Chauvet-De Wolfe-Olbrich (17-23 December)

on this date in Design…

Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc Cave, Ardèche, France, discovered 18 December 1994
Elsie De Wolfe, American actress & interior decorator, birthday 20 December 1865
Joseph Olbrich, Austrian architect and co-founder of the Vienna Secession, birthday 22 December 1867

With as small as the world seems today, it may be unbelievable that in the modern era there are still prehistoric discoveries which amaze and challenge the collective knowledge.  As recently as 1994, the immense cave of Chauvet with its perfectly preserved paintings dating over 30,000 years was discovered, isolated by an ancient landslide. 

What makes these images different than those found at Lascaux?  Not only are these images over twice as old, but they show similar and in some cases more advanced techniques.  The artist(s) prepared the surfaces by scraping away debris and sometimes older paintings.  There are images that have been carved into the surface not just applied with paint.  There are full “scenes” of action, not just encyclopedic representations of animals.  In one scene there is a dominance struggle between two rhinoceroses.  Of course there are rudimentary acknowledgments of perspective and action as with Lascaux.     

However, the level of shading detail here evoke a sense of three-dimensionality.  With every new discovery the understanding of the prehistoric human mind becomes richer.  The more complex these findings are offers the opportunity to re-examine what it truly means to be human and the need to express one’s self artistically. 

 

Most people will tell you that Elsie De Wolfe is “The First Lady of Interior Decoration”.  However, that moniker barely begins to describe what a force she was.  De Wolfe almost single-handedly created the separate and distinct profession of the interior decorator.  After a career on the stage, at the age of 40, she was commissioned to complete the interiors of the Colony Club, one of the first women’s clubs in New York.  De Wolfe figuratively “threw open” the dark velvet drapery of the Victorian era and using inspiration from 18th century France created light, bright and airy feminine spaces.  It could be said that her design sensibilities manifested themselves as a child when she threw a kicking and screaming temper tantrum in response to her parents redecorating the drawing room. 

 

Even in her acting career she was more known for her creative costuming (which she designed) than her thespian abilities.  De Wolfe’s design successes should be credited to her knack for self-promotion and connections as a socialite in both the American and European circles.  Her business was bolstered by such clientele as Morgan, Astor & Whitney in addition to inviting Vogue to cover her parties.  The descriptions of her hostess abilities in the magazine brought her name and style to housewives around the country and perhaps even influenced the likes of Martha Stewart.  De Wolfe’s book “The House in Good Taste” became equally an influential beginning the trend of faux finishes and animal print upholstery; only in Elsie’s case, the animal print was more likely to be real.   

Joseph Olbrich along with Gustav Klimt, Josef Hoffmann & Koloman Moser established the Vienna Secession movement in 1897 but Olbrich gave the group what would become its figurehead: the Secession Hall.  The movement sought to break from the prevailing traditional conservatism of the Vienna Künstlerhaus which focused on historicism.  Instead, Olbrich wanted to bring “purer” geometric forms to buildings.  This can be seen in the Secession Hall with the iconic orb atop the structure contained by four rectangular pillars.  The building surface is then decorated with linear ornament which would come to be called “whiplash” or “eel” style. 

These ideas would give way to the Art Nouveau movement which eventually formed a theoretical break in the Secession members.  However, Olbrich maintained the original ideal of the group and found extended success in the States.  After participating in the Louisiana Exhibition in St. Louis, he was appointed corresponding member of the AIA, most likely at the behest of Frank Lloyd Wright.  It is a small wonder as the two shared similar theories on architecture and ornamentation.

Links:

The Chauvet Cave, Ardèche, France
"Cave of Forgotten Dreams", flim by Werner Herzog
The Bradshaw Foundation for ancient rock art

article on Elsie De Wolfe, Architectural Digest
"The House in Good Taste", by Elsie De Wolfe, University of Wisconsin Digital Collections

The Secession Hall, Vienna, Austria
archINFORM for the Secession Hall
archINFORM for Hochzeitsturm, Darmstadt, Germany

Alexandrina-Newson-Cement (15-21 October)

On this date in design…

Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt, inaugurated 16 October 2002
Marc Newson, Australian-born industrial designer, birthday 20 October 1963
Ordinary Portland Cement, Joseph Aspdin, patent 21 October 1824

