My starting point/my personal view:
There are several ways to start this positioning statement. Or maybe this won’t be the positioning statement, maybe this text is something closer to my personal interest in this project.
One would be to start within myself, what I feel and think every time there is a political election where I have the possibility to vote. About the feelings of stress and guilt, not taking as much time that I need to find out how to vote. This starting point would be connected to my adulthood, being a responsible grown up that tries to understand my time, society and the contemporary world surrounding me.
Or I can start in my childhood, describing how it is growing up in a family where my father was politically active, and how that activity and consciousness seems to have been the basic view from how the society was understood, not only for him but for all of us.
Another starting point could be being telling about being a teenager in Åtvidaberg, growing up in the 90s during a time when the neo nazi movement was strong. At that time a normal situation in a party could be me ending up taking to somebody that claimed that the concentration camps in Germany during the 2nd World War never existed. This actually happened several times, and I think it scares me more now than it did in 1996.
Politics are everywhere.
Trying to write a positioning statement
I started by Googling «Positioning Statement» and found the ones from Nike and Apple:
Nike
For serious athletes, Nike gives confidence that provides the perfect shoe for every sport. In today's competitive environment, Nike, one of the global leaders in sporting goods industry, has established a strong positionfor enhancing athletic life style.
Apple
Apple provides cutting edge technology for tech-savvy consumers who want the top of the line laptops, computers, and mobile devices. Apple promotes inclusion and accessibility for all and takes responsibility for its employees in addition to committing itself to sourcing the highest quality materials and products.
(I guess both these positioning statements are incorrect, there are so many floating around on the Internet).
What follows are key words and sentences for the Ministry of Meaning, trying to sum up my thoughts and writing.
For Whom:
For the unsecure
For those who are unable, or that it’s hard to political elections and personal political standpoints on their own.
For those who need others to talk to
For those who doesn’t see the world in only black and white.
The Ministry of Meaning will guide you.
What:
Getting the right type of information may not be the problem but getting too much information – or maybe the lack of deeper and lingering thoughts. This can make it more difficult for you listening to your own voice and thoughts.
The ministry of Meaning will provide tools to help you examine:
Your personal meanings and standpoints (Who are you and what do you believe in?).
What you have been affected by in the history (childhood, culture, friends, location).
What is influencing you in the contemporary world (news and fake news, trends, rhetoric’s) The big lines within party politics (basic ideologies).
How:
We will examine the possible political choices in Norway and what consequences they will give to us personally and to society. The examinations will be done together, through conversation, lectures and ________.
Why:
We live together in a democracy.
Because finding out what to vote for can be hard, if the information your thoughts are based on is entirely derived from political parties and the daily news.
Also, not having anyone to discuss with isn’t really helping in trying to understand these types of wicked problems. We need each other to understand the standpoints and perspectives from outside ourself. (Ok Matt and Åse, this isn’t very thought through yet but more of a description of a feeling).
Because, who wants to be a passive citizen that let others control what to understand?
This text might be a starting point to the tasks that the Ministry of Meaning will deal with.
THINGS NEEDED IN THE DEPARTMENT
NAME
LOGO
A MINISTER
LANGUAGE STYLE
WEBB PAGE
ORGANISATION MAP/OVERVIEW
IMAGE STYLE
COMPLETE IDENTITY
MISSION
Titles and Organization Map
The many titles used in the Ministry of Culture opens up for several possibilities in my own ministry/department:
Drawing an organization map can be a way of visualizing all participants. I can organize them in several different sub-divisions (sub-departments?) according to what type of role they have. Making all participants visual is important and ,from my earlier experience working with participatory design, also something rather complex.
Playing around with titles and hierarchy, by for example giving the audience the title as experts, would do something to the power structure. Unclear what, yet.
Designteoretisk position (Artistic Position?)
Discursive design
Adversarial design (but not focusing on the contestational, more on conversation).
Playing with already existing structures, mimicing/imitating the world (the department/ministry structure).
Design fiction but close to reality.
The standpoints in Adversarial design is really interesting. Carl DiSalvo is bringing the thoughts of Chantalle Mouffe into the realm of design.
IDENTITY
POSTER
WEBB
INTRODUCTION/PRESENTATION
SCENE/SCENOGRAPHY
COSTUME
DEBATE?
CREATE A CHARACTER
(FROM ME)?
The Ministry should be a place that gives air to thoughts, showing us that political positions (statements? standpoints?) can be made in a personal way / in a different way than only (mainly?) through journalism.
