It’s Been a Good Week (in Toronto)

Yesterday, I was nourished by serious brain food at the Conversations in Design symposium, curated around the idea of crowdsourcing, creativity and community. Prescient subject matter given the Egyptian government’s actions this week. The common thread running through presentations: collaborative approaches to design, creativity, material sourcing, research and education. All speakers were inspiring ambassadors of the curious life.

One (1). UK based Jason Bruges Studio creates public installation artworks Jason describes as “catalysts for conversation” throughout the development process -- ie a classroom of school children helping with a project's site audit -- and in response to the final product.

To tackle projects Jason builds diverse bespoke teams, which may include materials scientists, musicians, chemists, visual artists etc. On the subject of budget, he suggests that “frugality produces some very interesting design work.” Jason Bruges Studio was awarded the public art contract for York University TTC Station in 2009. Data Cloud commission shown above.

Two (2) David Benjamin's presentation on Columbia University’s Living Architecture Lab (which he is Director of) which explores open source research, testing as a design methodology and evolutionary computation as an exploration device. Heady stuff. Check out the work of the architectural firm, where Benjamin is principle. Amphibious Architecture shown above.

Three (3). Dan Rockhill, a professor of architecture at the University of Kansas and Executive Director of Studio 804, has a personality that fills the room and makes you feel like anything is possible.

Rockhill created a studio (self-funded) where his students could learn practical architecture and building. With Rockhill at the helm, the students of Studio 804, built an arts centre, in Greensburg -- the Kansas town decimated by a tornado in 2007. Shown here.

Four (4) Shout outs to Matthias Hollwich founder of ARCHITIZER and Rachel Gotlieb -- curator extraordinaire -- and to Douglas Coupland, who is trying to be more optimistic in 2011. His take on the meaning of life? Be curious.

Five (5) In the evening: Rachel Wingfield's lecture presented by OCADU’s Faculty of Design and TD Financial. Does Rachel come from a family of Druid's?! PHD Druid's maybe - in geometry and software programming.

Wingfield is a partner at Loop PH a Design Research Studio, specializing in design and creation of textile architecture and living environments. Loop PH projects create 'urban interventions' mediating between digital & biological channels and facilitating participatory design and urban craft.

A unique approach to community, play, curiosity - and the future.

Shown above, Weather Patterns a commissioned project for York Art Gallery.

Conversation, Material & Metaphor

For me, the highlight of this week’s Toronto International Design Festival highlight is Friday’s Symposium -- Conversations in Design: Crowdsourcing Creativity and Community. Its the symposium's 2nd year.If you’re working in a thought leadership capacity where ideas matter and you're inspired by innovation and collaborative communication technologies -- don’t miss the day’s line-up of thought provoking speakers and design leaders.Conversations are sure to bring fresh insights about new and alternative design practices, materials, technologies and products. Check out the link above for more information, and look at the speaker list and schedule of events. Tickets are not expensive and the value is HIGH.

And well, because we're in deep winter here above the 49th parallel, consider The Snow Show.

"The Snow Show explores the issues related to Art and Architectural investigation by creating works from the ephemeral materials of snow and ice. An artist was partnered with an architect and invited to develop a work together—this conversation created a bridged between the art and architectural worlds."

First curated in 2006 by independant curator, Lance Fung. Don’t miss the curatorial statement. The site also shows the works melting. Yoko wass a participant as was Zaha Hadid and Kiki Smith.

Pink Penguins & Peace

Fave publications I re/encountered over the holidays and articles worth noting for their insights into exhibition marketing and interconnection.

One (1). Unearthed some old mags and discovered the ‘The Art of European Design’ June ’08 issue of print – and this article, on exhibition design and curatorial subject matter: X Marks the Spot: Sex on Display.

Paris' Bibliothèque Nationale had an unique assignment for Paris studio C-Album: “The staid national library needed a poster and catalogue for an exhibition of a pornographic collection being unveiled after centuries of secrecy.” The pink X may seem obvious, but the visual results are alluring through the use of public transit tunnels, when passengers could only fleetingly glimpse the installation as the train sped past.

Two (2). The second find is from this month’s Art in America (January 2011): In the Studio | Alexis Rockman | with Dan Tranberg http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/features/alexis-rockman/ “Alexis Rockman: A Fable for Tomorrow” is at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC through May 8^th.

Rockman was recently commissioned by filmmaker Ang Lee to create a series of watercolors to help visualize the appearance and atmosphere of various scenes for Lee’s film adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel The Life of Pi (in theatres 2012).

The Smithsonian site, with a slide show of images and artists talk video. http://bit.ly/dzy94C

Three (3) And from Art Forum magazine's Summer 2009 issue: In Another Country | Yoko Ono in Conversation with Rirkrit Tiravanjia

The article describes Yoko's White Chess Set, 1966, in which all the pieces are white: As any game progresses, players will eventually find their sides impossible to tell apart. “Ideally,” Ono says, “this leads to a shared understanding of their mutual concerns and a new relationship based on empathy rather than opposition.”

You probably need to register (its free) at ArtForum.com to view the article, but Yoko is always worth it not to mention Art Forum itself.