list from a wall at Andrea Zittel’s Critical Space
exhibition in NYC - at the Chelsea Museum.

These Things I Know for Sure:

"1. It is a human trait to want to organize things in catagories. Inventing
catagories creates an illusion that there is an overriding rationale in
the way
that the world works.

2. Surfaces that are "easy to clean" also show dirt more. In reality a
surface
that camouflages dirt is much more practical than one that is easy to
clean.

3. Maintenance takes time and energy that can sometimes impede other forms
of
progress such as learning about new things.

4. All materials ultimately deteriorate and show signs of wear. It is
therefore
important to create designs that will look better after years of distress.

5. A perfected filing system can sometimes decrease efficiency. For
instance,
when letters and bills are filled away too quickly, it is easy to forget to
respond to them.

6. Many "progressive" designs actually hark back towards the lost idea of
nature
or a more "original form"

7. Ambiguity in visual design ultimately leads to a greater variety of
functions
than designs that are functionally fixed.

8. No matter how many options there are it is human nature to always narrow
things down to two polar, though inextricably linked choices.

9. The creation of rules is more creative than the destruction of them.
Creation
demands a higher level of reasoning and draws connections between cause and
effect. The best rules are never stable or permenant but evolve naturally
according to context or need.

10. What makes us feel liberated is not living in total freedom, but rather
living in a set of limitations that we have created and prescribed for
ourselves.

11. Things we think are limiting can ultimately becoming restrictive, and
things
that we initially think are controlling can sometimes give us a sense of
comfort
and security.

12. Ideas seem to gestate the best in a void - when the void is filled it
is
more difficult to access them. In our consumption-driven society almost all
voids are filled, blocking moments of greater clarity and creativity.
Things
that block voids are called "avoids".

13. Sometimes if you can’t change the situation, you just have to change
the way
you think about the situation.

14. People are most happy when they are moving towards something not yet
attained. (I also wonder if this extends as well to the sensation of
physical
motion in space. I believe that I am happier when I am in a plane or car
because
I am moving towards an identifiable and attainable goals.)
- artist Andrea Zittel