why are you so great "Design and the Elastic Mind"?

I've been to see most of these works since the first time I've heard of them. The overall idea of Design Noir felt both appealing and repelling, but when contexted as art it became closer and closer to me. Taking an everyday/common norm/idea/activity/feeling and twisting/exaggerating it with simple technologies makes most people to realize how those norms/ideas/activities/feelings are important in an everyday context.

Here's something to get some people jealous: I was lucky enough to get into the openning of the exhibition. Dunne & Raby and Noam Toran were my primary goal. Noam Toran's Accessories for the Lonely Men work was the first art project that made me question my previous concept: Can we substitute a human or a feeling with technological design (if that's a word)?

He actually led me to not only doubt my previous concept, he also challenged me to be stronger in my words. Rather than looking for "temporary relief", now I'm "substituting" the feeling.


Another project that I was eager to see was Body Modification for Love Project. It sort of relates to the idea of having someone to record sound clips of the loved ones and listening to them later hugging the pillow, it's just greater and VERY tactile (which, everybody knows, I like).
"By embedding out emotional background into our own bodies, we could create "growing memories" to keep our recollections alive."



Elio Cacavale is an artist that I've never heard of before. I've came across with his works in a fast pace research but I really wasn't aware of who he was. His hypothetical works simply question the emerging technology and the ways these effect our lives. Also he is working on a "plush sci-fi" feeling, which is something that I'm very interested in.

My Bio is a very provoking project dealing with biotechnologies and hybrids of animals. Especially the My BioPig is something very interesting and an on-going discussion that has been going on about organ transplants from pigs to human. It sound quite disgusting as a technology, but wouldn't it cure a lot of people?
The thing about this project that I can't really get the feeling of whether Caccavale is agreeing with these or not? Maybe it's not about agreeing, but simply putting it out there.
What does the quality of plush adds to the project? A cozy accepting approach or a sarcastic idea?



The best part of this exhibition was that it challanged me to think about projects more open and design-wise. I've never though these simple ideas would stand out very effective. To see where I'm standing, I constantly question the similarities and differences of my concepts and the ones that are out there in the exhibition. Obviously, they are using technology and design in such a way that the project stands for itself: they are obviously questioning some concepts and they don't really need words. When words are added, it gains more and more meaning, even push the visitors to think more.

Ah, I love this exhibition.

Oh, beyond all the great things, I was "honored" to see one of my least favorite designers.. Maybe the only one..


Last, but not least, the geek graffiti instructor, Evan's project was in the opening and it had huge success..