WEEKLY EMAIL: JULY 09, 2010

FEATURED THIS WEEK : VERA SACCHETTI

"But Teacher! That's Not Design!"

Portuguese communication designer Barbara Alves arrived in Mozambique in 2009 to work with the Theater of the Oppressed Maputo, a branch of a community activist group she had been involved with in Lisbon. She went on to lead workshops at ENAV, Mozambique's National School of Visual Arts. Alves spoke to Change Observer about Mozambique's transforming design culture.
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CHANGE OBSERVER : MIKE SINCLAIR

Midway at the Oasis

Midway, Neshoba County Fair, Philadelphia, Mississippi, 1990.
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PLACES : JERRY HERRON

Borderland/Borderama/Detroit: Part 3

"How to apply 'city' in relation to unprecedented conditions? That's the question. Where to look historically for sources of meaning and intelligence, when the essence of Detroit's success and also undoing — from Henry Ford's five-dollar day to the wartime 'arsenal of democracy' to post-urban dystopia — has been the successive outmoding of precedents, or the very expectation that there should be any, at least when this place is involved." From the final installment — see also part 1 and part 2 — of Jerry Herron's searching essay on the rise and fall — and persistence — of Detroit.
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OBSERVATORY : JESSICA HELFAND

Happy Birthday, Steven Heller

In the early 1990s, fresh out of grad school, I was working as the Design Director at the (now-defunct) Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Magazine where, surrounded by writers and editors, I became interested myself in writing. At that time, the only writing credit I had to my name was my thesis, and the only person besides me who'd read it was Paul Rand, who wasn't terribly impressed. Undaunted, I mentioned all this to Steven Guarnaccia, who kindly mentioned it to Steve Heller, and a few days later this letter arrived.
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PLACES : JERRY HERRON

Borderland/Borderama/Detroit: Part 2

"... Perhaps the most distinctive feature of American city-making is the border between city and not-city. The uncanny representations of Detroit are no accident. Things that might otherwise seem unthinkable — the wholesale abandonment of urban wealth and the abandonment of people trapped inside the city ... — these are made to appear spectacularly inevitable here, and also irrelevant just because they are here. Detroit is a site both to confront our problems and also to get over them." From part two of Jerry Herron's exploration of the meanings of Detroit. The final installment will appear tomorrow.
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CHANGE OBSERVER : WILLIAM UNDERHILL

Boatanic

Picture a tourist boat in the canals of Amsterdam. Huge panels of glass form the roof and walls of the single cabin, allowing passengers a clear view of the passing cityscape. But what struck designer Damian O'Sullivan on a stroll through the city wasn't the boats' functional elegance: it was their potential as a floating greenhouse.
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PLACES : JERRY HERRON

Borderland/Borderama/Detroit: Part 1

"Detroit looks just like a city, except it's not one any more. But instead of vanishing, like the Mayan cities of Mesoamerica, it persists in a death-in-life existence, and that is what lends the place an uncanny relevance.... Detroit may be emptied out, but it is hardly over, nor will it be any time soon, precisely because of the questions that this city/not raises. What could have happened here? Does it have anything to do with the rest of America?" Writer and historian — and long-time Detroiter — Jerry Herron explores Detroit past and present, finding resonance in observers ranging from Alexis de Tocqueville to Eminem. This is the first of a 3-part installment.
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OBSERVATORY : SCOTT HENDERSON AND DICK SHEAFF

Independence Day

Early 20th-century postcards manufactured for the Fourth of July were very popular. Thousands of colorful cards featured such themes as Uncle Sam, the Goddess of Liberty, eagles, cannons, flags, liberty bell, fireworks, Statue of Liberty, Native Americans, Revolutionary War figures, nautical subjects, and the nation's founders.
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OBSERVATORY : ERIC BAKER

Today, 07.04.10

Here are Today's images.
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BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK | FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

AUDIO: DESIGN MATTERS ARCHIVE

Gordon Hull

An all music show with DJ and designer Gordon Hull, co-founder of the firm Surface to Air.
Listen >>
More Design Matters Archive >>

CHANGE OBSERVER: PROJECT ARCHIVE

PACT Underwear

Report on PACT, an underwear company that embraces green manufacturing and donates a portion of its revenue to nonprofits.
READ MORE