The original Royal Library of Alexandria was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World but was a victim of collateral damage as a result of Julius Caesar setting fire to his own ships in the harbor in 48 B.C.E.  Today, the only remaining Wonder are the Great Pyramids of Giza which are also in Egypt.  So, in commemoration and near the original site, the Egyptian government along with the support of UNESCO and contributions from the majority of surrounding Arab states, Snøhetta Arkitektur Landskap AS, from Oslo, Norway won the design competition in 1988 for a new library.  Snøhetta has become renowned around the world for major civic projects

including the September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion in New York City.  Their company philosophy strives to intricately incorporate landscape & public art installations with building design in addition to adhering to environmentally responsible design.  This new library can hold over 8 million books but its true purpose (as in antiquity) is to act as a hub “for the production & dissemination of knowledge, and to be a place of dialogue and understanding between cultures & peoples.”  The campus includes multiple art galleries, conference center, planetarium & manuscript restoration laboratory.  Snøhetta’s design incorporates a monumental granite wall covered with letters from all the world’s alphabets and the entire building mimics an enormous sundial on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.   

The light-filled reading room also harkens back to Wright’s Johnson Wax Building interior.  In light of what has become known as “The Arab Spring” with so many citizens, including Egyptian, taking control of their future, let us hope this spirit of learning, collaboration, dialogue, understanding and tolerance will be forever rooted in its walls. 

Marc Newson’s premier exhibition funded by a grant from the Australian Crafts Council brought us the sumptuous Lockheed Lounge (1986) which has set three consecutive auction records for final sale price.  However, it wasn’t until he designed the creepy Embryo Chair (1988) that he developed a signature style.  As a native of Australia it seems only natural Newson would become the creative director for Quantas and earn a place on the faculty of his alma mater, the Sydney College of the Arts.  In addition to his furniture pieces which consistently sell out in record times, his work stretches into

vast markets from manufacturing & technologies to transportation & fashion which has earned Newson a place on Time magazine’s list of the top 100 Most Influential People in the World.  Today, he operates out of his London office continuing to offer clients retail successes with his designs.  His work is collected and displayed in major museums around the world.  So compelling are is pieces that every time I come within a few feet of the Lockheed it takes all the will power I can muster not to take a seat. 

Despite the actions of one Roman in Alexandria, the empire was able to contribute tremendous innovations to the world, one of which was the concept of cement.  Unbelievably, this great achievement was lost to antiquity until the 19^th century when it was rediscovered and Joseph Aspdin patented in Britain his version of “Roman Cement”, what would be known as Ordinary Portland Cement (OCP).  Made up primarily of limestone, it is the basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco & grout.  OCP, when combined with structural steel reinforcing virtually illuminated the need for enormous blocks of stone to be quarried, transported and lifted into place, drastically reducing building costs & time of construction.  Basic building materials from ancient times of granite and marble were relegated to decorative applications; luxuries that were no longer necessary but still prized.  This led the way for man to build stronger, safer & higher than ever before ushering in the expansion of the modern metropolis that the industrial revolution spurred and challenged classic principles of design that brought about the modern design era.   

      

Links: 

Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt 

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the History Channel 

The United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization 

Snohetta Arkitektur Landskap AS, Oslo, Norway 

The September 11th Memorial Museum Pavilion, New York City, New York 

Marc Newson Ltd, London, England  

Craft Australia  
Qantas Airlines, Australia 

Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney, Australia 

Article on Marc Newson on The Chair Blog 

The Portland Cement Association 

The Environmental Protection Agency's rules for Portland Cement Manufacturing           

Trajan-Chihuly-Burj Khalifa (17-23 September)

On this date in design…

Trajan, XIII Roman Emperor, birthday 18 September 53

Dale Chihuly, American glass sculptor, birthday 20 September 1941

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, U.A.E., anniversary beginning of construction 21 September 2004

On the outskirts of Seville in Andalusia, ancient Hispania, the infamous Roman Emperor Trajan was born to Roman elite parents.  Not only was he responsible for orchestrating massive gladiatorial festivals in which over 11,000 prisoners & thousands of animals were publically murdered, he instituted popular welfare programs and implemented multiple building campaigns all designed to keep the citizenry happy and entertained.  

His chief architect of his many triumphal arches throughout the empire and “Trajan’s bridge” across the Danube was Apollodorus of Damascus.  Apollodorus is also often credited for building the Pantheon, although there has never been any reliable documentation of that.  One of Trajan’s most notable projects completed during his reign in Rome was his forum & market complex.  It was once thought to be the world’s first shopping mall but recent theories suggest it was an administrative office complex.  On the more unusual site, he broke from the arch tradition to create a new type of monument: Trajan’s Column which commemorates one of his many military successes.  He was anything but modest, but then again, was there ever a Roman emperor who was? 

