A Giant Smorkin' Labbit by Kidrobot
Red Shogun and Red Geisha Dunny by Kidrobot- the yearning for a butterfly applique purse pales by comparison. I like to think my taste has developed. No it hasn't. Shut up. I'm not talking to you.
The second part of the Museum Mile/Cooper Hewitt Design Show was all about a serious case of the I wants. I want the see-thru kayak, and the little surfboard with the interchangeable tail by www.mysurfco.com (their tagline is " Inspired not Manufactured" love it!) I want ALL the kidrobot toys- check them out at www.kidrobot.com. I was happy and sad to inform the Kiwi that the little wabbits I bought by the bushel last year are no longer available. Happy to own 'em, sad I am not evolved enough to say- you can have one of mine (no blankin' WAY. You have the hula doll...). Kidrobot specializes in limited edition semi-twisted toys- blood drooling teddy bears and tofu-headed dolls- they decorate my desk and cool people passing by say oh-wow, great art- the not-so aware ones mutter, "she's the director of what?" Director of Marketing, Communications and keep your opinions to yourself, buster.
But this is about serious design. The wonderful thing about this show is most folks can see the latest in innovation in an area they enjoy- architecture, sound, fashion. For me- it was ALL of it. I love seeing where the world is going. I love being connected, even in a minor way, to people who look at the world and see what it could be, then create a world that is that way.
These critters graced the wall and ceilings in one cubicle and are called "Roboreptiles" by Wowwee. Who wants a robotic humanoid when you can have THIS?
www.wowwee.com
From the not-quite-what-it-appears department. Feral Robotic Dogs- from the Cooper Hewitt site: Natalie Jeremijenko, who runs a research lab in the art department at the University of California, San Diego, is changing the way we think about technology. In her Feral Robotic Dog project, she works with teams of high-school students to take apart toy robots and rebuild their physiques and behavior. Armed with pollution sensors, a lowered center of gravity, and all-terrain wheels, the Feral Robotic Dogs head out across the landscape in search of toxins. Released into landfills and urban areas from Arizona to Ireland, the dogs are programmed to seek out some of the same pollutants used in their own manufacture, drawing attention to the toxic nature of high-tech industry. Whereas most consumer robots are designed to dance, yap, or vacuum the rug, the Feral Robotic Dogs are equipped with a social agenda. There's a kit available to adapt your own...
The see-thru kayak- so cool for looking at fish- and if they aren't wearing ugly black socks-your feet! Clear Blue Hawaii’s Napali kayak is the only transparent, foldable kayak in the world and enables users to skim the ocean’s surface like sea mammals. Designed in 2003 by New Zealander Murray Broom
The Nike Free 5.0 sneakers promise to feel like your own bare feet- at about $300.00 a pair....
Processing is at once a digital tool, an online community, a teaching environment, and a powerful medium of visual expression. Created by Ben Fry and Casey Reas, graduates of the MIT’s Media Lab, Processing is the language behind a body of visual projects produced by artists and designers around the world.
This open-source application can be downloaded for free at www.processing. org, a Web site where a global network of users meets to shape the life of the program and share the results of its work. With its direct syntax and elegant interface, Processing enables users with minimal programming experience to create simple, rule-based animations and interactive or self-evolving works. Whereas most commercial animation programs such as Flash employ a familiar palette of drawing tools—brush, pen, paint bucket—and a graphic timeline for organizing elements sequentially, drawing in Processing is entirely codebased, requiring the designer to write instructions for generating a mark on the screen and defining its behavior.
OK I am not pretending I wrote that- came from the Cooper Hewitt site as well.. I can barely understand it.
For those of us who want to change the rooms we live in... now, and again 5 minutes later, there are these great wall decals (removable!) from blik there is something for absolutely everyone at www.whatisblik.com/
The digital textiles by Hitoshi Ujiie were so ethereal and...new, it was easy to imagine how people felt the first time they saw silk. Ujiie was raised in the family kimono printing and design business in Kyoto and has developed a digital process for printing fabric. In case you miss the point- from the Technology Communicator For the designer, the implications are both massive and exciting. As Ujiie points out, design styles that are impossible or extremely difficult to achieve with existing conventional printing technologies can now be produced using digital printing. The technology allows designers to manipulate and print patterns containing millions of colors for over-the-top detail with perfect registration. The ability to quickly and easily produce strike-offs and short run samples, as well as drastically minimize inventory are just a few of the logistical benefits.
Finally- after faithfully attending Star Trek conventions for waaaaay too long I finally made it to the holodeck! Sgt. Blackwell was a Computer generated artificially intelligent... training tool. He talked back. But did not actually ANSWER the question you asked- Ask the Sgt. "What time is it?" he replies " What am I- a clock?" After a few moments I swore Lewis Carroll had programmed this guy. But- the application was incredible. Different characters are created to train army personnel to handle specific situations, like how to negotiate with a resolute doctor in Iraq to move his hospital to a safer area. Oh brave new world that has such beings in it! (forgive me Will..)
In the world of graphic design.. the winners are
Chip Kidd- I asked a friend if he knew Kidd's work. He said yeah- he gets ALL the BEST books. Well YEAH...
Nicholas Blechman- checkout his book 100% Evil a series of disturbing yet funny images depicting war, greed, and the needless destruction of self and others. The two sides meet at the center of the book in a devastating battle of mutual annihilation.
PSYOP... amazing web and print design.
And for the "I already DO Graphic Design m'self" folks... the website www.underconsideration.com. The bad news?www.underconsideration.com/speakup- designers talking about design & culture- there goes the hours of sleep for ME between 3 am and 5 am... here designers talk about graphic design in the world- the big issue these days- the butt-ugly 2012 London Olympics logo. It must be seen to be truly appreciated and- though it need not be stated here, I will anyway- this was NOT part of the Design Now show
OK at this point I have shown you 1% of the cool stuff I saw. At this point I was also completely overstimulated, jealous, inspired, and a little hungry (I saw the show pre-knish). Then I saw the best thing at the show. Better than a Smorkin' Labbit.
Snowworld.
Room with a BIG flat screen tv and on it... Penguins being pelted with snowballs. And Snowmen being pelted with snowballs. And Wooly mammoths being, you get the idea. Oh the humanity..umm snowmanity..woollanity..forget it. I was confused. The graphics were..ok. And the violence NOTHING compared to Resident Evil or any of those police bang bang shoot-em-ups I'd seen from Playstation. WTF?
It takes away pain. No kidding.
Snowworld is a virtual reality program designed by Dr Hunter Hoffman as a way to control pain in severe burn victims. Pain is reduced in these victims by 30%-80% while using the program. Did I mention that Dr. Hoffman donates this program to burn units in hospitals free of charge?
Ultimately it's about changing the world. And created an even bigger I want. I want to, too. "That a man's reach should exceed his grasp or what's a heaven for?" Robert Browning
:) X 24
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