Design Conversations

National Design Triennial Posted by Ellen Lupton, on Tuesday April 08, 2008 Cooper-Hewitt invites you to submit ideas for our fourth Triennial exhibition, opening in 2010. We are looking for designers, firms, and projects from around the world that answer the question “Why design now?” Triennial, Exhibition, Why Design Now, 2010, submissions, tool, problem solving, trends, creativity, social, sustainability, accessibility, universality, fair trade, conservation, health, education, capitalism, underserved, populations, systems, services, networks, products, experience, solutions, beautiful, just, invention, inventive, series, development, public input, ideas, nominations
Video: Curating Campana Brothers Select Posted by Estudio Campana, on Monday April 07, 2008 “I think the curatorial process is how to tell a history about something in a different way with a different point of view, with a different light on it.” —Fernando Campana Campana Brothers, Humberto Campana, Fernando Campana, brothers, curation, Select, Exhibition, video, Brazil, product designer, Industrial Designer, nature, create
Slideshow: Miss Rococo Posted by Ellen Lupton, on Thursday March 20, 2008 Intimate and ornate, rococo design has long been associated with feminine taste. Madame de Pompadour, the official mistress of Louis XV, was one of the supreme patrons of the rococo style. In 1990 artist Cindy Sherman pictured herself as Madame de Pompadour, emblazoning her image on a porcelain tureen commissioned by Artes Magnus. rococo, Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV, mistress, patron, Cindy Sherman, image, tureen, Artes Magnus, curvaceous, female, François Boucher, Alphonse Mucha, opportunity, create, domestic sphere, handicrafts, Rococo: The Continuing Curve, Exhibition, women, creators, sensual, organic, sinuous, slides
Making Vermelha Chair Posted by Estudio Campana, on Tuesday March 18, 2008 The Vermelha chair is an iconic piece, originally conceived and prototyped in 1993 for a gallery show in São Paulo along with several other pieces. The construction of the chair is very time-intensive, as it is handmade from a huge length of rope wrapped and woven to create the chair’s structure Vermehla Chair, chair, Campana Brothers, Fernando Campana, Humberto Campana, Brazil, product design, Industrial Design, construction, handmade, rope, woven, time consuming, cynicism, critical reception, Massimo Morozzi, Edra, Mel Byer, book, 50 Chairs, step-by-step, video, how to, bestseller, hand-crafted, mass-produced, furniture design
Out of Poverty Posted by Cynthia E. Smith, on Monday March 03, 2008 International Development Enterprises’ founder Paul Polak has just released his much anticipated book Out of Poverty, What Works When Traditional Approaches Fail. Based on his 25 years of experience he tells why traditional poverty eradication programs have fallen short and how his alternative approach works. International Development Enterprises, IDE, Paul Polak, founder, Out of Poverty What Works When Traditional Approaches Fail, book, poverty, eradication, tradition, approach, programming, fail, practical, solutions, roots, inspiration, Design for the Other 90%, Exhibition, farmers, co-creation, Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Nepal, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe, low-cost, affordable, income, generation, products, pioneer, model, favorable, reviews, lectures, public programs
Voûte Nubienne Affordable Housing Posted by Cynthia E. Smith, on Wednesday February 27, 2008 In sub-Saharan Africa, traditional building techniques are no longer feasible; due to increased deforestation use of timber for roofing and posts is not viable Africa, sub-Sahara, building, architectural techniques, traditional, deforestation, feasible, materials, timber, local, roofing, posts, adaptation, Sudan, Asia, West Africa, affordable, low-cost, housing, alternative, Voute Nubienne, Nubian Vault, mud, bricks, sun, construction, vaulted, communities, Earth Roofs in the Sahel, Association La Voûte Nubienne, option, imports, Burkina Faso, training, entrepreneurs, apprentice, Mali, Senegal, Togo, Ivory Coast
Video: Provoking Magic Posted by Matilda McQuaid, on Monday February 25, 2008 Ingo Maurer’s most lively exhibit in the historic Andrew Carnegie mansion was his installation of the Carnegies’ portraits above the grand staircase. Ingo Maurer, lighting design, light, Provoking Magic, Exhibition, video, Andrew Carnegie, Louise Carnegie, Mansion, installation, portraits, staircase
Slideshow: Making Trans... chair Posted by Estudio Campana, on Friday February 08, 2008 Fernando and Humberto explain their TransPlastic series as a fictional story wherein, in a world made of plastic, synthetic matter eventually becomes fertile ground for transgenic creations in which nature grows from and eventually overpowers plastic. Campana Brothers, Fernando Campana, Humberto Campana, brothers, furniture design, chair, Trans Chair, story, plastic, wicker, materials, woven, nature, transgenic, collection, Select, Exhibition, elements, dual, permanent collection, Brazil, slides
Sustainable Sampling Posted by Sarah Scaturro, on Thursday December 06, 2007 At the end of the introduction to the Multiple Choice exhibition, the curator reflects that, “as contemporary design industries move to open-sourcing and electronic formats for the marketing of their products, physical samples may soon become obsolete.” Multiple Choice, Exhibition, physical, samplers, material, sampling, obsolete, conversion, alternative, virtual, electronic, digital, formats, ephemera, rare, elimination, waste, economical, sustainable, process, event, Multiple Choice Marketing Design in the Twenty-first Century, ecological, marketing, approaches, Tricycle, interior design, prototype, innovative, methods, Michael Hendrix, Chief Brand Officer, mission, reduction, technology, environment-friendly, benefits, experiences, upside, encourage, mass, adoption, color shift, metamerism, challenge, dematerialized
Nominate Online Posted by William Berry, on Friday November 30, 2007 Each year Cooper-Hewitt honors the best and brightest designers at the National Design Awards Gala. The awards are given out in a number of categories including fashion design, architecture design, and product design. National Design Awards, 2008, categories, nominations, online, participation, winners, finalists, website, video, panel