Quieten your Lizard Brain

Forbidden Images

A friend just posted a movie called "Forbidden Images" on Facebook. Not quite knowing what to expect, I clicked "play" and watched closely as the seconds unfolded flickeringly across my screen. Over the next 4 minutes I saw image upon image celebrating women, their exuberant playfulness, their femininity and their sensuality. The images are so hauntingly beautiful it is hard to believe they were once banned...

(This short film was made for the 72-hour Film Festival in Frederick, Maryland (2007). All of the clips used in this film came from a reel of 35mm nitrate, found in an old theater somewhere in Pennsylvania.)

$20.000 for your creative project?

Because there's a chance you can win $20.000 being creative, we simply had to let you know.

Swatch & MTV have teamed up to bring you the "Swatch MTV Playground" - described by the companies as "an exciting new community website that aims to showcase creative talent from across the globe. The idea is to create the biggest international collective of imaginative minds and designers from around the world. And get them talking to each other."


The competition:
Enter the first Swatch MTV Playground competition by answering the brief “Imagine time in the future”.

To enter, login to the Swatch MTV Playground community and then upload your work. Entries can be submitted in any of the following creative disciplines:
Music
Film
Print design
2D animation
3D animation
Motion design
Illustration
Fashion

What's in it for the winners?
There are two main prizes – one for students and another for professional creatives. If you’re a student you’ll win your $20,000 towards your choice of either tuition fees or project funding. Professionals will win an inspirational trip to an iconic exhibition or art event.

There will also be runners-up prizes of annual memberships to museums and art galleries, books and magazine subscriptions.

Even if you don’t win, you could get some valuable exposure for your work. The most inspiring, challenging and exciting submissions will feature in an online gallery, and could also be featured at Swatch MTV Playground events taking place around the world.

Cards of Change

I came across the initiative "Cards of Change" via Clo's blog. I simply LOVE the idea behind the Cards of Change concept ( Its mission is to collect as many business cards and stories of positive change of people who have recently been laid off and connect them with new opportunities from potential employers, business partners and people who make the effort to look on the bright side of life).

I liked it so much that I decided to upload my own business card too. Not because I've been laid off but because I wanted to show everyone who is being laid off that it is possible to make it out there on your own. And because I want to be a part of a positive, empowering initiative and to give a positive message during a difficult time.

No, it's not easy out there at the moment - for no-one. But there is a HUGE difference between difficult and impossible. And that's the message I wanted to share: it's not impossible!

This is just such a creative, empowering initiative (with great viral possibilities!). No doubt it won't be the last we will hear of it!

A very Sensual billboard

Was the ad in this billboard designed by a male or female creative team?

Click & find out!

Special offer: Attend Forum JUMP for just 50€!

The biggest event in Belgium dedicated to Women’s careers.
JUMP offers a wide range of tools to reinforce Women’s empowerment and position in the economy by making best use of all skills that they have to offer.

Join the event and a community of outstanding women and men, with whom you will live- out the potential you may not even have known you had. Learn how you can increase your organisation’s performance and above all how women in general can renew the economy. JUMP will give you all the confidence and energy boost to make things happen for you.

When? 23 April 2009 from 09:00 - 18:30
Where? Bozar, Brussels
The program? www.forumjump.eu

Muse Communication proudly presents the marketing-to-women workshop "Why women own 19 pairs of shoes" at JUMP!

The first 10 people to email me can attend the event for only 50€ instead of 350€!

In her shoes

Shoe lovers unite!

The Hasselt Museum of Fashion (Belgium) will be holding an exhibition showcasing the evolution of women's shoes since 1900. From the development and design of shoes, to the trends in women's footwear as well as an overview of artists and photographers who have drawn inspiration from women's shoes, the exhibition also offers workshops and seminars on shoe design.

For more info, visit www.modemuseumhasselt.be


De tentoonstelling In Her Shoes, die van 30 mei tot 8 november
2009 in het Modemuseum in Hasselt loopt, biedt een overzicht van
damesschoenen ontworpen door bekende en minder bekende designers
en fabrikanten van 1900 tot nu.

De bezoeker krijgt een beeld van de ontwikkeling, de trends en
het modebeeld van de damesschoen van 1900 tot vandaag. Daarnaast
is er ook werk van hedendaagse ontwerpers uit België en Nederland
en van kunstenaars en fotografen die zich door de damesschoen
laten inspireren.

Openingsuren
30 mei tot 31 oktober
Dinsdag tot zondag: 10–17 uur
1 november tot 8 november
Dinsdag tot vrijdag: 10–17 uur
Zaterdag en zondag: 13–17 uur

Gesloten op maandag

The Great Reset

Those that know me will know that I've been talking about the way we live and work changing intrinsically since early last year. For me it was just a gut feeling, undefined, and back then unharnessed. Then, at the start of the crisis mid last year, I began to call it "the dawn of a new world order". I told all who would listen (and quite a few who wouldn't) that this was the start of a fundamental process of change that would alter our world forever. Many looked at me like I was a little crazy, which I am, but that's another story.

