CHANGE OBSERVER : JULIE LASKY

Chandigarh on the Block

Furnishings designed for Corbusier's urban masterpiece are being sold at auction. How outraged should we be?
READ MORE

PLACES : MARK LAMSTER

The Architectural Monograph: A Defense

What is the future of the architectural monograph? In a provocative column for Architectural Record, Martin Filler laments what he describes as the "steady devaluation" of the format, to the point that such volumes have become "little more than glossy hardcover promotional brochures to entice an uninformed and impressionable lay clientele." Mark Lamster defends the monograph, and also looks forward to promising alternative directions, "as a new generation takes on the medium."
READ MORE

FROM OUR SPONSOR

Design Ignites Change announces 2010 award winners.
Show support with style, buy the limited edition "Feedback Loop" notebooks at Felt & Wire. All proceeds benefit the cause.
Design Ignites Change >>
Felt & Wire website >>
Mohawk Fine Papers >>

OBSERVATORY : ALAN THOMAS

Calcutta: Bookland

An election is coming in April, and the hammer and sickle is everywhere in Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, a city established by the East India Company and once capital of the British Raj. The Maoist insurgency controls large parts of the countryside just to the west of the city. At the Kolkata Book Fair last month, I find Mao less in evidence than Che, whose iconic image adorns several publishers’ displays, including the Latin American pavilion.
READ MORE

OBSERVATORY : JOHN FOSTER

Accidental Mysteries, 03.27.11

Welcome to Accidental Mysteries, a weekly cabinet of visual curiosities set aside for your perusal and enlightenment.
READ MORE

OBSERVER MEDIA : DEBBIE MILLMAN

Dominique Browning

In this audio interview with Debbie Millman, Dominique Browning discusses her tenure as Editor in Chief at House & Garden, her recent book, Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put On My Pajamas & Found Happiness, and the effects of love on a stuffed animal.
READ MORE

OBSERVERS ROOM : RICK POYNOR

An Unknown Master of Poster Design

Karel Teissig might just be the best poster designer you have never, or barely ever, heard of. An exhibition of his work opened in Prague on March 24, organized by the indefatigable Terry Posters, and I’m using that event as an excuse to show a few more Teissig posters, not that I need any prompting.
READ MORE

PLACES : ALEJANDRO CARTAGENA

Lost Rivers

Earlier this year we featured Fragmented Cities, a portfolio by photographer Alejandro Cartagena documenting the effects of urbanization, especially exurban housing, on his home city of Monterrey. Here we present another in his series, this focusing on ecological damage to the region's rivers. As Places photography editor Aaron Rothman, who curated both portfolios, says, "Lost Rivers depicts places poised between loss and beauty, acknowledging the price of urbanization while seeking to reclaim a sense of connection with these natural spaces."
READ MORE

PLACES : ANNE PIERSON WIESE

Sutliff Bridge

Earlier this week we published Kristi Dykema Cheramie's study of the Mississippi River Basin Model, built by the Army Corps of Engineers in an effort to predict and control the workings of the great river system. Here is a different way to understand the complexities of nature: Sutliff Bridge, by poet Anne Pierson Wiese, inspired by the destruction of the historic bridge that once spanned the Cedar River near Iowa City, which was "grabbed in the river's fist, twisted and dragged downstream," in the floods of 2008.
READ MORE

OBSERVERS ROOM : JOSH WALLAERT

Google Maps, Give Us Our River Names

No map in history has made us feel more powerful or more present. But there's a little thing missing: the Mississippi River.
READ MORE

OBSERVERS ROOM : JOHN THACKARA

Collapse of Civilization Tango

Choreographer Valerie Green and Dance Entropy, a New York City-based experimental dance troupe, will shortly premier a new work, “Rise and Fall,” that's about collapsing civilizations, the raw ugliness of industrialization and gross consumption.
READ MORE

PLACES : KRISTI DYKEMA CHERAMIE

The Scale of Nature: Modeling the Mississippi River

From the 1940s to the '70s the Army Corps of Engineers operated the Mississippi River Basin Model, an ambitious 200-acre hydraulics model of the largest river system in North America — and an amazing embodiment of midcentury technocratic confidence in our ability to control nature. Today the abandoned Basin Model is a ruin, and that confidence all but gone. Kristi Dykema Cheramie explores the model-world, pondering its unwitting role in the perilous state of the delta today. "The model endorsed a dangerous abstraction of real material," she says, "and an unrealistic ability to contain and isolate variables in an infinitely complex natural system."
READ MORE

OBSERVATORY : FRED A. BERNSTEIN

More Is Less

New York City officials have to decide to stop the demolition of a small, brick house, in the East Village. The Federal style house, which has stood at 35 Cooper Square since 1825, is scheduled to be replaced with a new building. Preservationists, under the gun, have been combing through records of the building’s past to build the case for saving it — as an important artifact of nineteenth century Manhattan.
READ MORE

OBSERVERS ROOM : JOHN THACKARA

From Bankster HQ to Start-up Central in Iceland

Made by two young Icelandic women, The Start-Up Kids is a documentary about young entrepreneurs who have founded web and media startups in the US and Europe.
READ MORE

