In the beginning was Logos, the Word, representing both
the imminence of meaning and its source. Every written
word, though, is made up of letters and is dependent on
them. Words have the power to evoke emotion and effect
change, and at the heart of that power is a mystery in the
form of letters.
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THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD
“Now that we can do anything, what will we do?” That’s the question—originally
posed by the Vancouver Art Gallery in collaboration with Bruce Mau
Design and his Institute without Boundaries—that provokes the exhibition,
Massive Change: The Future of Global Design. On view at the Museum of Contemporary
Art (MCA) in Chicago from Sept. 16 to Dec. 31, the exhibition sets
out to translate the ideas of Mau’s new, decidedly immodest design manifesto
into an “immersive experience” with objects, sound, video, satellite images,
and 3D constructs. One can’t help but to wonder if the funds for this elaborate
exhibition wouldn’t have been better spent on actually realizing some of
the ambitious and clearly worthwhile ideas it explores such as creating sustainable
urban shelter for those in desperate need. Of course, in dreams begin
responsibility. A companion book featuring “the objects and techniques that
are transforming our lives” will be available in the MCA Store ($29.95). And
a one-day symposium will be held in Chicago (Nov. 18) where Mayor Daley
will present Mr. Mau with a City of Chicago Global Visionaries Award. www.mcachicago.org, www.massivechange.com
THE THIRD TENOR
Charles Eames recruited interior designer
Alexander Girard to work with
him and colleague George Nelson at
Herman Miller in 1952, just as things
started getting interesting. Together
the three men transformed the legacy
of American modern design. Yet
despite his influence, Girard remains
least likely to be an answer on Jeopardy!
In an attempt to renew awareness
of Girard’s breakthrough textile
designs—at a time when fabrics were
purely functional—the San Francisco
Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA)
will present a well-deserved one-man
show of Girard’s finest, most colorful
work in the exhibition Alexander Girard:
Vibrant Modern. During his 20
years as director of the Textile Division
of Herman Miller, he garnered a
reputation for designing every feature
of a project (from the carpeting to the
stationery) including his piéce de résistance
—La Fonda del Sol Restaurant in
New York’s Time-Life Building. Indeed,
25 of the 60 pieces in this eyeful
of a show will be from the restaurant,
designed in a bold Southwestern style.
On display from Oct. 14, 2006 to Feb.
25, 2007. www.sfmoma.org
THE WEAPONIZED WOMAN
How can a fashion design
school take on the inescapably
topical subject of war?
The Museum at FIT is responding
by mounting an exhibition
of contemporary
garments influenced by armor
and other military styles.
Love and War: The Weaponized
Woman will feature 80
provocative pieces including
Jean Paul Gaultier’s camouflage couture, Issey Miyake’s
red fiberglass bodice shaped
like a female torso, and Narciso
Rodriquez’s subversive,
silky chain mail. Historic armor
(and lingerie!) from the
Higgins Armory Museum in
Worcester, Mass., will also be
sent to this fashion frontline. Made possible by The Coby Foundation, a
relatively new organization (1994) founded by Irene Silverman in honor of
her mother, Meladakis Zambelli, a dressmaker who emigrated to the U.S.
from Greece—a country that knows a little something about war. On
view, Sept. 9 - Dec. 16, at The Museum at FIT. www.fitnyc.edu/museum
TOOLS AS ART
For many designers, the computer mouse has become the indispensable handheld
tool of the trade. It’s become an extension of our hands. By tracing the
change in production from hand (does anyone remember the days of manual
typesetting?) to industrial to computer, the exhibition Tools in Motion: Works
from the Hechinger Collection provides valuable insights into the progress of art,
labor, and, well, civilization. From artists such as Arman, Jim Dine, Claes Oldenburg,
and Jacob Lawrence, these 50 works of paintings, sculptures, works
on paper, and photographs will be on view at the Kresge Museum at Michigan
State University, Sept. 9 - Nov. 6. Also of note: this December, Princeton
Architectural Press will release the paperback Tools of the Imagination: Drawing
Tools and Technologies from the Eighteenth Century to the Present, a historical look
at how architects have produced models and renderings and now animations.
www.artmuseum.msu.edu, www.papress.com
HONESTY AS A POLICY
When Chipotle opened its first store in 1993, the idea was to serve
fresh food fast but without the fast-food ambience. It’s what the
company (the majority owned by the grease-to-go godfather,
McDonald’s) likes to call “fast-casual.” By preparing just a handful
of items (burritos, tacos, and salads) in aesthetically pleasing
spaces, and tapping the hearts of consumers who are eager to buy
organic food by claiming some of the ingredients they use include
naturally-raised meat and organically-grown produce, the Chipotle
chain has opened more than 500 stores over the past 13 years.
In celebration of Chipotle’s successful push (or ploy?) to deliver
“honest ingredients,” TDA Advertising and Design of Boulder,
Colo., developed a clever and witty national ad campaign to keep
America abreast of Chipotle’s goal to someday serve only meat
that is naturally and humanely raised and free of added growth
hormones and antibiotics. On outdoor and transit boards, and in
newspapers and magazines in select cities, the tongue-in-cheek
ads compare Chipotle’s quest to find better food to astronauts
finding better planets to visit. The ads also make grand claims
about the quality of the chain’s napkins and ice (“We use the same
ice recipe that they use in the White House.”). Chipotle’s goal is
lofty, but the company is making progress—all pork, about one half
of its chicken, and one-third of its beef are now of “higher
quality.”
www.chipotle.com, www.tdaad.com
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