Burberry ceo to lead apple retail.
burberry ceo to lead apple retail. heavyweight whisperer accepts biggest challenge: improve upon success. via apple [RK]
burberry ceo to lead apple retail. heavyweight whisperer accepts biggest challenge: improve upon success. via apple [RK]
jc penny ill equipped for holiday price wars. vulnerable to penny pinching consumers and u.s. government. via bloomberg [RK]
porsche with meteorite | 2013 > restored 1974 porsche 914 – 390 pound meteorite – steel structure installation at chris burden’s studio topanga california
Many of the pieces in artist Chris Burden’s show at the New Museum in New York called “Extreme Measures” involve balance. He likes to compare and contrast size and weight by linking things with wires and beams. So when a huge crane beside a skyscraper under construction on 57th Street in New York the other day malfunctioned, it seemed as if a Burden piece had escaped and grown large. The street was shut down due to the menace of a 30 ton concrete counterweight from a crane overhead. And 30 tons is actually a pretty small chunk of concrete.
A similar piece from Burden’s show contrasts a 350 pound meteorite with a 1964 Porsche 914 connected teeter totter style in mock measure. Here the contrast is raw material and pristine design, cosmic melt down and Teutonic metallurgy and precision. Burden was well known in the 1970s for performance pieces called Shoot, from 1971, in which he was shot through the arm with a rifle, and Trans-fixed, in which he was nailed to a Volkswagen Beetle, crucifixion style. [ details ]
30-feet-long ghost ship | 2005 > courtesy of the museum
36-foot-tall twin quasi legal skyscrapers | 2013 > courtesy of the museum
transfixed | 1974
BMW’s three year collaboration with the Guggenheim museum explored the subject of the city and established urban labs in New York, Berlin, and Mumbai. Now some of the results are being displayed at the Guggenheim’s building in New York. There are objects, like the water saving park bench from Mars architects, and images, like smart data maps.
MARS architects (neville mars) was commissioned by the BMW guggenheim lab to participate in the think tank’s long-term vision to develop interventions that would benefit our cities and greater urban environments. for their participation, the international firm focused on water concerns, creating an outdoor piece of furniture that collects and stores rainwater through functional cushions
The exhibition also features prototypes of the Water Bench, a project developed during the Mumbai Lab by architect Neville Mars of MARS Architects. Created to address water scarcity and the need for leisure space in Mumbai, the Water Bench collects rainfall for re-use in irrigation and provides public seating. A prototype of the Water Bench is planned for First Park in New York, the original site of the Lab, and six more currently are installed throughout Mumbai.
[ water bench ]
smart map
[ official bmw release ]
Participatory City: 100 Urban Trends from the BMW Guggenheim Lab, an exhibition summing up the experiences and concepts generated during the two-year run of the BMW Guggenheim Lab, will be presented from October 11, 2013 to January 5, 2014, at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. The exhibition is the culmination of the Lab – an urban think tank, community center, and public gathering space – that traveled from New York to Berlin and Mumbai to inspire innovative ideas about urban life and new ways of thinking about cities. Tens of thousands of participants engaged with the Lab’s free public programs, urban projects, and research initiatives, both on-site and online, which informed and helped shape the exhibition. The BMW Guggenheim Lab is a co-initiative of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the BMW Group.
“With the BMW Guggenheim Lab, we have extended our mission beyond the walls of the museum, providing the Guggenheim with new ways to engage directly with the public and demonstrate our commitment to innovation in the fields of architecture and urbanism,” said Richard Armstrong, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation. “The Lab ignited an important conversation about the differences and commonalities of urban environments and the power of cities as idea-makers. The Participatory City exhibition brings together the ideas found along the way, celebrating this journey and showcasing the extraordinary people and places we encountered.”
“With the New York exhibition, the BMW Guggenheim Lab adventure comes full circle. During its travels, the Lab connected people from around the world to address the challenges that so many megacities face today and in the future. Each and every one of these people who actively participated in this project, be it online or on site, are the reason for the Lab’s success,” said Maximilian Schöberl, Senior Vice President, Corporate and Governmental Affairs, BMW Group. “The exhibition allows us the opportunity to reflect on the Lab as a whole to better understand how this thinking will continue to inform urban life.”
Participatory City is organized by Maria Nicanor, Curator of the BMW Guggenheim Lab and Associate Curator, Architecture and Urbanism.