OBSERVATORY : JOHN FOSTER

Accidental Mysteries, 03.20.11

Welcome to Accidental Mysteries, a weekly cabinet of visual curiosities set aside for your perusal and enlightenment.
READ MORE

OBSERVER MEDIA : GESTALTEN

Erik Spiekermann - Putting Back the Face into Typeface

In this video, Erik Spiekermann discusses his process and methods for designing type, his life's work and how sometimes graphic design can change lives.
READ MORE

OBSERVERS ROOM : RICK POYNOR

Slicing Open the Surrealist Eyeball

Surrealism codified a poetic principle that has always existed as a possibility and still exists in life and art “after Surrealism.” “There is another world,” said Paul Éluard, “but it is in this one.” This, for me, is a guiding principle — the illuminating essence of the Surrealist revelation.
READ MORE


WEEKLY EMAIL: MARCH 28, 2011
FEATURED THIS WEEK : LAURA WEISS Why We're All Designers Without an appreciation of the design process, it is difficult for someone who has a stake in the outcomes to be a productive participant. READ MORE
CHANGE OBSERVER : JULIE LASKY Chandigarh on the Block Furnishings designed for Corbusier's urban masterpiece are being sold at auction. How outraged should we be? READ MORE PLACES : MARK LAMSTER The Architectural Monograph: A Defense What is the future of the architectural monograph? In a provocative column for Architectural Record, Martin Filler laments what he describes as the "steady devaluation" of the format, to the point that such volumes have become "little more than glossy hardcover promotional brochures to entice an uninformed and impressionable lay clientele." Mark Lamster defends the monograph, and also looks forward to promising alternative directions, "as a new generation takes on the medium." READ MORE FROM OUR SPONSOR Design Ignites Change announces 2010 award winners. Show support with style, buy the limited edition "Feedback Loop" notebooks at Felt & Wire. All proceeds benefit the cause. Design Ignites Change >> Felt & Wire website >> Mohawk Fine Papers >> OBSERVATORY : ALAN THOMAS Calcutta: Bookland An election is coming in April, and the hammer and sickle is everywhere in Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, a city established by the East India Company and once capital of the British Raj. The Maoist insurgency controls large parts of the countryside just to the west of the city. At the Kolkata Book Fair last month, I find Mao less in evidence than Che, whose iconic image adorns several publishers’ displays, including the Latin American pavilion. READ MORE OBSERVATORY : JOHN FOSTER Accidental Mysteries, 03.27.11 Welcome to Accidental Mysteries, a weekly cabinet of visual curiosities set aside for your perusal and enlightenment. READ MORE OBSERVER MEDIA : DEBBIE MILLMAN Dominique Browning In this audio interview with Debbie Millman, Dominique Browning discusses her tenure as Editor in Chief at House & Garden, her recent book, Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put On My Pajamas & Found Happiness, and the effects of love on a stuffed animal. READ MORE OBSERVERS ROOM : RICK POYNOR An Unknown Master of Poster Design Karel Teissig might just be the best poster designer you have never, or barely ever, heard of. An exhibition of his work opened in Prague on March 24, organized by the indefatigable Terry Posters, and I’m using that event as an excuse to show a few more Teissig posters, not that I need any prompting. READ MORE PLACES : ALEJANDRO CARTAGENA Lost Rivers Earlier this year we featured Fragmented Cities, a portfolio by photographer Alejandro Cartagena documenting the effects of urbanization, especially exurban housing, on his home city of Monterrey. Here we present another in his series, this focusing on ecological damage to the region's rivers. As Places photography editor Aaron Rothman, who curated both portfolios, says, "Lost Rivers depicts places poised between loss and beauty, acknowledging the price of urbanization while seeking to reclaim a sense of connection with these natural spaces." READ MORE OBSERVATORY : ROBERT PINSKY "ABC" Any body can die, evidently... READ MORE PLACES : ANNE PIERSON WIESE Sutliff Bridge Earlier this week we published Kristi Dykema Cheramie's study of the Mississippi River Basin Model, built by the Army Corps of Engineers in an effort to predict and control the workings of the great river system. Here is a different way to understand the complexities of nature: Sutliff Bridge, by poet Anne Pierson Wiese, inspired by the destruction of the historic bridge that once spanned the Cedar River near Iowa City, which was "grabbed in the river's fist, twisted and dragged downstream," in the floods of 2008. READ MORE CHANGE OBSERVER : ERNEST BECK Creative Support for Japan The design world is pitching in with a truckload of inspired items for sale. READ MORE OBSERVERS ROOM : JOSH WALLAERT Google Maps, Give Us Our River Names No map in history has made us feel more powerful or more present. But there's a little thing missing: the Mississippi River. READ MORE OBSERVERS ROOM : JOHN THACKARA Collapse of Civilization Tango Choreographer Valerie Green and Dance Entropy, a New York City-based experimental dance troupe, will shortly premier a new work, “Rise and Fall,” that's about collapsing civilizations, the raw ugliness of industrialization and gross consumption. READ MORE PLACES : KRISTI DYKEMA CHERAMIE The Scale of Nature: Modeling the Mississippi River From the 1940s to the '70s the Army Corps of Engineers operated the Mississippi River Basin Model, an ambitious 200-acre hydraulics model of the largest river system in North America — and an amazing embodiment of midcentury technocratic confidence in our ability to control nature. Today the abandoned Basin Model is a ruin, and that confidence all but gone. Kristi Dykema Cheramie explores the model-world, pondering its unwitting role in the perilous state of the delta today. "The model endorsed a dangerous abstraction of real material," she says, "and an unrealistic ability to contain and isolate variables in an infinitely complex natural system." READ MORE OBSERVATORY : FRED A. BERNSTEIN More Is Less New York City officials have to decide to stop the demolition of a small, brick house, in the East Village. The Federal style house, which has stood at 35 Cooper Square since 1825, is scheduled to be replaced with a new building. Preservationists, under the gun, have been combing through records of the building’s past to build the case for saving it — as an important artifact of nineteenth century Manhattan. READ MORE OBSERVERS ROOM : JOHN THACKARA From Bankster HQ to Start-up Central in Iceland Made by two young Icelandic women, The Start-Up Kids is a documentary about young entrepreneurs who have founded web and media startups in the US and Europe. READ MORE OBSERVATORY : JOHN FOSTER Accidental Mysteries, 03.20.11 Welcome to Accidental Mysteries, a weekly cabinet of visual curiosities set aside for your perusal and enlightenment. READ MORE OBSERVER MEDIA : GESTALTEN Erik Spiekermann - Putting Back the Face into Typeface In this video, Erik Spiekermann discusses his process and methods for designing type, his life's work and how sometimes graphic design can change lives. READ MORE OBSERVERS ROOM : JULIE LASKY Lit from Above Designers and Books is a website that presents the reading lists of eminent tastemakers. READ MORE OBSERVERS ROOM : ALEXANDRA LANGE Bad Faith Towers Never let it be said that Bruce Ratner is not an avid follower of architectural trends. READ MORE OBSERVERS ROOM : RICK POYNOR Slicing Open the Surrealist Eyeball Surrealism codified a poetic principle that has always existed as a possibility and still exists in life and art “after Surrealism.” “There is another world,” said Paul Éluard, “but it is in this one.” This, for me, is a guiding principle — the illuminating essence of the Surrealist revelation. READ MORE		BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK \| FOLLOW US ON TWITTER Call for entries now open. Submit your best and win up to $5,000. No entry fees. >> Need a great printer? Use one of our winners. A complete list here. >> AUDIO: DESIGN MATTERS ARCHIVE Luke Hayman Luke Hayman is a designer and partner at Pentagram Design. Listen >> More Design Matters Archive >> CHANGE OBSERVER: PROJECT ARCHIVE BOOM Report on a visionary residential complex for aging gay boomers. READ MORE OBSERVATORY ARCHIVE Scrapbooking On the Shiv Listomania PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 2008 Mythologies of Placemaking READ MORE CHANGE OBSERVER: RESOURCES Academic Programs >> Competitions >> Conferences & Events >> Fellowships & Prizes >> Organizations >> Programs & Initiatives >> Publications & Websites >> Social Networks >> RECENT BOOKS RECEIVED Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo Nicholas de Monchaux Clip, Stamp, Fold: The Radical Architecture of Little Magazines Beatriz Colomina & Craig Buckley, editors Holderlin: A Play in Two Acts Peter Weiss
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WEEKLY EMAIL: MARCH 28, 2011

