Replies

1. 
   Lataxe | May 03, 2009 12:44pm | #1

   T,

   I was going to say that there's no accounting for taste....but remembered that one can explain it as the condition wrought in cudlip people by the diabolical machinations of fashion-designer/advertising-men cabals.  There are many who are only too willing to be fashion victims.

   In this modern world we have an ecology for art & design that is a bit like those nutrient-rich seas or prolific tropical jungles in which zillions of life forms have evolved.  Many strange forms arise; and many also perish quite quickly.  Some species survive for aeons.

   So, there are loads of "designer-makers" or even just "designers" out there in the rich seas of consumer capitalism and the prolific information jungle of an Internetted world.  Thus, strange forms arise in clothes, furniture and other objects; but many soon perish as they are basicaly unfit to survive long-term.  The changing ecology of culture and ideas does away with them as some new form arises to gobble them up or push them away from their food source (consumer spending).

   How to recognise the iconic - those less fashion-sensitive designs that will survive beyond "today".  It isn't easy, except with 20/20 hindsight of course.  :-)

   Lataxe, utterley confused hisself concerning studio, contemporary and other fashion-driven forms of modern furniture.

2. 
   mrbird90 | May 03, 2009 04:47pm | #2

   I suspect these designers are not playing with a full deck. In fact about 1/2 a deck may be to generous.

3. 
   dustymctevish | May 03, 2009 06:19pm | #3

   Guess ya had to be there.

    

4. 
   roc | May 03, 2009 11:05pm | #4

   I predict people will move closer to work and ride their bicycle to work or to the train station and take trains to work.

   They will then save the money they have wasted on automobiles by the bushel load and rather than put it in a pit in the back yard and burn it because it is piling up every where like autumn leaves they will spend it on books to read on the train during their commute and learn about fine furniture and the meaning of the word "heirloom".

   Exploring further they will discover the furniture of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and will then go in search of fine furniture makers to produce uniquely adapted examples to fill their homes and their lives with interesting cool stuff and they will enjoy being at home with their families even more and the children will do what they are supposed to so they can inherit the really cool exquisite furniture and so stay out of trouble.

   All these beleaguered cabinet makers will then have piles of money and be able to afford to insulate and heat their work shops and all will live happily ever after.

   I would go even further to say that at sometime in the not too distant future beings form the stars will visit Earth in search of fine furniture makers to produce uniquely adapted examples of Earth man furniture from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to fill their homes and their lives with interesting cool stuff that they had read about in some FWW magazines that had found their way to their planet in boxes of used books.

   They will have vast forests but due to limitations in their anatomy and mental make up will be completely put off by the dovetail joint and so be willing to supply the wood, very reasonably, in trade for said furniture.

   And from the vast wealth that will bring us we will finally be able to afford that Holtey plane that has so far been beyond our reach.

   I could be a little off in that but on the whole I am sure I am right.

   :   )

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPOBMzMTP4U

   roc

   Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

   Edited 5/3/2009 4:09 pm by roc

   
   

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   Edited 5/3/2009 6:53 pm by roc

1. 
   woodbum | May 05, 2009 11:20pm | #11

   Bravo Roc! Tremendous concept and use of brainpower instead of trying to figure out how to make a chair from zippered beer bottle condom material. For you unitiated out there, a bottle condom is a zippered coozie that you use to keep your beer bottle cold. Now THERE'S design progress.

5. 
   saschafer | May 03, 2009 11:41pm | #5

   Have you ever watched a fashion show? Same idea. The purpose is not to create new products per se; the purpose is to think outside the box and throw out new ideas. It's basically a giant, public brainstorming session. If you have enough people doing that, eventually, someone puts two bizarre ideas together and comes up with a really great one.

   There is a well-known (and successful) design firm in California, Ideo. Their motto is, "Fail early to succeed sooner."

   -Steve

1. 
   roc | May 04, 2009 12:18am | #6

   I worked with a fine art bronze sculpture artist and foundry owner. He had another term for when all those people came together. The first word was "cluster" and the second word rhymed with duck.:   )rocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

2. 
   RickL | May 04, 2009 05:00pm | #7

   You have the concept correct.  It's brainstorming and if you study design history you will find the same thing in cars, fashion, furniture, appliances, etc. It will take years before you will see these concepts come to reality if ever. I've seen more outrageous things conceived in the 50's that are just coming around. The ideas are not for the average consumer.  I enjoy seeing these ideas and can see the fear in the average consumers of such things. They will go with the safe, mundane furniture. Certainly not a FWW favorite...the average reader would flip out!

   Edited 5/4/2009 10:04 am ET by RickL

1. 
   Joe Sullivan | May 05, 2009 03:39am | #8

   Welll:Hate to say it, but I had trouble finding furniture. I saw: lanterns; designers; clothes; designers; cars; designers; large display sets for trade show booths and the like; more designers; and furniture.Could it be, not that I would be able to grasp higher design or anything, but could it be that this was NOT about furniture? perhaps it was about, well, designers and their, dare I say it, high opinions of themselves?Could it have a parade of naked imperial persons (figuratively, praise Heaven)?Joe

1. 
   roc | May 05, 2009 07:15am | #9

   > NOT about furniture? perhaps it was about, well, designers and their, dare I say it, high opinions of themselves?As I (he) said. CFrocGive me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

6. 
   woodbum | May 05, 2009 11:13pm | #10

   Taigert: No, you are the normal one. I may be opinionated but at least I have some soul. My, how hip and trendy! As one poster put it, the cluster analogy works perfectly. I saw three slides that could qualify as furniture. The rest was just more Euortrash. Even the photography was low rent. What a waste of 15 minutes of my time that I will never get back.. except in my semi sexist opinion, slide #35.