* Design: Exhibitions: ‘Born Out of Necessity’ at MoMA – Mother of Invention, Cousin of Design, by Roberta Smith

The Final Home 44-pocket parka

Design: Exhibitions: ‘Born Out of Necessity” at MoMA – Mother of Invention, Cousin of Design, by Roberta Smith: “..Most of the designs here fall somewhere between life-and-death necessity and modern-living convenience, but the more pressing the need, the more intriguing they tend to be. Especially so are simple objects that help relieve pervasive life-thwarting conditions..Design has a history, but at its best it also is history, telling the story of human growth, social change and expanding capacity.”

According to MoMA: Born out of Necessity – Showcasing objects that adhere to the traditional view of design as a tool for problem-solving, Born out of Necessity offers close examination of the problems themselves—whether urgent, foreseen, or imagined. From objects that respond to pressing needs in developing countries to new solutions that are tailored to the urban environment, the exhibition examines how design intervenes across a range of experiences, including medical emergencies and natural disasters. Other objects demonstrate how products created to address specific challenges for people with disabilities can provide solutions that improve everyone’s life. Drawing on the narrative power of design, Born out of Necessityaddresses a host of complex cultural developments, such as the need to incorporate environmental responsibility in everyday life, our attempts to marry ancient religious beliefs with contemporary mores, and the desire to anticipate and prevent technological and ecological quagmires.”  Through 28 January 2013, moma.org

Slideshow, accompanying the article ‘Mother of Invention, Cousin of Design’ by Roberta Smith, here

image: Richard Perry/The New York Times

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Treasuring Urban Oases – by Michael Kimmelman

Architecture critic Michael Kimmelman has written an interesting article entitled “Treasuring Urban Oases” in the Art & Design section of The New York Times, looking at what passes for public space in many New York neighborhoods and suggesting that with the public demand for parks, squares and more pedestrian-oriented streets only growing, it is urgent for government, the private sector and the public to redouble their efforts at communication, cooperation and creation of a contemporary and meaningful urban social infrastructure.

An interesting slideshow accompanies Kimmelman’s article, here.

See our previous post The Death of the Fringe Suburb – Housing & Urban Development in the U.S., on an article cited in Kimmelman’s Treasuring Urban Oases.

top image: Richard Perry/The New York Times

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