New York Tales: Museum Tales

A Thursday evening in New York and the finer elements of Manhattan society meet to celebrate the opening of the Smithsonian Institute’s Cooper – Hewitt National Design Museum “Design for a Living World” exhibition.

Your (smow)blog team are of course also in attendance.

Hella Jongerius mixing chicle in Mexico

For the exhibition The Nature Conservancy sent 10 designers into rural environments and asked them develop new uses for sustainably grown and harvested materials. The aim being to tell a unique story about the life-cycle of materials and the power of conservation and design.
Among those taking part were Ezri Tarazi, Stephen Burks and “the worlds busiest designer” Hella Jongerius, who created some interesting pots out of chicle from the Yucatan Peninsula; although she did also admit that the material is not ideally suited to industrial production.

So don’t watch this space, as it were

Abbot Millers chair from sustainably harvested Bolivian plywood

All in all the exhibition was principally interesting for the insight into the design process – the products themselves far too often coming over as emergency solutions based on a shortage of time and an obligation to produce something … anything … HELP!!!!!
That said aside from Jongerius work were were also very impressed with the chairs by US designer Abbott Miller.

System USM Haller at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum shop

What also impressed us was the use of system USM Haller in the the museum shop; and for all how effortlessly the simple, minimalist  USM Haller vitrine’s blended in with the historic wood paneling.

It was genuinely stunning to observe.
A trip to the museum is almost worth it for that alone.

USM Haller as enhancement for traditional interiors

In addition to the “Design for a Living World” exhibition, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum is also currently showing an exhibition on and about felt. Now felt never was our thing. And never will be.

Just like pub pies – we’ve had too many bad experiences.

Feltri Chair by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina

However, if we did like felt we would love this chair by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina or Tom Dixon‘s felt lampshades.

But as we said – felt.

All in all though, if you are coming to New York and want to take a little time out of the “normal” tourist trail, it is always worth checking out what is on at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.

“Design for a Living World” runs until January 4 2010, “Fashioning Felt” till September 7, 2009.