Deep & Daily

1. Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life • The depth of daily life is reinforced and confirmed to be at the centre of the Deep & Daily MindStyle (a constant now for fifteen years), which thanks to: deep and minimal pleasures, the dignity of new creative crafts, the extraordinary nature of innovative occasions and the freshness and intensity of daily life, is regenerated by doing things (even within the media) in a serial sequence, so as to launch new challenges for beauty and truth. Independent from the opinion of the political and religious institutions, beauty and truth are important and crucial for all generations. Beauty and truth simply relate to the nature of things and their daily authenticity. That which Mendini managed to express so well in the exhibition overseen by him at the Triennale di Milano entitled: Quali cose siamo (What things are we). The daily dimension and its growing importance in terms of the quality of life, is affirmed through each persons existence, always becoming more devoted to happy experiences. At the same time, the mass media world acts in contrast and counterpoint, successfully proposing a vital and surprising sequence with good doses of talent and innovation.

2. Deep & Daily > Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life The Decalogue A focus towards the physical-sensory dimension prevails: the attainment of small and deep pleasures is achieved through the senses, above all taste and smell, and reconnects us to our ancestral roots. 1 Sense of taste is confirmed as being the main vehicle for “dense” pleasure: the commercial success of market initiatives linked to coffee and chocolate, in all their “expressive” forms, is representative of the type of satisfaction sought after. 2 We rediscover the need for minimal, but essential quality of gestures that revitalise the sacred ritual of daily repetition, of deep but minimal pleasures that are able to give sense to the personal experience. 3 The desire is growing, to live with intensity and poetically with all of ones family, friends, sentimental relations going beyond morals and relational models of the past and mixing stimuli that come from hit TV shows. 4 New opportunities to meet spread until becoming consolidated rituals, interconnecting with the craftsmanship quality of products, and becoming part of people’s everyday lives. 5

3. Deep & Daily > Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life The Decalogue The quality life is integrated into activities in which “know how” and a taste for the beautiful prevails, typical of the Italian productive system. 6 Traditions belonging to different people and distant cultures are transferred with ease, once again showing the diffusion of the pollination phenomena worldwide, driven by the quality of materials and proposals.   7 The desire to deepen the understanding of everyday phenomena is affirmed, considering normality as a set of exceptions and privileging special occasions that become the key to understanding vital processes. 8 Interest and appreciation of the everyday dimensions of daily life are confirmed, along with the exaltation of “minimum” pleasures that lead to the requalification of all things normal and banal. 9 A new creativity is definitively established, the vitality of everyday life, not only in terms of service and quality of life, but also as necessary for new stimuli that often arrive from the serial world of media. 10

4. Deep Minimal Pleasures Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life • This is a conceptual area that has been present within the MindStyles for fifteen years and confirms its ever-extending grasp and importance for all the generational nuclei. The little daily pleasures, the love of a “good life” and for genuine and quality food, affirm their strength and centrality in the lives of people. Dense and repeatable daily lifeexperiences are multiplying the world over, characterised not only by rareness and quality, but also in terms of a cultural richness that is capable of stimulating the senses. Food has proven itself to still be the main vehicle for this phenomenon, through the rediscovery of regional dishes, typical products and ingredients that are from time to time discovered or rediscovered. Many artistic experiences (from cinema to theatre, from visual to performing arts) draw from this reservoir of stimuli, traditions and rites, reinventing the sensory perceptions at 360 degrees, with accessible and democratic manners that are still unique and distinctive. Visual gratifications, the genuine perceptual, and artistic performance, will all be cornerstones in rendering the concept effective.

5. Deep Minimal Pleasures Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life • Small producers, quality products and a complete experience of taste: this is the model of Eataly, a small global chain dedicated to food and enogastronomic culture. Thanks to this formula, in recent years Eataly (based in Turin, Italy) has even arrived to Japan and the USA, giving a new impetus to the reputation of Italian food culture. The first country chosen by the chain for its foreign expansion was Japan: in Tokyo two Eataly centres have been opened, in Daikanyama and Mitsukoshi, both with a supermarket and other services. One thousand two hundred products, all from small quality producers, five restaurants, and a staff that has been carefully trained to carry out Italian recipes: these are the ingredients of Eataly in Tokyo, where the taste experience is developed around three major areas of service, or rather Purchasing, Eating and Learning. The restaurant is entrusted to Guido per Eataly (also present in the parent company in Turin) offering sophisticated menus inspired by the different regional cuisines. The wine bar is the largest in Tokyo and offers the best Italian wines. EATALY

