b i e n n i a l : a c t i o n / r e a c t i o n

the biennial theme confused me at first... i understood the concept of action - reaction, but for some reason didn't put that into context with sustainability and green design. this was a pleasant surprise for me. i was really inspired by the simplicity and clean lines of all the designs. when put in context of products, architecture, clothing, etc... it really reads well, and shows how we can still make beautiful (if not more beautiful) designs using sustainable materials.

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i loved the combination of shapes in the following design. there's a really nice balance of randomness and consistency, and the color combination works really well.


juliette bellocq's "celebration" designs were really amazing. they evoked so much joy and happiness, and the fact that she combined inspirational phrases with such ecstatic designs was very effective.


tanya aguiniga's designs were breathtaking. i loved the felt chairs that she did, but I was most inspired by the images of the fabric. there's such texture and movement to them - it's as if they're 3-dimensional.


i also really liked the concept of redesigning signs in la. it's not that the current signs aren't successful in communicating what they need to, but there's no creativity, design, or even thought to them. by redesigning street signs in los angeles, it will not only make our city more visually appealing, but it will also modernize it greatly.


overall, the museum was very inspiring. i saw that simplicity is key, and less is more.

PCMA 2010.10.16

1. The theme of the biennial was consciousness of the world's fast-approaching limits and a call to designers to creatively address the issue. It's relevant because it's no longer about what's Green and what isn't. It's about what the philosophy of the designer is, and what pushes our understanding of their topic into society's mainstream.

2. Even if most all of the objects were design first, philosophy next, the theme of the collection ran strongly, even through the clever OKGO music video.

3. If we're talking not just environmental consciousness but Global Consciousness, I would have to credit Willem Henri Lucas, with his books and poster project "The Culture and Globalization Series 1". It was a well of information filtered and designed for easy translation. I saw it as a guide to interpreting the world facts we never see. Fascinating and necessary and enlightening.

4. It is not a coincidence that the most interesting thing I found was the design piece mentioned above. It was arresting. I literally started to walk away from the posters, thinking I had read them all, when a new angle in it popped out and I had to get a closer look. (This happened, really, like 3 times)

5. I found them hilarious and wonderful, but I don't think the designs of the Pirate and Victorian-Age problem solvers by Dave Eggers' group did the best job fitting the theme. Were they well designed? OhMyGoshYes. I loved them and wanted to steal each and every one. But I felt that they were a little out of place when the philosophy's communication came through.

6. The field trip was enlightening and impactful, especially because there was something for every young designer there to attach to. They did a fine job of covering all of the bases with design carefully considered enough to display. Also, the poster design for the exhibit was amazing.

Field Trip

The exhibition at the PMCA was very eye-opening and perfectly themed around problems we are facing on a daily basis, such as environmental sustainability. The art gave examples of things that were “action/reaction”. Nothing portrayed the theme better than the music video where they set up a huge domino effect; everything preceding the action that was taken (whether it was a ball, a domino, a switch, or water) affected the following action. It was the most literal way to define the theme, in addition to it being environmentally friendly as well, since mostly all the appliances they used in the music video were recycled trash.

What least fit the theme, in my opinion, were the fashion artworks. I did not understand, metaphorically how it fell under the “action/reaction” category. I thought it could be an emphasis on women’s stance in society, since one of the figures was a woman with a motorcyclist’s helmet on, showing a more masculine and dark side of the slim woman.

Architecture really captures my eye wherever I go, so the models in the exhibition were very intriguing. I really appreciate architecture that revolves around and coexists (not affecting) with the environment. All of the models looked beautiful, complex, and environmentally friendly. The action is taking the initiative and creating a building that contains less unnatural resources inside of it to save energy and keep the environment around it cleaner, and plant resources in the building that are natural. In addition, the buildings are filled full with plants and sunlight, to give it a more natural appearance. The reaction of this amazing action is beneficial to the people, the environment, and ultimately the decision of other architects to follow the same mentality when creating a building.

