The University of the Underground is lead by a multidisciplinary team of ‘dreamers of the day’, who believe that a positive inspiration and disturbance to the current cultural and educative system is required to best support the young generations in their creative and political endeavours. This university is bold, ambitious and impolite.
The University of the Underground exists at the nexus between critical design, experiential, theatrical, filmic, political and musical practices and it results in the design of experiences.
The University of the Underground aims to teach students how to engineer situations, to design experiences and events, that best support social dreaming, social actions and power shifts within institutions, companies and governments, the University of the Underground promotes unconventional collages of references, interdisciplinary practices and experimentations at the start of any creative processes.
When I first heard of this during founder; Nelly Ben-Hayoun’s talk at Nicer Tuesdays earlier this year, I was totally inspired and deeply moved by the movement. Nelly; an award winning - genius, normally starts off talks by apologising for her definitive french accent. This time, she stood defiantly in front of the crowd, and proclaimed;
‘I normally apologise for my french accent, but I’m actually going to re-claim that very strong accent of mine, currently here in the european - UK. Let’s enjoy it all together.’
Nelly is of course talking about the recent Brexit, and goes on to announce to the crowd that she will be working on the triggering of article 50 ‘from the underground-up’. Already, Nelly has outlined how she as a designer, sees a political and global issue as something where she feels she has to take action.
‘It’s about time we try to think about different ways to support the young generation to actually have access to post-graduate studies, and make it affordable’
Nelly has been working on a model structure which provides students post-graduate studies, tuition free. When you look at the way that any culture institution is run, you always have this system where 80% is coming from philanthropy and funders and supporters, and 20% coming from the government. Nelly has created a non-for-profit foundation which is set up outside of the university, which will support the students to have access to free tuition.
‘We are searching for dreamers of the day, the cultural entrepreneurs, and be sure that one our students will become the next president - I truly believe in that!’
Language plays a critical role on this course. During this course you learn about language and learn how to use it in a very powerful and lasting way. Nelly’s passion and drive comes across as truly unstoppable, and it’s infectious! Not enough are we told that you can create your own jobs, and you can seek your own role in this life. Be the director of your own career, and find where you fit in.
The application process is intense AF. Only 15 people make it through, and no more applications will be welcomed until 2019. One guy however, Jack Waghorn made quite the impression by delivering a video of himself, singing his own song, wait for it...playing his own, hand made guitar keyboard-thing using a fence post, and a Casio-SK1. It was pretty special.
I can’t wait to see the projects that come out of University of the Underground, and by the sounds of it, I should start preparing my application from now.
Technology is increasingly connecting with social change. Read the stories of how people are using technology to make their lives better and try to share these stories as widely as possible.
The demand for the impact that technology has on the betterment of human lives is continually growing.
Who are the people, projects, communities and industries that use technology to create social change? Read further to find out.
The MYASTHMA app is designed to aid people living with asthma. The app has an Asthma Control Test (ACT) that helps users keep track of their condition, document medicine usage and communicate with their healthcare professional. It also tracks which areas trigger an asthmatic attack from their location, weather, etc. MyAsthma is the first pharma-supported Grade 1 Medical Device as a smartphone app. (myasthma.com). MYASTHMA was also awarded – Winner of the Trending Award 2017 at the Health Tech & You Awards.
uMotif – The Health & Care Professional’s Choice also a winner at this years Health Tech & You Awards, The app is a platform designed to capture data about patients. The platform has been clinically proven through trials in the NHS and deployed through world-leading studies, capturing millions of data points. It is helping patients take control, improving clinical appointments and modernising clinical research trials.(umotif.com)
Health Unlocked - Winner of the WOW Awards 2017 another winner at Health Tech & You Awards. This is a social network that allows users to connect with each other to improve their health through peer support and gives users access to wellbeing communities.(healthunlocked.com)
MoodNotes developed in collaboration by USTWO and Thriveport was launched in the August of 2015. Moodnotes is a CBT-based journaling app. The collective aim was to help improve mental wellbeing by using CBT techniques adapted for mobile usage.Of all the sectors USTWO & Thriveport operate in, digital health represents arguably the biggest opportunity to make a large and lasting positive impact.
