counter furiously and staggered unsteadily toward the bottle. Another time he apathetically stated that he would cut himself. That it doesn't hurt. He tried to run away, to escape - undignified. He bowed to the ban on leaving the room and repeated over and over that he needed space. He received physical blows, again and again.

It is one thing to let the whole world into your intimate space, into your living kitchen, living room, cottage. It's not obvious either, although the paparazzi have taught us to be stubborn. It's something else to let the whole world into your head. To show your weakness, your vulnerability, your stupidity, to bear the shame and embarrassment of your failures.

It was a plot twist that luckily worked out in his favor in the end. But he didn't have to. When it's "after" it's easy to declare that the evidence has spoken clearly. Yes, it was felt that the evidence fits the logic of Johnny Depp's story rather than his ex-wife Amber's. But both sides tried and made solid arguments in the end. They offered meaningful stories.

One was about a young and talented actress - a woman who fell victim to the depraved, perpetually fetid, declining female heartthrob, close friend of Marilyn Manson (i.e. filth incarnate). Intoxicated, he did not shy away from throwing a whiskey bottle at her, beating her and belittling her. After all, that's what men do. Because they can. And they have each other's backs. Misogynistic Hollywood.   

The other was about a conflicted man of mature age who has fallen and gotten up countless times in his life, screwed up a lot, but not screwed up everything. He reached the stage where he decided to face what it brought. Finally, don't run away. To take what is his, but not to take what is not his. Physical violence against women and sexual violence is simply not his thing.  

Not only defamation, loss of reputation and job opportunitiesí

Johnny Depp started this lawsuit because he wanted to prove that he lost his reputation and opportunities as a result of a deliberate and targeted lie that his ex-wife spread about him. Her media profile was "wife beater". Amber Heard, in turn, sued him for the same, or she sued his lawyer, who wrote about her on his Twitter that she spreads hoaxes and lies. (Depp did not comment on her in the media, she could not sue him personally).   

In the end, this suit was a "re-famation" rather than a "de-famation trial". The trial became a reality show that made both actors visible and brought them media attention. People around me had never heard of Amber Heard before. I guess everyone knew Depp, but not all of his darkest corners and troubles. Not in such depth and proximity. Today we can understand him and feel with him.

It wasn't just a cold calculation of loss and profit. The content of the statements and the subject of the dispute was a drastic probe into the partnership relationship, in all its shades. He created an opportunity to go within and search. Both sympathize and judge. Let the stories of both sides work and find the response within yourself, believe and doubt.

None of us were in their kitchen and saw those scenes, all their details. Our knowledge, despite the enormous efforts of lawyers, despite the evidence and testimony of witnesses, has remained limited. The actual experience remained unknowable. I didn't envy the people on the jury - the ones who had to decide. They decided on dignity and they knew it. It wasn't about money. In the end, the judge sent the jury backstage while reading the verdict, because they forgot to fill in the financial compensation boxes.

I'm getting used to the fact that we make decisions based on available and imperfect knowledge. It can be uncomfortable. We'd rather not decide. We'd rather just see a "toxic couple who owe each other nothing." But as for the Depp vs. Heard can definitely stand up somehow. The jury clearly showed that it can be done. I was surprised by their confidence, but I liked it. I was cautious and humble when estimating the result, but being humble does not mean being without attitude. Despite the possibility of being wrong. I realize this and I am #justiceforJohhny.

We are not afraid to burn

It's been ten years since we decided to work freely. Until then, we sold part of our personal freedom for the security of wage. At that time our son was born, we lived in a rented flat, the remains of economic crisis were in the air. Our decision didn't look reasonable.  

We didn't even have a breathtaking business plan. We've had experience in advertising, research and related fields. We both studied sociology and over the years of employment we've established ourselves as strategists. Nicely said, we were highly specialized. Badly said, we found ourselves in the very center of the so-called bullshit jobs (we recommend the book by anthropologist and anarchist David Graeber).

The work we did in our jobs was often useless at best, harmful at worst. And yet (or precisely because) that we worked for well-known names and brands. At this point in our story, a completely different turning point would suit better. It would be beautifully easy to write: and so we started baking bread ´cause bread is tangible and feeds people. That didn't happen.  

