The Multi-Disciple by Uus Offerhaus is a manifesto, an effort to end divisions in the creative world. It is accompanied by an installation made according to the manifesto’s principles. The Multi-Disciple is now on show at Microlab Hall at DDW 2024.
The manifesto
Something’s rotten in the state of graphic design, as it is in the whole breadth of the creative field, as it is in the state of the world; what constitutes a good career, a good life is no longer clear. The Multi-Disciple is an effort to deal with these circumstances, to make sense of them and hammer out a new view, a new state.
With my spectrum of creativity, Âcrafter-designer-artist, and Hannah Arendt’s three basic human activities, labor- work-interaction, I attempted to figure out what a Âcreative’s way to live can be, what the meaning of Âcreating is, and how we can balance the three activities within our Âlife’s Âprofession. This manifesto is not about Âdesign. It’s about the world. It can apply to everyone, if they let it. This Âmanifesto is a plea for an equitable, Âcollaborative view on life and Âcreation: the view of The Multi-ÂDisciple.
The installation
The past half-year I’ve been making a keep-object along with the manifesto, an experience-object: the Multi-Disciple installation. In it, six textile panels are featured, and on them six images you'll see in the manifesto's chapter pages. They’re screenprints with a foilprint on top. They have a border filled with words: key-words, catchphrases that are meant to enrage or ensnare Âvisitors into interacting with this manifesto. Some are Âstereotypes that I debunk, others are true. Read the manifesto. Can you figure out which is which?