6. Deep Minimal Pleasures Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life The search for daily pleasures and the desire for quality in food have found their highest form of expression. In recent years, food has become a means for going in search of the deep roots of local cultures, using the body and senses as a yardstick to measure the authentic and genuine depth of an experience. Pitti Immagine, the Florentine company specialised in the realisation of fairs and events for the fashion industry, has for some years understood the potential of this sector launching, thanks to the efforts and experience of Davide Paolini, the initiative Taste. The event that is organized in Florence, at the Leopolda station, has acquired some fundamental originality when compared to other national and international events in the area of food and wine. Firstly, Taste houses a unique selection of producers of excellence (there are no distributors or retailers) and in the most recent edition, it literally invaded the city with a full program of “fuori salone” (baptized Fuoriditaste), or rather, authentic events and tastings involving the true Florentines as well as tourists, in a highly appreciated and meaningful experience.   GENUINE DELIGHT BEAUTY AND THE TASTE VISUAL GRATIFICATION ART FLAVOUR

7. Deep Minimal Pleasures Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life Awareness that the quality of food, health and beauty are closely related has increased worldwide. If on the one hand we assist in the dissemination of cosmoceutical products, food ingredients are increasingly being used for cosmetic products. The rediscovery of the healing properties of certain foods and drinks comes ever closer to a concept of body care that passes through small daily pleasures. Since it’s opening, the exclusive Colette boutique in Paris is home to one of the most famous water bars in the world. One of the more requested products is Daily Beauty To Go!, the purest of beauty waters coming from the Hoher Flaming Nature Reserve in Brandenburg. The water is famous for its pureness because the source is found 150 meters below ground and so, results as being protected from any impurities and external agents; moreover, its composition is rich in silicon, which moisturizes the skin and helps to maintain its elasticity. Among the health benefits, stronger nails, radiant toned skin and shiny hair are listed. The Daily Beauty To Go! package has a sophisticated design and is produced in fully recyclable Tetrapak. Its distribution is very exclusive: other than Colette and a few other concept stores, the product is only sold online. GENUINE DELIGHT BEAUTY AND THE TASTE VISUAL GRATIFICATION ART FLAVOUR

8. Deep Minimal Pleasures Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life The pleasures surrounding taste, also meet with those of aesthetic tastes, becoming the pretext for a search for beauty in all its forms that is much appreciated by all the visual arts. The narratives that revolve around the history and preparation of food have always fascinated the world of cinema: in recent years, this type of research has seen a strong acceleration, allowing for an interesting 360 degree analysis of contemporary tastes. In the film Julie & Julia, two (true) parallel stories that are destined to cross are told, uniting two women from different generations, but still both fascinated by the use of food as a means to grow and redeem oneself. Julie Powell (Amy Adams) lives in Queens, New York, and has a boring job as a secretary: her life does not satisfy her and she realises her need to have something that breaks the monotony of her existence. She decides to borrow the copy of her mother’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, written byJulia Child in 1961. After having read it she decides to prepare all 524 recipes in the space of one year and recounting the experience in a daily blog. The narrative of the film simultaneously follows the lives of Julie in 2002 and Julia in 1949. GENUINE DELIGHT BEAUTY AND THE TASTE VISUAL GRATIFICATION ART FLAVOUR

9. Deep Minimal Pleasures Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life Culinary and gastronomic experiences can be creative to the point of becoming true and proper artistic performances. This is confirmed by the success of artistic groups that express themselves through food, and catering services that experiment with the extreme boundaries of taste and raw materials.   Art Home, an original concept born from the partnership between Electrolux and Palais de Tokyo, proposes an innovative gastronomic journey. The formula is designed around an experience for twelve people: a restaurant with just one table, that allows the customers to organize their own dinners, parties or workshops on food, in a unique scenario: the roof of the Palais de Tokyo, which offers a spectacular view over the roofs and of the monuments of Paris. This is a truly artistic event conceived by the artist Laurent Grasso and overseen by Gilles Stassart. Each event is different from the previous and is renewed for each affair. Through the site www.art-home-electrolux.com, one can book tours, workshops, and also dinners, for which however, it is necessary to participate in an auction on eBay. GENUINE DELIGHT BEAUTY AND THE TASTE VISUAL GRATIFICATION ART FLAVOUR

