"Memory is your image of perfection"

I had the chance to visit the MCASD in La Jolla and Downtown San Diego. One exhibition I found particularly interesting was “Memory is your image of perfection”, named after a photograph by Barbara Kruger. The exhibition shows the work of 14 female artisits who have been, in a way, associated with California. Different works and various techniques and resources show the powerful mean of art to express a life statement, an ideology and an opinion about meaningful things like politics, society, feminism, war, leadership, gender differences, the human mind, our ideal of perfection and our intentional use of memory. The temporary exhibition suggests the duality between the purely documentary use of photography and its deliberate manipulation to express a particular and inevitable subjective point of view, arguing that the photographic genres are not as faithful and accurate as before because the bias introduced by the artist’s background, individuality and opinion on things bathes photography in clear subjectivity. Because we capture what we want to remember, but also what we have decided to forget. Think of that. Think of what we pretend to be in a picture, to what extent it communicates our expectations, what will transcend and what will be forgotten, or at least apparently. In other words, what stays in our memory, is our image of perfection. A deliberate creation of our own wills.

Lululemon Athletica

This afternoon I was walking in Downtown La Jolla and I found a really interesting new spot. Lululemon Athletica. The display was so visually inviting that I went inside. Hi-tech clothing and everything you need to do Yoga is not only what you can find there. What specially amazed me was the passion you notice about how the brand is conceived. You feel happy to be there. You feel you are being taking care of. You feel embraced. Their "technical athletic fabrics", the neat organization, the colors, and the community created around the brand and Yoga are Lululemon's differentiators. The brand belongs to the people. Since the late 90's, 75 stores and Yoga centers around the globe, Lululemon  has been a people's brand. Lululemon's community share and discuss the the physical and mental aspects of a healthy and powerful life of choices and possibilities. Chances that we create by ourselves so that we can have a high impact on our own personal lives, our families, our immediate community and the world. People contribute to product development, because they share their impressions about the product line, whether they consider improvements should be done, or really enjoy and want some things in particular. After an organic and natural walk around the store, you end up in front of the counter; a loud, daring and original display of their decree, their fundamentals, their core values and manifesto. A particular piece of copywriting, well written and inspiring, full of meaning and personality. I just love it. I went to my house, surfed the web and found it. The power of words, clear, motivational and encouraging. 

I wonder why they don't take advantage of the strong community they have built around the brand, the way they listen to their customers and how they generate conversations and actually use social media. They have nothing like that on their website. It's a shame, specially because of their international presence and impact.