The Design of Dissent
Nearly two years after this incredible, indispensable, 230 page book was released in paperback I have finally got my muckraking hands on it. Milton Glaser and Mirko Ilic’s The Design of Dissent is a phenomenal repository of political poster art (and more) that I’ve now realized is an essential addition to any shelf, coffee table, library, or revolutionary basement on the planet.
The book is visually stunning – a keen eye for layout, mixed with a healthy dose of breathing space and exceptional curatorial decision-making make for 200+ pages of explosive and provocative political art.
Divided into sections that range from “Ex-Yugoslavia” to “Food” to “U.S. Presidential Election” this offering from Rockport Publishers is one of the best books illustrating the collusion/confusion of politics and art that I have seen.
The images are part historical testament, part marginalized voice, and part pop culture intervention. Together they make up a book that is an essential for anyone interested in political art, dissent, democracy, and the spirit of creative visual production to pry open the closed spaces of culture and community.
The school of visual arts in NY has also created a site highlighting some 100 of the political posters curated by Glasher, you can view it here.
The Reconfigurable House takes a lo-tech jab at hi-tech “smart homes”, whose not-so-smart design isn’t able to adapt over time. You won’t get stuck with outdated components in this protobungalow, as it can be easily and cheaply modified even by electronics novices. Just don’t neglect your adobe, for if the house gets bored it will reconfigure itself.
Even further down the low tech ladder are the eco-friendly bamboo louvres that give this skinny Spanish building respite from the sun—and exorbitant air conditioning bills. Residents of this Foreign Office Architects invention can customize the placement of the louvres, creating “the possibility of a differentiated appearance of the units so that inhabitants would have the opportunity to acquire some form of personal identification with their residences.” (Treehugger)
More energy-conscious architecure can be found at the Canadian Centre for Architecture—my personal favourite museum in Montreal—which launched Sorry, Out of Gas, a microsite related to its current major exhibition of the same name. Designed to make the exhibition content available to a broader international public, the site features some of the most innovative architectural projects and research triggered by the 1973 energy crisis.
(Photo: Carabanchel Housing, Foreign Office Architects.)
I’m sure many of you have been lusting over the gadgets you got—or didn’t get—over the holidays. But did you know that the latest object of your technolust will likely leech toxic chemicals once you’ve parted ways? Or that fresh water streams may have been poisoned during the production of its parts?
The Greener Gadgets Conference will convene in New York City on February 1 to discuss the greening of technology. They have launched a design competition challenging established designers and students alike to “come up with new and innovative solutions to address the issues of energy, carbon footprint, health and toxicity, new materials, product lifecycle, and social development.”
The entry deadline is January 27, and finalists will be showcased at the conference. Submission guidelines can be found at the website of their partner Core77.
It might be a fortnight late for Christmas, but you can still embrace some fun free of consumerism with Readymech. These free, beautifully illustrated flatpack toys are designed by Fwis and can be printed on any old printer. All you need is some double-sided tape, 15 minutes, and the burning desire to embrace the arts-and-crafts kid in you.
Gay baby Ad Causes Uproar
An ad designed by Canadian agency Émergence and originally used in Quebec is causing an uproar in Italy. The ad (pictured at right) shows a baby with a hospital bracelet reading “homosexual.” The regional government in Tuscany has recently put the ad up on billboards in a region-wide campaign to end homophobia.
The ad has sparked criticism from the conservative community and the LGBT community, with some arguing that it may communicate that homosexuality is a disease. One thing is certain – Émergence has stirred public interest, and it’s not the first time.
From le Fondation Émergence (translated from the french):
The next question will be asked: is homosexuality innate or acquired? So far, science has been unable to answer this question in the affirmative or consensual. However, there is consensus on one fact: one does not choose their sexual orientation, which has inspired the theme of the campaign.
Read an article on this ad at gay.com.
Bicycle trailers are the cyclist’s pick-up truck — not because they guzzle gas, but because they can help schlep large amounts of stuff back and forth across cityscapes. Bike trailers are indispensable for hauling groceries, plants, recycled appliances, framed canvasses, record collections, turntables, laser graffiti devices, pirate radio transmitters, large numbers of pamphlets, amplifiers, small animals and other large and awkward things. They are also essential anti-global warming tools.
The problem is, bicycle trailers are expensive. Enter the clever folks over at Make Magazine. They have come up with a variety of plans for DIY bike trailers – some made of inexpensive bamboo, some with plastic tubs, all extremely resourceful and cheap to make. Check out the plans and build yourself a bicycle trailer!
Subscribe to Art Threat via RSS
Become a fan on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