With the 50^th anniversary of the founding of the Art Glass Movement being celebrated this year by multitudes of retrospective and exhibits it is all too fitting that the work of Dale Chihuly be featured.  As one of the brave pioneers into this medium that was once restricted to large-scale industrial production, he has been able to produce pieces that are extraordinarily delicate, enticing, overwhelming by sheer magnitude.  His studio works much as one from the Renaissance, where he as the master oversees a core of apprentices.  To build the communal spirit there is one enormous long natural wood table that all are encouraged to congregate at not just for meals but for collaboration. 

The majority of his work is evocative of sea creatures, collections of fire tongues and unearthly flora.  As much as the name Chihuly is salivated over by designers & clients alike, the time may have come that he has reached the pinnacle; dangerously teetering on the verge of becoming a one-trick-pony as Britto and Gehry.  This is a difficult wire to tread as artists strive to satisfy the desires of an adoring public while maintaining a forward-thinking creative flow.  None the less, I still would jump at the chance to own a piece and will make room in my schedule to see any exhibition in the neighborhood. 

Ahhh, the Burj!  This still amazes and astounds me.  This vertical city was six years in the planning and will sit atop the list as the tallest structure built by man for many, many years.  Thanks to the design team from Skidmore, Owings & Merril (SOM) evoking images of Frank Lloyd Wright’s mile high tower, that pinnacle has come closer than ever before and trumps any attempt since.  The Burj Khalifa stands at 2,717 feet high, over 1000 feet taller than the next contender.  Equally as iconic as this new tower is the architectural firm who designed it.  SOM has designed 10% of the world’s top 100.  This may seem like a small number until you analyze the list a bit closer: out of 100, that is 10 completed and separate buildings.  The next closest in number would be Cesar Pelli & Associates with four but it may be unfair that the Petronas Towers were each counted separately.  If that’s the case then Cesar is tied with Tange & Associates (see 3 September entry) but none of Tange’s buildings reach the 1000 foot mark.  For SOM, all but one is over a thousand.  After the building boom than gave us the Chrysler Building lay dormant, SOM reinvigorated the race for the sky with the first project to attempt that mark after the Empire State Building with the John Hancock Center in Chicago in 1969 and established themselves on the global market as the “go-to” firm for massive buildings. 

So it may be a little unfair that they have out-shined everyone else since they’ve been at it longer than anyone. 

Links: 

Trajan's Complex & other Rome attractions 

Map of Trajan's Complex, Rome, Italy 

Trajan's Bridge over the Danube (Encyclopedia Britannica) 

Map of Trajan's Bridge, Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania 

Dale Chihuly Studio 

Dale Chihuly current & upcoming exhibitions 

Chihuly pieces on view at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, Florida 

Chihuly pieces on view at the Palley Pavilion, Lowe Art Museum, Miami, Florida 

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 

Map of Burj Khalifa 

List of the World's Tallest Buildings   

Lascaux-Sottsass-Vishwakarma Puja (10-16 September)

On this date in design…

Lascaux Caves, Southwest France, anniversary of discovery 12 September 1940

Ettore Sottsass, Italian architect & designer, birthday 14 September 1917
Vishwakarma Puja, Hindu god of architecture, holiday (India), 16 September (alternatively 17 September)

When four French teenagers chased their dog Robot deep into a remote cave little did they know they were on the verge of one of the most significant discoveries of prehistoric art.  Since there have been several other sites discovered but this was an eye-opener to the world community as to the complexity and detail which the Paleolithic mind was able to communicate in visual form nearly 15,000 years ago.  Today it is still hotly debated as to the intention of the artists; from ritualistic to historical recording.  However, one cannot help but be amazed at the diversity of subjects, the depiction of seasonal changes and the overwhelmingly apparent symbolic meaning behind the images still unknown to us.  There are records of now extinct species and herds of animals that read like an encyclopedia of the hunt. 

There are even examples that appear to regress in perspective; a technique that would be rediscovered during the Renaissance.  This monumental discovery forced modern man to rethink the nature of what the prehistoric man was able to comprehend and thus paint the way for further understanding of from where we, as a species, came.