[ exhibition overview ]
Participatory City is inspired by 100 of the most talked-about ideas in urban thinking explored at the Labs in New York, Berlin, and Mumbai. The terms, or trends, featured in the exhibition have been selected from 100 Urban Trends: A Glossary of Ideas from the BMW Guggenheim Lab, which includes a total of 300 terms compiled from the three Lab venues. New and old, established and of-the-moment, these terms all relate to the ways we understand, design, and inhabit cities. Each term references a particular Lab event or experience, highlighting participatory programs, tours, talks, workshops, film screenings, and urban research projects offered in each city. Projections of these terms alongside drawings, sketches, and short videos representing the terms will continuously loop on the gallery walls in an all-digital installation. Videos and images from each of the three cities will bring the Labs to life throughout the exhibition. In addition, a global roster of architects, academics, designers, and artists have created digital responses to the 100 Urban Trends, available at youtube/bmwguggenheimlab
Participatory City examines a wide variety of trends, a number of which address how we interact with cities. These include:
Participatory Urbanism, a concept integral to the programs in New York, Berlin, and Mumbai, in which citizens are empowered to collect data and contribute ideas to urban decision-makers;
Ostrich Effect, a topic discussed in Mumbai that describes how individuals convey their indifference to the harsh conditions of everyday street life;
Collaborative Urban Mapping, an example of a small-scale intervention in an urban environment, which was produced through collaboration and open-source data in Berlin to map elements of the food supply chain;
Suburban Sprawl, representing outward urban growth;
and the concept of Happy City and psychological well-being in urban environments.
Other trends include the 3D Printer revolution that has led to increased Customization; Arduino, hardware developed for operating robots; and urban concepts such as 10,000 Honks, Bottom-Up Urban Engagement, Collective Memory, The New Architect, Eviction, Food Distribution, Gentrification, Infrastructure of Waste and Non-Iconic Architecture, among others.
“Cities are concentrations of buildings, streets, transportation systems, and physical infrastructure, but it is people who are at the center of urban discourse and it is people who, through participation and interaction, continue to make cities vibrant centers for the generation of ideas that shape our world,” said Nicanor. “It is this sense of participation that continues to empower urban progress one idea at a time. Participatory City documents the BMW Guggenheim Lab’s journey to identify some of the most urgent challenges for cities today and the ideas that could help improve them.”
The exhibition also features prototypes of the Water Bench, a project developed during the Mumbai Lab by architect Neville Mars of MARS Architects. Created to address water scarcity and the need for leisure space in Mumbai, the Water Bench collects rainfall for re-use in irrigation and provides public seating. A prototype of the Water Bench is planned for First Park in New York, the original site of the Lab, and six more currently are installed throughout Mumbai.
[ public programs ]
Throughout the run of Participatory City, a series of public programs focusing on a selection of the 100 Urban Trends expand on the issues and projects explored by the BMW Guggenheim Lab.
Fri, Oct 11, 6:30 pm / Urban Data: Michael Flowers and Mayor Bloomberg’s Office of Policy and Strategic Planning
Michael Flowers, Director of Analytics for Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, talks about the role of urban data in New York, and how untapped information and data sets can be harnessed to improve the way the city runs.
Sat, Nov 2, 8:30 pm / Happy City: Charles Montgomery
Charles Montgomery, former Lab Team member and author of Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design, (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013), launches his book and presents fun experiments in trust and play, looking into the striking relationship between the design of our minds and the design of our cities.
Sun, Dec 1, 6:30 pm / Rainwater Harvesting: Neville Mars
Neville Mars, architect, founder of Dynamic City Foundation, and former Lab Team member, discusses his interest in design solutions that conserve water and how it led to the creation of the Water Bench, an urban bench that collects rainwater for re-use.
Fridays, Oct 11-Jan 3 (except Nov 29), 3 pm / Film Series: Cinematic Sites
Selected by Paul Dallas, organizer of the BMW Guggenheim Lab’s film program in New York in 2011, this series examines the relationship between the urban environment and cinematic storytelling. The series includes films set in the Lab venues of New York, Berlin, and Mumbai as well as other cities around the world including Cairo, Chengdu, Los Angeles, Recife, San Francisco, Tehran, and Vienna.
Programs are $7, $5 for members and free for students who RSVP. Films are screened in the New Media Theater, Lower Level and are free with museum admission. [ details ]
[ bmw guggenheim lab ]
A co-initiative of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the BMW Group, the BMW Guggenheim Lab launched in New York (August 3 – October 16, 2011) with a focus on the theme “Confronting Comfort;” traveled to Berlin (June 15 – July 29, 2012), with the theme “Making,” emphasizing citizen participation in shaping cities; and finally opened at multiple sites in Mumbai (December 9, 2012 – January 20, 2013), where projects and programs explored the theme of “Privacy.” Participants from more than 160 countries and territories around the world participated in the Lab’s nearly 600 public programs, workshops, lectures, and research and urban projects, both on-site and online. The BMW Guggenheim Lab’s global program concludes with the exhibition Participatory City: 100 Urban Trends from the BMW Guggenheim Lab, on view at the Guggenheim Museum, New York from October 11, 2013 to January 5, 2014. The BMW Guggenheim Lab was curated by Maria Nicanor of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and David van der Leer.