The goal for Moodnotes is to provide people with accessible, engaging, and evidence-informed tools to increase self-awareness, improve mood, and enhance wellbeing. (https://ustwo.com/work/moodnotes/)
Why Technology & Human Centred Design were the forefront of #GoogleDemoDay
In this feature; I’ll be discussing the winners, and the start-ups highlighting a need for social change, sustainability and human centred design.
Meet IDA. The winner of Google Demo Day. IDA is a dairy farmers tech assistant, it learns the behaviour of dairy cows, it learns the behaviour of the farmer. IDA’s mission is to learn how to run the worlds most efficient dairy farm.
The way it works is the sensor goes around the neck of a cow, and analyses it’s movements in 3D space, measuring up to 8 different behaviours using deep learning. This information is then processed in the cloud to provide insight to farmers.
The app informs farmers on daily insights based on tracking the cows behaviours. This then syncs with data collated for reasons why, and what should be done to solve the problem. The app is also largely informed by farmers feedback, helping to feed the world and making the health of our dairy cows a top priority.
KENZEN another winner at the Google Demo Day, shows us the main reason how technology can be used at the core of human centred design. It asks one fundamental question; How are you?
It’s such a simple question, with such a complex answer. Most of us, or many of us may have a health condition that we’re unaware of. Our busy lifestyles can mean it’s incredibly difficult to monitor our health.
To ensure continuous monitoring, contextual and personalised data, Kenzen have developed a smart patch that measures our sweat.
Sweat expands the number of biomarkers we need to monitor our health. The ability to combine sweat analysis with physiological data, really transforms healthcare. What is critical for KENZEN, is using this data and translating it over to insights, with the help of AI.
Imagine being able to detect inflammation early, or being able to detect that your child is getting sick, before it becomes an emergency, or even monitoring a patient that has just left hospital to prevent re-admission.
Kenzen is currently being used marginally within sports science, industrial and hospital enterprises before it intends to reach the consumer and clinical market.
As the war in Syria enters its seventh year, many of us feel helpless. We hear stories about children such as Fares, a 6-year-old from Syria who has never seen a classroom in his life, and we wish there was something we could do.
“My name is Fares. I do not know how to read or write. I only know how to draw the sky, the sea and the sun.”
But we must not give up hope. Together, we can take action. Together, the Messengers of Humanity can show their solidarity with the Syrian people.
In the following weeks, we will send you powerful actions that you can take to make a difference for the people trapped in Syria’s conflict and for the people who had to flee and leave everything behind.
Remember, you are not alone! The UN and our partners in Syria are delivering aid to millions of civilians, trying their best to reach as many people as possible. And on 4 and 5 May, world leaders will come together in Brussels to discuss the future of Syria and to find a lasting political resolution.
Her are 4 actions you can take to support refugees & displaced people
1. Make sure that Syria is not forgotten – share on social media
UNICEF released this moving video of 10-year-old Ansam, a blind girl who was displaced by the violence in Syria. Her song is a message of hope to the world. Children such as Ansam are not giving up and neither should we. Please share!
Click here to tweet: Do you wish there was something you could do to help #Syria? Check out these 4 actions that you can take now http://bit.ly/4thingsyoucando
2. Encourage universities to offer scholarships for refugees
For refugee students, not being able to continue their studies is devastating. Help them by writing an e-mail or a letter to your own university or a college near you and ask them to support a refugee. You can also e-mail major universities in the USA, asking them to admit more refugees. Here is a handy template.
3. Support internally displaced people in Syria
We hear a lot about refugees who seek safety outside Syria, but more than six million Syrians are displaced within their own country. They are often forced to flee at very short notice and have to leave everything behind. Many of them find refuge with host families, but others have to stay in overcrowded shelters. As the conflict continues, they are struggling to find food and water and are in dire need of humanitarian aid. If you want to help internally displaced people in Syria, you can donate to the UN’s humanitarian fund in Syria. Your donation will provide emergency food, water, shelter, medicine and other life-saving assistance to those who need it most.
4. Help refugees to integrate into a new culture
Refugees often feel lonely and isolated when they try to restart their life in a new country. Could you see yourself mentoring a refugee family? Imagine teaching the kids your language or helping the parents figure out the public transport system. Even small gestures of friendship can mean a great deal! A quick Google search can show you which groups and local non-profits are active in your area and looking for volunteers.
