Hasta La Ideas

Arthur Espenet Carpenter, Wine Rack, 1968

Opening one week from today at New York City’s Museum of Arts and Design: The Crafting Modernism: Midcentury American Art and Design show, spanning roughly three decades’ worth of objects. I’m particularly excited about this one because although there are a few of the expected standards—an Eames Lounge Chair, a George Nelson bench for Herman Miller—there’s also a ton of cool objects by more obscure designers. As the title of the show implies, there’s a particular focus on craft as opposed to machine-made:

In the period immediately after World War II, characterized by mass production, the handmade object offered a humanizing counterpoint to the machine aesthetic. The exhibition looks at the connections between craft and the design world, through the work of textile designer Dorothy Liebes, furniture maker George Nakashima, silversmith Jack Prip, sculptor and designer Isamu Noguchi, among others….

Wharton Esherick, Chest-table, 1969

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New month, new magazine: October 1st saw the launch of an exciting new New York-based architecture magazine, CLOG. Set to publish thrice annually, each issue tackles a specific subject—the premiere issue examines (and cross-examines) Bjarke Ingels; they’re currently accepting submissions for round two on Apple— in a series of short essays (submissions for the Apple issue are due on November 1).

For its inaugural issue, CLOG focuses on BIG, a firm that keeps pace with the flow of online imagery, but which has largely been left unexamined. Bringing together contributors from backgrounds including art, architecture, criticism, journalism, parkour, engineering, comics, photography, philosophy, and more, CLOG : BIG presents the first holistic, critical examination of Bjarke Ingels and his firm.

The Danish starchitect will be present at the official launch event, dubbed “Interrogation 05: CLOG:BIG,” this Friday, October 7, 2011, at Nolita’s Storefront for Art and Architecture. We can attest that there will be limited room available, as these events tend to spill into the street (through the space’s revolving doors and windows, no less). Per the event description, “The public is invited to submit questions to interrogation@ storefrontnews.org for Bjarke Ingels and his firm through October 6, 2011. A total of 10 questions will be selected by CLOG and SFAA for the discussion.”

It’s hard to tell from the photos, but the logo is embossed

CLOG came about as a response to the prevalence of new and social media as a mode of distribution and consumption, where architectural discourse is subject to the same double-edged sword as any discipline in the digital age:

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This past Monday, our contributor Carly Ayres attended Stem to Steam, “a briefing marking Rhode Island’s commitment to fostering innovation through the addition of Art and Design to STEM education and research.” Photos by Scott Indermaur

Registration

“Our country must integrate art and design into efforts to improve Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and research to reach our full potential for innovation and economic growth.”

That was what Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) told the audience at a “STEM to STEAM” forum last Monday in Providence, Rhode Island. Partnering with Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) President John Maeda in this effort, Langevin has been working to make STEAM a national priority. The Rhode Island event was not the first of its kind; a congressional briefing had been held by RISD in cooperation with Langevin earlier this June in Washington, D.C., as part of an effort to draw national attention to the movement.

John Maeda, Congressman Jim Langevin

As defined on StemtoSteam.org:

STEAM represents the economic progress and breakthrough innovation that comes from adding art and design to STEM education and research: STEM + Art = STEAM. The value of art and design to innovation is clear: Artists and designers humanize technology, making it understandable and capable of bringing about societal change. The tools and method of a studio-based education offer new models for creative problem solving, flexible thinking and risk-taking that are needed in today’s complex and dynamic world.

John Maeda welcoming everyone to the briefing

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Michela O'Connor Abrams, president of Dwell, poses with James Russell of Bloomberg Media.

Dwell has landed in New York City, and to announce its newly expanded East Coast office, the magazine staff held a coming out party Tuesday night. A constant stream of dazzling architects, designers, retailers and media floated into the private Greenwich Village townhouse where the party was held to congratulate the newest executives publisher Brenda Saget Darling and executive editor Amanda Dameron.

The modern architecture glossy had been based in San Francisco, with editors flying back and forth from both coasts for the past 12 years. Although it has always had a strong presence in Manhattan, Dwell has now moved into its new offices in Midtown. According to Dwell President Michela O’Connor Abrams, a New York move has always been in the stars for the designer glossy. The plan was shelved, however, with the company being no exception to the economic downturn of the past four years. But now, Abrams declared, “We’re here, and we’re ready.”

Dwell founder and owner Lara Deam flashes a smile.

Owner and founder Lara Deam (who looked stunning in her hard-to-miss Stella McCartney blouse and Marc Jacobs skirt) shared her excitement for this change with the same Dwell DNA, stating, “It was time to develop deep roots in this city and begin to grow real relationships.” The staff got a great start at the soiree, as they were in great company all throughout the night.

Guests including designer Thom Filicia, Don Weinreich, of architecture firm Ennead, the Rich Brilliant Willing trio, and Robert McGarry of GCAM toured the 8-story townhouse renovated by Eric Kohler.

While munching on hors d’oeurves and sipping on Ketel One vodka, champagne and wine, visitors gave their two cents about the magazine’s expansion. While McGarry called it a “good move,” Weinreich expressed “curiosity” about the publication’s goals.The guys at Rich, Brilliant, Willing were already excited for Dwell‘s upcoming events, as well as the glossy’s change in flavor.

More glamorous events are something New Yorkers can definitely look forward to, according to Dwell‘s newest digital accounts manager Ralston O’Neil. Congrats Dwell and welcome to the Big Apple!

More event pictures after the jump: continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Tomorrow, Tuesday Sept. 27th, Core77 welcomes Oved Valadez, David Thorpe and Tom Lakovic of INDUSTRY for our bi-weekly creative speaker series: The Hand-Eye Supply Curiosity Club hosted at the Hand-Eye Supply store in Portland, OR. INDUSTRY is a collective of creators, designers, thinkers and makers in Portland, Oregon that have joined together to form a new design and innovation company. Their talk is entitled “A Change In Trade: Why the Linear and Prescriptive Innovation Process is No Longer Relevant in a Digital World.”

In anticipation of tomorrow night’s presentation, we came up with a few queries for our speakers to get an insight in to their work.

Hand-Eye Supply: In your talk you will be discussing a “Change In Trade”—shifting strategies in the design process to adapt. What are the major catalysts behind these changes? Are they specific to design or does it impact across all trades?

INDUSTRY: During the Industrial Revolution, the way things were designed and made went through a radical shift. It defined a new meaning for the word “industry.” We believe that the world is experiencing another one of those major shifts, from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age and beyond. We have never been this globally connected. There has never been this much transparency. The pace of change has never been this rapid.

These larger cultural and technological trends have brought about an idea revolution. We are in a time that as a brand (new or old) you need to innovate or break. The new competition are kids creating “apps” in their basements. New, free experiences are being created for consumers instead of Super Bowl ads. Companies are launching products and then quickly add or remove features based on consumer feedback.

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