Recipe for Innovation
Take five of Brazilís most legendary funk drummers and five of L.A.ís biggest underground hip-hop Djís, mix them together in a room full of wanna-be samba dancers, throw in some whistles and cow bells, then stand back as you witness the start of an intercontinental musical movement. You can get a taste of it for yourself by grabbing a copy of the documentary ìBrasilintimeî, which debuted recently in Hollywood. But if you can look past the brilliantly colored outfits of the samba dancers, you will see that these great innovations of music are products of collaborating cultures.
I had the pleasure of seeing it all happen live at the Mayan Theatre in Hollywood for the first ever performance outside of Brazil. Now, more than ever, historical and environmental influences that have created the defining cultural traits of the nations of the world are being blended to develop ideas that cannot be realized in a nation-centric atmosphere. On the surface, ìBaile Funkî meets ìL.A. undergroundî may not seem to have anything to do with design or product development, but it makes a great example of how crossing cultural boarders can produce innovative ideas.
It is no surprise that many design firms specifically look for interns and designers from other countries. Also, there are handfuls of international design competitions that focus on universal themes. Now is the time for our design community to recruit an all-star team of international designers, engineers, inventors, and deep thinkers to tackle the worldís most pressing issues. Just think of the innovative ìmusicî that can be made by an altruistic group that uses design as its instrument. Thatís what I call a ìglobal groove with a purpose.î Thanks to the Brasilintime players for igniting the conceptual fire that can get the whole world moving. -DH