PLACES : LISA FINDLEY, LIZ OGBU

South Africa: From Township to Town

Since the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has labored to redress the legacy of racial segration — including the long history of physical separation exemplified by the black townships. Here Lisa Findley and Liz Ogbu describe diverse efforts to transform the marginalized townships into thriving towns — a struggle that remains ongoing.
READ MORE

OBSERVERS ROOM : RICK POYNOR

The Infinite Warehouse of Images

The grouchy existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre famously declared, “Hell is other people.” If JPS had been around today, he might have felt obliged to revise that axiom. In the age of the upload, when no personal snap is too inconsequential to post, we confront the stark possibility that hell just might be other people’s photographs. As the photo collector Erik Kessels puts it, we are “drowning in pictures of the experiences of others.”
READ MORE

FROM OUR SPONSORS

Being sustainable has never been so profitable. See how the country's most innovative companies are improving their bottom line by staying the course on sustainability. Look into Sappi's paper mills that are setting a new standard for environmental responsibility.
Find out more about Sappi here >>
Order a copy of eQ003 >>
Download a PDF copy >>

Two great MFA programs: The Interaction Design program, which explores the role of design in shaping everyday life and the Graduate Program for the Designer as Entrepreneur.
Visit MFA Interaction Design >>
The Designer as Entrepreneur Podcast >>
SVA Website >>

OBSERVERS ROOM : ALEXANDRA LANGE

Who Are We Competing For?

Yesterday I awoke to a stream of Twitter messages about the early Tuesday raid of Occupy Wall Street. Mayor Bloomberg was set to address the press about the raid at 8 a.m. Mayor Bloomberg had been scheduled to kick off the "Zoning the City" conference I planned to attend at 8:30 a.m. I decided there was no rush to get to midtown: there was no way he was going to make both.

And the mayor's non-presence, like the encampment's nonexistence, recast the day for me.
READ MORE

OBSERVERS ROOM : ROB WALKER

Shower Head As Moral Crossroad

An unfamiliar object startled me in a hotel-room shower recently. Was it a product of the same thick-headed vision of progress that answers the three-blade razor with the four-blader? Or a production error, an industrial design mutant? No and no. It was, presumably by accident, a moral dilemma waiting to happen.
READ MORE

OBSERVERS ROOM : MARK LAMSTER

Tower Heists

On a February afternoon in 1902, a blaze of suspicious origin enveloped Durland's Riding Academy, a condemned equestrian center adjacent to Central Park on Columbus Circle. The scene was captured by Thomas Edison's film production company, and you can watch it today online, accompanied by a jaunty score. The film came to mind last week, as I sat through the caper flick Tower Heist, which is set on the very same corner of Columbus Circle in New York City, but a century later.
READ MORE

CHANGE OBSERVER : LAURA WEISS

Better Service Through Consultmanship

Any role that requires engagement with other human beings can benefit from sensitivity to good service — communicating clearly, keeping projects on schedule, providing appropriate feedback. And yet such capabilities are colloquially characterized in MBA programs as “soft skills.”
READ MORE

PLACES : ROBERT E. LANG, ARTHUR C. NELSON

Megapolitan America

Americans have long cherished the myth of the wild frontier; but the United States is a nation of cities, and these cities are growing larger. As planning scholars Robert Lang and Arthur Nelson argue, the country can now be understood in terms of a new geography of "megapolitans" — large and powerful regions consisting of multiple cities and even states that are economically, environmentally and culturally interconnected.
READ MORE

OBSERVATORY : JOHN FOSTER

Accidental Mysteries, 11.13.11

Accidental Mysteries, a weekly cabinet of visual curiosities curated by John Foster, highlights images of design, art, architecture and ephemera brought to light by the magic of the digital age.
READ MORE

OBSERVER MEDIA : DEBBIE MILLMAN

John Hockenberry

In this audio interview with Debbie Millman, John Hockenberry discusses his morning NPR news show The Takeaway, journalism in the age of social-media, Steve Jobs and sex.
READ MORE