OBSERVATORY ARCHIVE

The Limits of Possibility

Seeing Ovals Everywhere

Personal History

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

[july 6]3D Typography
Jeanette Abbink & Emily CM Anderson

SSSS: Snake Art & Allegory
Gita Wolf

Dot Dot Dot 17
Stuart Bailey, editor


WEEKLY EMAIL: JULY 09, 2010
FEATURED THIS WEEK : VERA SACCHETTI "But Teacher! That's Not Design!" Portuguese communication designer Barbara Alves arrived in Mozambique in 2009 to work with the Theater of the Oppressed Maputo, a branch of a community activist group she had been involved with in Lisbon. She went on to lead workshops at ENAV, Mozambique's National School of Visual Arts. Alves spoke to Change Observer about Mozambique's transforming design culture. READ MORE
CHANGE OBSERVER : MIKE SINCLAIR Midway at the Oasis Midway, Neshoba County Fair, Philadelphia, Mississippi, 1990. READ MORE PLACES : JERRY HERRON Borderland/Borderama/Detroit: Part 3 "How to apply 'city' in relation to unprecedented conditions? That's the question. Where to look historically for sources of meaning and intelligence, when the essence of Detroit's success and also undoing — from Henry Ford's five-dollar day to the wartime 'arsenal of democracy' to post-urban dystopia — has been the successive outmoding of precedents, or the very expectation that there should be any, at least when this place is involved." From the final installment — see also part 1 and part 2 — of Jerry Herron's searching essay on the rise and fall — and persistence — of Detroit. READ MORE OBSERVATORY : JESSICA HELFAND Happy Birthday, Steven Heller In the early 1990s, fresh out of grad school, I was working as the Design Director at the (now-defunct) Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Magazine where, surrounded by writers and editors, I became interested myself in writing. At that time, the only writing credit I had to my name was my thesis, and the only person besides me who'd read it was Paul Rand, who wasn't terribly impressed. Undaunted, I mentioned all this to Steven Guarnaccia, who kindly mentioned it to Steve Heller, and a few days later this letter arrived. READ MORE PLACES : JERRY HERRON Borderland/Borderama/Detroit: Part 2 "... Perhaps the most distinctive feature of American city-making is the border between city and not-city. The uncanny representations of Detroit are no accident. Things that might otherwise seem unthinkable — the wholesale abandonment of urban wealth and the abandonment of people trapped inside the city ... — these are made to appear spectacularly inevitable here, and also irrelevant just because they are here. Detroit is a site both to confront our problems and also to get over them." From part two of Jerry Herron's exploration of the meanings of Detroit. The final installment will appear tomorrow. READ MORE CHANGE OBSERVER : WILLIAM UNDERHILL Boatanic Picture a tourist boat in the canals of Amsterdam. Huge panels of glass form the roof and walls of the single cabin, allowing passengers a clear view of the passing cityscape. But what struck designer Damian O'Sullivan on a stroll through the city wasn't the boats' functional elegance: it was their potential as a floating greenhouse. READ MORE PLACES : JERRY HERRON Borderland/Borderama/Detroit: Part 1 "Detroit looks just like a city, except it's not one any more. But instead of vanishing, like the Mayan cities of Mesoamerica, it persists in a death-in-life existence, and that is what lends the place an uncanny relevance.... Detroit may be emptied out, but it is hardly over, nor will it be any time soon, precisely because of the questions that this city/not raises. What could have happened here? Does it have anything to do with the rest of America?" Writer and historian — and long-time Detroiter — Jerry Herron explores Detroit past and present, finding resonance in observers ranging from Alexis de Tocqueville to Eminem. This is the first of a 3-part installment. READ MORE OBSERVATORY : SCOTT HENDERSON AND DICK SHEAFF Independence Day Early 20th-century postcards manufactured for the Fourth of July were very popular. Thousands of colorful cards featured such themes as Uncle Sam, the Goddess of Liberty, eagles, cannons, flags, liberty bell, fireworks, Statue of Liberty, Native Americans, Revolutionary War figures, nautical subjects, and the nation's founders. READ MORE OBSERVATORY : ERIC BAKER Today, 07.04.10 Here are Today's images. READ MORE		BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK \| FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AUDIO: DESIGN MATTERS ARCHIVE Gordon Hull An all music show with DJ and designer Gordon Hull, co-founder of the firm Surface to Air. Listen >> More Design Matters Archive >> CHANGE OBSERVER: PROJECT ARCHIVE PACT Underwear Report on PACT, an underwear company that embraces green manufacturing and donates a portion of its revenue to nonprofits. READ MORE OBSERVATORY ARCHIVE The Limits of Possibility Seeing Ovals Everywhere Personal History 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 [july 6]3D Typography Jeanette Abbink & Emily CM Anderson SSSS: Snake Art & Allegory Gita Wolf Dot Dot Dot 17 Stuart Bailey, editor
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