Hasta La Ideas

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pa href=”http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Why-Design-Now/”Why Design Now?/a, the Cooper-Hewitt’s fourth installment of the National Design Triennial, zeroes in on the segment of design that attempts to solve our biggest social and environmental problems. To best exemplify the international cooperation that lies at the heart of this outlook on design, the curatorial team extended their scope from domestic to global. Consequently, this show is the biggest yet. One hundred and thirty-four projects run the gamut from water-based eyeglasses to self-propelled high-speed rail./p

pAn interest in environmentally- and socially-responsible design is not a prerequisite for visiting and enjoying the show. There’s something for everyone. If you’re not so taken with giant infrastructural proposals, fashion, new materials, and furniture are just around the corner. For me, the impressive a href=”http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Why-Design-Now/project/z-10-concentrated-solar-power-system”Z-10 Concentrated Solar-Power System/a designed by Tarazi Studio, the demonstration of the a href=” http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Why-Design-Now/project/the-new-york-times-visualization-and-interaction-projects”New York Times Visualization and Interaction projects/a, and the a href=”http://exhibitions.cooperhewitt.org/Why-Design-Now/project/the-verticalvillage”Vertical Village/a by MVRDV were among the show’s highlights./p

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pemTop: Z-10 Concentrated Solar-Power System by Tarazi Studio. Bottom: a scene from MVRDV’s Vertical Village./em/p

pBut, why design now? /p

pThe exhibition catalog suggests, “designers around the world are answering this question by creating products, proposals, buildings, landscapes, and messages that address social and environmental issues and opportunities,” but there’s a disconnect here: the designers haven’t answered this question, they’ve only responded to problems and opportunities specific to their practices and contexts. The one hundred and thirty-four chosen projects represent just as many attitudes about design, and it’s up to the Cooper-Hewitt to digest these and offer larger answers to the big, broad question they’ve posed. Unfortunately, the quote mirrors the stance of the Triennial: that the projects say enough on their own. They’re left to fend for themselves in the sea of the exhibition, and, without sufficient explanation from the museum, it’s difficult to understand them beyond face value. /p

pIf the Cooper-Hewitt’s role is to clarify and present design to the general public, it’s not a good sign that even a designer had difficulty parsing the message. This is not a problem of content, but one of form; the situating of the projects should be as important as their selection./pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/ny_design_week_10/why_design_now_thoughts_on_the_4th_national_design_triennial_16628.asp”(more…)/a
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