Fieldtrip at PMCA

The theme of the biennial was Action/Reaction. This deals with problems in the world and how each designer/artist reacts to these range of topics. I feel that the theme very relevant as I walked by and examined the art pieces up close. At first, I thought when does fashion, furniture, consumer products/transportation, and architecture get grouped together. Then, I realized in each field, there can be specific problems that can be solved through sustainable ways. The overarching motif seemed to be "being green."
The theme was expressed through the objects displayed. I really liked Coffman's purses and her concept was inspired from the Forever 21's quantity/cheap over quality aspect. Her purses were made out of beetle wings and feathers. Each handbag was made in a unique way. Her message was reacting to the problem overproduced, trendy fashions that now dominates the fashion world. It was subtle but very related.
I feel that the felt chairs fit with the theme most closely and I liked the idea the most. What do you do with uncomfortable cold chairs? You put felt on them to make them feel nicer to the touch. This is a unique product design. It's a simple idea but also a very effective one.

 

I thought that the Method laundry detergent design by Alyssa Walker was maybe too simple of a reaction to more "green" products. 

I had a great experience at the exhibit learning what kind of thought the artist/designer put into their artwork and it not only comes from pure creativity. It had a wide range of topics for each person to relate with.

Field Trip

1. The theme of the Biennial was Action/Reaction, which translated into simple terms, means how artists react to current events (sociopolitical, economic). The show was divided into four categories: fashion, transportation, graphic design, consumer products and architecture. I found the theme extremely relevant out of sheer timeliness. Artists drew inspiration from world around us based on what is happening now. Despite such broad topics, an underlying theme was the environment and eco-friendly design.

2. Every object in the show seemed to fit the theme rather well. An emphasis in sustainability was definitely evident throughout. One example in particular that exemplified the theme was the Prius roadside "living billboards" that used flowers and plants to create an image. I thought it gave a new meaning to the old saying, "stop and smell the roses."

1. 4. For me, the object that matched the theme most closely was designer Raven Kauffman's detailed and ornate response to the rise of trendy, cheap clothing, embodied by companies such as Forever 21. The action was the fashion waste associated with high volume sales of cheap clothing. The reaction was a throwback to the days when everything was handcrafted and made with attention.

5. I thought the most interesting piece were the Method detergent bottles. I really appreciated the thought that went behind being eco-friendly. It was a good balance between functionality and artistic design. Not only was the bottle made to use less plastic, but the overall feel of the packaging communicated a modern, sleek brand identity. Method took the popularity of eco-friendly packaging and made it cool to look at and use.6.I thought the least interesting piece was made by designer Michel Berandi. Although the design was interesting to look at, it was not aesthetically pleasing. Maybe his fashion just wasn't within my stylistic sensibility, but I was not impressed. His designs on the wall did not seem like they could be brought to life in physical form, which I believe is a key quality to good fashion. Otherwise, it's not fashion, it's more fine art.

7.I was impressed by the overall concept and execution of the exhibit. Although many artists were reacting to similar issues (i.e.: sustainability), they all did so in very different ways. Through the various categories, I understood that sustainability is a zeitgeist of our time. It was nice to be able to see such a diverse collection committed to this common theme.

Fieldtrip

1. The theme of the Biennial is Action/Reaction, which depicts "the influences of our changing world"; the art reflects designs responding to current events and issues we are facing while each work also includes ideas based on sustainability. I do find this theme to be relevant because the designs relate to current sociopolitical, environmental, and economic events and conflicts we face daily.

2. Each object does express the theme in some way, especially the innovative architectural designs. Urban Planner James Rojas developed a colorful map from found objects in his "Messy and Vital" project, rather than creating city models out of plastic or environmentally unfriendly materials. He displays the key changes or landmarks through the state of California. Another architectural example that portrays the theme of action/reaction and sustainability is the "747 Wing House" by David Hertz, which clearly combines novel designs and recycling. His creation uses parts of a Boeing 747, which he bought to reuse for the client's ideal image of beauty and the house's stability, instead of letting the old plane go to waste. Recycling to create a healthier environment and creating innovative designs based around that recycling concept illustrates the theme very well.