The mobile structures for the Lab were designed by the Tokyo architecture firm Atelier Bow-Wow, including a novel carbon-fiber structure used in New York and Berlin and a set of bamboo structures installed at multiple locations in Mumbai. The graphic identity of the Lab, which included an interactive logo, was developed by Seoul-based graphic designers Sulki & Min. Together with Guggenheim curators, three Lab Teams composed of individuals from a variety of disciplines developed programs specific to each city.
The project’s blog, Lab | Log, features interviews with BMW Guggenheim Lab contributors and includes coverage of the Lab’s activities. The public is invited to join the BMW Guggenheim Lab’s dedicated social communities on Twitter @BMWGuggLab and #BGLab, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and Foursquare, and to subscribe to the Lab’s e-newsletter.
[ about the Lab ] [ 100 Urban Trends: A Glossary of Ideas from the BMW Guggenheim Lab ]
[ bmw’s cultural committment ]
For over 40 years now, the BMW Group has initiated and engaged in more than 100 cultural partner-ships worldwide. The focus of this long-term commitment to culture is modern and contemporary art, jazz and classical music as well as architecture and design. BMW has worked with artists such as Ger-hard Richter, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Olafur Eliasson, Jeff Koons, Zubin Metha, Daniel Baren-boim and Anna Netrebko and commissioned architects such as Karl Schwanzer, Zaha Hadid and Coop Himmelb(l)au. In London, BMW in partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra, hosts the BMW LSO Open Air Classics, a yearly live concert free of charge in Trafalgar Square, and supports Frieze Art Fair. The BMW Group takes absolute creative freedom in all the cultural activities it is involved in for granted – as this is just as essential for groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business. [ details ]
The BMW Group
[ the bmw group ]
The BMW Group is the leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 28 pro-duction and assembly facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 coun-tries.
In 2012, the BMW Group sold about 1.85 million cars and more than 117,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2012 was euro 7.82 billion on revenues amounting to euro 76.85 billion. At 31 December 2012, the BMW Group had a workforce of 105,876 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. [ details ]
Laguntas was debuted at Salone 2013 but we wanted to the the designer of this interesting hybrid sofa/lounge, Toan Nguyen. We find him at Neocon 2013
[DesignApplause] Toan, tell us about the big idea within this product.
[Toan Nguyen] The Coalesse current tagline is ‘Work and Home’ and our concept maybe brings a little of the home into the office, a little office into the home. The home is more private, typically, than in the office, and a screen concept is incorporated early and the sofa can now function as a divider. An when we’re in a more expansive environment such as common space within and office or public space such as the lobby of a hotel, an aisle in an airport, we can feel more private with this concept.
Once we address the space issue we ask how to possibly add a little more versatility which we achieve with two operative sitting positions. And maybe you need to write and you don’t have any tables and we can add a table accessory. We also offer both high and low options and the low behaves as a sectional sofa. We just have a range from a lounging to an architectural product. Once the applications are met we realize we’ve created an all-in-one tool with applications that range from lounging to an architectural product. Laguntas is really a tool.
[DA] You’ve described shape and application. Tell us about the technology, the engineering.
[TN] At first glance this is a low-tech item, i.e, not made for gadgets. But the engineering of the product itself embraces technology. This collection is completely engineered, not a craft project but a complete industrial production product. We experimented with plastic: recycling, separation processes and injected several plastic pieces where metal was used before. Plastic today is really strong and light. Another innovation is a three-dimensional mesh on the panels. The metal frame under the bench is an innovation with a very thin and strong profile. A very durable fabric. The back cushion is innovative in shape and works as a complete upright back cushion or turn it around and it supports only your lower back. Two ergonomic options. The cushion surprisingly was a very long process because it’s difficult to create soft things. And no levers, knobs, motors to achieve this new shape. Simple.
[DA] I sat in the lounge and the cushion concept is unique. The down position of the cushion gives great support for the lower back.
[TN] Yes, you get lower back support with minimum materials and structure and all the support that you need.
[DA] Toan, what did you learn?
[TN] Many of the processes to engineer the sofa were new to me. I’ve mostly worked with Italian and German companies and this was my first project with an American brand and Coalesse has a very detailed process. It was interesting how all the challenges were addressed and overcome considering the numerous options offered in this collection. I also wanted to keep the look very clean and simple, with no visible fasteners and effortless adjustments.