10. Deep Minimal Pleasures Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life So What? Choose sensorial gratification as an instrument for personal and cultural enrichment. 1 Give priority to the dimension of genuineness, as a means to design products and communication. 2 Use the visual codes of taste for sectors that are also distant from the world of eno-gastronomy. 3 Underline the happy link between satisfaction and quality of life, between sensorial pleasures and intellectual growth. 4 Tell authentic stories with the capacity of multi-sensory fascination, in order to reinforce products, companies and territories. 5

11. Deep Minimal Pleasures Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life So What? Design products and services that are centred around the subject of taste, in every possible sense. 6 Experiment with the artistic dimension of food by mixing sensations, contexts and experiences. 7 Surprise people with everyday marvels, created and proposed on the thin border between innovation and tradition. 8 Combine the wealth of history with the simplicity of everyday life, creating an emotional context for its realisation. 9 Rediscover and regenerate rituals, processes and customs from the past, which are often appreciated as repeatable and unrepeatable occasions of everyday life. 10

12. Crafted Grace Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life • The decisive return to substance, understood as the search for tangible quality, is at the core of a phenomenon that places at the centre of a project, the manual dimension and therefore, the nature itself of making something. This sensibility has witnessed a strong acceleration in recent years and above all, is characterising the panorama of objects and is understood as a neo-crafts presence (but that does not disdain a relationship with mass production) in everyday life. From fashion to design, and up to the dimension that is more connected to art ability and technical expertise become the motor and soul of creativity, giving life to “industrial products” that are original, surprising and harmonious all at the same time. The theme of “grace” becomes central, a grace that, as suggested by Baldassare Castiglione in The Courtier (Il Cortegiano - 1508), is a harmony that does not reveal the effort that produced it. Even the digital world (music, photography, graphics) is fascinated by this dimension, offering projects that make the work, the precision, and the time devoted to innovative creativity, virtuous and extremely smart proposals shine through. The worlds of the restoration of excellence, of digital crafts and of industrial sophistication converge under the umbrella of crafted grace.

13. Crafted Grace Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life • The institutional campaigns ofGucci and Louis Vuitton for spring summer 2010 are strikingly similar, in regards to their inspiration and message. Frida Giannini, artistic director of Gucci, chose to present original images from the fifties that portray artisans from the Florentine brand at work for the press campaign. On the occasion of the launch, Giannini declared that the intent was that of representing the essence of luxury, which for Gucci “is to rely on the exemplary history of the brand, and is above all to prioritize all that which is produced by hand”. • Marc Jacobs, responsible for the brand Louis Vuitton, instead opted for an evocative and idealized dimension, made up of young artisans and craftsmen who create the details for the brands bags, suitcases and shoes. Each image is accompanied by a short text that tells of the secrets of the craft, handed down from generation to generation, those secrets that allow a person to obtain objects that are unique each time.   CAMPAIGNS OF GUCCI AND LOUIS VUITTON

14. Crafted Grace Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life Passion for the past, the desire and care for the most original and unique design, the growing passion for quality, and the budgets reduced by the financial and economic crisis’: these are the elements that have brought about an exponential increase in the services of repairs and tailoring (but, not only these). The artisan sector is regaining strength not only in terms of products, but also in services that are becoming always more appreciated opportunities for business around the world. Between 2008 and 2009 – at the height of the crisis – in Italy, the number of tailors shrank by 0,7%, while clothing repair workshops grew by 14,4%. In the United States, there are around 7,500 active cobblers (ten years ago there was exactly double), but a research by the Shoe Service Institute has shown that their turnover between 2008 and 2009 had increased by between 20 and 45%. In New York, in addition to luxury brands, names such as Tony Pecorella (who repairs bags), Joseph Ting (who repairs clothing), and Cowboy Shoe Repair (specialised in the repair of stilettos) have rapidly become known. Even the great stars publicly brag that they use these workshops, in the name of a new frugality thatis discussed in Frugality: Rebalancing Material and Spiritual Values in Economic Life byLuk Bouckaert, Hendrik Opdebeeck and Laszlo Zsolnai. VIRTUOUS RECOVERY INDUSTRIAL REFINEMENT DIGITAL ARTISANS HIP CRAFTSMANSHIP