3. The designer that seemed to capture the theme most closely was probably the Toyota Prius Harmony Florelscapes designed by Chris Reel, Ryan Jacobs, Mike McKay, and many others. The Florelscapes benefit the environment while simultaneously remaining aesthetically pleasing. The murals made out of plants and flowers advertise the Toyota Prius by beautifying the freeways and promoting the eco-friendly product.

4. The design I found most interesting was the "Field of Thoughts" activity designed by Amy Franceschini, Michael Swaine, and Corinne Matesich. The custom made game is a version of bingo that combines culture, interaction, and education. By inviting people to bring potluck items from the world's 75 lowest GNP countries, this game creates an interesting method of becoming informed about current global issues and cultures around the world.

5. If I had to pick the least compelling design, I would have to say I was not captivated by the "Bedsider," created by Peter Antonelli and his associates. This was supposed to be a comical film that reinforces people to use birth control. Unfortunately, when touring the exhibit, I initially passed by the video without even noticing it. The display did not evoke the theme in an exciting manner, though it is supposed to serve as a birth control reminder, which is important in today's society. It has the potential to exhibit the action/reaction theme based on its idea, but it lacks the interesting display to grab the viewer's attention.

6. Overall I was extremely impressed by the innovative designs created to educate and inform people about sustainability and current events, while managing to reach a wide audience with interesting artistic set-ups.

Action/Reaction: 2010 California Design Biennial

After visiting the Pasadena Museum of California Art's 2010 California Design Biennial, I think it's clear that the chosen theme of "Action/Reaction" is very relevant to art and our culture, due to the prevalence of artists' collective push towards sustainability.

Works that focus on such topics such as solar power,recycling and carbon footprints, showcase many of the significant social issues in California, therefore allowing the theme to successful correlate to present-day California. The inflatable kayak(below), by Advanced Elements is the perfect example of sustainability, as its ease of use and the green nature of the product defines life of a Californian: one that is fast paced, on the go, conscious of our surroundings, and full of adventure.

Designers Indhira Rojas and Ellen Keith of the California College of Art grasped the theme of "Action/Reaction" the most precisely in their installation, "Where Does it Go?" The piece(top), which plays out like an interactive game for the spectator, uses art to encourage the recycling of the objects that we encounter in our daily lives. The strong illusion to the literal interpretation of the theme, where playing the game is the action that causes the reaction of production of recycled products, cements the biennial's focus and explains its placement as the center piece of the exhibit.

After examining the exhibit closely, itwas clear to me that the Metro Neighborhood Posters(above) were the most interesting, because of their relevance to many of the cultures that Los Angeles has. Not only do the pieces showcase the power of knowledge for Exposition Park and USC, but they illustrate the diverse neighborhoods of Los Angeles such as Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Koreatown, and East LA. While these posters show the differences in culture that are prevalent in pockets of our city, I find it importantthat its underlying motive is a push towards the use of public transit is a tie to sustainability. Another piece, a screenshot of Google maps seen below, furthers the Metro poster as it shows how using public transportation is being integrated into the mainstream, with directions on Google Maps.

For me, the least compelling piece in the Biennial was the bottle designs by Method. While their designs are conscious of our environment, I did not think that the aesthetic design was as original as other designs on display.

As a whole, the exhibition successfully illustrated its theme, and was curated very well. I found it interesting at just how many forms design can take. Products like iPads and inflatable kayaks are just as dependent design as illustrative posters, and that idea is something that I will hold onto, throughout my dabbling with design as a whole.

CA Design Biennial Fieldtrip

1. Before you even enter the museum, you are greeted by a graffiti-filled garage. This is a warm welcome compared to the usual dismal gray walls usually characteristic of a parking garage. This, along with the rest of the the museum, denote a theme of action:reaction. I find this theme both relevant and compelling. Most designs in the museum were concerned with our wasteful tendencies. One doesn't have to look far before realizing the importance of sustainability in our current society. News, media, entertainment, and citizens alike highly publicize the problem. It is also interesting because the designs suggest solutions to an array of problems. There are natural problems, like a hurricane, or a man-made problem, like the recent oil spill. Although man is not responsible for the earlier, he still reacts as if it was a problem he created.

