Dror speaks at C2 Montreal, May 26, 2017

Summary

In this inspiring talk, designer and futurist Drawer Ben challenges the audience to change their perspective on creativity and problem-solving. He emphasizes the importance of passion, a comprehensive approach, collaboration, and experimentation, sharing projects that embody these principles. From transforming Central Park to reimagining luggage, Ben's work illustrates how rethinking design can lead to innovative solutions that resonate with people and inspire a cosmic perspective on our impact on the world.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The speaker, Drawer Ben, emphasizes the importance of broadening our perspective to solve problems with heart and creativity, not just with logic and intellect.
• 🎨 Creativity and beauty are presented as powerful tools to address the world's most significant challenges, with the belief that design and art can inspire change.
• 🤝 The value of meaningful connections is highlighted, suggesting that our relationships with products, interiors, buildings, and people should be more profound and impactful.
• 🏺 The concept of embracing imperfection and the beauty of experience is introduced, as seen in the 'broken vase' project, which became Rosenthal's bestseller.
• 🌳 The idea of creating a love relationship between nature and people is discussed, with the example of designing a park in Istanbul that encourages a connection with nature.
• 🪑 The 'Peacock Chair' project illustrates how design can address personal challenges and vulnerabilities, using three sheets of felt to create a strong, embracing piece of furniture.
• 🌐 The importance of a comprehensive approach in design is stressed, transcending specialization to integrate various disciplines and solve broader challenges.
• 🛍️ The transformative potential of luggage is explored, with Tumi's project aiming to create adaptable, transformable luggage that meets diverse travel needs.
• 🏘️ The architectural project in Cart Blanche demonstrates the power of innovative design in real estate, where hiding architecture under a 'carpet of vegetation' led to a significant sales success.
• 🔬 The necessity of investing in small experiments is underscored, as they can lead to significant discoveries and changes, as seen with the development of the 'Quadr' geometry for Swarovski.
• 🌕 The final takeaway is about gaining a cosmic perspective to change our understanding of hope and our place in the universe, with the 'Lunar Dust' art installation aiming to replicate the astronauts' experience.

Q & A

What is the central theme of the speaker's presentation?

The central theme of the presentation is about changing perspective to solve problems with heart and creativity, and how this approach can be applied to various projects, from product design to urban planning.

What does the speaker believe is the key to solving the world's most important challenges?

The speaker believes that creativity and beauty, along with a comprehensive approach to design, are key to solving the world's most important challenges.

What is the significance of the broken vase project in the speaker's career?

The broken vase project was significant as it was the speaker's first project in New York and it made them realize the importance of shaping the future through experiences and embracing challenges.

How did the speaker approach the design of Central Park in Istanbul?

The speaker approached the design by creating an environment that initially looks like an urban grid but gradually transforms into places where people can experience nature in different ways, fostering a love relationship between nature and people.

What was the unique solution the speaker proposed for the cruise ship terminal project?

The unique solution proposed was to make the entire cruise ship terminal disappear by placing it completely below sea level, thus opening up the entire neighborhood to the public and pedestrian use.

What is the importance of the 'comprehensive approach' in the speaker's design philosophy?

The comprehensive approach is important because it allows the speaker to not limit creativity to a specific specialty, enabling them to solve complex problems by integrating knowledge and ideas from different disciplines.

How did the speaker's design for Tumi luggage lead to a change in the company's product line?

The speaker's design led to the realization that reducing the weight of the luggage was less important than creating a collection that adapts to different needs, resulting in transformable luggage that can change its form and function.

What was the outcome of the experiment with Tumi's retail stores?

The experiment, which involved reducing the number of SKUs and focusing on the best-selling products, resulted in a 60% increase in average sales across the three stores.

What is the 'quadr' geometry and how did it originate?

The 'quadr' geometry is a new structural system made out of four identical L-shaped members, which originated from a small commission for Swarovski and has the potential to be used in various applications due to its strength and adaptability.

What is the goal of the lunar dust terrain art installation project?

The goal of the project is to provide an experience that allows people to gain a broader perspective and look back at Earth from the moon's viewpoint, potentially changing their outlook on life and their relationship with the planet.

What is the speaker's final point on changing perspective and how does it relate to the overall message of the presentation?

