Mar 29
Braun Prize 2012 – Mind the Deadline
Posted in: Uncategorized
Genius design for a better everyday The new BraunPrize 2012 is embracing the increased relevance of
well-designed products that help improve all asp..
Mar 29
Despite Family’s Objections, Eisenhower Memorial Commission Remains Committed to Frank Gehry
Posted in: Uncategorized
In the end, it apparently takes a whole lot to topple a famous architect and his heavy pillars. After months of discussion, and an increasingly vocal group of family members speaking out against the project, the Eisenhower Memorial Commission has released a statement (pdf) of full support behind Frank Gehry, who designed the national tribute, set to be built (someday) in Washington DC’s National Mall. As early as last week, Susan Eisenhower, the former president’s granddaughter, had spoken at a congressional hearing, asking for a redesign. However, it was to no avail, at least to the Commission, who write in their statement that they “will work to address the outstanding issues that remain” but seemed to waiver not a touch when it came to Gehry’s plans:
We confirm our selection of him, confirm our enthusiastic endorsement of his design concept, and express our regret and sadness at the tone and nature of the selected comments that have been made on Mr. Gehry’s design for the memorial.
The whole debate hasn’t ended here though. The National Capital Planning Commission, which we learned from the lengthy battle over the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial can sometimes be a tricky group to work with, will have the final say on Gehry’s design. Onward with the battle!
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Mar 29
Phaidon’s panel on "The Art Museum" and what it means to be a curator
Posted in: Uncategorized
The gods of panel discussions must be working overtime for me this month. I’ve been to an inordinate number of them, some good, some not so good and none as great as Phaidon’s “Viewing Art in the 21st Century: Experience, Screen and Page.” It was meant to take up the case for Phaidon’s The Art Museum, a “monumental,” “colossal tome” that gives door-stopper a new meaning. I have some personal gripes with the book’s claim to be “an imaginary museum created and curated…[with] the finest art collection ever assembled.” I don’t take issue with the art that was chosen—you can’t go wrong with a sweeping view of everything from “Byzantine mosaics through Benin bronzes to the abstractions of Brice Marden.” The “Mona Lisa” is in there too, of course, prompting one panelist to wonder if anyone still gets inspired by it anymore. Rather, I question the premise of the book itself. Isn’t any art book a curated experience, one that can be said to act like an art museum without walls? I suppose, then, that the main difference here is that this book is massive, making it more museum-like than Phaidon’s other art offerings? I’m not sure, but woe be the UPS delivery man who had to unload these at the store.
This wasn’t addressed by the panel members—Cecilia Dean of Visionaire, Alexander GIlkes of Paddle8, Anne Pasternak of Creative Time and writer Glenn O’Brien, moderated by art critic and curator Carlo McCormick (who let us in on his secret to never feeling overwhelmed or stressed out by museums: smoke pot beforehand). What did follow was a lively hour-long discussion about whether print, as a medium, can stand in for the experience of viewing art in person. Dean made the case for the computer screen as a kind of light box, providing a better viewing experience in some instances, but for certain forms, like video or installation art, there simply is no substitute for an immersive physical space. Imagine racing down Carsten Holler’s slide at The New Museum—in a book. That’s not to say that if you can’t see a work in person you might as well not see it at all. People who don’t live near the works they want to see should still be able to access them in some form, and that’s where books and the Internet—especially sites like Art.sy—play such a huge role.
The conversation got a bit heated when the topic of curation came up. O’Brien quipped that nowadays everyone thinks they’re a curator simply because they can choose things, like collecting their favorite images on Pinterest or Tumblr. While I agree that the term ‘curator’ is tossed around ad nauseam right now (ushering in a fresh crop of self-promoting model/dj/curators), I highly doubt my fellow Pinteresters would call their boards of cupcakes and shoe obsessions an attempt at curation. Dean pointed out that, at least as far as the Internet goes, there’s just too much stuff and we need people to filter that experience for us. Pasternak agreed, adding that anyone can try to play curator online, but there’s always room for an informed voice. For more discussion on what curation means today, see m ss ng p eces’ new video for Percolate, featuring today’s up-and-coming Internet curators.
Mar 29
Dezeen Screen: Tom Dixon at The Dock
Posted in: MOSTDezeen Screen: As we prepare for our relocation to Milan for the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in April, we’ve paid a visit to British designer Tom Dixon, instigator of new design epicentre MOST at the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia.
We’ll be setting up Dezeen Studio powered by Jambox at MOST to create a daily TV show in a studio furnished by Dixon.
In this movie he gives us a guided tour of the galleries, shop and restaurant at his riverside studio The Dock. You can also watch this movie on Dezeen Screen »
Read more about the highlights of MOST in our earlier story and more about Dezeen Studio powered by Jambox here.
See more stories about Tom Dixon here, including two new lamps he’ll be presenting at the show next month.
MOST
National Museum of Science and Technology,
Via Olona 6, 20123 Milan, Italy
Entrance through Via Olona 6
Dates: Tuesday 17 April, 10AM – 9PM Wednesday 18 April, 10AM – 6PM
Thursday 19 – Saturday 21 April, 10AM – 9PM Sunday 22 April, 10AM – 6PM
Press Preview: Monday 16 April, 3PM-7PM
Mar 29
Staka
Posted in: accesories, jewelery, uniqueAn Icelandic duo’s first accessories collection references the nation’s most prolific saga with Viking Age materials
Staka marks the first collection in an ongoing series between Icelandic product designers María Kristín Jónsdóttir and Bylgja Svansdóttir, comprising a curious mix of finely crafted unisex leather neck accessories. The aristocratic vibe of each piece stems from the design duo’s concept for the range, which draws inspiration from one of Iceland’s most notorious narratives, the Brennu-Njáls saga. Like all Icelandic sagas, the author remains anonymous, but the extensive storyline is centered around a familial feud which brings the idea of masculinity into question. The designers were also particularly taken by the tale’s leading lady, Hallgerður Langbrók, a femme fatale “who was notorious for her majestic appearance and temperament”, explains Svansdóttir.