[DA] We have a couple of Eames Sofa Compact’s at home, and you see springs and screws, everything, in this 1954 product.
[TN] The evolution of the chair began before ’54. But the sofa’s evolution is very recent and still going on. A lot of innovation is happening right now. I feel fortunate to be designing a sofa in this period. It’s challenging and rewarding.
[DA] I’ve talked to several designers about the construction of your frame. It’s very thin and light but strong.
[TN] We refer to the frame as a table. There are no springs but there is softness. And the cushions are independent. If more than one person is sitting and one moves the movement is contained with that person. Which is more important at the office than at home. The contract demands are greater as the user is quite diverse. We wanted a sofa that fits your needs but at the same time the main goal was application.
[DA] What do you see today that excites you?
[TN] I enjoy working with a good team, a creative team. And the team is the design firm as well as the client. You need to find the people who really want to step forward to create a product with the right edginess. A recipe with stimulating ingredients but with a common vision. That’s exciting.
[DA] How were you brought into this project?
[TN] It was very simple. I had common friend with the director of photography for Coalesse. And we met over dinner, which is the best place, to share a discussion. And from this meeting we were asked to work on a small project. Then asked again for a slightly larger project. And then we were asked to develop Laguntas. Finally.
[DA] What’s next?
[TN] I usually prefer not to speak until I can touch it. There are some things going on for sure, but you will see later.
[DA] How do you reach the conclusion of a project?
[TN] The first process is generating ideas and then translating ideas through sketches. Then to computer renderings which refine the shape. Next, and what I really like anyway, is the prototyping. That’s when we start to touch and I like to touch, to feel, to see. The drawings and small models only take you so far. We need to taste and touch it. Prototyping consists of making parts, stitching fabrics, testing, putting all the pieces together. Everything is a question of making.
[DA] Who’s doing the prototyping: Coalesse, you, both?
[TN] We jumped directly to 1:1 scale prototyping at Coalesse. Each part was arrived at through detailed drawings. After trial and error with this part or that we arrive at 90% of the final.
[DA] A two-year process?
[TN] Even more.
[DA] Is there anything that we didn’t talk about?
[TN] Now that we’ve presented this product, I’m very curious about how will it be received, how will it be applied. It’s not a sofa confined to the living room where tradition gives us insight on the life of a living room sofa. That alone makes me wonder if I will try it and how that plays out. There’s the feeling that I’m not controlling things now and I’ve now passed Lagunitas along.
[DA] For me, when I’ve done something and it’s over, I’m a little sad. I grew comfortable with the process and the relationship and it’s like saying goodbye.
[TN] I’m quite happy. Because I can get back in the mix. There’s so many ideas, so many projects and so few good products. You know, we both about the sadness and the happiness but I feel we’re both about the drama and the passion.
[ toan nguyen ] was born in Paris in 1969 and graduated in Industrial Design at ENSCI-Les Ateliers in Paris, in 1995. After experiences in several design studios in Paris, Barcelona and Milan and notably ten years of collaboration with Antonio Citterio as design director and design partner, signing products for many brands such as Axor-Hansgrohe, B&B Italia, Flos, Fusital, Guzzini, Iittala, Kartell, Metalco, Skantherm, Technogym or Vitra, Toan Nguyen founded his own design studio based in Milan in 2008.
Toan Nguyen Studio is a multidisciplinary Atelier focused on design development in many different design fields, from furniture to technological products, in partnership with leading international companies based in Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and USA such as Accademia, Coalesse, Dedon, Fendi Casa, Gruppo Busnelli, Laufen, Lema, Moroso, Urmet Group, Varaschin, Viccarbe and Walter Knoll.
The Bellows Collection designed for Walter Knoll has won a Red Dot Design Award in 2010, Antero, designed for Laufen, has obtained the Red Dot Design Award 2012 and Lagunitas, designed for Coalesse, has won the Best of Neocon award 2013.
[ coalesse ]
wind cries | 2013
Every angle of a Wendell Castle piece reveals new information. Viewed from afar, these hybrid forms seem to defy categorization. The voluminous organic curves that appear to grow from the floor itself are at once inviting and perplexing – what is our relation to the piece?
In his latest series, Leap of Faith, Wendell Castle revisits the paradoxical relationship of formal innovation to function, continuing his exploration of stack-lamination, a technique that simultaneously acknowledges the inherent characteristics of the material while creating boundless work, surprising sculptural pieces, devoid of any pre-conceived notions of form.