That’s it for today! Stay tuned, because over the following weeks and months we’ll share more actions that you can take to make a difference.
I’ve recently been working on a few bespoke cushions based on the Arabic language and certain aspects of the Arab culture. I want to present a fresh, modern and expressive representation of a culture that I’m proud to be a part of.
The Middle East is constantly portrayed in the media as a troubled, derelict and dark place to be. I want to express my celebration of Arabic culture, away from the propaganda through positive colours, and fun-natured aesthetics.
The term ‘Pillow Talk’ has been developed to represent the intention of these cushions being a statement piece in a room to spark a conversation and raise awareness. I intend to produce a limited run of these cushions, with a percentage of the proceeds going towards Syrian refugees.
The Campus Meetup: Women community aims to empower, inspire and drive gender-balanced representation across Campus and the broader start-up community. However, there are often limited opportunities for men to engage in the conversation and acquire the skills they need to be successful male allies.
In the surrounding days leading up to International Women’s Day, it was certainly very difficult to pick an event that I wanted to attend. I decided to attend a Campus Women event which main focus topic was highlighting the importance of closing the gap between the gender imbalance in the working world.
Presented here are some of the fantastic quotes that all business leaders should take into account when hiring, and in particular when focusing on issues like pay, and maternity/paternity leave.
Last night, Channel4 debuted their new documentary called ‘Extremely British Muslims’. I’m hoping I can give Channel4 the benefit of the doubt, and assume that the title of this documentary is supposed to be ironic. Not only ironic, but a quite frankly, irresponsible title combining the words ‘Extreme’ and ‘Muslims’ in the same sentence. Yet another fear mongering ploy further encouraging ideas like the Muslim ban recently implemented by Donald Trump.
The image above shows a poll after an article written by The Daily Star, discussed how the majority were outraged by the way British Muslims were represented by this show, myself included.
The representation of Muslim women offended me, and also the representation of Muslim men.
There are hundreds, upon thousands, if not millions of British Muslim women who were unfairly represented in last nights show. Most of us, in Britain, have the support of our parents to explore ourselves and develop as human beings, and most of us won’t go through an ‘Islamic’ dating agency to find our future partners.
Most of us aren’t Pakistani, we come from lots of different backgrounds, one of my friends didn’t even know that Malaysia was a Muslim country! It’s down to poor representation in television programmes making some of the British public believe all muslims are Pakistani, or my favourite that I always get ‘How can you be a Muslim, you’re white?!’
It’s okay to be a Muslim woman
A great example of British Muslim women proving that Muslim women have a voice, are two sisters from London, Nafisa and Selina, who have been working on Amaliah for over a year. Their vision is to build a platform that represents Muslim Women across fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Ultimately, they want to send out the message that you can be who you are as a Muslim woman, hold the beliefs that you have, while being a person of purpose and impact in this world.
I would love my wife to think the house is her responsibility, I wouldn't leave my job to be a man-dad.
As for the men, well that really upset me too. As a British Muslim Woman, I truly believe that in this day and age, there is absolutely no room for chauvinistic behaviour. I believe a lot of British Muslim Women would agree. I also feel offended for the Muslim men in my life who were terribly represented in last nights show.
The majority of the Muslim men in my life, have a lot of respect for women. They don’t treat women in such a derogatory manner nor do they feel that a Women’s role is purely to look after the house and raise the children. My uncles, and my father, are wonderful examples of supportive husbands and incredible examples of ‘man-dad’s’.
The hashtag; #ExtremelyBritishMuslims took twitter by storm last night, and to my relief, Muslims across Britain were speaking out on what a load of BS this show was, even two young Muslim women who’s interviews were cut out of the show, for saying that this programme was an unfair representation of British Muslims. So much for Free Speech - because that doesn’t pay Channel4′s bills...go figure!
USTWO, are a London based agency who build digital, products, services and businesses.
The panel boasts a group of successful and inspiring speakers from a range of different industries. An honest, transparent and human experience is the main reason I’m so addicted to these talks - it’s that no bullshit advice that I think all of us can achieve greatness from.