Cut and molded from “Viking Age materials”, each piece is designed to tell a story about the wearer’s social status, but the beauty lies in their ambiguity. “We want each person to have the freedom to decide their own story and social status,” explains Svansdóttir. “The responses we’ve gotten so far have been very interesting, people guessing which pieces famous characters from The Icelandic Sagas would have worn, etc.”
Each equipped with their own portfolio of distinct works, the pair met while both exhibiting at Reykjavik’s Spark Design Space. Having bonded over a shared passion for unconventional jewelry and accessories design, they will continue to evolve the Staka line together, adding to the exciting range of unusual statement pieces.
Staka 2012 is available in limited supply at 38 þrep in Reykjavik, which stocks an equally exciting inventory of fashion and design goods.
Mar 29
Garrett Leight Kinney – Butterscotch
Posted in: Garrett Leight, KinneyQuesti sono i Garrett Optical Leight California, modello Kinney. Il brand è fondato dalla figlia di Oliver Peoples. Lenti Barberini e montatura in acetato giappo.
Mar 29
Nike Blazer Hi Vintage Canvas
Posted in: UncategorizedLe blazerone in two-tone sono in uscita per questa estate.
Mar 29
Mitzi’s Miscellany
Posted in: Issue 13Speaking of playing cards, in issue #13, Mitzi Curi provided a selection of ephemera for me to include in the magazine. I met Mitzi last year at The Creative Connection. She writes:
“My name is Mitzi Curi and I’m a Michigan antique dealer, crafter, and blogger whose goal in life is to get a little vintage goodness into every home. I rent space at two antique malls which house four booths, each with a specific theme. The selling doesn’t quit there. I have an Etsy shop where she I sell my creations made from vintage materials and the occasional vintage find. Favorites are my cuff bracelets made from vintage wallpaper, repurposed furniture hardware jewelry, and vintage hats.
People seem to be appreciating vintage paper ephemera and typography like never before, and I enjoy sharing my large stash of images with the world. Visit my blog at www.mitzismiscellany.com to learn a little and get inspired by my numerous vintage obsessions!
I settled on this classic card 13, pictured below, to include in the issue.
Though I do have a fondness for flash cards (and these ones add up nicely):
And just because:
Mar 29
Geek Icon Headshots
Posted in: UncategorizedSerie di testone geek fotografate dal collettivo Hello I’m Wild.
Mar 29
Core77 Design Awards 2012: Meet the Jury, Lorraine Justice – Strategy & Research
Posted in: Core77 Design Awards
Strategy is the roadmap to success, says Lorraine Justice our Jury Captain for Strategy and Research. She’s the Dean of the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology and spent six years directing the School of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She tells us why she picked her jury members and what the future holds for this very integral and growing area of design practice.
Core77: Tell us a bit about your jury and why you chose these individuals.
Lorraine Justice: I chose these individuals because of their extensive personal knowledge of design research and strategy, as well as their experience with education and industry. It was also important to gender balance the committee as we don’t often do this with our juries. Tim Fletcher has a wealth of experience with his many years in product design across several industries. He is also adept at manufacturing and international relations. Katherine Bennett has been teaching research and strategy at Art Center for years and I consider her one of the top scholars and practitioners in this area. Katherine also has significant work experience with some of the top people in the design field before joining Art Center. Don Carr also has practice and education experience and has taken the design process to a new level. He has turned out many successfully trained designers who are now making an impact in the field. In addition to their professional practice and education positions, they are individuals who have the kind of integrity we want to see in the field of design. I respect their work and ethics.
Why is it important to recognize this strategy and research in a design awards program?
Strategy and research in the design process often go hand in hand and can make or break a design product, service or experience. There are now countless instances where design research has allowed significant breakthroughs in the conceptual and evaluative stages of the design process. Strategy is key as well. Does the strategy support or alter the brand? Is it sound and insightful? Strategy gives us a roadmap for success and is integral to the design process as well.
What kinds of people or projects do you imagine entering your category?
I think corporations doing strategy and research for their new or existing projects could enter and share their insights. Small startups could also explain their strategy and research as well. I believe there are excellent firms just doing design research. Company strategy is difficult to pin down sometimes because of the team work and evolution of the design process, but sometimes one emerges that is clearly one to champion.
What qualities will you be considering when evaluating each entry?
We will be looking for robust answers to the questions along with supporting evidence. We will want to see what their implementation process was in relation to the strategy. In other words, having a good strategy is not enough. We might want to see how it would be implemented. For the research aspects, we will look at the fit of the research methods to the information gleaned, and then how that information was used. Research methods and processes are often designed to fit the question at hand, and so each situation will be different.
Where do you see the future of this field heading?
I believe more strategy and research is in the future. Strategy is required because the success of products is required. I see a huge increase internationally in the area of design research. As we start to sell to other parts of the world, we will want to understand those cultures and design for them. Also, research helps us to learn about the need for potential new products and so precious new concepts can emerge during the inquiry phase. Smart companies will reap the rewards of design research.
Visit the Strategy and Research category of the Core77 Design Awards and enter your best projects from 2011 by April 10.
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