Leap of Faith capitalizes on Castle’s most recent trajectory – incorporating increasingly complex volumes into his additive process. As he explains, at the beginning of my career “I did it the way a sculptor would do it, like carving it out of a big lump of wood. But since that big lump of wood wasn’t readily available, I constructed a lump of wood using stack-lamination.” This early interest in building volumes by gluing together multiple timbers into large, monolithic blocks is taken to a new level as today, he further joins these blocks into large, multi-dimensional bodies. The recent works reveal greater scale and new forms that, despite their often-organic shapes, would be impossible in nature.
Although the functionality of the pieces is often obscured by the flowing complexity of their forms, the consistent wood surfaces, fastidious craftsmanship of the lamination, and interconnectedness of the design, allows each work to retain its identity as a singular piece of furniture.
night picture | 2012
night picture | 2012
long night | 2011
wendell castle
venue> carpenters workshop galler | marais | 54 rue de la verrerie | paris
dates> 26 october > 1 february 2014 | paris opening saturday 26 october / 4 > 9p
The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum has received a $5 million allocation through the City of New York’s Department of Cultural Affairs. The funding supports Cooper-Hewitt’s renovation of the historic Carnegie Mansion and grounds, which will result in 60 percent more gallery space when the museum reopens in fall 2014. This is a major additional allocation from the City, which has previously supported this renovation, and will go toward further restoration of millwork, woodwork, flooring, stone and windows, as well as upgrading the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden.
[ official release ]
The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum has received a $5 million allocation through the City of New York’s Department of Cultural Affairs. The funding supports Cooper-Hewitt’s renovation of the historic Carnegie Mansion and grounds, which will result in 60 percent more gallery space when the museum reopens in fall 2014. This is a major additional allocation from the City, which has previously supported this renovation, and will go toward further restoration of millwork, woodwork, flooring, stone and windows, as well as upgrading the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden.
“The City is pleased to continue its support for Cooper-Hewitt’s transformative project, which will make the institution an even more vibrant destination on Museum Mile,” said Kate D. Levin, commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. “The renovation of the Carnegie Mansion will make design accessible to museumgoers with expanded gallery space, the restoration and preservation of historic rooms, innovative landscape design.”
old ground floor
new ground floor
“We are so grateful to the City and the Department of Cultural Affairs for their continuing support of the largest capital campaign in Cooper-Hewitt’s history as well as their commitment to safeguarding this national treasure,” said Caroline Baumann, director of Cooper-Hewitt. “We are proud stewards of the Andrew Carnegie mansion, an iconic New York City landmark, and its preservation is one of the driving forces behind this expansion. This grant makes the past and future of design more accessible and impactful to the public.”
Cooper-Hewitt’s renovation is part of an $89 million capital campaign launched in 2006, which includes a $79 million renovation and a $10 million endowment. The expansion includes enlarged and enhanced facilities for exhibitions, collections display, education programming and the National Design Library, and an increased endowment. To date the museum has raised $73.4 million against the $79 million renovation goal, which includes $14.3 million from New York City, and $7.3 million toward the $10 million endowment goal. The scope of the renovation grew as a result of the museum’s desire to increase visitor interactivity and accessibility. The expanded scope, an increase of $25 million, brought the overall cost from $54 million to $79 million. To date the museum has raised 91 percent of its goal.
The museum is working with a team of designers to realize the new Cooper-Hewitt. Design stories will come alive in the exciting new galleries that are being reimagined by Diller Scofidio + Renfro—winners of the 2005 National Design Award for architecture. Local Projects, participatory media designers and 2013 National Design Award winner for interaction design, are developing engaging ways for visitors to become designers. Cooper-Hewitt’s ambition to increase accessibility extends to the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden, which is being designed by Walter Hood, the 2009 National Design Award winner for Landscape Architecture. A new graphic identity for the museum is being designed by Pentagram. Thinc Design is realizing the new temporary exhibition space on the third floor.
The overall expansion is a collaboration between design architect Gluckman Mayner Architects and executive architect Beyer Blinder Belle. The program of historic preservation, working within preservation parameters established by Beyer Blinder Belle, will aim for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.
The first phase of the expansion involved renovating the museum’s East 90th Street townhouses in order to move the National Design Library and administrative functions from the Carnegie Mansion to the townhouses, enabling the creation of 60 percent more exhibition gallery space within the museum. The renovation of the townhouses was completed in September 2011. The second phase of the renovation, which involves mansion restoration and the creation of a new 7,000-square-foot gallery, is nearly 70 percent complete.
new gallery
new textiles
During the mansion renovation, Cooper-Hewitt’s usual schedule of exhibitions, education programs and events are being staged at various off-site locations, including the Cooper-Hewitt Design Center in Harlem, which has serviced more than 19,000 people since its opening in May 2012. Sold- out programs cater to a broad audience, providing immersive experiences for pre-schoolers and adults. The museum’s “Design in the Classroom” program, which teaches 21st-century skills by using design as a tool across the curriculum, has served more than 36,000 New York City K–12 public school children during the past two years.