The final point on changing perspective is about gaining respect for the planet, communities, and the way we consume products. It relates to the overall message by emphasizing the importance of a broader perspective in creating meaningful and sustainable solutions.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Embracing Creativity and Imperfection

The speaker, Drawer Ben, introduces himself as a designer, artist, futurist, and inventor, emphasizing the power of vision and ideas to solve problems. He advocates for a design practice that questions everything and rethinks design typologies. The first point shared is the importance of passion for creating meaningful connections between people and their environment. Ben illustrates this with his first project in New York, which highlighted the beauty in imperfection and the power of personal experience to shape the future. This project became a bestseller, showing people's appreciation for creating their own connections with products. He also discusses a project in Istanbul, aiming to foster a love relationship between people and nature, and another involving a chair that transforms into art, challenging traditional notions of furniture and art.

05:04

💡 The Power of a Comprehensive Approach

The second paragraph focuses on the comprehensive approach to creativity, urging not to limit it to a single specialty. Ben shares an experience where his design practice was initially deemed too small for a large project but eventually partnered with a major architectural firm to solve a complex problem. The project involved creating a cruise ship terminal that disappeared below sea level, opening up the neighborhood to the public. This approach led to a successful transformation of the area, turning the building into pedestals for rooftops where people could enjoy the view. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of questioning assumptions and data, suggesting that sometimes unconventional ideas can lead to breakthrough solutions.

10:05

🛍️ Transformative Design in Luggage and Retail

In the third paragraph, Ben discusses the project with Tumi to create the lightest luggage, which led to the realization that adaptability to different needs was more important than mere weight reduction. This insight resulted in a transformable luggage collection. He also talks about a retail store design for Tumi, where an experiment in reducing the number of SKUs led to a significant increase in sales. The new store design organized products by typology rather than collections, which was more effective and has been adopted in over 60 stores worldwide. The speaker stresses the importance of investing in experiments and collaborating with experts to innovate.

15:05

🚀 Gaining a Lunar Perspective on Earth

The fourth paragraph describes a project inspired by the moon landing, aiming to provide a new perspective on Earth. Ben was invited to NASA and was struck by the astronauts' shared experience of seeing Earth from the moon, which profoundly changed their view of the planet. He shares the concept of an art installation that mimics the lunar experience, using a dome with a non-reflective surface to create a sense of being in space. The project is intended to open on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and is about gaining respect for the planet and changing the way we view our world.

20:08

🌱 Respecting Our Planet Through Design

The final paragraph wraps up Ben's talk by summarizing the key points: passion for creating meaningful connections, a comprehensive approach to creativity, collaboration with experts, investing in small experiments, and changing perspectives. He emphasizes the importance of respect for the planet, our bodies, communities, and the way we consume products. The speaker challenges the audience to consider how they want to be remembered as a generation and to take responsibility for the impact of their actions.

Keywords

💡Perspective

Perspective refers to a particular attitude, way of regarding, or analyzing situations or subjects. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of changing one's perspective to approach problems and solutions differently. The concept is central to the theme, as it is used to introduce the idea of rethinking design and problem-solving, such as gaining a 'cosmic perspective' or considering the broader impact of our actions.

💡Creativity

Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas to create something. The video suggests that creativity, particularly in conjunction with beauty, can address significant global challenges. The speaker's work as a designer and futurist is rooted in creative thinking, which is exemplified in projects that push the boundaries of conventional design, like the transformation of a broken vase into a meaningful art piece.

💡Comprehensive Approach

A comprehensive approach implies considering all aspects of a problem or project rather than focusing on a single element. The speaker advocates for this approach in design, arguing that it allows for more innovative solutions. For instance, the project involving the cruise ship terminal demonstrates how a comprehensive approach can transform a simple product design challenge into a master planning solution.

💡Innovation

Innovation is the process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay. The video discusses the importance of innovation in design, particularly in the context of collaboration and experimentation. The speaker shares examples of innovative projects, such as the luggage design for Tumi, which adapts to different needs and transforms the way products are sold in retail.

💡Meaningful Connection

Meaningful connection refers to the establishment of significant relationships or interactions between people, products, or environments. The speaker highlights the importance of creating meaningful connections in design to enhance experiences and elicit emotional responses. An example from the script is the broken vase project, which encourages users to form personal connections with the objects they interact with.

💡Experimentation

Experimentation is the act of trying out new ideas or methods to discover new possibilities or to test existing theories. The speaker encourages investing in small experiments, which can lead to significant changes, as seen in the Tumi retail store redesign and the development of the 'quadr' geometry. These experiments not only advance the understanding of materials and forms but also drive innovation in various applications.