WEEKLY EMAIL: NOVEMBER 17, 2011
FEATURED THIS WEEK : PATRICK CRAMSIE The World's Best-Known Portrait The world's best-known portrait is … a work of graphic design… not a painting, nor a photograph — and yet most designers are unaware of the origins of this world famous image. READ MORE
PLACES : LISA FINDLEY, LIZ OGBU South Africa: From Township to Town Since the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has labored to redress the legacy of racial segration — including the long history of physical separation exemplified by the black townships. Here Lisa Findley and Liz Ogbu describe diverse efforts to transform the marginalized townships into thriving towns — a struggle that remains ongoing. READ MORE OBSERVERS ROOM : RICK POYNOR The Infinite Warehouse of Images The grouchy existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre famously declared, “Hell is other people.” If JPS had been around today, he might have felt obliged to revise that axiom. In the age of the upload, when no personal snap is too inconsequential to post, we confront the stark possibility that hell just might be other people’s photographs. As the photo collector Erik Kessels puts it, we are “drowning in pictures of the experiences of others.” READ MORE FROM OUR SPONSORS Being sustainable has never been so profitable. See how the country's most innovative companies are improving their bottom line by staying the course on sustainability. Look into Sappi's paper mills that are setting a new standard for environmental responsibility. Find out more about Sappi here >> Order a copy of eQ003 >> Download a PDF copy >> Two great MFA programs: The Interaction Design program, which explores the role of design in shaping everyday life and the Graduate Program for the Designer as Entrepreneur. Visit MFA Interaction Design >> The Designer as Entrepreneur Podcast >> SVA Website >> OBSERVERS ROOM : ALEXANDRA LANGE Who Are We Competing For? Yesterday I awoke to a stream of Twitter messages about the early Tuesday raid of Occupy Wall Street. Mayor Bloomberg was set to address the press about the raid at 8 a.m. Mayor Bloomberg had been scheduled to kick off the "Zoning the City" conference I planned to attend at 8:30 a.m. I decided there was no rush to get to midtown: there was no way he was going to make both. And the mayor's non-presence, like the encampment's nonexistence, recast the day for me. READ MORE OBSERVERS ROOM : ROB WALKER Shower Head As Moral Crossroad An unfamiliar object startled me in a hotel-room shower recently. Was it a product of the same thick-headed vision of progress that answers the three-blade razor with the four-blader? Or a production error, an industrial design mutant? No and no. It was, presumably by accident, a moral dilemma waiting to happen. READ MORE OBSERVERS ROOM : MARK LAMSTER Tower Heists On a February afternoon in 1902, a blaze of suspicious origin enveloped Durland's Riding Academy, a condemned equestrian center adjacent to Central Park on Columbus Circle. The scene was captured by Thomas Edison's film production company, and you can watch it today online, accompanied by a jaunty score. The film came to mind last week, as I sat through the caper flick Tower Heist, which is set on the very same corner of Columbus Circle in New York City, but a century later. READ MORE CHANGE OBSERVER : LAURA WEISS Better Service Through Consultmanship Any role that requires engagement with other human beings can benefit from sensitivity to good service — communicating clearly, keeping projects on schedule, providing appropriate feedback. And yet such capabilities are colloquially characterized in MBA programs as “soft skills.” READ MORE PLACES : ROBERT E. LANG, ARTHUR C. NELSON Megapolitan America Americans have long cherished the myth of the wild frontier; but the United States is a nation of cities, and these cities are growing larger. As planning scholars Robert Lang and Arthur Nelson argue, the country can now be understood in terms of a new geography of "megapolitans" — large and powerful regions consisting of multiple cities and even states that are economically, environmentally and culturally interconnected. READ MORE OBSERVATORY : JOHN FOSTER Accidental Mysteries, 11.13.11 Accidental Mysteries, a weekly cabinet of visual curiosities curated by John Foster, highlights images of design, art, architecture and ephemera brought to light by the magic of the digital age. READ MORE OBSERVER MEDIA : DEBBIE MILLMAN John Hockenberry In this audio interview with Debbie Millman, John Hockenberry discusses his morning NPR news show The Takeaway, journalism in the age of social-media, Steve Jobs and sex. READ MORE		BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK \| FOLLOW US ON TWITTER It's never too late to start connecting. MFA Interaction Design at the School of Visual Arts >> Go on, tempt the fates. Enter the show celebrating the best design ever printed on Mohawk paper. Enter here >> The place to go for the latest an d most trusted information regarding sustainability in our industry. eQ from Sappi >> Learn About Degrees in Urban Design, Urban Policy, and Urban Studies in New York City. >> AUDIO: DESIGN MATTERS ARCHIVE Petrula Vrontikis Petrula Vrontikis is a graphic designer and educator at Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. Listen >> More Design Matters Archive >> CHANGE OBSERVER: PROJECT ARCHIVE Conflict Kitchen Report on Conflict Kitchen, a project by artists affiliated with Carnegie Mellon to foster cross-cultural understanding through food. READ MORE OBSERVATORY ARCHIVE On Dogs Hiroshima: Lost Photographs Sentient vs. Meat PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 1983 An Interview with James Turrell A 1983 interview with James Turrell, then beginning his transformation of the Roden Crater. The monumental work is scheduled to open to the public in 2012. READ MORE CHANGE OBSERVER: RESOURCES Academic Programs >> Competitions >> Conferences & Events >> Fellowships & Prizes >> Organizations >> Programs & Initiatives >> Publications & Websites >> Social Networks >> RECENT BOOKS RECEIVED High Line: The Inside Story of New York City's Park in the Sky Joshua David & Robert Hammond Take a Line for a Walk: A Creativity Journal Robin Landa Bob Gill, So Far Bob Gill
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WEEKLY EMAIL: NOVEMBER 17, 2011

FEATURED THIS WEEK : PATRICK CRAMSIE

PLACES : LISA FINDLEY, LIZ OGBU

OBSERVERS ROOM : RICK POYNOR

FROM OUR SPONSORS

OBSERVERS ROOM : ALEXANDRA LANGE

OBSERVERS ROOM : ROB WALKER

OBSERVERS ROOM : MARK LAMSTER

CHANGE OBSERVER : LAURA WEISS

PLACES : ROBERT E. LANG, ARTHUR C. NELSON

OBSERVATORY : JOHN FOSTER

OBSERVER MEDIA : DEBBIE MILLMAN

AUDIO: DESIGN MATTERS ARCHIVE

CHANGE OBSERVER: PROJECT ARCHIVE

OBSERVATORY ARCHIVE

PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 1983

CHANGE OBSERVER: RESOURCES

RECENT BOOKS RECEIVED