[ About the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum ]
Founded in 1897, Cooper-Hewitt is the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. The museum presents compelling perspectives on the impact of design through educational programs, exhibitions and publications. International in scope and possessing one of the most diverse and comprehensive collections of design works in existence, the museum’s rich holdings range from Egypt’s Late Period/New Kingdom (1100 B.C.) to the present day and total more than 217,000 objects.
The museum has more than 70 full-time staff members, including curators, conservators and design education specialists, and the fiscal year 2013 operating budget is $16 million. The museum is 70 percent funded by earned and contributed income, the remainder coming from federal appropriations.
Audi uses a design museum, the Ur-Quattro, and aluminum to make a statement. Audi and Die Neue Sammlung – The International Design Museum Munich – are celebrating another highlight regarding the reopening of the Pinakothek der Moderne. From September Audi will be guesting in the Pinakothek der Moderne with a wall installation. The installation called the Audi design wall will form part of the Permanent Collection of Die Neue Sammlung for at least five years. The debut opened one day after premiering at the Frankfurt Auto Show. [ pinakothek ] [ audi ]
[ from official audi release ]
Die Neue Sammlung, the design museum located within the Pinakothek der Moderne, and Audi, a car manufacturer that is the embodiment of good design, are open to experiments. Following the successful exhibition “Design Icons” staged by Die Neue Sammlung at the Audi Forum Neckarsulm, from September Audi will be guesting in the Pinakothek der Moderne with a wall installation. The installation called the Audi design wall will form part of the Permanent Collection of Die Neue Sammlung for at least five years.
Aluminum is the epitome of lightness and stability. Audi has been closely associated with aluminum expertise in the automotive engineering field for many years. For the Audi installation, around 1,800 models of the legendary Ur-quattro form an “aluminum carpet”. Each of the models, weighing around 860 grams, were cut away from a seven-kilogram block of aluminum. The future of the Audi brand rises up from foundations formed of these aluminum Ur-quattros.
The sculpture evoking the Audi Sport quattro concept soars up vertically. The show car translates quattro technology and its tradition in motorsport into a futuristic formal idiom. A mirror suspended on the ceiling allows visitors to explore the installation from an unusual perspective. “The Audi design wall visualizes the bridge between the past and the future of our brand,” explained Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, AUDI AG Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development. “The common thread is quattro technology, which defines Audi more than any other.” The work was devised by the Audi Design team specifically for this room in the Pinakothek der Moderne. “We created the Audi design wall with the passion of an artist and exercised maximum precision in visualizing the core technology of quattro,” commented Hackenberg in describing its evolution. The idea for the exhibit itself came from an internal competition among Audi designers. The challenge was to come up with an object that communicates with the onlooker. The Audi design wall is also visible to passers-by outside the museum.
The model that inspired the carpet exhibit, the Ur-quattro, is in itself a legend. Since 1980, when the first Audi quattro was unveiled to the public at the Geneva Motor Show, permanent all-wheel drive has emerged as a core automotive technology. quattro stands for safety, power and sportiness – thus perfectly symbolizing the Audi brand. No innovation has had a greater formative impact on the carmaker than quattro.
After the reopening of the Pinakothek der Moderne on September 14, 2013 the first Kunstareal Festival will take place in the grounds of the Pinakothek museums on September 15, 2013, taking “Encounters. Kunstareal Munich” as its motto. As one of the festival’s supporters, Audi will be presenting design in a way that is specifically tailored to children. Children will be able to discover design on a paper chase taking them through the rooms of Die Neue Sammlung, and in a design workshop hosted by Audi. At the workshop, the children will have the chance to create small models, in the process gaining an insight into the work of Audi’s designers and model makers.
amsterdam clown (from Circus series) | karel appel 1921>2006 | 1978
Living Contemporary, Wright’s unique mix of art and design, has become a staple of our auction season. This fall’s sale features and wide-ranging selection of art including sculptures by John Henry, Karel Appel, Henry Moore and Clement Meadmore, paintings by Ed Paschke and Robert Herrmann and prints by Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann and Roy Lichtenstein. Designs by John Vesey, Charles Hollis Jones, Robert Venturi, Gio Ponti, George Nelson & Associates and Milo Baughman and many others make this Living Contemporary auction a sale that is not to be missed.