FEATURED THIS WEEK : LAURA WEISS

CHANGE OBSERVER : JULIE LASKY

PLACES : MARK LAMSTER

FROM OUR SPONSOR

OBSERVATORY : ALAN THOMAS

OBSERVATORY : JOHN FOSTER

OBSERVER MEDIA : DEBBIE MILLMAN

OBSERVERS ROOM : RICK POYNOR

PLACES : ALEJANDRO CARTAGENA

OBSERVATORY : ROBERT PINSKY

PLACES : ANNE PIERSON WIESE

CHANGE OBSERVER : ERNEST BECK

OBSERVERS ROOM : JOSH WALLAERT

OBSERVERS ROOM : JOHN THACKARA

PLACES : KRISTI DYKEMA CHERAMIE

OBSERVATORY : FRED A. BERNSTEIN

OBSERVERS ROOM : JOHN THACKARA

OBSERVATORY : JOHN FOSTER

OBSERVER MEDIA : GESTALTEN

OBSERVERS ROOM : JULIE LASKY

OBSERVERS ROOM : ALEXANDRA LANGE

OBSERVERS ROOM : RICK POYNOR

AUDIO: DESIGN MATTERS ARCHIVE

CHANGE OBSERVER: PROJECT ARCHIVE

OBSERVATORY ARCHIVE

PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 2008

CHANGE OBSERVER: RESOURCES

RECENT BOOKS RECEIVED