💡Transformation

Transformation is the process of changing the nature, form, or appearance of something. In the context of the video, transformation is a key aspect of the design philosophy, where objects or spaces are designed to change and adapt to different uses or conditions. The suitcase that can expand from 30L to 60L and the project that transforms an urban grid into a natural park exemplify this concept.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability generally refers to the ability to maintain processes or states in a balanced manner over the long term, often in reference to environmental concerns. While not explicitly mentioned in the transcript, the theme of sustainability is implied in the projects that aim to create meaningful connections with nature, such as the Istanbul park project, and in the overall ethos of responsible design.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration is the act of working together, especially in an intellectual endeavor, to achieve a common goal. The speaker emphasizes the importance of collaborating with the best knowledge and people in various fields to maintain a state of curiosity and innovation. The project involving the architectural firm to redesign the cruise ship terminal is an example of successful collaboration.

💡Respect

Respect, in the context of the video, is about acknowledging the value and importance of various elements such as the environment, communities, and the way we consume products. The speaker's final project aims to foster a sense of respect by providing a venue for companies to showcase their commitment to sustainability and ethical practices, thereby changing the viewer's perspective on responsibility.

Highlights

The importance of changing perspective on how we feel, imagine, and share.

The belief that creativity and beauty can solve the world's most important challenges.

The power of vision and ideas to solve problems.

The practice of questioning everything from a vase to a city in design.

The idea of creating meaningful connections between people and their environment.

The project that made people realize the beauty in imperfection.

The concept of transforming a broken vase into a piece of art.

The design of a park in Istanbul that encourages a love relationship between nature and people.

The creation of a chair that provides both strength and comfort.

The vision of two structures dancing and being visible throughout the city.

The comprehensive approach to design that transcends speciality limitations.

The innovative solution to a cruise ship terminal problem by rethinking its placement.

The transformation of a luggage collection to adapt to different needs.

The success of a 'carpet approach' in real estate that led to a significant sales increase.

The value of investing in small experiments for potential large impact.

The discovery of a new geometry with strong supporting capabilities.

The concept of an art installation that provides a lunar perspective on Earth.

The goal of changing perspective to gain respect for the planet and its resources.

Transcripts

M ladies and

Gentlemen please welcome draw Ben

[Music]