Since environmental studies is my minor in college, overall a lot of the art gave me hope and determination, knowing that even artists are fighting through an era where hope for our world is becoming slim to none. This exhibition made me realize that art is one of the most powerful means of, indeed finding an influential reaction from an even more influential action.

Field trip

Initially, I had a difficult time understanding the exhibit's theme of "action/reaction." It seemed far too vague and vast of an idea to be a theme, as every action we as humans do is a reaction to something, and art especially is more or less defined as a reaction to an idea, emotion, or happening. But even though the theme was so nebulous, it was very interesting to see a secondary theme surface, a cohesive thread of sustainability through many of the works. Sustainability is incredibly relevant and can be considered a theme of humanity right now, something to which the entire world is being affected and reacting.

It's hard to say who captured the theme most clearly because all of the objects on display expressed action/reaction in some way, and often two given responses were of two entirely different species. To compare them would be like comparing apples to oranges.

For example, as explained by our docent, the way in which architects respond to action is a world apart from how the graphic designers respond. Francis Anderton responded to the daily struggle of the gallery architect: How do you bring architecture to life for your gallery viewers?

This task is just as relevant as The Social Awareness Project's mission of promoting literacy for elementary schools, and both artists expressed action/reaction.

As far as clarity, I thought the Toyota Prius campaign captured their theme of sustainability most clearly by making their ads (the Harmony Floralscapes) out of plants. It was very effective to compose their ads out of the idea they were trying to advertise. Very different from the "do as I say but not as I do" mentality of many other sustainability ads that create a contradictory amount of non-biodegradable waste in the process of expressing their campaign idea.

For me, the most compelling objects on display were pieces that I could actually incorporate into my everyday life. In my opinion, it's all very well to build houses that are constructed out of old airplanes, but that isn't exactly attainable by the general public; there's no intimacy in an idea like that, no real world application.

The two pieces I really appreciated and will hopefully get to use one day were the Home Garden Registrar and The Better Bikeways Project.

The Home Garden Registrar, featuring Victory Garden Registry & Victory Seed Envelopes, is a project that promotes sustainability by creating an exchange network. If you grow tomatoes at home but always have way to many every year and not nearly enough carrots, you can find a local gardener in the registrar that has carrots to spare and one that needs some tomatoes, and exchange seeds. I will totally use this one day!

Also, I absolutely loved Joseph Prichard's Better Bikeways Project, which is so simple and yet can have such an impact on the community and the world if it picks up. As defined by the project, Better Bikeways "aims to provide more useful navigational information for cyclists," but the sustainability idea is much more encompassing than that. Approaching transportation not from the angle of automobile efficiency, but rather biking as a reasonable and more accessible form of everyday transit is a step in the right direction for global sustainability. (The signage also has a lovely element of graphic design, which is important in getting people to look at and use the signs).

I will also use this one day.

The least compelling ideas, in my opinion, were the fashion-oriented pieces. In particular, the costume design collection by Michael Schmidt on the far back wall. Although the artists of the exhibit were in no way obligated to incorporate sustainability in their works, I didn't even see how his expensive, flashy costumes fit in with the action/reaction theme. Many of the other fashion artists reacted to the problem of decreased quality and individuality of industrial design by hand-making unique items out of recycled fabric or other atypical materials that were still attainable for the general public. These costume pieces, however, cost a fortune and were of use to one performer for one tour. So, not only did I fail to see their relevance to the exhibit, I also didn't sense a global purpose for the designer's work except as transitory eye candy.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit. Being a die-hard environmentalist myself, I'm thrilled to see how artists are reacting and taking action to the sustainability issue at hand, and I can't wait to see the pieces in the exhibit take to the real world. I took note of a few of the projects on display and will be incorporating them into my everyday life; the field trip was definitely a positive experience!

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.