2015.11.26 Thursday

016 Morality of expression and the morals of its creator

Steal someone’s money and you will be accused of a crime. Stealing something, even if it is a piece of gum, a crime is still a crime. In case the stolen goods is a novel or a song, depending on the contents, the act may be construed as plagiarism and the culprit may be tried under the law. If you steal someone else’s idea, from the judicial viewpoint, “copyright protection does not extend to any idea” and thus, it becomes difficult to prove the illegality of the act. This much I learned from a lawyer. The same could be said of works of design. Even if the design highly resembles another, there will be no criminal accusation. The problem regarding the emblem for the Olympic Games took off into another direction when the art director who created the first place plan—which was ultimately withdrawn—was put on the spot for some goods he had designed for a beverage manufacturer’s promotional campaign. There were allegations that he had used and recreated multiple images and ideas without obtaining permission from their creators. The legality of his actions were disputed, but even if the claims are substantiated he would not be brought to justice in a courtroom. However, I cannot help feeling that there is no difference between the two acts: using an image without obtaining permission and stealing a piece of gum.

The said art director may not have been put on trial by a public office, but he was certainly tried by the public. We are talking about a major event of national scale, the Games were coming back to Tokyo after half a century, and it was drawing much attention from the Japanese people. It was anonymous citizens, equipped with special insight, skills and intuition, who managed to conduct a detailed sweep in a short period of time. Almost immediately they were able to point out the emblem design’s similarities with existing work; specific grounds and evidence were duly presented, and allegations were made against the provenance of the design’s ideas and its presentation. If it were not for the investigative acumen of the talented general public, the emblem for the Olympic Games that won first place may have never been withdrawn. And to think that all this happened within the limited time span of about a month, I could not help being impressed by the spirit of gung-ho and the speed to take action. It was almost unbelievable. Maybe it was an inadvertent slip, not intentional—but judging from the results, the method the art director took was clearly unfair, make no mistake. For a moment I thought we may have found a new research methodology invented by citizens that cab objectively check and confirm suspicions, what the central players refuse to admit. However this seemingly efficient and effective method is not all about advantages. The overwhelmingly powerful internet, the all-encompassing influence and destructive force manages to endanger not only the person at the center of the dispute, but the family and related parties, creating a situation that infringes their human rights—damaging reputations and possibly leading to false accusations.

The development of the computer gave birth to something devoid of physical substance which we call software, as opposed to what has physical substance which is called hardware. These are the words we use in order to understand the current state of things. Design development involves both sides, the software and the hardware. If we consider design from this viewpoint, we can see that ideas belong in the realm of software. The visualizations, the creations, the actual forms of expression, then belong in the realm of hardware. Composite elements of different characters are thus strung together and entwined to build a design. If we take this vantage point, we can clearly imagine the difficulty involved in proving and solving copyright infringement of design.

When we come across a completely new issue with no precedent, we have no proven criteria to go by. And then we are also challenged by technology that is growing in leaps and bounds. Every year brings a new set of infrastructure. Our times are zipping ahead, bringing new changes one after another. Even though we need to amend laws, which require discussion, verification, decision and implementation—the reality is, we lack awareness and are not yet up to speed. Furthermore, we are talking about a phenomenon with compound elements that exist in a physical realm of physics, yet manages to intrude into the non-physical arena by containing non-physical aspects. It is difficult for the mind to realistically grasp this image. That is why, I think, it is so difficult for us to establish a set of criteria for decision making. For example, if our body is hurt by an act of physical violence, we can recognize the damage as a physical issue. But what if the act of violence is committed by words? It is not easy to acknowledge damage that is caused by violence that cannot be seen by the eye. In the same way, you don’t have to be a lawyer to see the difficulty of the task in making a decision on copyright infringement issues related to matters of design which incorporate both physical and non-physical characteristics. That said, just because it is difficult should we just leave it at that, and forget about establishing a set of criteria to go by?

As can be seen, once we step into the non-physical realm, things definitely become more difficult to acknowledge and understand. In addition, if we are to go even further and tackle “plagiarism of images” which have the shading of the abstract, analysis becomes even more difficult. It becomes almost impossible to pinpoint the illegality of the matter and validate the findings. But there is one thing that can be truthfully said: “stealing images” jeopardizes the very dignity of creativity; it signifies a disrespect towards the creation; and lastly, it disrespects the original creator.

Now let me study the issue from a slightly different perspective. For example, let us say that someone goes and experiences a certain exhibition. The iconographic images are scanned by the viewer as visual information, encrypted into his memory, and becomes stocked in the person’s image archive database as experienced information. Let us say that after a few years’ time the person forgets where the information originally came from; the quality of the original experienced information has deteriorated, only parts of the iconographic imagery and visual images remain, stocked subconsciously in the database. If such bits and pieces are drawn from the personal database, not by intent, but by the unconscious mind or by the subliminal mind; and what if they are expressed as if they were the person’s own ideas? This is going to become an extremely tricky problem. For one thing, the memory of the origin of the idea is gone, but undeniably the idea was influenced by someone else. Yet the use of the image is not a conscious, intentional act—thus there is no guilty feeling, no remorse attached. So people who intend to work in the field of mass communication and people who are already established as professionals must be sure to take the greatest care, consciously and with a definite will, to brace themselves against direct influence from others. Specifically, I think you need a personal daily regimen to train and heighten your own objectivity. If you are prone to be affected and influenced by others, even if you devote your whole life, as a unit of time, it won’t be enough to establish your “individuality”. You will not only hurt yourself, but you will always be infringing on other people’s rights and hurting them—inviting an unfortunate situation for all parties concerned.

