Spaces By Rohan
Spaces By Rohan
I have not physically been to Nottingham however I did grow up in this Euro-Western culture reading and watching plays, movies and the like about the sheriff of Nottingham and Robin Hood. One of my favourite tales for many reasons. Somehow in my mind Toronto/Ontario Bureaucracy evokes images of the sheriff of Nottingham for me. So many of use just wish to limit their contact with the sheriff and his multitudes because the experience is often accompanied by unexpected and expected surprises which as always are designed either to illicit more taxes or money from you or to keep the sheriff and his huge staff gainfully employed. And if per chance they can expand their ranks, well why not.
To be frank, this week I have been pondering the questions of, why I continue to love design, architecture and development of good design despite the fact that sheriff of Nottingham has made it substantially more difficult for greater and greater numbers to accomplish good and excellent work in architecture, design and building methodologies? What continues to possess me with hope despite – what has become very apparent to me – is that the population of Nottingham has become more and more docile and cynical to the benefits and need for good design and good designers in their every day lives – cappuccino, lattes and mixed drinks notwithstanding?
So what does this docility and cynicism look like in numbers? 25 years ago I would have 1 in 20 say they love my work. From that I would get maybe 1 or 2 good and well paid commissions for every 50 people. Today in 2013, 1 in 4 people will say they love my work but I will see a paid commissions maybe 1 in 150 people. Consequently I’ve had to develop my own projects and get a few set design jobs in the film and television industry outside building design.
I’ve come to like very much the fast-pace of film and TV work. It is a union place and it is a ‘who you know’ not necessarily what you know place. Nevertheless I like their honesty about dog eat dog favoritism. As yet – I’m working on it – I’m not amongst the favourites of art directors and production designers. Why because I’m infrequent in the offices because I do ‘real world’ stuff for myself that has fed me when times were tough. And … frankly there are not that many black cultured people designing in Nottingham’s Directors Guild of Canada. It’s a bit of a shock for many many good people to give credibility to a talented black cultured male when they’ve never had to and quite apparently never needed to.
I had a great time working with some great people by and large on the TV series Suits, season one, Resident Evil – 5 Retribution. In the Art Department of Resident Evil, the entire art department was composed of Architecturally Degreed and former practitioners of architecture. The talent in that room was mind staggering. These men, predominantly, were tired of the bullshit they had to endure while being paid relatively low wages in the ‘real world’ of architecture. Further having much of that work be simply mediocre at best. These guys are much happier and better-paid working in film. I totally – Totally – understand.
I continue to work very hard, honing my design skills, developing my knowledge of contracts, and project finance while being hopeful that production designer, art directors, lay citizens, evolved developers will want some truly interesting options that I could develop for and with them.
Nottingham – The Sheriff is increasing its effect on our design culture for the negative. I’m very hopeful this trend will turn around. I am willing to do my part. We need Sheriffs but we need prosperous, creative and adaptive people to thrive as well. Choose well. It makes a difference.
