WEEKLY EMAIL: SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

FEATURED THIS WEEK : LUC SANTE

Circus: The Photographs of Frederick W. Glasier

Frederick W. Glasier seems to have traveled with the Barnum & Bailey Circus for a while, and maybe later with the Sparks Circus, and may have journeyed to the west, although certainly the better part of his photographs of Native Americans were taken in studio settings and could just as well have been made on the east coast.
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CHANGE OBSERVER : PHOTO BY ABELARDO MORELL

Getting In with the Ingot Crowd

39 Gold Bars: $15,372,742 (11 AM/GMT-3/13/08): $988.25/oz Zurich, Switzerland, 2008
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PLACES : MABEL O. WILSON, PETER TOLKIN

Listening There: Scenes from Ghana

Architects Mabel O. Wilson and Peter Tolkin traveled to Ghana to research the legacy of tropical modernism — the architecture constructed from the 1950s to the '70s, just as British colonial rule was ending and the independent nation was being established. They found a complex story. In contemporary Ghana the social ideals of mid-century have given way to an "ethos that promotes either signature forms or a mundane corporate aesthetic." And yet the earlier sensibility, "internationalism tempered by local conditions," is more meaningful than ever. As part of our ongoing collaboration with the Studio-X Global Initiative at Columbia, we are pleased to present Listening There.
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CHANGE OBSERVER : JADE DRESSLER

Degrees of Temporary

"AMAZElab is a nonprofit organization that focuses on cultural production and social engineering. Mobility, migration, memory, borders, new geographies, the Mediterranean area and the Middle East, the public sphere and sustainability are our areas of interest. We collaborate with national and international institutions to explore territorial and social change."

Renewing the Riverfront

There may be places in this country where top-down Robert Moses–style experts-know-best planning is still alive and well, but Brattleboro, Vermont, is most definitely not one of them.

Haiti and the Potential of Permaculture

Months after the category 7 earthquake that leveled cities and towns and left more than a million homeless, Haiti is struggling to rebuild — and to rebuild not just settlements but also the nation's governance and economy. Architect Deborah Gans, who has studied how refugee camps can be transformed into agrarian villages, argues for a renewal based upon decentralized resettlement and a revived agro-forestry economy — which accords, as she notes, with the vision outlined in the national action plan for recovery. As she writes, "The future map of Haiti could appear a verdant landscape dotted with regional hubs connected by a web of transportation lines to restructured and enhanced port cities.

The "X" Factor

I started collecting Cold War-era (i.e., from the end of WWII through détente) "X" paperbacks when I was 12 years old. From the pulp fiction pile in my grandfather's summer house in Maine, I smuggled home a 1945 Pocket Book edition of Philip MacDonald's Warrant for X. I didn't want to read it; I was obsessed with the free-standing "X" on its cover: two swipes of red paint topped by two narrower swipes of white
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OBSERVATORY : JAN CONRADI

Looking Back, Thinking Forward: A Narrative of the Vignellis

He is an extrovert. Gregarious, outspoken, delighted to work the crowd that is usually equally delighted to be in the room with him. She is poised, quieter, more reserved, less comfortable with the spotlight though no less deserving of its shine. Together they are confident in their choices, earnest in their vision, and determined to create something lasting in a profession that is too often ephemeral.
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OBSERVER MEDIA : KATHY BREW AND ROBERTO GUERRA

Design is One — Lella and Massimo Vignelli

This video is a series of small excerpts from a film in progress: Design is One — The Vignellis, directed and produced by Kathy Brew and Richard Guerra. Here is a glimpse into the work of Lella and Massimo Vignelli — and everyday moments from their world.
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AUDIO: DESIGN MATTERS ARCHIVE

Kenneth FitzGerald

Kenneth FitzGerald, artist, witer, and educator at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.
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CHANGE OBSERVER: PROJECT ARCHIVE

Kiva

Report on Kiva, the pioneering microfinance site, which won a 2009 INDEX award for humanitarian design.
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OBSERVATORY ARCHIVE

On Will Burtin

Stephen Doyle

Design B.S.

PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 2006

Seattle Central Library: Civic Architecture in the Age of Media

In the Seattle Public Library, Rem Koolhaas and OMA work to transform architecture into media interface.
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CHANGE OBSERVER: RESOURCES

Academic Programs >>
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Conferences & Events >>
Fellowships & Prizes >>
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RECENT BOOKS RECEIVED

Keith Haring Journals
Keith Haring

Design Informed
G.Chong, R.M. Brandt & W.M. Martin

Idea Selling
Sam Harrison


WEEKLY EMAIL: SEPTEMBER 23, 2010
FEATURED THIS WEEK : LUC SANTE Circus: The Photographs of Frederick W. Glasier Frederick W. Glasier seems to have traveled with the Barnum & Bailey Circus for a while, and maybe later with the Sparks Circus, and may have journeyed to the west, although certainly the better part of his photographs of Native Americans were taken in studio settings and could just as well have been made on the east coast. READ MORE
CHANGE OBSERVER : PHOTO BY ABELARDO MORELL Getting In with the Ingot Crowd 39 Gold Bars: $15,372,742 (11 AM/GMT-3/13/08): $988.25/oz Zurich, Switzerland, 2008 READ MORE PLACES : MABEL O. WILSON, PETER TOLKIN Listening There: Scenes from Ghana Architects Mabel O. Wilson and Peter Tolkin traveled to Ghana to research the legacy of tropical modernism — the architecture constructed from the 1950s to the '70s, just as British colonial rule was ending and the independent nation was being established. They found a complex story. In contemporary Ghana the social ideals of mid-century have given way to an "ethos that promotes either signature forms or a mundane corporate aesthetic." And yet the earlier sensibility, "internationalism tempered by local conditions," is more meaningful than ever. As part of our ongoing collaboration with the Studio-X Global Initiative at Columbia, we are pleased to present Listening There. READ MORE CHANGE OBSERVER : JADE DRESSLER Degrees of Temporary "AMAZElab is a nonprofit organization that focuses on cultural production and social engineering. Mobility, migration, memory, borders, new geographies, the Mediterranean area and the Middle East, the public sphere and sustainability are our areas of interest. We collaborate with national and international institutions to explore territorial and social change." READ MORE CHANGE OBSERVER : JANE MARGOLIES Renewing the Riverfront There may be places in this country where top-down Robert Moses–style experts-know-best planning is still alive and well, but Brattleboro, Vermont, is most definitely not one of them. READ MORE PLACES : DEBORAH GANS Haiti and the Potential of Permaculture Months after the category 7 earthquake that leveled cities and towns and left more than a million homeless, Haiti is struggling to rebuild — and to rebuild not just settlements but also the nation's governance and economy. Architect Deborah Gans, who has studied how refugee camps can be transformed into agrarian villages, argues for a renewal based upon decentralized resettlement and a revived agro-forestry economy — which accords, as she notes, with the vision outlined in the national action plan for recovery. As she writes, "The future map of Haiti could appear a verdant landscape dotted with regional hubs connected by a web of transportation lines to restructured and enhanced port cities. READ MORE OBSERVATORY : JOSHUA GLENN The "X" Factor I started collecting Cold War-era (i.e., from the end of WWII through détente) "X" paperbacks when I was 12 years old. From the pulp fiction pile in my grandfather's summer house in Maine, I smuggled home a 1945 Pocket Book edition of Philip MacDonald's Warrant for X. I didn't want to read it; I was obsessed with the free-standing "X" on its cover: two swipes of red paint topped by two narrower swipes of white READ MORE OBSERVATORY : JAN CONRADI Looking Back, Thinking Forward: A Narrative of the Vignellis He is an extrovert. Gregarious, outspoken, delighted to work the crowd that is usually equally delighted to be in the room with him. She is poised, quieter, more reserved, less comfortable with the spotlight though no less deserving of its shine. Together they are confident in their choices, earnest in their vision, and determined to create something lasting in a profession that is too often ephemeral. READ MORE OBSERVER MEDIA : KATHY BREW AND ROBERTO GUERRA Design is One — Lella and Massimo Vignelli This video is a series of small excerpts from a film in progress: Design is One — The Vignellis, directed and produced by Kathy Brew and Richard Guerra. Here is a glimpse into the work of Lella and Massimo Vignelli — and everyday moments from their world. READ MORE		BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK \| FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AUDIO: DESIGN MATTERS ARCHIVE Kenneth FitzGerald Kenneth FitzGerald, artist, witer, and educator at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Listen >> More Design Matters Archive >> CHANGE OBSERVER: PROJECT ARCHIVE Kiva Report on Kiva, the pioneering microfinance site, which won a 2009 INDEX award for humanitarian design. READ MORE OBSERVATORY ARCHIVE On Will Burtin Stephen Doyle Design B.S. PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 2006 Seattle Central Library: Civic Architecture in the Age of Media In the Seattle Public Library, Rem Koolhaas and OMA work to transform architecture into media interface. READ MORE CHANGE OBSERVER: RESOURCES Academic Programs >> Competitions >> Conferences & Events >> Fellowships & Prizes >> Organizations >> Programs & Initiatives >> Publications & Websites >> Social Networks >> RECENT BOOKS RECEIVED Keith Haring Journals Keith Haring Design Informed G.Chong, R.M. Brandt & W.M. Martin Idea Selling Sam Harrison
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