It was really interesting to understand what inspired this onset of artistic design in the "Shaping California Modern" exhibit. A huge part of it comes from the population growth. Something that definitely shaped my perspective when touring the exhibit was the following description of the influences during the times:
"The general qualities associated with the state (optimism and democracy, fearless experimentation, and a love of new technology) and those specific to design (an affinity for light and brilliant color, an openness to Asian and Latin influences, and an advocacy of fluid spaces and cross-disciplinary approaches) made California's best products distinctive."
My favorite kind of design is design for identity and branding, especially classic and historic identity design. That said, I was really excited to see the letterheads and posters for "The Man with the Golden Arm" by Saul Bass.
I didn't know pictures weren't allowed so I got a chance to grabbed a few pictures of the housing display. There were definite Asian and Latin influences. I really liked the all-wood wall and the material of a lot of furniture. It definitely had a classic California classy surfer sophisticated feel. The exhibit's diversity definitely made me expand the idea of design.
In Wonderland: The Surrealists Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States
Just looking back on my photos, I can tell I had a visual preference in the kind of art I liked best. I thought it was interesting that a lot of the art was inspired by traveling with, visiting, or spending time with other men. For example, Jeanne Reynal is classically trained as a mosaicist but also created other kinds of art while traveling through Nevada with Andre Breton.
Chris Burden: Metropolis II
I've been to this exhibit before so a lot of was a repeat. Some of the aspects I still found mesmerizing was the racetrack piece and the projected video of the hand motion with dialogue.
I thought maybe the significance of the mini racetrack exhibit could be that at the surface, things that seem busy and complicated when they are actually very simple and not that interesting when truly investigated. The racetrack is very visually appealing and alluring because of the business, the noise, and the vastness of the structure. However, when you look at the actual path and direction that each car takes, the appeal from the intricacy is lost. The actual path of each car is very short and simple - it is simply the combination of multiple cars, multiple tracks, and the resulting noise that makes the whole structure seem very busy, complicated, and intricate.
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