Monday, October 18, 2010

Field Trip

This past Saturday some of the FA 102 design classes visited the California Design Biennial 2010 at the PMCA. I thought the exhibit was so beautiful and intriguing! The theme was action/reaction; basically an design-oriented response to socialissues or events. This theme was certainly relevant, particularly because many of the artists chose to focus on sustainability, which is an idea currently at the forefront of societal concern. Though some artists captured the theme more effectively than others, I was impressed by the innovation and unique approach by the designers to all of the items on display.

One example of this kind of interesting approach is accessories designer Raven Kauffman's exhibit:

Kauffman's intricately designed handbags are a reaction to mass consumerism and how uniqueness is lost when thousands upon thousands of copies of a single item are produced. With painstaking detail, Kauffman creates feathered and sequined accessories based on organic and natural elements. As is the case with anything in nature, not one purse is the same as the other.


One of the designs that I thought followed the theme most literally was created by the design agency Artecnica:

They created these mesh-looking bags out of recycled billboards. Perfect forever bags, and such a cool thing to recycle! I think it was definitely reflective of the theme, especially when it comes to sustainability.

My absolute favorite was the incredible exhibit of fashion designer Michael Schmidt. His avant-garde clothing has been worn by celebrities from Blondie to Lady Gaga. His intricate work is truly one of a kind. He is also in keeping with the theme because he often uses found objects, as seen with his razor-blade dress below:






The design I found least compelling was the wall inspired by cake making, designed by Jennifer Luce. It's an interesting concept, but I'm not sure that I understand how it relates to the theme of action/reaction:

Overall, I loved the exhibition and found it very relevant to present day issues. I hope to visit PMCA again in the near future!

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