The Adobe Design Achievement Awards team was thrilled to hear that two ADAA 2012 honorees were recently selected as guest artists for a new and collaborative partnership between Adobe and Red Bull.
Adobe and Red Bull Collective Art
#createnow
Together with Adobe, the Red Bull Collective Art project has created a very unique solution for one of the most age-old challenges of being an artist; creating work that transcends through cultures and time. Reaching this challenging goal may be sporadic or fleeting for most artists. From a single vantage point or perspective, it is remains difficult to include all of the rich inspirations our world has to offer into one immediate and succinct visual.
But what if things were different? What if we could be inspired by a multitude of vantage points, through the eyes of many artists from around the world – simultaneously. What if we used today’s technology and tools to create rich and dynamic images that transcend cultures, because they collectively come from artists living in all corners of the world. What if artists were invited into a visual dialogue with fellow artists, inspiring a dynamic and generational single work?
Adobe and Red Bull explored how artists might be able to come together virtually, to create work that is collaborative, inclusive and collective…
The first step was an invitation to emerging artists from 85 countries. Artists would participate by layering their work, all created in succession, to eventually become a single collective piece. Each contributor would have four hours to add their artistry to the final piece. The final piece will be shown in art galleries throughout the world beginning in mid-May as a dynamic demonstration of collective creativity.
The following step was to ignite the creative process with the beginning images. Guest artists were invited to start the evolution, by creating the first few images for the single work of collective art.
Artist Zhongxuan Liu, in front of her work, “The Big Bang Clock”
Photo by Jacklyn Atlas
ADAA finalist Zhongxuan Liu, a student at Design School of Guangxi Arts Institute, submitted her work for consideration to be a Red Bull Collective guest artist because, she explained, “While I love working independently on projects, I feel that great designing can often stem from a collaborative experience between individuals. And from my experience, the more varied the designers’ backgrounds and life perspectives, the more exciting and fresh the ideas can become. I love the idea of being a part of a global collaborative project.”
At the same time, Allati El Henson, living in Oakland, California, seized the opportunity to share her work as a Red Bull Collective guest artist. “Designing on my own is one thing – and satisfies a big part of me, but when the art of collaboration is involved, is when design is at its most interesting point in time. The dance back and forth between two or more perspectives is what makes a piece ultimately compelling.”
Allati El Henson with Stefan Sagmeister at the ADAA gallery reception, Toronto. Photo by Jacklyn Atlas
“Worldwide collaboration has never been more exciting and pivotal to the success of young designers and students. The Creative Cloud provides them with the ability to share from anywhere at any time, marking a major milestone in technology’s contribution to empowering artistic synergy during the creative process,” explained Petar Karafezov, Senior Manager of Digital Marketing EMEA at Adobe. “We are inspired to share in the creative empowerment of students with Red Bull.”
The Adobe and Red Bull partnership is ambitious and exciting. Over 10,000 artists have registered to participate thus far. The majority of the artwork submitted in the Red Bull Collective Art project was created with Adobe tools. To hear more from artists who have participated, read Michael Chaize’s blog, describing how he harnessed the Adobe Creative Cloud for his participation.
At the ADAA, we’re proud to share in Zhongxuan and Allati’s recent recognition on the global front. Check out Zhongxuan and Allati’s work here - and be a part of something big. We hope that more emerging artists take advantage of this inclusive opportunity, or begin their own inspiring and collective projects to share with the ADAA community.