15. Crafted Grace Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life Even the world of industry is in search of strategies that are able to combine mass production with the uniqueness typical of handmade things. The manufacturing processes are increasingly being handled by traditional machines that are slower, but more capable of creating products with grace and quality this is becoming more and more appreciated by clients. The Spanish company Gandia Blasco has given the eclectic designer Patricia Urquiola the task of creating a line of rugs for the brand GAN. Perfectly at home with the subject of textiles, the Spanish designer created the Mangas line, characterised by a “handmade” look inspired by tricot knitting. The assortment of colours and shapes is completely unusual for the carpet sector. Each single piece can be used alone, or in compositions to create a unique rug of a new shape. Made in pure wool, each rug presents a patchwork style motif, created from the combination of horizontal bands of differing textures. The result is a series of eight special carpets, rich with nuances. An unexpected and unique decorative effect is reached, all thanks to the geometric variable of every single piece and their free positioning.   VIRTUOUS RECOVERY INDUSTRIAL REFINEMENT DIGITAL ARTISANS HIP CRAFTSMANSHIP

16. Crafted Grace Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life The artisan dimension of today is affecting every creative field, including the digital realm. Musicians, video makers, and graphic designers: works that are cared for down to the minimum details and are made from special or unique craftsmanship, does not only concern aesthetics, but also the creative processes that – not by chance – are born and grow in a dynamic that closely resembles that of an artisan workshop. BCAA is a collective founded in 1997 in Rome, with the scope of developing entertainment systems that bring together the real and digital worlds. The first project by Mirko Arcese, Luca Biada and Alessandro Corsetti was Kilykà, a dance performance in which the body does not follow the music, but generates it: in an area crossed by infrared beams, each portion of space becomes sensitive and the bodies that move within the space begin to “ring”. The technology used is basic (just a normal computer and a non-professional video camera) and utilizes old military software for facial recognition. Today, they also deal with websites, interactive communication and the use of technology to interact with touch and touchless environments. VIRTUOUS RECOVERY INDUSTRIAL REFINEMENT DIGITAL ARTISANS HIP CRAFTSMANSHIP

17. Crafted Grace Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life Passion for unique objects not only applies to traditional artisanship, but also innovative forms of business that bring together the “handmade” and the “found on the web”. The ability to surprise that is typical of the web, in this way meets with methods of sales and production that come closer to the dimension of the small artisan shops that are close by. “Built by us & you”, is the pay-off of Republic Bike, an American website that offers the possibility of purchasing custom bikes, made completely according to the users indications. The client can choose the different parts used to build their bike, optimizing their needs, purchasing a unique and original product. After having selected all the elements, a waiting time for delivery is indicated for U.S. shipment from their assembly plant in Southern California. On average, no more than 5 days pass from the moment the order is made, to when the bike is delivered to the client. Amongst the different proposals for bicycles by Republic Bike, there is Aristotle with asimple and essential design: a good balance between aesthetic emotion, trend and authentic passion. VIRTUOUS RECOVERY INDUSTRIAL REFINEMENT DIGITAL ARTISANS HIP CRAFTSMANSHIP

18. Crafted Grace Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life So What? Give priority to the artisan dimension in regards to quality of thought uniting together tradition and the contemporary. 1 Work on the concept of grace, understood as the ability to carefully realise profound, bright and unique work. 2 Experiment the union between the artisan dimension and that of mass production, working on the “artisan” industry’s core values, which are typical of Italy. 3 Communicate through products and ad campaigns that provide depth to processes that are linked to the company history, its people and its genius loci. 4 Develop products that are able to resist the passing of time, but are also able to virtuously transform. 5

19. Crafted Grace Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life So What? Propose services that are able to transform and/or integrate the products based on the “tailoring” demands of buyers. 6 Combine the “handmade” and the “found on the web”, so as to reconcile different experiences of surprise and discovery. 7 Use the dynamic of “custom made” in the dimension of originality and innovative style. 8 Consider virtuous partnerships between digital creativity and artisan production. 9 Value the differences (even in the defects) as vehicles of originality and uniqueness.   10

