[dropcap style=”font-size:100px; color:#992211;”]H[/dropcap]ello fellow Trebuchets, the time is upon us where we take a bit of a break from the day to day and meet the genetically close species of being called ‘family’.
It’s been a big year for most people in most parts of the world but in the main we can say that the struggles have been overwhelmingly worth it; dissenting opinion has been raised against monolithic regimes, old orders have been questioned, cliches have been called, new ideas have been breached into the main and in the words of the dude; ‘new shit has come to light’. 2013 has been abiding and now it’s time to welcome the next rug that will tie it all together.
So what are we looking forward to in 2014.
- The next wave of whistleblowing – we’ve been shown the way, but the next stage will be refine the process so that the brave souls can highlight issues without becoming persecuted exiles.
- Personal encryption devices – your life, your data, your property.
- The ubiquity of small wearable tech – from pebble watches to tech enhanced brand accessories
- New marginalism in art – as always the new captures the attention of the cognoscenti – however the public is attending the larger retrospectives in greater and greater numbers. Does a recession necessarily incur a swing towards figurative authoritative art?
- Western film seems to have been resting on it’s laurels as more and more of the films we watch are formulaic rehashes of classic formulaic rehashes. Gigantic brand dynasties are casting their rock ’em sock ’em shadows from box office to box office… time for a cultural backlash?
- Post capital living – rising house prices, broader base of culture, community. Bristol, Brighton, Birmingham – the peripheries have the appeal that you as individuals you can have a greater say in the how of living. Where does my food come from?
- Post-work and hobby-plus. Every little bit helps – anyone that has looked into the cost of furniture, watched uber-cool hipsters wiping sawdust from their beards and/or gingham dresses, thought about reclaiming timber, or just choosing to put left-overs into a ragu jar over a plastic tub has thought about making a savvy buck on the side. If that Hugh bloke can sell roadkill pet pate to snobby city nobs… why can’t I? It’s my free range-rover range?
- and more talk about immigration… Bulgarians, Romanians, the Dutch. Prepare for this topic to shitewash traditional media channels or are we going to finally create a transparent system with equal access, targets, and accountability?
We’ll have to wait and see…
Until then, the best of wishes to all from all the Trebuchet staff and remember to ring in new year plans with a broad conspiratorial smile.
Take Care.
/T/.
Illustrations by Dan Booth
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. – Aristotle
