Approaching new frontiers in technology, good design is built to last
AI vs. Dingwelt and updating the past for the future.
Watching Jesse Armstrong’s new film Mountainhead is like being in the audience of a hilarious, dystopian chamber play where you can’t exit the theatre. Set in a Utah mega lodge, where four obnoxiously wealthy Manchild-tycoons gather for a poker weekend hosted by “Soups” - short for “Soup Kitchen" - nicknamed thus due to his lowly net worth of just half a billion. Their frat boy fun is hampered by events unfolding in the real world - Deepfake videos generated by one of the group’s social media platforms have incited political chaos and mass violence, causing a global meltdown (a (p) doom if you will).
In between snowshoeing and refreshing their stock value they contemplate the pros and cons of the situation, detached from civilization both physically and emotionally. “Do you believe in other people?” asks Venis, the owner of the app and richest of them all. He eventually answers his own question, “Nothing is real, and everything is funny and cool”.
It is painfully on the nose. Even more caustic than Succession, though I found the douchey Tech-bro jargon and depraved story arc highly enjoyable it was at the same time a tough watch. But then that’s exactly right - a comedy-horror meets the moment, and we can laugh at the absurdity while also being alarmed/bummed out by it. Better now than later - and perhaps certain people will watch and see themselves mirrored back at them. Wishful thinking?
Less toxic tech trailblazers?
In order to keep pace with the fast moving tech world Armstrong worked at breakneck speed - when I flagged HBO’s announcement in March they had only just started shooting. Boy did he succeed, the film’s release coinciding with the partnership announcement from OpenAI’s Sam Altman and former Apple designer Jony Ive on a new AI hardware venture,“io”.
Speculation has been rampant, the nine minute long promo video providing more insight into their bromance than anything as to what the product actually is.…I’ve seen theories it’s a coin, a necklace, sunglasses, a snowglobe?
At least the purported objective of this thing - to reduce screen time and all the distraction and anxiety that comes with it - is consumer forward, not solely concerned with advancing technology for technology’s sake.
Though I really don’t know what to make of Altman - so far avoiding Chat GPT, Ive is someone whose body of work I respect and who doesn’t talk about humans in abstraction. In his episode of Desert Island Discs earlier this year he spoke of his innate curiosity about the world and in people - I have to say it really endeared him to me. The son of a silversmith and DT teacher, design is in his blood - along with a strongly held belief in its ability to elevate and empower our lives. Good luck keeping it together when Lauren Laverne plays his 5 year old son’s rendition of “Singing in the rain” (recorded on an iPhone of course, I’m a total sucker).
Reminiscing about his first project at Apple - developing the iMac - I felt nostalgic for a time when the unknown trajectory of technology came with a more pure feeling of excitement. Watching this early ad made me laugh/cry within the context of Mountainhead, where one of the guests disses the soulless, all beige decor, “was your interior designer Ayn Bland?”.
People like to grumble about a few duds in Ive’s massive back catalogue - he’s still arguably one of the world’s best (if not the best) product designers. So I’m sceptically - perhaps naively - optimistic…just if it’s a bloody paperweight, at least make it look cool?
Fatto a Mano/Fatto-Bene - the continued legacy of “made by hand”
Re smart products/advertising, the latest one from Bottega Veneta, Craft is our Language, quickly became a viral hit - it’s one of the best I’ve seen in a while. Celebrating 50 years of the signature Intrecciato weave the campaign is a love letter to the handmade. Beautifully shot by Jack Davidson - if this is an indication of the new creative direction under Louise Trotter it’s looking promising.
There’s been a lot of fawning over the choice of models, with a ton of cool and talented creatives starring - Neneh Cherry, Dario Argento, Zadie Smith and Vicky Krieps to name a few. While the casting is fab it’s really the concept and the execution that make it for me. Simple and elegant but still impactful, perfectly aligned with the OG of low-key fashion labels. I’m glad that craftsmanship continues to be promoted and considered valuable - as it should be - a Bottega bag is probably the most bang for your buck of all the designer brands.
It was inspired by Bruno Munari’s Supplement to the Italian Dictionary, a book illustrating the physical aspect of the language as conveyed through hand gestures and facial expressions. With some niche references dating back to 19th century Naples it was very much created as a national project while also being promoted as a tongue in cheek guide for tourists.