20. Extra Occasions Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life • This is a conceptual area that plays on a new daily principle: our normality is now built on exceptions. The occasion is characterised by that encounter between history and poetry (of which Walter Benjamin speaks), or from the compatibility with the thought of which Paul Valéry speaks. This is a thought that is agreed on and shared globally: the occasions of life and consumption (both new and traditional) construct potential exceptions to be stimulated with products and services that become extraordinary in the strength of their surprise, in the unexpected that they encapsulate. Shocking people with new proposals, finding new moments for entertainment or socializing new necessities arise from the evolution of behaviours, or the reinterpretation of existing opportunities. These become important tools in order to meet with the sensitivities of people, who know all the rules and are willing to rewrite or reinterpret them. In this conceptual area, promotional strategies mix with the planning of new functions, ad hoc productions with happy standards and slow cost products with three-dimensional worlds.

21. Extra Occasions Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life • AppStore is a virtual store created by Apple where the owners of the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad can purchase applications for their portable devices. After a little less than a year of activity, the App Store has reached the considerable total of 1.5 billion downloads. The App Store numbers are very impressive: more than 65.000 applications and over 100.000 developers enrolled in the iPhone Developer Program. Record numbers highlight the great innovation that the AppStore has brought to the world of mobile telephony. With a service and communication strategy that reflects the whole Apple philosophy, making the concepts of easy-tech and user friendly a key to their development. The strength of the AppStore is that of having created a virtual place, where the owner of an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad is greeted with “an application for anything”. Apple is focusing on the AppStore system because according to the company’s plans, it will be exactly this type of customer service to determine the success of a manufacturer of mobile devices, supplying new occasions for companies and clients. APP STORE

22. Extra Occasions Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life The promotional and communication activities of the more advanced companies are always becoming more orientated towards providing not only goods and services, but also unique and unrepeatable experiences. The product and brand is in this way accompanied by a sense of wonder that when replicated on the web, can become an innovative form of communication. The image of Heineken is strongly associated with football and the matches watched in the company of friends. On the evening of the 21st of October 2009, simultaneously with the Champions League match between AC Milan and Real Madrid, Heineken organised a fake classical music and poetry event. Thanks to a network of accomplices, many football fans were invited (in some cases forced by their girlfriends!) to participate in this boring event, renouncing in this way the match. A little after the start of the concert there was a surprise: behind the musicians a huge screen appeared, with the match having just started and the real party offered by Heineken was therefore, able to start. All the phases of preparations and the carrying out of the joke were filmed and with great success offered to the public of YouTube. BONUS WONDER SLOW COST JOYFUL STANDARDS 3D DAYS

23. Extra Occasions Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life On-line commerce allows for the experimentation of new advanced forms of distribution, which are able to reach clients that would otherwise be excluded from many services, through capillary actions and speed. The key factor is often the price, above all when low cost meets an exclusive service and takes shape in the comfort of the domestic environment.   Rent The Runway is an innovative service of online rental for expensive garments and accessories. By connecting to the site www.renttherunway.com, it is possible to choose between hundreds of designer garments: once the object of desire has been identified, it is then delivered to the door of the customer within a couple of days (for the area of New York. a last minute service is also available). Even if the user chooses their size, for safety purposes they also receive a second garment in a larger size. After use, the client can return it without having to worry about washing it, using a package that is provided at the moment of delivery.   BONUS WONDER SLOW COST JOYFUL STANDARDS 3D DAYS

24. Extra Occasions Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life Products long confined to the sphere of services and functions have been rethought, redesigned and re-circulated with an extraordinary iconic force and at times radically changing the face of daily scenarios. This process of aestheticism of commodities, in many cases has passed the boundary of a simple exercise in style, developing products that have raised the threshold of quality experience and of life for the consumers who are always becoming more demanding. A sector that in recent years has worked deeply on the theme of design applied to functions and new standards is that of domestic radiators. New shapes and materials have changed the face of this object that has become part of the overall aesthetic project of the home. The British company Bisque, today supplies an emblematic example, a collection that is classic and iconic, revised only in terms of colour. The range offered is vast and goes from neutral to all the pastel colours, passing as well through tones that are more intense and bright. The company, as the sectors most advanced, has within its catalogue more innovative solutions: from thin canvas-like panels, to more decorative forms of radiators, that increasingly become an aesthetic presence within the domestic landscape.   BONUS WONDER SLOW COST JOYFUL STANDARDS 3D DAYS