If Ettore Sottsass would have a say in what would happen to the caves paintings at Lasceaux he no doubt would say to destroy them.  This seems harsh but for Sottsass, his idea was that the future only begins when the past is completely dismantled, and its logic reduced to dust so only nostalgia remains.  He saw that the past was a jumping off point and for humanity to continue to progress. 

And to this credit, it can be believed that we as a species have considerably evolved from those Paleolithic individuals for millennia without the benefit of access to those wonderful images to guide us.  In Sottsass’s case, he went further to figuratively dismantle the design greats of the past such as Wright and create new forms.  He believed that functionalism is not enough; design should also be exciting and sensual. 

This theory lead to the formation of the Memphis group in the early 1980s (and as you may already know my personal least favorite movement).  However, in challenging the avant garde to push forward there was a creative freedom that eliminated heavy-handed design for design’s sake.  Designers who followed his mold such as Gehry & Graves were light-hearted and expressive.  To document the deterioration of the past, Sottsass always carried a camera which was confiscated on more than one occasion; once while photographing a rotting window on a police station.  The police might not have understood his fascination with the ruin but were more concerned that he was casing the joint.

Continuing on a venture into the mythical past, according to the Mahabharata legend, Vishwakarma Puja is the divine draftsman of the entire universe and the official builder of all the palaces of the gods in addition to their flying chariots & weapons.  He is depicted as wearing lots of gold topped off with a gold crown.  In his four hands he holds a pot of water, a book, a noose & craftsman’s tools.  Unlike in the west, Indian culture commemorate the day by using it as an excuse to increase productivity and be inspired to create innovative products.  Most of the festivities happen on factory floors.  However, Hindus also make the connection with the heavens by flying kites; most likely encouraged by Vishwakarma Puja to create new and exciting designs for the sky.

Links:

The Caves of Lascaux website

Sottsass & Associates, Milan & London

Sottsass for Alessi

Sottsass at the Design Museum, London

Article on Viswakarma Puja  

Colombo-Bartholdi-Gwathmey (30 July - 5 August)

Joe Colombo, Italian industrial designer, birthday 30 July 1930 & death 30 July 1971
Frédéric Bartholdi, French sculptor, birthday 2 August 1834
Charles Gwathmey, American architect, death 3 August 2009

Joe Colombo’s work can best be described as “space-y”; everything that lead to the ridiculousness of low-budget scenery of sci-fi productions from the 1960s and 70s.  However, Colombo was the original and as so often happens, the intended vision gets lost by the imitators.  After inheriting the family electronic business he expanded into a range of design that sought to challenge traditional aesthetics that no longer applied to the modern lifestyle.  He created micro-living environments in which each element was strategically placed for

efficiency and functioned like a living machine.  Many pieces were designed to be transformative and multi-dimensional such as his Boby Trolley and the Tube chair.  His own apartment was a testing lab for pieces such as the Cabriolet-Bed.  All this innovation came about in a few short years as Colombo had the inauspicious honor of passing away on his own 41^st birthday.  It is amazing to think of that brief period Joe Colombo’s influence could be so far-reaching even to this day. 

Although Frédéric Bartholdi is best known for his work “Liberty Enlightening the World” (a.k.a. the Statute of Liberty), he had a career that spanned decades both in his home country and in the U.S.  After being trained in multiple disciplines in Paris he established himself as a preeminent patriotic monument sculptor, the majority of his work is in his hometown region of Alsace.  Additional work this side of the Atlantic includes a statue of the Marquis de Lafayette in Union Square, New York City and the Bartholdi Fountain at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C.  But without a doubt, it is the Statue of Liberty; the new Colossus will remain his most notable commission.  Bartholdi’s knack for self-promotion was employed by gaining a patent in the U.S. for the design and reproduction of the statue in miniature.  The proceeds of the sales of these souvenirs before there was an attraction, “pre-venirs” if you will, raised the funding needed to see the statue come to life.  This tactic has been also been used by another notable French duo, Christo and Jeanne-Claude.  It is rumored that Lady Liberty’s face is modeled after his mother and the body after his wife, a subject it could be imagined would make for uncomfortable dinner table conversations at the Bartholdi residence. 

One of the New York Five who sought to elaborate on the Corbusian vision of modernism, Charles Gwathmey extensive career may be most notable for his addition to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim in New York City.  Some have described it as the tank to Wright’s toilet bowl but it is in reality a perfect example of elegant high modern simplicity and was inspired by an original rendering by Wright.  The addition seamlessly integrates into the urban landscape

without detracting from the original structure; a method of design that lead him to become the president of the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies.  In addition to this and numerous public buildings including the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami, Gwathmey and his firm were sought after by many wealthy clients for private residences.  These works were so successful that many became repeat customers.   