It takes great energy to create something out of nothing. The leap from 0 to 1 is unfathomable. I always feel that it is a sacred, almost mythical moment. Therefore, I am always reminding myself that I must not send out something that is unwanted and needless. In that sense I am always leery and careful. As a creator, never would I allow myself to infringe the world of creativity of another person. Whether intentional or not, once you express something with your own hands, you take whole responsibility. We live in such times where every bit of information around the world is connected by networks. Everything exists in plain visibility. Things exist in a delicate balance, creating its own chaos, maintaining a precarious order of things. Creators must be mentally prepared in pursuing their paths of expression. We should keep on reminding ourselves that something similar is bound to exist already.

The development of the personal computer, which allowed a wide range of people to use computers brought about a blooming expansion in creativity, more expression—allowing such accessibility, such great times. That is what we thought. But digging into the background of what has taken place, I have come to believe that we have actually entered a new era where only the true essence counts. As creative professionals, we are tasked not only to learn, develop and hone our special skills, but more often than not, we now find our human qualities are being put to the test—no lies or faking are allowed. What counts is the true essence, and only that. There are plenty of qualities and qualifications that are necessary to become a creator, one who expresses himself—of which top priority must be given to the morality of expression and the morals of its creator. I believe this is the truth that defines the times we now live in.
 
Keiko Hirano
 
Keiko Hirano:
Designer/Visioner, Executive Director of Communication Design Laboratory
Hirano served on the panel that chose the official emblem for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which was ultimately withdrawn.

五輪エンブレム問題の
事実と考察
001 責任がとれる方法で 002 公募期間の短さ 003 『展開』『展開性』『展開力』 004 知らされなかった招待作家 005 ブログを読んで下さっているみなさまへ 006 利害優先の土壌 007 修正案承諾拒否の経緯と理由 - vol.1 008 修正案承諾拒否の経緯と理由 - vol.2 009 『公』の仕事 010 専門家の盾 011 秘密保持誓約書という密室 012 いまこそ、私心なき専門性を問う 013 判断の論拠 014 最終の審議 015 金銭感覚と敬意の相対性 016 表現におけるモラリティと表現者のモラル 017 言葉のちから 018 何のための調査なのか、調査の目的は何なのか - vol.1 019 何のための調査なのか、調査の目的は何なのか - vol.2 020 何のための調査なのか、調査の目的は何なのか - vol.3 021 何のための調査なのか、調査の目的は何なのか - vol.4 022 願い 023 摩訶不思議な調査報告書 024 負の遺産とならないように 025 出口なき迷路 026 届かぬ思い 027「社会に位置づくデザイン」という観点 028 無責任主義の村 029 審査委員として知り得た情報のすべて 030 新聞寄稿文への異論 - vol.1 031 新聞寄稿文への異論 - vol.2 032 1対3の構図 - 「A案」VS「BCD案」 033 今を生きる 034 負の連鎖……を断つために 035 欲望の公害 精神の断絶 036 イカサマ文書 by JAGDA - vol.1 037 イカサマ文書 by JAGDA - vol.2 038 イカサマ文書 by JAGDA - vol.3 039 事実はひとつ 040 新世界へ 041 JAGDA文書への意見と要望 ― 法律の専門家による分析 042 JAGDAの回答 JAGDAへの要望書 043 「要望書へのJAGDAの回答」に対する更なる質問 044 「意見書へのJAGDAの回答」に対する質問と提案 045 ブラック・デザイン 046 弁護士から届いた封書 047 おとぎの国の物語 048 退会届
Tokyo 2020 Olympics Logo Controversy--Facts and Observations 001 My way of taking responsibility 002 Duration of contest was way short 003 “Development” “Development Capabilities” “Development Power” 004 Guest artists I wasn’t told about 005 To My Readers 006 A culture where special interests take priority 007 How and why I refused to accept the modified design - vol.1 008 How and why I refused to accept the modified design - vol.2 009 Strictly “public” work 010 Specialists as shields 011 Behind closed doors-secrecy surrounding a non-disclosure agreement 012 Time to put selfless expertise to the test 013 Rationale behind my decision 014 The final review session 015 Is the money mindset relative to paying respect? 016 Morality of expression and the morals of its creator 017 The power of words 018 An investigation for what? What is the purpose of the investigation - vol.1 019 An investigation for what? What is the purpose of the investigation - vol.2 020 An investigation for what? What is the purpose of the investigation - vol.3 021 An investigation for what? What is the purpose of the investigation - vol.4 022 My wish 023 Mystifying investigation report is out 024 In order to prevent a negative legacy 025 Stuck in a maze with no exit 026 A voice unheard 027 A viewpoint that calls for “design with a place in society” 028 A village with a policy of irresponsibility 029 Every piece of information that I garnered as a judge on the selection committee 030 Objections to a newspaper contribution - vol.1 031 Objections to a newspaper contribution - vol.2 032 The underlying picture of one against three - “Plan A” versus “Plans BCD” 033 Living in the moment 034 Putting a stop……to a negative chain of events 035 Pollution by greed and discontinuity of the spirit 036 Bogus document by JAGDA - vol.1 037 Bogus document by JAGDA - vol.2 038 Bogus document by JAGDA - vol.3 039 Every fact has only one version 040 Toward a whole new world 041 Opinion and request regarding JAGDA document―An analysis by a legal specialist 042 Reply from JAGDA Request letter to JAGDA 043 More questions re: "Reply from JAGDA regarding Request Letter" 044 Questions and proposal re: "Reply from JAGDA regarding Request Letter" 045 Rogue design 046 Letter from the lawyers 047 Tales from Wonderland 048 Withdrawal Notice