Up to these days we mainly sell intellect and its aesthetic portrayals. And we try to close the gap arisen in the conflict between our own punk and highly perceptive selves and the shallow market segment called marketing and advertising. We call it meaning-making, the creation of meaning.

We don't disguise marketing into nicer clothes. We rather shout out the famous "the king is naked!" but in that nudity we also see realization. Limited only by ability of imagination. We're building our own segment because we didn't fit into any other. And we're free in it as anything goes (we recommend the philosopher of science P. K. Feyerabend).   

We create the meaning of things, events, people, decisions and we look for it again and again ourselves, too. We also look for specific expressions, through photography, text, image, video, event, any other meaningful totem. We remain absorbed in that variety, we aren't bored. There's not much we cling to, so we can't lose much. We don't lose ourselves, on the contrary, we always find our new dimensions. 

We've had no rocket success. Nor can it be said we're doing better over time due to our patient work. It's quite possible that the category of success in its standardized form doesn't apply to us, at all. As we find out, nothing of a standardized form applies to us. And the journey of our perfectly out-of-the-box son confirmes that, too.  

We call ourselves Ideology and for us ideology is no evil, but a construct of meaning, plot or story. People have given the world meaning since ancient times. We live the same way. We live stories and we are full of contradictions. It may not look like rational decision, but that doesn't mean it's wrong. Progress for us isn't some ultimate deliberation from stories, but rather awareness of the story and its boundaries.        

We can relate to the image of legendary Phoenix. A fiery bird that always reappears out of its own ashes. We're not afraid to burn. We have been decomposed into the smallest indivisible parts, into ashes, so many times, that we find strength in it. What's indivisible cannot be divided, that's certain. That's is exactly how we want to go on. Search for gravitational moments, concentrated meaning, experience and play with it in all its (un-)imaginable forms. In our case, we didn't arrive at a different business plan, yet.          

Cultural innovation: a sensory-friendly event

We had the opportunity to participate in the preparation of a sensory-friendly event, and we also enjoy this! Bringing changes that change the established culture and open new possibilities for people. People who need a sensory safer environment to enjoy the experience could and did come to the event of the Absynt publishing house in Nová Cvernovka. On this site you will find graphic materials and instructions for the sensory-friendly "sf" symbol. It didn't exist until now, so we drew it. We offer it to anyone for use in organizing such an event. We believe that this "ligature" of ours will become a sign that will guide people with more sensitive sensory needs and guide them in choosing an experience.

This is how we presented a sensory-friendly event:

"More and more events are adapting to the needs of people who want to experience them without distractions: loud and sudden sounds, background noise, flashes of light, smells or other sensory surprises. These stimuli can be discomfort or even distressing pain. Considering sensory sensitivity is important for everyone, not just autistic people. Help us create a sensory friendly event!

1. Let's allow ourselves enough personal space so that everyone can breathe freely.

2. Do not take photos with a flash during the event.

3. Instead of applause, let's show enthusiasm and gratitude by freely waving our hands: jazz hands.

4. We will enable a transition to a safe corner for those experiencing overload.

5. Let's ask what form of greeting the other person prefers - a handshake, a touch of the elbow, a slight bow or a wave of the hand.

Something can be surprising and new. Something can make you feel awkward and insecure. Well, take it as a challenge: there are a thousand ways to enjoy pleasant moments! With jazz hands, we will also try out the feeling of stimming* with the hands, which is so popular with autistic people!

* Stimming is the repetition of movements, sounds or words. We all stim. When was the last time you tapped your pen, tapped your foot, hmm? In autistic and sensory sensitive people, stimming is seen more often. It can be a protective reaction, release of tension, but also pleasure and joy. In public, we are forced to suppress stimming, which takes away our mental health. And all you have to do is relax!"

The world's first school without the manual

The concept of #bezávodu, which gave birth first The Podcast series Kids without manual, than portal beznavodu.sk – live with people with Asperger syndrom and autism grew by school. It is a primary school that promotes inclusion, is located in the small village of Veľké Zlievce and provides support to home-educated children.

With Slávka Makovníková, co-founder of School without manual, we in this interview discussed inclusive education in practice, diversity support, work with autistic children, home education, the teaching profession, but also burnout and rediscovering life force. Since Slávka, in addition to accompanying children, is also engaged in her own therapeutic practice, there were plenty of topics. Read on, it's worth it!