Links:
The Joe Colombo Studio website
The Tube Chair at the Design Museum, London
Joe Colombo pieces at MoMA, New York City
The Statue of Liberty webpage at the National Park Service 
"The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus
Make your own Statue of Liberty souvenir!
Bartholdi Park at the United States Botanic Garded, Washington, D.C.
Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman & Associates website
The Guggenheim Museum, New York City
The Institute for Architecture & Urban Studies website
Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami
Charles Gwathmey's obituary in the New York Times

Mackintosh-Wright-Gaudi (4-10 June)

Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Scottish architect & furniture designer, birthday 7 June 1868
Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect & educator, birthday 8 June 1867
Antoni Gaudí, Spanish Catalan architect, death 10 June 1926

The most notable Scottish architect is without question Charles Rennie Mackintosh.  The springboard of his career was when he won the competition to design the new building for the Glasgow School of Art. With his future wife Margaret Macdonald collaborating on the interiors, the result was a blend of clean rectangular shapes with languid and delicate curves sourced from Art Nouveau.  In the years that followed he designed a chain of tea rooms for Kate Cranston.  For each he designed not only the walls and furniture but in the case of the Willow’s Room de Luxe he went so far as to design the teaspoons and the waitresses’ uniforms.  At the Sauchiehall Street Tearoom he developed his signature “light feminine” and “dark masculine” color schemes; something that seems commonplace today.  One could say that Mackintosh originated the concept of “brand identity” not just for himself as a designer but for his clients. 

His innovative rectilinear chairs had far reaching influence as later seen in the dining set of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House.  Later Mackintosh along with his wife, her sister and Herbert McNair would become known as “The Four” and developed The Spook School.   The group was one of the first to exhibit at the Vienna Secession as examples of the Gesamthkunstwerk (“total work of art”) premise.    

I again beg for forgiveness as I indulge in childhood heroes this week.  When it comes to Frank Lloyd Wright deciding what to highlight is a virtual impossibility.  As a child interested in architecture I was naturally drawn to Wright not just for his genius but on a subconscious level as so much of how our modern lives are arranged can be linked to his innovation.  Wright emerged from the Arts and Crafts tradition to define American architectural style.  The concept of the Usonian House set the stage for suburban development after World War II.  The Prairie School of thought brought us the “Ranch”-style house and his earlier work with concrete formwork is still emulated today.  As I visit New York this weekend, the only thing that is holding me back from sneaking a pair of rollerblades onto the ramp of the Guggenheim is the fact it is currently closed for an installation. 

But I think one of the most humanizing characteristic of Wright’s illustrious career is the fact that when his clients called to inquire to the progress of the design for their vacation home, he lied and told them preliminary drawings are ready for review.  Wright proceeded to quickly draft up a few elevations and a plan in the three hours it took them to drive to his office.  The result was Fallingwater.  See, we all procrastinate and fib every once in a while. 

Allow me to indulge just a moment longer…the second most influential architect of my own personal career is Antoni Gaudí.  His striking and distinct style is nothing more than captivating.  One feels as though sucked into a surrealistic fantasy as Gaudí elaborated on Art Nouveau concepts incorporating native Catalan techniques of tile work called trencadís as well as wrought iron and stained glass.  This favored son of Barcelona enriched the city with such works as Sagrada Família, Casa Milà and Park Güell to name a few.  His work however was widely dismissed after his death due to several factors including the proliferation of the modernist design movement, the Spanish Civil War and the fact that he left behind no written documents. 

Before the advent of modern engineering let alone computer drafting Gaudí used weighted string models upside down to design the complex arch forces and weight distribution.   His work may not have been as prolific as Wright’s by comparison but it is ingenious none the less.  After all, we would not have the term “gaudy” if it were not for Gaudí.  And as I always like to say: “Gaudiness is next to Godliness”; fitting for the man sometimes referred to as “God’s Architect.”         

Links:

The Charles Rennie Mackintosh site
The Mackintosh collection at the Design Museum, London
The Mackintosh collection at the University of Glasgow
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
The Fallingwater site
The FLW School of Architecture
The Guggenheim Museum in New York
The Anotni Gaudi organization
The Sagrada Familia site
The Park Guell site
to learn more about the images shown here