treat good

morning what if we change

perspective what if we change

perspective on what we

feel what we

imagine what we

do and what we

share what if we gain a broader

perspective on how we

live our

communities our

parks are parts of the cities that can

become

Parks what if we gain a broader

perspective on the cities of the

future what if we gain a cosmic

perspective I want to share with you

today what I believe that it's time to

solve problems with our heart not just

with our

brain I believe that creativity and

Beauty can solve the world most

important

challenges my name is

drawer and I'm

uh damn I always get stuck

here I'm a designer I'm an

artist I'm a futurist I'm an

inventor I believe that vision and idea

have the power to solve a lot of

problems so my practice is a design

practice that focus on

Visions focus on ideas we question

everything we question everything from a

vase to a

city we like to rethink design

typologies that's the goal in every

Challenge and we always want to partner

with the world best

knowhow inspiring change is our

responsibility beyond the project that

we just create so I brought today five

points that I want to share with you

that I strongly believe have a profound

way of changing how we think about our

problems the first one is

passion passion for creating meaningful

connection meaningful connection between

us and our product us and our interior

us in our

buildings and Us in other people this

project is the very first project that I

did when I moved to New York and open my

practice and it solved for me a huge

problem

it made me realize that we unlike a vase

that breaks and shudder and ends his

life cycle we actually shape our future

by the experience that we take on

ourselves and when we feel like that we

embrace the challenges that we go

through so when we showed this project

to rosentel they said we've been trying

to perfect porcelain for 125 years here

you come and you show the beauty in

imperfection

the beauty of experience very quickly it

became rosenal bestseller because people

loved the idea of creating their own

connection their own reasoning for why a

broken

vase

transformation sometimes metaphorical

like the vase sometimes physical like

this

chair why to let our guest sits on the

chair that we're not proud of the chair

that we actually put in the closet it as

soon as they

live What If instead we let them sit on

the art piece the art piece that we

actually enjoy that is on the

wall and once we realize that all we

created essentially is a canvas with

hinches we invited our friends our

artists to have their own art to have

their own interpretation of what a chair

versus art is two-dimensional art

versus three-dimensional

product when we were invited to think

about Central Park of Istanbul a city

that doesn't have a Central Park we

realize that we need to create a love

relationship between nature and people

if you're not exposed to Nature you're

afraid of nature so how we can create an

environment that is at first familiar at

first looks like an urban grid and

slowly evolves and transform into

places where you can experience nature

in different ways when you can actually

create conditions for people to fall in

love with nature to experience different

heights between the trees and actually

then discover a places to jump not just

to walk and to see through the Tre

Tops This is a project that got

permission uh from the government to

move forward just a couple months

ago this chair was not created for

Rihanna it was

actually me trying to solve a problem

for myself a breakup with a

girlfriend we all go through those

moments in life where we realize

that sometimes it's about this

vulnerability where we ask ourself are

we doing the right

things peacock oped up his feathers for

two completely opposing reasons

attraction and

defense to basically say look I'm big

stay away or the opposite come closer so

how we can take three sheets of felt and

actually weave them in such a way that

they create strength and they give that

same feeling when you sit on it they

embrace you they give you that power and

they hug you at the same

time

Montreal first time I came to Montreal

to see the

biosphere it

felt like a lonely

structure it felt like an

orphan and I thought if you want to

create a movement you can't dance alone

you have to have a compan

companion what if we create a 21st

century

companion bminer Fuller used to say that

the sun and the moon are Dancing in the

Sky all the

time what if those two structures can

actually dance and be visible throughout

the city in such a way that they are

constantly eclipsing one

another and what if that space is the

place where we share

watch

concerts and enjoy that was a vision

that we created on our own for the 50th

anniversary of the

Expo my second point is about a

comprehensive approach don't limit your

creativity to speciality and this is a

this is the fundamental reason why we

practice design

comprehensively the first example is a

project that first we were not invited

to the client said draw your practice is

too small for this project we have a 1.2

kilm of bosserous front right in front

of the old city and we need to think of

a big problem a problem of how to solve

the cruise ship terminal needs that have

to stay on that

side but is actually sitting on the most

valuable piece of land of the

city so we teamed up with g

the largest architectural firm in the

world and we say now we have

strength and we realize that solving

this

problem through a product design

challenge is what we need to do how do

we make the entire cruise ship terminal

disappear how can we basically tack all

of the needs of the cruise ship terminal

below sea level this is going to be the

first cruise ship terminal that is

completely below sea level the boardwalk

opens up reveals a hydraulic gangways

that take the passengers from the ships

directly straight to the basement level

and by doing that opening the entire

neighborhood to the public opening the

entire neighborhood for pedestrian so

all the vehicle circulation all the

needs of the terminals are going below

sea level and this is an example of how

creativity across different disciplines

a product design that can solve a master

planning challenge so once we realize we

took the attention away from the port

and we gave it to the ground the

building now serves as pedestals for the

rooftops to basically be the places

where people interact with and actually

enjoy the beautiful boss

forus this project is in construction

right

now a comprehensive approach is also

also

about questioning what you've

told sometimes data will not get you

there Tumi came to us with a request

make the lightest luggage we're going to

have why because every customer that

come to the store asks for the lightest

luggage so that's what we need to give

them so what do you do when you ask that

kind of question you start taking the

lightest luggage you can find the part

and you weigh the wheels and you weigh

the handles and you weigh the zippers

and then we realize that the differences

are similar to the weight of underwears

a couple of

underwears none of us ask ourselves well

that's too many underwears on that trip

I can't take

that so we realize that we travel with

different content at different time we

need different

things and more important than reducing