tee console | j. wade. beam | brueton | c. 1985
collection of sixteen krenit bowls and two servers | herbert krenchel | torben orskov | 1953
banquete chair | fernando and humberto campana | 2002
[ preview ] 19 > 25 september 10am > 5pm
[ auction ] 26 september 2013 | noon CST
[ wright ] 1440 west hubbard chicago | T 312 563 0020
1> amsterdam clown (from Circus series) | karel appel 1921>2006 | 1978
2> tee console | j. wade. beam | brueton | c. 1985
3> collection of sixteen krenit bowls and two servers | herbert krenchel | torben orskov | 1953
4> banquete chair | fernando and humberto campana | 2002
5> ibaya mc 212 | victor vasareli 1906>1997 | 1974
6> dining table | louis durot | 2005
7> jeux de l’oie | alexander calder 1898>1976 | 1970
8> paris chair | andré dubreuil | 1988
9> prototype bent glass benches | naoto fukasawa | glasitalia | 2012
10> cynthia | john kacere 1920>1999 | 1982
11> untitled | claire falkenstein 1908>1997 | c. 1972
12> artona chairs | afra and tobia scarpa | maxalto | 1975
The second annual Expo Chicago, the International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, is dedicated to strong and innovative art and design. This year’s design amplifies Studio Gang Architects (SGA) previous experiments using suspended large-scale sculptural elements to define distinct areas for gathering and relaxing, while simultaneously creating an optical experience of the art and activity that shifts as visitors move through the space. Refining the Expo floor’s organization (a grid cut through by a strong diagonal pathway) will also increase ease of navigation and further enhance the art’s visibility.
left > right / modern wing exhibit | pre-Expo assembly
In both Expo 12 & 13 SGA incorporates the firm’s collaborative, inquiry-based and research-driven approach presented in 2012 in an exhibition in Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago. “Full-scale mock ups test the capabilities and behavior of materials, as can be seen in the hanging “Rope Rooms” in the exhibit. Investigating and uncovering a material’s properties such as fluidity, viscosity, bending, or stiffness, independent of a particular project, is often beneficial for the work that may come next.”
left > right / cutaway cabinets & bend | snarkitecture | 2013
Renowned architecture firm Snarkitecture serves up Cutaway Cabinets, a new series designed by Snarkitecture for MCA Chicago Pop-Up Bookstore at EXPO. Appearing at first as simple white boxes, the cladding of each cut-away in a series of irregular excavations. The openings reveal an internal spine whose surfaces create a range of display and storage options. In addition, Bend, a series of upholstered foam elements provide seating under the main center cone, designed by Snarkitecture in partnership with Volume Gallery, Chicago. Bend debuted at Design Miami 12.
todd glickman, director of new business and strategy | my new secret tribe
While at MCA’s pop-up we discover ‘artist designed footwear’ Bucketfeet, a globally inspired footwear brand that connects people across the world through art! The two-year-old Chicago-based company has designer Scott Wilson [Minimal] as one of their advisors and was asked by Tony Karman to come to Expo. [ details ]
[DesignApplause] Todd, the concept, how does art and design reside in Bucketfeet?
[Todd Glickman] That’s a very interesting question. On the design side we’ve tried to create a silhouette to where the shoe is functional. If you look inside the shoe it’s all organic soft cotton canvas with a removable latex insole that has bubbles under the ball of the feet. So you’ll like your shoe for the aesthetic and they’ll last a long time and be very comfortable.
[DA] Do you have ‘Secret Tribe’ in a size 13? I’d like to wear them to Vernissage tonight.
[TG] The right question, yes, we do!
eugin batz | spatial effect of colors and forms, an exercise for color-theory, from a course taught by vasily kandinsky, tempera over pencil on black paper | 1929>30 | bauhaus-archiv berlin
art |architecture |design | 1917 > today
[ de stijl: mondrian and his influence ] [ bauhaus ] [ lessons from the bauhaus ]
In the art world, DesignApplause attempts ‘objects-only’ which could include a sculpture, or a photograph or painting of an Air Stream trailer for example. However, typically the art conversations are pieces by designers that reside in design galleries. For Expo 2013, for the first time, we put this question to the dealers we talked to: is there any architecture or design inspired art in your booth today?
The very first gallery…
steam | alexandre arrechea | magnan metz gallery | 2013
[DA] Alberto, is there any architecture or design inspired art in your booth today?
[Alberto Magnan] Alexandre Arrechea is a Cuban born artist. He works a lot with design and art. This piece is represents Chicago bridges which are all stacked on each other and this is a design project he has going.
multicolored cube | alois kronschaeger | tierney gardarin | 2013
[DA] Cristin, we were talking about the design influence on this artist.
