Taiwan 2011 / Part 3 / IDA Day Three

 

why do good things end so quickly?

isnt this a valid question? 

and as i got up on the eve of the third day of the IDA, that was the first question that crossed my mind. my last day here in taipei.

the party last night was quite something, and getting caught in rain and everything else that took place only served to make the experience only more memorable that it already was and today i realise that pretty soon, this was all going to come and end. damn. which brings me back to my first question.

why?

but i move on, and pretty soon, quickly dismissing any sense of wallowing in self pity, i get ready and attend one of the last few lectures of the IDA. and it began with a pretty interesting topic.

we started off with one of my favorite topics in the whole wide world...urbanism and the kinda stuff that relevant to its development .. you know, web-like links and pathways of access points forming immediate connecting infrastructural points, structural division of public and private spaces and its implications, allowance for the kind of development suited within a specific context and the likes.

you know, cool architectural stuff. cool to me, specfically. 

the next presentation was quite a captivating topic. 

it was about creating a vibrant, captivating visual identity for the Olympic Games to be held in Brazil in 2016, and that's the man in charge of the whole super creative venture. it was presented like a full marketing and promotions campaign, the kinda thing you would see when a million dollar advertising agency pitches a major campaign concept to an even bigger million dollar client with deep deep pockets to propagate their commercial agenda.

everything was so well thought of, so well conceptualized and so comprehensive, covering every possible aspect when it came to getting the word out for the Games in 2016, all with a tinge of radiant Latin energy emanating from the presentation visuals. 

the logo created for the games in particular was a clever concoction of ideas relating to cooperation and connectivity, and even had an intriguing well conceptualized 3D feel to its design, and was truly something that i had never seen before in graphic design.

essentially, an exciting 2D  dimensionally  flat - based curvaceous logo, becomes an even more uniquely fluidic 3D sculptural insignia.

and of course, once the presentations ended, a quick follow up session, with the usual banter of questions and answers were in the air. the panelists were well prepared to handle the situation.

those previous sessions were the last to be presented, and not just for the day, but for the entire IDA 2011 as well. the last hours in the afternoon was scheduled to be symbolic and forward looking at this part of the conference.

at this juncture, as the IDA was coming to an end here in Taipei, a ritual of sorts was underway where the passing of responsibilities of the organizing committee here in Taiwan would soon be transferred to the next committee in line  in charge of making the next conference happen.

and i was absoluetly thrilled to find out that the next city shosen to host the IDA in 2013 would be Instanbul. 

exotic and thrilling, in a james-bond-ish-kinda-way, Istanbul.

"whoa," i thought and immeidately i told myself that ive got to be there when it happens. 

i just gotta. 

one of the members of the Turkish delegation then took the stage to explain all the exciting things planned in November 2013 for the IDA, but truthfully, the very notion of visiting one of the most glamorous super cities in the world was thrilling enough, and the idea of having the next IDA in the heart of this magnificent ancient metropolis was a mindblowing thought. 

oh yes, i gotta be there. 

ill worry about language and logistics later.

after the presentation, and the handing over of the proverbial torch from taiwan to turkey, the ceremony continued events leading to the close of the conference.

esteemed speakers and guests on stage, discussing the various issues that were spoken of during the past 3 days. a summary if you may. 

 a little bit of the past to remind us of our journey.

 

and a little bit of the future showing us where to look.

specifially, where the next World Design Capital will be held. now, this is an event that i am kinda familiar with. the World Design Capital ( WDC ) was actually held in Seoul last year, and in 2012, the proud hosts of this event would be Helsinki, in Finland.

The WDC, by the way, is an amazing collection and display of design - centric events where various field of art and design converge in one urban centralized vicinity and locale to showcase the best the country has to offer to everyone on the planet. exhibitions can range as wide as something as diverse and as fluidic as fashion, to something as dynamic and as arresting as graphics and multimedia. 

it was then made clear, that the next WDC host would be announced here at this very moment. undoubtedly, delegates from the 3 major candidate cities were biting their nails anxioulsy waiting to celebrate a possible victory in hosting the event, but of course there would only be one winner and out of the three, which were Dublin, Bilbao and Cape Town, inevitably only one emerged victorious. 

and the prize goes to South Africa! 

whoa!  

of course the delegates go wild with unbridled,unresticted enthusiasm and understandably so, for this was the first time an African nation would get the chance to host a design event of this significance and magnitude, and shouts of joy burst through the air as loud as those annoying vuvuzelas that were heard during the last world cup. 

but of course, the joy was expected.
so good luck south africa. good luck. 

 

and after the spontaneous bursts of euphoria had died down, we started proceeding to the final part of the conference, which of course was the all important closing ceremony. 

it was a clean and simple dignified affair.

all the important and prominent members of the conference were invited on stage, they gathered in a straight line to collectively say goodbye and signal the end of the events of the past 3 days, that were enlightening and wonderful through and through. 

my thoughts were now centered on how electrifying the next IDA was going to be, and how possibly wonderful the experiences that that particular conference will be able to offer in about 2 years. it was absolutely thrilling to just whimsically imagine, in the nearby not to distant future, i would once again be able to experience this astounding collection of design affairs all over again in a completely new perspective in a completely new landscape, but this time, right in the heart of the crossroads of east and west, sauntering by the Bosporus river in downtown Istanbul. 

thats' a spectacular proposition.

spectacular!

and just before i left the convention centre once and for all that night, silently i bade farewell to the venue of the conference. we were leaving quickly for the final party of the night, that would be the creme de la creme of all the 3 parties that were part of each evening's festivities. 

this was going to be one hell of an ending, and wasnt going to miss for the world. 

on to the night!