25. Extra Occasions Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life The design and engineering of technological products for daily use are today met by a great deal of turmoil. The most common technologies for entertainment (television and cinema in particular) have made a significant leap forward, above all thanks to the diffusion of 3D: a new tool that will increasingly have to find synergies with the contents, which are offering opportunities and possibilities to be explored. On occasion of the World Cup 2010 the world of home entertainment was heavily upset by the arrival of 3D televisions. This technology, in particular if combined with web services and with new BluRay devices, allows for a very engaging experience, rich and extraordinary even in daily life. Within only a few months, even the world of home gaming was subject to this passage, with consoles envisioned and designed in a way to take advantage of interaction, movement and the third dimension.   BONUS WONDER SLOW COST JOYFUL STANDARDS 3D DAYS

26. Extra Occasions Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life So What? Identify new life occasions that are defined by an in evolution behaviours, and enrich them with products and services. 1 Recover forgotten occasions, revitalising them with “special contributions” somewhere between creativity and memory. 2 Surprise ones clients with injections of adrenaline and unexpected experiences. 3 Take advantage of the dynamics of the web and its random links to generate consumption, communication and fun occasions.   4 Create new aesthetic standards, in order to guarantee a series that is both creative and fun. 5

27. Extra Occasions Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life So What? Enrich daily lives with colours and simple shapes that can be easily combined, creating possible new happy standards. 6 Support products that are able to stimulate daily life creativity and create new purchasing experiences. 7 Supply services and products that are able to offer free access and aim to enrich premium contents. 8 Bring into relation the discovery of new spaces (physical and mental) in a dimension that is familiar, close and immediately accessible. 9 Interpret not only the world around us, but also our passions in relation to “special life occasions” that are no longer anchored only to price.   10

28. Serial Life Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life • The world of productions and television transmissions has in recent years has suffered a series of radical transformations: following the crisis of the early 1990’s (marked by a constant decline in audiences, caused by the spread of the internet and video games), the arrival of greatly successful TV series has marked a re-launch of the sector, both economically and in the imagination of the public. These TV productions, mostly American, have generated expressions and behaviours, and always more often are being seen as prototypes to describe the changes taking place in the world: just think of the changes made by the protagonists of Sex and the City or to the “prophecies” on US politics offered by 24. These are series, which in quality have reached and – in some cases – even passed the cinema that, not by chance, has been strongly influenced by this phenomenons continual growth. The world of advertising and communication in general drew inspiration and benefit. In parallel, we are witnessing the rapid spread of reality shows (increasingly distant from everyday life and closer to fiction), talent shows and documentaries (realised with cinematic techniques and narratives). These are the new ingredients of the conceptual area dedicated to serial life.

29. Serial Life Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life • The project Lifeis a collection of documentaries made by the BBC, which aired in the UK in 2009 (on occasion of the Darwin Season), to then be distributed in the USA and Latin America at the beginning of 2010. The ten episodes of 50 minutes were filmed over a three-year period by a dedicated team who worked with highly sophisticated equipment (everything was filmed in HD) and used classical documentary techniques. Each episode is dedicated to a group of animals or plants (birds, fish, predators, insects etc.) and the narrative structure is compelling, in the form of a TV series. Even the soundtrack, composed by George Fenton, helps to create an almost cinema-like dimension. David Attenborough, with his extraordinary voice narrates the original version, while the American version sees Oprah Winfrey as the protagonist.   LIFE

30. Serial Life Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life Starting in the mid 1990’s, we see a progressive increase in the number of talent shows globally. Often criticized for the excessive media exposure of the many unknown faces, but also seen as an opportunity to witness the birth and growth of authentic characters. Susan Boyle is a Scottish singer, who appeared and finished in second place in the UK TV series Britain’s Got Talent. Already in her first performance (where she sang I Dreamed a Dream, from the musical Les Misérables) she achieved worldwide fame thanks to social networks and to YouTube, where there were over 100 million hits recorded in just nine days. Despite her 48 years of age and not vey pleasant look, many people around the world appreciated – apart from her undoubted vocal ability – the great openness and way she ignored the criticisms that were made by the judges of the show. After only a few months she signed a record deal with Sony and her CD immediately topped the charts in many countries, surpassing eight million copies sold. TALENT EXPOSURE NONFICTIONAL FICTION SEQUEL EFFECT HOMEMADE LIFECAST