The story here is about one of the most revolutionary thinkers of our time: Richard Florida, and his "Great Reset" theory.
I only learned of his theory recently, but when I read this interview (it's in Dutch) with Florida by Flanders DC's Roy van Dalm I have to admit I felt vindicated. To all those that looked at me like I was crazy, please meet Mr Florida, who will explain it to you nice and calmly and rationally. (here's an english interview on the theory)

This is the dawn of a new age...Facing this new reality, that remains a personal choice.

Little gems! This week's round-up of sites worth a visit

The Guardian's "Women" section - great collection of diverse content of interest to women!

Dutch Cowgirls: Girls who love gadgets, brands & trends

Suicide Girls - for the bad girl in all of us.

Lady Geek - about girls and their gadgets

Barbie turns 50

Biography:
Born in 1959 as Barbara Millicent Roberts
Barbie’s official birthday is March 9th, 1959.
She’s 11,5 inches tall, has had over 80 careers and owned more than 40 pets including a lion & a zebra. In 1971 Barbie first underwent surgery, with her eyes were adjusted to look forwards rather than glancing demurely sideways. In 2000 she was redesigned to have a bigger waist.


Robert over at BrandKeys recaps Barbie’s evolution as representation of a changing world:

“Barbie’s history, however, has reflected the evolving role of women. For example:

When Barbie debuted women made up 38% of the workforce. Now they make up 60%.

Mattel introduced an Astronaut Barbie in 1965, but it wasn’t until 1983 that Sally Ride became the first US woman in space.

In 1973, Nurse Barbie went to med school. The percentage of female doctors back then? 10%. Now it’s 35%.

In 1989 Barbie served in four military branches, wearing uniforms approved by the Pentagon. The number of female veterans today numbers 1.8 million at an average age of 47.

In 1992 Teen Talk Barbie whined, “Math class is tough,” prompting anger from parents and an apology from Mattel. Still, the number of math doctorates granted to women at that time was 23%. Today it’s only slightly higher, at 29%.

In 2004 Barbie and long-time boy-toy, Ken, broke up after 43 years and then reunited in 2006, which is a real storybook ending since today only 6% of divorced couples get back together.

However, unlike real women, Barbie hasn’t changed physically (the picture above is a simulation of what she would have looked like had she aged in real life) and it’s been noted that her measurements -- at 36-18-38 -- if rendered in the flesh, would make it impossible for her to stand.”

Ah, Barbie…will our love-hate relationship with this cultural icon ever end?

The Art of Legs

There's something called the TED conference. If you haven't heard about it: TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design and it refers to an annual event that brings together some of the world's greatest thinkers and doers, and challenges them to "give the talk of their lives" — in only 18 minutes. I've blogged about it before on the Muse Communication blog, where you can find a very inspirational talk by Isabelle Allende called "Tales of Passion".

Today, I present you with another very inspirational talk, this time by Aimee Mullins. A talk I'll call "The art of legs".
Well worth 9 minutes of your time today! (Hat tip to Nancy for letting me know about it)

Ecology: Think About It

Addict WomensLab member Flore De Crombrugghe

Her concept: Take a bath and see how many bottles of drinkable water you are wasting ...



The original concept was created during a 5 day Design Workshop at the Sint Lukas Institute, with Belgian top designer Danny Venlet.

Flore's work can also be viewed in:
Publication in Ad!dict #28 : World 2.0
Selection for Open Lab 2.0 South Africa
Selected for the ELLE Decoration blog

See Flo's work here

The day we launch WomensLab

Outside the sun is shining. The weather gods are smiling on our launch!

Yes! The womenslab.org site goes live today!
You can read the full release here
Come and join us! Register, upload your work and stay in touch!

Each month we'll put the spotlight on one of our members. We'll post projects and research labs that could interest you, post polls to get your opinion and let the world know your news!

WomensLab is YOUR platform.
Don’t just join, take part!
Talk, shout, share, wonder, post, scribble, paint, photograph and play!
MAIL US and let us know about events, happenings & other important things we should know (or make noise about).

Welcome!

Sabine & Jan

The Most Beautiful Object in South Africa

We're 2 days away from officially going live with the WomensLab project. (March 8th, international women's day is our launch date).

We haven't even launched yet and there's so much to share already!

First and foremost we are proud to announce that WomensLab member Michaella Janse van Vuuren has won the award for "Most beautiful object in South Africa" with her Chrysanthemum Centrepiece.

“The Chrysanthemum Centrepiece is a reversible design that functions as either a bowl or a candleholder, depending on which side of the design is facing upwards. It reflects my passion for the textures, shapes and patterns found in nature. I especially like to interpret those objects that have a repetitive, mathematically founded pattern,” said Janse van Vuuren.

Click here to see Michaella's work

WATCH THIS SPACE

WOMENSLAB OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES ON MARCH 8TH 2009