JOSH KLINE
DESIGNED IN CALIFORNIA
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow. Strawberry, Tangerine, Lime, Bondi Blue. The crystal clear plastic-infused waters of Nestle International. Arrowhead, Poland Spring, Ice Mountain, Zephyrhills. The synthetic colors and gloss of new century modernism. Conceived in Weimar Berlin, digitized and redesigned in the Bay Area, manufactured in China. First the glass office building, now the glass luxury residence, next glass-sheathed low-income housing and glass curtain-wall McDonalds branches. Would you like an Aeron chair with your value meal?
Generative surveillance architecture. Seductive ergonomic personal data-gathering devices. The open office is a space where your boss and yourcoworkers can see everything you do. A place of always-on optimization where downtime is rebranded as a character-flaw and late afternoon distraction equals moral failure. Every conversation can become a potential opportunity for demotion, dismissal, or professional immolation. Productivity enhancing ultra-transparent anti-privacy zones. Relax, you’re on a working vacation vacation working.
The American mind is a Californian colony. Palo Alto artificial neurons are putting more and more of your unreliable and unprofessional brain’s tender thinking tissues out of a job. Trader Joe’s is the San Franciscan embassy. The Apple Store is Silicon Valley’s local consulate. Google’s free cloud-based software is the Golden State’s secret service in-home garrison. In the second century of the self, all that’s left of you is your taste and your credit card trail. You can be anyone you can imagine on your Facebook profile, but don’t expect a paycheck for your efforts. Since you can’t afford a car, maybe you can skate to work? It’s not downward mobility if it’s a lifestyle accessory, is it? Smile! A successful career in the service economy requires a positive attitude and relentless charm. Would you like bottled or tap? Sparkling or still or CGI? In your flattery bath.