31. Serial Life Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life Fiction and reality shows have been two great cases of success in the television world of recent years. In some cases, we have even seen a merging of the two genres, with programs in which the script and filming techniques provide a faithful copy of reality. Jersey Shore is an American docu-reality produced by MTV, and it’s at the centre of major controversy for the Italian-American community (but, not only). The protagonists are Vinny, Angelina, Mike, Nicole, Ronnie, Jenni, Dj Pauly D and Sammi eight, twenty year old Italian-Americans, who spend their days with alcohol, music, hunt for casual partners and get in fights. The boys are muscular and without ideals, while the girls are loud and vulgar: they define themselves as “guidos” and “guidettes”, mimicking their Italian roots. A camera crew constantly films the protagonists of Jersey Shore, documenting their every activity without filters, even illegal ones. Despite the controversy (also advanced by the residents and merchants of the costal area where most of the episodes take place) and litigations, the series has proved to be a huge success. TALENT EXPOSURE NONFICTIONAL FICTION SEQUEL EFFECT HOMEMADE LIFECAST

32. Serial Life Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life A strategy that is today being adopted more and more by the cinema is that of creating a repeatable prototype, in the wake of the success and diffusion of television series’. Several cases of success are also experiments in moving from one medium to another: from the cinema to TV (Glee) but, also from the small to the big screen (Sex and the City). The whole world of communication is discovering this technique, according to the logic of replicable modularity, a result of the high audience ratings. In recent years, cinema has greatly influenced the success of television series that often – for audience, fidelity and quality – have overtaken the big screen. The international box office sales, which in recent seasons have been dominated by movieprequels and sequels, clearly shows this: with films including Ice Age, Star Trek, Transformers, Harry Potter and Twilight. Even Avatar, that became in just a few weeks time the greatest ever box office hit, began as a project consisting of several episodes: James Cameron has declared that in the future we will see at least another two Avatar films.   TALENT EXPOSURE NONFICTIONAL FICTION SEQUEL EFFECT HOMEMADE LIFECAST

33. Serial Life Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life Low cost and user-friendly technology, together with the unstoppable spread of the Internet, are driving forces in the creation of contents by normal people. Pushed by the popularity of YouTube and Vimeo, many users rely on the Internet to create autonomous spaces that are in continuous transformation. These spaces always more frequently supply stimuli and suggestions to traditional TV channels. In this context, direct testimony takes the place of journalistic research, in the vision of a true reality. Following the success of blogs (today these resemble traditional newspapers) micro web TV channels are the broadcasters that are able to perceive the changes coming from below, quickly and with ease. In Italy, in 2008, there were only 42 “homemade” TV channels: after only a year, the number has risen to 161. In some cases, these are channels that raise and discuss complaints (like MontiTV in Rome that reports on the state of the capitals roads or Disco Volante from Senigallia, dedicated to architectural barriers that hinder the handicapped), others dedicate themselves to memory (this is the case of OrsoTV, that is rediscovering a series of archived videos on the history of Piedmont) or to daily life (TeleTorre19 is a web TV channel from a residential building in Bologna). TALENT EXPOSURE NONFICTIONAL FICTION SEQUEL EFFECT HOMEMADE LIFECAST

34. Serial Life Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life So What? Invest in the production and replication of products, services and communication phenomena. 1 Mix reality and fiction, understood as weaving together the narrative of daily life and supply elements of serial vitality. 2 Unite documentary and fiction to tell stories with depth and originality of authentic places, products and experiences. 3 Support the spread of thoughts and individual stories on the Web, allowing for and following the continual transformation. 4 Explore the boundaries between first person direct testimony and investigative journalism in the third person.   5

35. Serial Life Deep & Daily > Deep Minimal Pleasures > Crafted Grace > Extra Occasions > Serial Life So What? Experiment with the passage from one medium to another, adopting the logics and grammar and inserting elements of surprise. 6 Use the expression of talent and uniqueness as an instrument in the realisation of new communicative and productive formats. 7 Focus on characters that are appreciated for their recognised abilities and not only for their mediatic notoriety.   8 Balance media exposure with the depth of talent, equal for both places and people. 9 Synchronize the dimension of contents with that of the real needs and expectations of a public that is always more participant, and capable of appreciating the uniqueness of a quality product. 10