*Many of these hand signals have become ingrained in our global communication, such as the the sign for “OK” - which naturally led me down the etymological path of that abbreviation. It supposedly stems from 1830s Boston when following a fad for the comical(…) misspelling of words, journalists began using OK as an acronym for “Oll Korrect” instead of “All Correct”. So it’s is not just a 21st century problem - we have been this annoying forever!
A true polymath, Munari experimented in seemingly every discipline - sculpture, painting, graphic design - even becoming a children’s book author. Starting out as a Futurist, he escaped the dogmatic tenets of the movement but continued to be inspired by technology, seeing it as a democratising force. The idea that art should be beautiful, functional and accessible was central to his work.
“When the objects we use every day and the surroundings we live in have become in themselves a work of art, then we shall be able to say that we have achieved a balanced life.”
The Bottega ad also made me think of this gorgeous video from a couple years back, Hands of Sicily by Marko Roth (sidenote can you imagine being an artist and having that name??).
Noguchi in Amsterdam
Noguchi’s Akari lights are among the most beloved designs of all time, made by hand to this day using traditional Japanese craft techniques. Washi paper from the bark mulberry trees is affixed to a bamboo frame, creating a wholly modern design that still has reverence for the past. This swoon-worthy photo is of the current display outside the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It’s part of an outdoor exhibit of his sculptures in the museum’s gardens which is on throughout the summer and free.
Dieter Rams: The Complete Works
Industrial designer Dieter Rams has made your life better without you even knowing it, his imprint on everything from the portable radio to the hairdryer, pocket calculators to cigarette lighters. With over 500 products to his name from decades working at Braun and Vitsoe, Rams’ designs and design philosophy have been a huge source of inspiration for the many who follow in his footsteps. He was concerned with sustainability long before it was mainstream, always striving to reduce waste and make products built to last.
Phaidon’s coffee table book, Dieter Rams: The Complete Works is a testament to his legacy. A great gift that with its bright orange cover is aesthetically pleasing both open and closed - naturally.
In the introduction Rams writes:
“Design is not just about the formal design of our Dingwelt, our ‘world of things’, it determines the life of every individual and how we all live with one another”.
Adding “Dingwelt” to the long list of German words that perfectly sum up an entire concept, my favourite being “schlimmbesserung” which translates to “an attempted improvement that makes things worse”. Been there…
Accessibility in design at the V&A
I caught a preview of the Design & Disability exhibition at the V&A, an unexpectedly uplifting experience not only in terms of its content but in the novelness of it being interactive, “look, do touch!”.
The layout has been carefully considered, categorized into sections focusing on visibility, tools and living, with a rest space at either end (a vote for all museums to implement this!). While it doesn’t shy away from the hardships of impairment - highlighting in particular issues surrounding accessibility - it is also a true celebration of the art, design, fashion and architecture created by and for the disabled community.
The “by and for” bit is crucial, need often begets the best solutions. For example the OXO Good Grips line - now a staple of many households - was developed by designer Betsey Farber when her arthritis made it too difficult to use kitchen tools. A clear case for ensuring the marginalised are included in all decision making that directly affects them.
I also squeezed in a spin around the new V&A East Storehouse - word to the wise, give yourself a good two hours here and stop by the E5 bakery downstairs which does good coffee/pastries/lunch fare - important sustenance.
An inspired solution to a storage issue, it enables the museum to continue looking after its vast collection while also being accessible to the public. I am always pro having as much on display as possible - these things were meant to be seen, not hidden away in a dark warehouse! The location in Olympic Park - part of the East Bank project - will hopefully attract a whole new audience.
It’s refreshingly unintimidating, with storage racks that have been “hacked” into allowing visitors to see archival pieces up close and get a behind-the-scenes look at museum conservation. I loved the eclecticism of different objects so close together - an electric guitar right next to a Renaissance portrait, a Knoll chair on top of a Molly Goddard ball gown. Casually poking my head in the Kaufmann Office by Frank Lloyd Wright. I only wish I’d ordered an object in advance (the team needs time to pull your requested item) but it was still enjoyable to wander freely and take in the immense scope of art across time, location and culture. The amazing things created from people’s imaginations never fails to restore my faith in humanity.