'Kiki Salon Presents..': a journey into conceptual brand and product development utilising social networking and new media to analyse issues of diversity, authenticity and collaborative practices in art and design

This paper investigates the nature of remote and virtual creative interaction; the issues, potential and questions arising in the uniting of a diverse group of people as a collaborative working team in the development of a range of digitally generated products and creative outputs. In the early 20th century Zika Ascher established a textile concept that integrated the provenance of high craft with the creativity of the leading exponents of the art world. Using a unique approach to making Ascher commissioned artists to generate imagery that featured as an exceptional moderating collaboration between the dislocated fields of Art and design. Ascher collaborated with artists such as Matisse, Picasso, Alexandra Calder and Henry Moore inspiring and leading them to engage with new mediums and exciting forms of artistic expression. Bringing this ideology into the contemporary virtual landscape a conceptual brand was created in the winter of 2009 that explored the collaborative ground, non-located working processes, and the potential of developing a product with a virtual team to create a commercial product utilising digital technologies. A group of artists and creative makers from a wide range of backgrounds and diverse modes of creative expression, some established, others emerging or outsider artists, were invited to participate in the project though social networking. This paper reflects on the nature of collaborative working in the virtual worlds of social networking and new media. It problematizes methods of remote team building and working with virtual individuals. In the discussions arising from the case study issues of clarity, communication and isolation are considered and analysed within a clear theoretical context.