This particular panel consisted of; Nafisa Bakkar, Founder of Amaliah and Forbes ‘One to watch’ 2017, Alex Depledge, Founder of Hassle, Sarah Drinkwater – Head Of Google Campus London Jo Roach, Founder – MakieLabs and BAFTA award winner and finally, Sitar Teli, Venture Capitalist – Connect Ventures.
‘People were coming to us and saying, I believe in what you’re trying to do’
Jo Roach, Founder of MakieLabs, Jo is an accomplished operational and creative business leader and BAFTA award winning digital director-producer. Jo founded and launched the world’s first 3D-printed toy company. Jo expressed her love for those who have credible ideas, whereas that clashed with Sitar Teli’s opinion that anyone can have an idea, it’s the execution that counts.
‘It’s like telling a guy you’re not going to sleep with him - suddenly - you’re the most attractive woman in the room’
The genuinely honest and hilarious interpretation from Alex Depledge, founder of Hassle, who explained that telling an investor that you’re A: Profitable and B: You don’t need any money was like telling a guy you’re not going to sleep with him. A roar of laughter from the crowd and myself, great insight to how I should approach an investor! Alex also explains that to be the best founder, you need to be an obsessive generalist. Versatile and able to dedicate yourself to many different roles.
‘To be a successful founder, you need to be comfortable with an insane degree of risks, uncertainty and failure’
Sitar Teli explained the pressures of being a founder, and the responsibility it takes. The key obstacles that a founder must be comfortable with are; risk taking, uncertainty, failure and firing people. A good founder realises and admits their mistakes, and quickly moves on by making a decision within a matter of days.
‘We often think of tech as being the solution, I think tech is just the tool; If we can’t connect with each other - if we can’t have empathy - then nothing works!’
I can totally relate to this brilliant statement from Sarah Drinkwater, Head of Google campus in London. I always strive to show a great sense of empathy in my working life. Empathy is the key to understanding a solution.
Watching these super successful women and how they have thrived in the tech industry has inspired me to be more involved in researching the tools that bring tech to life, and how tech as a tool can help change the world as we know it.
I’m very much looking forward to the next instalment of #WIWIK from USTWO.
The original blog post and recording of the event can be viewed here.
It’s that time again for ‘36 days of type’. I thought I’d have a go at creating my own letter ‘A’. It started as a conceptual sketch, from which I took further onto digitally illustrate and explore more colours.
USTWO, are a London based agency who build digital, products, services and businesses.
At a time like this, whilst i’m still trying to find my feet after being made redundant in December last year, USTWO’s ‘Talkies’ events have really kept me motivated and inspired.
The panel boasts a group of successful and inspiring speakers from a range of different industries. An honest, transparent and human experience is the main reason I’m so addicted to these talks - it’s that no bullshit advice that I think all of us can achieve greatness from.
This particular panel consisted of; Nicki Sprinz, Business Director at USTWO and co-founder of Ada’s List, Morwenna White, Founder, Natalie Campbell, social entrepreneur and co-founder of ‘A Very Good Company’. Sarah Jackson, Working Families CEO and blogger-turned-author Emma Gannon.
‘If you say what you’re going to do and then do it - shit happens!’
A brilliant, no bull-shit start from Natalie Campbell, who had me laughing from the word go about her dreams of owning a yacht and her hip-hop inspired lifestyle. Natalie showed her true spirit throughout, with her hilarious response to a shocking statement off of one of the panelists regarding treatment at work, she gave her ‘badasswomen’ attitude and said ‘I’m taking off my earrings!’.
‘We’re all just blagging it really’
When Emma Gannon pronounced I felt a great sense of relief, not because I do think it’s all about blagging your way through to get to the top, and I certainly don’t think Emma meant it in that way. It gave me a sense of relief because it meant that my role models also had lots of sudden changes in their careers, and didn’t always find their feet straight away.
‘your competition, is your self yesterday’
Another great quote from the panel. This reminded me of when Skepta said in his recent documentary that as soon as he stopped focusing on what everyone else was doing, and only focused on bettering himself, that’s when things really started to change.
