Long long ago – when most people thought ‘duck island’ was a Branson Caribbean retreat. March in fact! I tootled off to a small but compelling exhibition at The Hayward with the intriguing title of The Russian Linesman, curated by white horse man himself artist, Mark Wallinger.
The title refers to the Soviet linesman whose onside flag
gave the third tipping point goal ‘in’ thereby steering England on to win the
1966 FIFA World Cup.
The linesman was as history later proved - wrong! As if we
care! His perception was that the
player was onside. Wallberg’s small exhibition was artfully about boundaries
and the concept of ‘perception’. The subject is timely.
2009 will possibly go down as the ‘year of perception’. It’s
not what we know or indeed what we think we know – it’s all about what we
perceive. Not all people in banks are out to take high risks at any cost – but
the public perceive them to be. Not all MPs spend hours in their constituencies
fiddling their expenses – but the perception is that they are!
The wealthy still shop furiously but they want to be
perceived as tightening their Gucci belts and sharing our common economic pain!
They shop discreetly!
The Government are doubtless still in absolute control but
the perception is that they have lost it.
Perception can be a dangerous thing or it can be a real
plus. It depends on how you see it!
In the world of internal communications perception is
everything. Management are reluctant to talk to employees right now – who can
blame them - there are some difficult conversations being had out there right
now! But they must be seen to be talking – the perception must be that they are.
And for us poor creatives its hell – the brief today is
always ‘this mustn’t look like we’ve spent a lot of money on it’. As if!
Tone is everything.
Of course we’ll swing out of this brief era of self-scrutiny sooner or later. Perceptions will shift and 2009 and will fade away as quietly and as swiftly as a 1966 German football supporter. But we’re not there yet. So meanwhile let’s all just enjoy this ‘hottest summer on record’ and go out and clean the moat – I mean help with the local community pond!
If your car breaks down then raise the hood and stay inside your car. If a stranger wants to help ask them to call for help.
Posted by: pinnacle security | October 24, 2011 at 12:31 PM