the weight of a couple of underwear is

creating a luggage and bag collection

that adapt to our need transform in

different ways transform for our

transformable

needs so a backpack that doesn't look

like a backpack all the time can

actually become a toad bag when you're

walking into a meeting and then switch

back the suitcase that you saw is the

first hard case that actually changed

from 30 L to 45 to 60

l so the entire collection is about

transformation thank

you we have to collaborate to

innovate I've been struggling for the

last 15 years with the

word specialist versus

generalist there's something really odd

about being a

generalist so I'm a comprehensive

that sounds much more sophisticated so

we need to collaborate with best

knowledge we need to collaborate with

people that really know what they're

doing so we can stay the childish

creators that are curious this is our

very first architectural project when

the client came to us and said we want

to create the most luxurious homes on

this island cart

blanch what would you do if those people

already have five and six homes around

the world so I thought the Persian golf

is the place that I know for carpet

making why don't we shove all the

architecture underneath this massive

carpet of

vegetation because I don't want to see

15 Neighbors from one side and 14

Neighbors from the other side I want to

feel that I'm part of a community but I

don't want to see my neighbors that's

luxury in that type of setting

originally this project was intended to

be $154 Million worth of real estate

because of this carpet approach that

became the idea that governs this

project the client actually sold

976 million doll worth of real estate in

less than 72

hours so a little bit better than Avatar

on its first weekend

out and we were sitting in New York

thinking what just happened how is this

possible that this

idea lead to this kind of approach

invest in experimenting this is

something that is very important for me

in my own practice and it's something

that I encourage all of our clients to

do all the time when Tumi invited us

after the success of the collection to

think of their retail store they asked

us to design their store we said well we

want to really change your retail

experience overall we want to gain a

bigger perspective so we really looked

at how Tumi sells their product and

really first analyze what is being sold

in the store so we created all kinds of

infographic this is one of them and we

asked the

question we think you maybe have too

many

skus what if we actually reduce all of

those very low selling

products and take them off what if we

run a small experiment in three stores

when instead of showing the the entire

collection we take the worst 20 salale

20% of the

sales they called us after a month and

said you wouldn't believe in all three

stores we sold 60% more on

average so having 20% less product and

selling 60% more that's mean a lot for

this

company but then we also realize that if

the entire collection can be

compartmentalized into those three

categories then the storees should be

designed in such a way not by

collections by by

typologies wheelway bags and accessories

so this is how we translate it into the

store floor walls and tables this is the

first Tumi store with our design now

they already enrolled more than 60

stores around the world there is doing a

lot better than the previous

design invest in experiments this tiny

little commission for

Swarovski started for us something much

bigger than that we discover a new

geometry we discover something that have

tremendous strength and tremendous

capability to become all kinds of

supporting system so we call it quadr

because it's made out of four identical

L-shaped

members it's basically have the ability

to be a solid surface or an open trussle

frame the strength of those units is

tremendous it collapses flat it can

become barriers of different kinds it's

have also an amazing acoustic bearing

capability because of the geometry and

we started experimenting we started

looking at what other applications this

can be beneficial for one of the things

that we always do is look at Art

installations as ways for us to further

the R&D further our understanding of

what this can become and this is an

ongoing experiment in our practice ways

of understanding how this geometry can

be beneficial for all kinds of projects

from small saw horses to a support of

slams and favellas

potentially Deployable structures of

different kind

kinds and the exoskeletons of

buildings my last point is about

changing

perspective and this is a project that

started when I was invited to

NASA to see what they are working

on gaining

perspective almost 50 years ago

we landed on the moon an event that

really changed our definition of Hope

really Chang so many different

Industries so many things that we have

today are because of this event but

there is one thing that we have not paid

attention

to every astronaut that landed on the

moon said the exact same thing if every

person in the universe would gain this

perspective it will change us as

people what does that

mean what does that mean it will change

us how can we gain this kind of

perspective can we gain this kind of

perspective here on

Earth so this is what we set to do let's

try and create an art

installation that tries to do that

taking something similar to a

planetarium but instead of having a

postered seat an exit sign actually

having a lunar dust

terrain having a lunar rover projection

of planet Earth inside of this black

space there's a company that now makes

99.97 non omitting light surface so

you're actually standing inside of a

dome and you have no idea where the

walls are because light does not project

on them and this is one of the most

exciting thing that every astronaut said

being in a brightness of the surface of

the Moon extremely bright surface but in

the darkness of

space can we try and gain that

perspective and look back at ourselves

from

here July 20th 2019 is when we're going

to celebrate 50 years anniversary and

this is when we're all when we are

planning to open this

venue this is a about trying to

understand this is where art can change

our feeling

potentially we want to try and do that

but this project is much

bigger than this

experment this project is about gaining

respect so as a venue it can be used for

more than just the experience it's a new

type of venue so hopefully we can have

C2

2019 in that space

too thank

you but this project is really about

changing

perspective what if we bring a

delegation of best companies in the

world to show how they show respect for

our planet how they show

respect for all kinds of things for our

body for our neighbors for our

communities for the way that we consume

product how do we want to be remembered

as a

generation as the one that cut all the

forests in the world and pollute the

ocean or do we want to take

responsibility and actually

think about what respect means five

point one passion to create meaningful

connection comprehensive approach don't

limit your creativity to just

speciality collaborate with the Best in

Class invest in small experiments small

experiments can lead to a lot of change

and change your perspective gain a

broader

perspective so now you understand what I

do

we help company change

perspective thank you very

much