Jumpstart your week with our insider’s guide to events in the design world. From must-see exhibitions to insightful lectures and the competitions you need to know about—here’s the best of what’s going on, right now.
Monday
The risk of potential failure can be a fragile concept for students in creative fields, but it can also be one of the most valuable learning experiences. How do we make room for exploration without fear within design school programs? What strategies are creative educators implementing to reframe the notion of failure and encourage risk-taking among their students? These questions will be explored during What if…Why Not…? a one-day symposium on the nature of creative risk taking in art, design and performance education.
London, UK. March 21, 2016 at 9:30 AM.
Tuesday
The annual Phil Patton Memorial Lecture series debuts this week, in honor of the late design critic. Patton was fascinated by cars so in this inaugural edition, Women and Cars, professor Russell Flinchum will trace the overlooked role female designer’s played in transforming the horseless carriage into the first modern automobiles of the 1920’s.
New York, NY. March 22, 2016 at 6:30 PM.
Wednesday
Opening this week at the Museum of Arts and Design is the first American retrospective featuring the work of Studio Job, the collaborative duo composed of Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel. Occupying a hybrid space between art and design, their work (created mostly in their Belgian studio, pictured above) revives traditional applied-arts techniques such as bronze casting, stained glass, and marquetry through their characteristically humorous and provocative designs, which will be on display in an immersive installation that includes art objects, furniture, sculpture, lighting, interiors, and wall and floor coverings.
New York, NY. On view through August 21, 2016.
Thursday
Built in 1857, Central Park has since become an integral part of New York City’s DNA, a true oasis in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world. In this presentation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, architectural historian Barry Lewis will chart the park’s design and realization, revealing how it became Gotham’s very own Garden of Eden.
New York, NY. March 24, 2016 at 6:30 PM.
Friday
Earlier this month, the first comprehensive retrospective of interior designer and textile artist Alexander Girard, A Designer’s Universe, opened at the Vitra Design Museum. Through 700 pieces including rare archival content, the museum has staged a joyful show depicting the full extent of his oeuvre and highlighting some of his most important influences, such as pop art and folk art, in which he found echoes of a playful spirit that he ended up seeking in his own work: “The objects were not designed for deep contemplation but rather as simple expressions of delight, amusement or reverence. They were created by the spirit of the craftsman. Invented and fashioned by an individual for the enjoyment of others.”
Weil-am-Rhein, Germany. On view through January 29, 2017.
Saturday/Sunday
Don’t miss the final days of e-waste Tsunami, an exhibition featuring the work of students in the Parsons’ School of Constructed Environments, Industrial Design MFA program and STUDIOFYNN. Through photographic documentation and data visualization, the show traces the life of electronic products from the desktops of affluent households to the poorest corners of the world, while trying to find new ways to see the global ecosystems behind the creation, use and disposal of e-waste.
New York, NY. On view through March 26, 2016.
Upcoming Deadlines
March 25 - Call for Submissions: Young Package 2016
Packaging design can no longer afford to be mainly about aesthetics—how can we create multi-functional packages that work on multiple levels?
Check out the Core77 Calendar for more design world events, competitions and exhibitions, or submit your own to be considered for our next Week in Design.
http://www.core77.com/posts/49587/A-Studio-Job-Retrospective-in-New-York-the-Playful-Universe-of-Alexander-Girard-at-Vitra-Design-Museum-and-the-Role-of-Women-in-the-Early-Days-of-Auto-Design