SHACKIN’ UP
Founded in 2004 in the extreme conditions
of Joshua Tree, Calif., the Ecoshack
laboratory is a place for a group of Los
Angeles designers to explore new definitions of shelter. Holding design charettes
in the rugged high-desert climate
became the ideal way to test sturdy, yet
sustainable solutions for living close to
nature, and with the lowest possible impact
on the environment. This year,
Ecoshack released its first commercially
available product, the Nomad. Inspired
by the Mongolian yurt—
ger in the native
tongue—the Nomad is a modern take
on the 2000-year-old portable dwelling,
a contemporary cross between prefab
housing and the standard tent. The
modular system is easily packed into boxes
for transport and can be assembled in
about an hour, making it perfect for a variety
of uses from recreation to decoration.
Ecoshack founder Stephanie Smith
imagines the Nomad to be ideal for hospitality
environments like upscale camping
facilities, spas and ecotourist resorts,
but it would be equally at home serving
as a semipermanent room on a roof deck,
in the backyard—or as the world’s coolest
design studio.
www.thenomadyurt.com
SUMMER’S HOT DESIGN
For the last eight years the Museum of Modern Art
and its Long Island City, N.Y., outpost, P.S.1 Contemporary
Art Center, have held an invitational Young Architects
Program to discover emerging architects. Five
firms were invited to submit ideas for installations in
the outdoor courtyard of P.S.1, with the chosen proposal
serving as a centerpiece for a summer-long series
of hip evening programs. This year’s winner is
titled
Liquid Sky, a canopied dreamscape created by
Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues’ firm Ball-Nogues.
Shimmering scales of tinted Mylar are gathered into
a translucent skin that drapes across the courtyard,
held in place by six untreated utility poles that also act
as supports for giant community hammocks. “When
you step into Liquid Sky, you’ve set your mind and body
free from the weight of the urban environment and
are submerged into an atmosphere of soothing exhilaration,
subtle stimulation and inspirational calm,”
says the architects’ statement. So this is what a highculture
circus tent looks like. Liquid Sky was unveiled
June 21.
www.ps1.org
DESIGNING DESIGN WRITERS
With design coverage embraced everywhere from
Newsweek to
Vanity
Fair, no one can deny that design writers are in demand. But the flux of
mainstream media interest doesn’t necessarily mean qualified individuals
are covering the design beat. A new MFA program at the School of Visual
Arts hopes to add more experienced voices to that dialogue: The Design
Criticism degree will be the first graduate-level program in the country
dedicated to critical writing about design.
Founded by Steven Heller and chaired by Alice Twemlow (STEP’s
own Field Guide editor), the two-year program will prepare students
for careers as design critics, journalists and curators, or even as-yet
undefined roles in writing and design. In fact, graduates will be empowered
to completely reinvent the industry, says Twemlow. “They’ll
be introduced to the organizations and the people who have defined
the field so far and, with the benefit of their work to date, they can
then go on to forge entirely new paths for design criticism.”
Although tools dedicated to researching, analyzing and evaluating design will be taught, the program will also emphasize the importance
of giving context to the role of design in culture, says Twemlow. “I’m keen on providing students with ways to use design as a lens
with which to view the social condition more broadly. So it’s not just about the formal analysis or connoisseurship of design objects or
environments, it’s actually more about evaluating the role and agency of those objects and environments in people’s everyday lives.”
Design writing luminaries like Kurt Andersen, Paola Antonelli, Michael Bierut, Karrie Jacobs and Julie Lasky will make up the faculty.
Also incorporated into the program is a way for the students to take their work public: The first-ever conference dedicated to design
criticism will be produced by the graduating class, with presentations of their thesis work alongside appearances by some of the
world’s leading design critics. Prospective students can begin applying in November of this year; the program begins in fall 2008.
www.sva.edu
ILLUSTRATED HISTORY
The distinctive illustrations of 84-year-old Cincinnati, Ohio, artist Charley
Harper have depicted happy housewives in Betty Crocker cookbooks
and the glories of the open road in
Ford Times magazine. His style, selfdubbed
“minimal realism,” has proved heavily influential for two generations
of artists and designers, but perhaps nowhere has Harper’s influence
been more evident than on designer (and recent
Top Design host) Todd
Oldham. After being drawn to Harper’s work at a thrift store, Oldham
realized why it was so familiar: Growing up, Oldham had treasured Harper’s
illustrations in
The Giant Golden Book of Biology, a staple on kids’
nightstands throughout the second half of the 20th century. He immediately
began collaborating with Harper on the first monograph of his work,
and
Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life has culminated in a chunky, gorgeous
volume encompassing a 60-year career (a special limited edition
that includes a screen print is available as well). Oldham’s adoration ended
up reaching far beyond the 420 pages: He’s also developed some of Harper’s
designs into a line of textiles.
www.ammobooks.com
SEEKING: RENAISSANCE MAN
So maybe The Da Vinci Code inspired more religious controversy than celebration of the man in its title,
but this year, Osaka University of Arts will attempt to truly honor the man by searching for his
contemporary. A competition for the school’s International Art Triennial invites entries from all over
the world to its “Hunt for This Century’s Leonardo da Vinci.” By seeking a modern-day equivalent
to the Universal Man of the 15th century, the competition hopes to address issues about innovation
and art on a global scale. Three samples of da Vinci-worthy work can be submitted, which, due to his
polymathic proficiency, can be almost anything: painting, illustration, sculpture, architecture, industrial
design, music and science. Grand prize is ¥2,000,000, which is about $16,000—not too shabby
for simply being a genius. Deadline is Aug. 31, 2007.
http://www.osaka-geidai.ac.jp/geidai/laboratory/leonardo/english/theme.html
WEB-EXCLUSIVE CONTENT!
