Capturing 45 years of awards in one book by destruction of the complete archive of Art Directors Club Nederland
Creation is destruction
‘Aufheben' is a word with several meanings: abolish, preserve and elevate. The German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) used this term to describe reality. He saw the world around him not as a static reality, but as a continuous ongoing process, changeable and dynamic. Although variable, this reality is not entirely unpredictable. Everything always runs according to a number of steps.
First there is a proposition, the thesis: something is said. For example, a response to a creative problem. The creation of a perfect viral. Or the concept and design of this Art Directors Club of the Netherlands (ADCN) yearbook.
Then follows the antithesis, the contrast: something is denied. Consider the flow of criticism that always comes from brilliant ideas. Creative minds who want to go even one step further. The concept and design of the next ADCN yearbook.
Thesis and antithesis ultimately lead to synthesis, a state of reality where ‘Aufhebung’ - in the sense of 'exaltation' - a fact. Imagine: a perfect world with only good ideas, great brands, critical audiences and we all consume enough ... Are we up for that?
In such a world there’s no place for the individual and his quirky ideas. Ads are not convincing anymore and creativity doesn’t disrupt. Everything is finished. Synthesis may sound nice, but it is nothing more than the end of the line.
It’s a sad conclusion, one which Hegel should also have concluded. In his plans he happily notes that the last phase is a utopian state. In other words: the truth does not exist. But a deeper, more mature truth is within reach and at the tips of your fingers. How? Simply by identifying as much as possible and counter setting it at the same time. Assert and deny. Place it on the table and dismiss it. This is what we’ve done when we were asked to design the ADCN yearbook. Creation follows from destruction and luckily we never learn from the past. We wish everyone, especially the designer of the next ADCN yearbook, good luck with the ‘aufheben’ of our work.