I can totally relate to that, and I’m trying my best to avoid slipping into constantly obsessing over the competition, that can somewhat lead to losing ourselves and what, as an individual, makes us unique.
I’m very much looking forward to the next instalment of #WIWIK from USTWO.
The original blog post and recording of the event can be viewed here.
Here’s an example of a digital letter ‘R’ I created after spending time researching old and lost calligraphy styles at the St.Brides Library of London. This was influenced by decorative letting used by scribes.
From sketching a concept by hand, using expressive, Arabic calligraphy influenced style, and using Japanese influence direction, I created a mock-art piece using a digital pen from the initial sketches. I still believe the sketches are more interesting, and definitely have a lot more character, I think it’s time to invest in some paint pens!
With a year long of corporate work; serious blues, authoritative reds and ‘we’re so positive’ greens - I’m trying to introduce more colour into my personal work, and focus more on my passion for Arabic and hand lettering.
Here’s some I worked on this week, using a series of random Arabic numbers, letters and diacritical marks, I wanted to create something fun and celebrating.
Late night experiments turned into something I quite liked, I’m aiming to carry on developing this using Arabic letters and numbers.
Calligraphy and hand lettering is a passion of mine, and was my thesis at university, which was recommended by top industry names to be taken forward onto a PHD - here’s to one day accomplishing just that!
Feeling the struggle to meet with like-minded creatives, collaborate on exciting projects and discover your next creative crush? Then look no further!
There she was, the Queen of Hoxton, music slightly glistening in the background, as I took the journey up the painful amount of stairs to get to the roof-top, thinking about what the atmosphere would be like with each step.
As I staggered on up, with each flight of stairs came the buzzing sound of gabbing away, slowly getting louder. Heat accumulating throughout my body from the anticipation, the one and a half hour commute, and those bastard stairs…I finally reached the pinnacle of what looked like some kind of dreamy-hippy-haven.
My eyes squinted through my steamed glasses and the glare of the candle-fairy lit teepee, I quickly whipped my head side to side, trying to find any human that wasn’t already indulged in deep conversation.
Alas! A confident and smiling gentleman emerged from the crowd and directly towards me. Arthur, who just happens to be the director of Ssshake - ‘Hi, welcome! - what’s your name? what do you do?’ ‘Do you have a code? and is this your first ssshake event?’ he pronounced.
One by one I answered the questions in reverse order, yes this is my first time, I did register for a code, I’m a Graphic Designer and my name is Saliah!’
‘Ah yes, Saliah! where is that name from?’…I felt instantly acknowledged, and a sense of genuine interest in who I was, not just my profession, which I was a bit afraid it was going to be.
I stood patiently at the bar not long after our profound introduction for some dutch courage, however, I was held up by welcoming numerous intermissions of creatives approaching me, wanting to scan my personal code, and getting to know who I was.
That was the most refreshing part, generally, people fear attending events like this, especially on their own! I intentionally went alone to avoid the almost natural desire to disengage and spectate your surroundings in a corner with whoever you brought along.
The event was totally open, from singers, models, musicians, photographers, animators, designers…the list goes on. The most wonderful aspect was getting to know everybody’s background; Who were they? Where had they come from? and the journey they had taken to get there. It was almost comforting in a sense, not only did it give the opportunity to collaborate, but also to give and receive advice even from those whom you wouldn’t have normally paired yourself with.
I hope that this can turn into a platform that isn’t just for personal gain, but more to inspire people, give and receive feedback from those more experienced in different fields, and to make connections to endorse others in the future.
For example; I met a photographer whilst at ssshake, and she was really anxious about the struggle of finding work and well, making yourself seen. Luckily, I know a great photographer and close friend of mine, who recently went through the same experience. I pointed her in his direction, in the hope she may contact him for advice. I may have not been able to help her personally, but at least I knew someone who could.
I met with some fantastic individuals and the founders of ssshake, Arthur and Valentine, were incredibly welcoming, enthusiastic and eager to connect.
I’m certainly looking forward to the next event on the 1st of March, and highly recommend everyone in the creative industry looking to find new projects, collaborations or simply to be inspired by awesome individuals with great stories, to (literally) take the steps in attending this event.
For further details, visit the ssshake community website here.
You can also follow ssshake via Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.