2. The theme of Action:Reaction is manifested in every display, in many different ways. One example is Puma's "Clever Little Bag." It sees the problem--all of the cardboard wasted on shoe boxes and the plastic/paper wasted on bags. Then, it provided a solution - combine the box and the bag in one hence reducing overall paper use.



3. I feel that the Prius roadside floral billboard captured the theme most closely because it addressed it on many levels. First, it saw the waste used to make billboards out of plastics, etc, and designed one using flowers as the medium. Not only does the address medium, but also has a purpose. The emissions caused by driving are a large contributor to global warming, using nature reduces the creation of greenhouse gasses. It provides a clear message to the driver and successfully advertises the fuel-efficient cars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XNK9R2Gwo8&feature=fvst

4. I found the OK GO! most interesting because it addressed the theme in a very direct, yet unique way. It was literally 2 minutes of showing actions and the subsequent reaction. It showed interesting reactions to an action, which provides new insight: should we look to unexpected solutions to fix our problems? The video, besides displaying action:reaction, also had a very 'out of the box' feeling about it could inspire a new way of thinking about 'reactions.'


5. I think that the Method Detergent Bottles were the least compelling. Products that are mostly plastic are expected to make more efficient designs. All bottles are currently cutting down, so I found little value in displaying these particular bottles. I have seen more interesting solutions to the problem at my local grocery store.

6. Overall, I found the exhibition very interesting. The theme was displayed in literally every context I could imagine--entertainment, social networking, fashion, architecture, product design, art, and so on. It had a lot of variety and showed the viewer that you can make changes to nearly every aspect of you life via the many ways they showed the action:reaction effect.

(1) What is the theme of the Biennial? Do you find the Theme relevant? Why or why not? Action/Reaction was an interesting theme, especially in the current age of greyness where there is a difficult distinction between right and wrong due to the issues brought about by technologies in society. (2) Is the theme expressed through the objects on display? Site an example. As a whole, the commonalities that is coincidentally being portrayed in most all the works is sustainability. For example, Sachi&Sachi floral billboards share the theme of sustainability with Juliette Ballocq's silk screens which promotes environmental awareness and conservancy. (3) What object/designer captured the theme most closely? I felt that the reTweet feature on Twitter that was being displayed was very interesting. Action/Reaction was then extended to everyone even those outside the art scene. It included the actions and reactions of anyone who uses Twitter, the spread of ideas and news which includes ideas on sustainability. (4) Which object/design did you find the most interesting? Please site examples and explain why. Once again, the reTweet as it is displayed in a museum. I also found the the work of Juliette Billocq to be very interesting both aesthetically and thematically. (5) Which object/designer did you find the least compelling please site examples and explain why. The hearing aid designed by Stuart Karton Design seemed the least compelling. The design in itself was interesting but it seems to appeal only to a select group of people. That would be designers who would appreciate the design and consumers who would buy it. There was minimal application to the theme Action/Reaction. (6) What was your overall impression of the exhibition? Any additional comments you'd like to make? I found the exhibition to be very interesting. It was exciting to see things that I wouldn't normally think of as design or art like the reTweet being featured in the exhibition. But I really enjoyed looking at Juliette Billocq's designs.

Design @ Pasadena museum of Art:Recap of field trip

The Action/Reaction tour given at the Pasadena museum of art focused on designing things with sustainability. Fashion out of many other design subjects stood out the most to me. Clothing is a vital part of everyday life. Yet, numerous fads turn clothing into luxury items instead of protective resources against the weather. People never seem to study or think about the materials or chemicals use to make a certain bag, dress , or shoe. Some designers in the exhibition began to apply new techniques on cutting back on harmful materials used in production. For instance, Puma came up with resumable bag to cut back on the use of cardboard and shipping cost. This was submitted under product design and it had multiple uses that were associated with fashion.Another group of items that drew attention during the tour was the costumes designed by Michael Schmidt. He's known for designing eccentric costumes out of things like found razors, plastic,football padding and etc. His work is preferable worn by celebrities only to be physically used once to dazzle. His work addresses recycling aspects. However, dose not fully address the maintain the true essence of sustainability. I felt his work and another artist by the name of Michel Berandi fell flat when it came to the theme of the exhibition.