In semi-sync

Born out of an idea of bringing the world’s best design to Australia, Murray Bell and Andrew Johnstone launched the Semi-Permanent design event. With success in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, New York and London, the design event attracts world-famous speakers and exhibitionists, including the likes of Banksy, Ed Templeton, Spencer Platt and Scott Dadich from Wired. CREATIVE finds out what makes this dynamic duo tick.

How did you start working together?

Murray Bell: We first met at a design studio called Artichoke in Sydney. I was applying for a job and Andrew was looking through all of the applications. It was for a job that would eventually fill his role as he was off to the United Kingdom for work. We got along straight away – I think I got the job before I made it back down to the street level, and from then on, we have been great mates. That was back in 2001, I think.

Andrew Johnstone: What Murray said!

What were your first impressions of each other? 

AJ: When I first looked through Murray's portfolio I noticed lots of surf-related designs so I instantly knew we'd have something in common. When we eventually started chatting I realised that we had pretty similar personalities, both having grown up on the coast and spent most of our time in the water. Plus Murray's design work was similar to the style I liked so we agreed on design and art related things as well.

MB: That Andrew was a man that knew how to sit on a chair at his desk! No seriously, he looked cool and he belonged to a world that I so desperately wanted to be in. A designer in the city, with a Mac of his very own! 

Does the other person have any annoying habits? 

AJ: No, none really, apart from Murray who gets all the female attention.

MB: We have really wide desks, so his stuff never really slides over to my side, so that’s cool. I think he takes offence to my music at times. I have a habit of really getting into a band (at the moment it’s Devendra Banhart and Charlotte Gainsbourg) and I just flog them!

Do you ever fight?

MB: Rarely, actually never. The nature of our business is based upon decisions, so we very often disagree and agree on things. That’s where the success comes from I think, in our ability to not be too one-sided or make decisions with blinkers on. On the actual days of the Semi Permanent conferences, we separate each of our roles. Andrew is generally responsible for everything that happens leading up to people taking their seat (ticketing, shop, volunteers etc), and I take care of things once the presentations start. We are very accepting that the nature of what we do depends on a lot of variables, so when things screw up, first thing we do is just try and fix it, then we go around the corner and give one another black eyes.

AJ: No we don't fight. We disagree from time to time but it happens surprisingly rarely. I think this is one thing that has made working together so easy. We seem to have the same opinion on most things, and if we disagree we find it easy to find a middle ground without getting annoyed.

How do you approach the task of collaborating jointly?

MB: Be open-minded. It's very easy to be influenced by recent experiences. I might have gone to the United States for a few weeks and met a whole new set of people and I might come back with an attitude of starting 10 more events, or inviting all these types of people to speak. Andrew might not always agree but he always listens and that's where it comes back to a mutual respect for one another's opinion. And usually the best ideas ring through. We’re very fast decision makers, so we can stumble upon a new idea to do an event in a different place in the world in the morning and by afternoon were already on the phone. That's a massive benefit of just having us two and a little success behind us.

AJ: I think respecting the other person’s opinions is the most important thing. They may sometimes be different to yours but being able to deal with that makes working together more productive. It's also a good idea to know what each other’s strengths are and to make sure that each person works to those.

What are your respective strengths or weaknesses?

AJ: I think Murray is a lot calmer than I am and this tends to stop me from going crazy if someone does something to annoy us. Or at least less crazy than I usually would. As Murray mentioned, we are both very active when it comes to making decisions and starting new projects. We don't procrastinate and spend weeks thinking about things, we trust our gut reactions and go for things. Thankfully this has worked out so far. One of our main weaknesses is that we are a little too trusting of people and tend to think that people stick to their word, which in business is not always the case.

MB: Every day I try to open myself up to new things. I think Australia is a brilliant place and there are a lot of creative things happening here, especially at this time of the year, but little trips to Europe or America open my mind to other experiences and other people’s perspectives. I bottle it up a little, but I get quite stressed around the time of Semi-Permanent. It’s not really event-related things, it’s more the things that surround my life that encroach on my ability to focus, so I'm working on that.

Where do you look for inspiration? 

MB: Everywhere! When we first started Semi-Permanent, in retrospect, I was quite insular in my inspirations and awareness of artists to choose to speak at Semi-Permanent. In the eight years since then, Andrew and I have travelled a lot and met a lot of different types of people that work in different mediums and each one of them has inspired us in their own way. I personally look to filmmakers a lot for inspiration. I love the medium and pay close attention to certain people that keep that as their centre but drift to other canvases. People like Mike Mills, Geoff McFetridge and Spike Jonze.

AJ: About 50 per cent of my average workday is spent checking out artwork. Whether it is emails from artists or blogs and design sites, I spend a lot of time sifting through work. It's very inspiring to see the vast range of creativity out there. Sometimes it's a bit mind-boggling, but in a good way. It continually keeps me excited about art and design.

Career highlights?

AJ: Just the simple fact that Semi-Permanent is still here and going strong after eight years is a definite highlight. I still get a little shocked when I realise that we've run 22 events. There are plenty more on the way as well.

MB: The first Semi-Permanent event. At the time, I really didn't appreciate it. I was so exhausted and stressed that I let it pass me by. That was eight years ago, so I guess it’s time to find a new career highlight.