Post Modernism

April 15, 2017

When modernism came to a standstill, post modernism became the designated movement of the times. Economics started to improve and the consumer culture was more self oriented with the "grab all I can for myself" mindset. Recycling became an activity to be pursued for environmental issues as well as promoting the DIY spirit.

The Memphis Movement was an eclectic group of designers dedicated to abolish Modernism and it's strict design mandates. Members of the Memphis Movement included: Ettore Sottsass, Michele de Lucchi, Micael Graves, and George Sowden. They were inspired by Art Deco and Pop Art.

The New York Five was a group of five post modern/contemporary New York City architects: Peter Eiseman, Michael Graves, Charles Gwathmey, John Hejudk and Richard Meier.

Michael Graves is a post modern architect and a member of The New York Five. He embraced decorative detail, strong color and forms and he had eccentric taste. He also embraced classical architecture and returned the use of ornamentation. He used colors that represented the colors of nature. He also was a pioneer of accessibility of interior design due to his own handicap.
He has design buildings like The Humana Building in Louisville, KY, The Portland Public Service Building in Oregon and the Headquarters of Walt Disney Company in California.

Extra Video: 

https://charlierose.com/videos/11877

This is a video interview from 1996 with Michael Graves talking about some of his projects hes done. 

Peer Reveiw: 

Alex: I really like how you incorporated clothing into the Memphis Movement discussion you had. 

Demi: Thank you for sharing your video on Richard Meier. I enjoyed hearing his opinion. 

Mid-Century Modernism

April 5, 2017

Mid-century modern architecture included: flat roofs, angular details, and asymmetrical profiles, expansive walls of glass, clean lines and wide open floor plans, first to use bi-level structures, married indoor spaces to the outside and was extremely popular on the west coast. The color tones were warm, earthy tones like olive green, burnt umber, pumpkin and mustard yellow. Also there were trendy colors used like pink, gray, turquoise, black and yellow. Two people who were very successful in this time period were Charles and Ray Eames.

Charles Eames was born in 1907 in St. Louis. He attended Washington University for two years after being thrown out because of his support of Frank Lloyd Wright. He later started working at Cranbrook Academy as the head of the design department.

Ray Kaiser Eames was born in 1912 in Sacramento. She studied in New York and then moved onto Cranbrook Academy where she met Charles.

They married in 1941 and moved to California where they continued their furniture design. Herman Miller soon took over production of their furniture. They were very successful in designing many pieces for Herman Miller.

Eames Molded Plywood Chair

Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman 

Eames Wire Base Low Table Outdoor

Extra Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8rICo44kAE

This is a video called "A Journey into The World of Charles and Ray Eames. It talks a lot about their thinking and the way they designed furniture. I believe it was very interesting! 

Peer Review: 

Haley: I loved watching your video you posted! It was fun to watch them transform that space! 

Savannah: Your video on the Eames Molded Plastic Chairs was very interesting to watch. I thought maybe they would go into how they were made but they just showed a lot of chairs and what contexts they could be brought into so that was nice. 

Modernism in America
April 2, 2017

Modernism started in Germany and France but was spread quickly throughout the globe. The closing of Bauhaus caused many designers to flee from Europe and come the the United States. I want to go into commercial interior design so I was especially interested in Perkins and Will. Perkins and Will design firm was established in 1935. "Founded on the belief that design has the power to transform lives and enhance communities, we collaborate with clients all over the world to create healthy, sustainable places in which to live, learn, work, play, and heal." I believe that is a very powerful statement from their Firm Profile. The firm does works in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design and landscape architecture. Perkins and Will is consistently ranked among the world's top design firms.

Some works they have done are:

The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Ballou Senior High School 

University of Oregon, Matthew Knight Arena 

I wish to work in an architect firm like Perkins and Will one day. 

Peer Review: 

Bailey: It was interesting learning more about William Lescaze. I enjoyed all your sky scraper pictures. 

Kate J: I really enjoyed your pictures you chose of Richard Neutra's houses. The lighting in the Kronish house picture really makes the house look elegant.