[Cristin Tierney] This is the work of Alois Kronschaeger. He’s based in Brooklyn and originally from Austria. He works in the arenas of fine art that crosses over into design, fashion and architecture. He’s about to have a large scale installation which will be part art and part architecture, 10,000 sq/ft of experiential art, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson opening October 4.
untitled | gyorgy kepes | robert koch gallery | 1939>41
[DA] Ada, do you have design or architecture influenced work displayed today?
[Ada Takahashi] Ron, you are going to like this artist. Gyorgy Kepes taught at the Institute of Design in Chicago. He taught a class on light and design. In this photogram you can see he’s playing with numbers and letters as design elements. Gyorgy was very influential here in Chicago and Moholy Nagy asked him to teach.
[Robert Koch] I’m an architect.
scenery | kathy taslitz | the international sculpture center | 2013
[DA] Sonya, …… ?
[Sonya] Kathy has a pretty diverse background. Her mom was an artist. She was an advertising account executive and morphed into a photo stylist in fashion and home furnishings. She’s now an award winning interior designer. Scenery is fiberglass, video projection and sound, which is about as diverse as her background.
the artist | moto waganari | hollis taggart galleries | 2013
[DesignApplause] Martin, …… ?
[Martin Friedrichs] Moto Waganari is a German architect who’s given name is Lutz Wagner. He works in a CAD program to design these beautiful sculptures. Mostly figure studies but also other things. He then prints them on a 3D printing process. Key essential elements of his work is also the shadows that his works cast. He’s very particular about what source of light is used.
spin-the-spin | alice aycock | galerie thomas schulte | 2012
[DA] Gonzalo, …… ?
[Gonzalo Alarcón] Alice Aycock studied architecture but her degrees are in fine art. But you can see the architectural influence , especially in the 70s installations, as many of her works, her elements of minimalism hybrid forms, computer programming, to create a complex combination of architectural and sculptural pieces. this piece represents her current study of energy of the city, a spinning off and colliding of thoughts and ideas.
aluminum diamond curtain | tim prentice | maxwell davidson gallery | 2013
[DA] Charlie, …… ?
[Charles Davidson] We’re looking at a piece of kinetic sculpture by Tim Prentice, a very successful architect but found his true love was really making artwork. Most of his sculpture is to define wind currents. And he designs each piece from the perspective that he thinks about where the piece is located so they really react with the intended space.
[DA] Charlie, I see a pavilion from Tim on the horizon. I’ve talked to 10 galleries already and I am hit and miss on the backgrounds of the art that draws me into the gallery. I was drawn in by this piece that looks like the Foster designed 30 St Mary Axe building in London (2001>2003) and thinking the building inspired this artist.
beehive temple | mary ann unger | maxwell davidson gallery | 1987
[CD] A debatable assumption. This is a mockette of a larger piece which is on the campus of Lehigh University. This is the wooden study by Mary Ann Unger who died in 1998. A lot of her drawings are very geometrical and architectural.
headdress | pedro s. de movellan | maxwell davidson gallery | 1997
[DA] Back at you Charlie.
[CD] We’re looking at a sculpture by Pedro De Movellan, an American sculpture who does all kinetic work who works in wood, metal and mostly carbon fiber now. His father was an architect and his mother an artist.
Did not find an artist on premise to tell their own story. But did go off-site Friday night to see Herbert Murrie who has a fine art degree and started as an artist then to a very successful graphic design practice for 30-plus years while still painting and now back to painting full-time for five years.
notes & thangs colors & bangs | herbert murrie | jennifer norback fine art | 2009
[DA] Herb, does your design training play into your art?
[HM] My process, especially the collage which does not look like collage, is both technical and complex, and there are pieces that have to be designed, constructed. Add ‘chance’ which has two meanings; in English it can mean accident or hazard. In French “avoir de la chance” means to be lucky. I have questioned for a very, very long time if there is a destiny for us or is it completely blind; the push pull between accident, destiny and luck.
Sadly I’ve run out of time. I’ve only asked 12 galleries and found eight hits. What if all 100 were asked? Not to mention IN/SITU and special exhibitions. And the range went from “Jaume Plensa would not liked being lumped in with architects and designers” to Robert Koch saying “I’m an architect.” Here’s what I’m thinking: and it’s not attributed to Yogi Berra or anyone else but me and it makes sense to me. “You can take the this out of that, but you can’t take the that out of this.”
Expo Chicago 2013 is a very tight and fussy show.
event> Expo Chicago @expochicago
date> 19 > 22 September 2013
venue> Navy Pier’s Festival Hall
general admission> 20 > 22 September 2013 | Sunday 22 Sept. 22 | Fri + Sat 11a > 7p | Sun 11a > 6p
<a href=”about ron kovach
All content ©2007 > 2024 DesignApplause