#Design History

[aworldofpattern]

Oscar de la Renta: 'Crafted like a mosaic, discover the making-of the #odlrfall2024 stained glass gown — ushering in a a new House-signature embroidery technique.'

Constructed from hundreds of polyamide panes, hand-sewn together in an Art Nouveau style reminiscent of Tiffany glass. Ready-to-wear: £36,546.

[germanpostwarmodern]

The "Cantu" Bookcase designed c. 1950 by Ilmari Tapiovaara for Asko

[arsacra]

Czech matchbox labels warning of the dangers of alcohol dependence and drunk driving, printed at the Solo Lipnik match factory, 1962

"Luck does not add anyone's health"

"lowers morale, increases absence"

"He didn't count the beers, that's why he rests"

"If you submit, it enslaves you!"

"Drivers beware, dangerous area" (dangerous intersection?)

"Alcohol drowns wishes and desires"

"He stopped drinking, he's furninshing an apartment"

"If high blood proof, you will lose your ID"

"Alcohol reduces attention at work"

"Don't race them, they will ruin you!"

"Red [means] Injury" and "Intercountry action against traffic accidents"

"He who can't control himself does not belong behind the steering wheel"

[mote-historie]

Art Deco Designs for perfume bottles, The DeVilbiss Co. Ltd., 23 June 1924.

The National Archives’ visual collections

[vignellicenter]

In 1971, Massimo and Lella Vignelli designed a modular foam seating system but it was never produced. The system consisted of circular shapes that nested together to form an infinite number of seating configurations. Each piece would be made of foam with fabric coverings with zippers to attach everything together so it would stay put. The fabric cover would be removeable for cleaning.

This was around the same time the Vignellis were designing showrooms and exhibitions for Knoll who had acquired the Gavina Collection which included a foam modular seating system by Sebastian Matta. Although his system was much more organic in shape, perhaps they were inspired to give it a try with more geometric shapes?

In the archive we have the painted wooden models of the seating, vintage images, drawings and some correspondence.

Scroll through to see more about this conceptual Vignelli-designed seating system and also the Matta foam seating system on display in the Vignelli designed Knoll Au Louvre exhibition (1972) and the Knoll Gavina Group showroom (1968). Unfortunately, it was never made but we would have love to give it a try!

Images: 1-2. Vintage 35mm slide of model 3. rough sketch of seating components 4. measured drawing of seating components 5.-6. Drawings of possible seating configurations 7. snapshot of model in archives 8. Knoll correspondence regarding making prototypes 9. clipping of Massimo and Lella Vignelli in Gavina showroom with Matta modular seating 10. vintage 35mm slide of Matta seating at Knoll Au Louvre exhibition

#Vignelli #DesignArchives #nevermade #DesignHistory #Knoll #FurnitureDesign #1970s #modular #geometry

[stalinqrad]

bauhaus student/professor ID cards gunta stölzl/margaret leischner/herbert hirche/michiko yamawaki/ selman selmanagić/alma siedhoff-buscher/alfred arndt/ wassily kandinsky

[cliozaur]

"If a chap can't compose an epic poem while he's waving a tapestry, he had better shut up, he'll never do any good at all."

William Morris, the guy who composed eight volume-poem Earthly Paradise while learning to wave a tapestry. He is my hero!

[moonmaidensblessing]

Fashion & Design in the BioShock Series (Part One)

Hello! Here is the fashion video at last! This took such a long time, but I hope it does its intended job of teaching people something new and adds a critical perspective to a game I think is art. Timestamps and resources are available in the description of the video, as well as closed captioning directly from the script I wrote. All of this was really fun to make, as I was able to deep dive into topics I really enjoy, like history, fashion, design, and video games! If you feel like I've missed anything or have questions, leave a comment, let's discuss!

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to watch it, it's always appreciated! If you like what I do, please like and subscribe! It lets me know this is work there is an audience for. And until next time, cheers! （ ´∀｀）☆

[art-and-design-black-and-white]

Arne Jacobsen, Texaco Station. In collaboration with Flemming Lassen. Probably one of the first modernist gas stations in the world. Striking feature is the circular canopy supported by a single central column. It is no longer operational but has been preserved as a historic site. The photos are from the time of its origins, the photos could have been taken by Jacobsen himself.

[justaboutsnapped]

Hamlet (The Beggarstaffs) // Society of Misery and Regrets • Lifetime Member (unknown)

[speakspeak]

ulm forever

[thehackproject]

[germanpostwarmodern]

An Armchair designed in 1932 by Georges-Henri Pingusson

[arsacra]

Czechoslovakian matchbox labels decorated with anti-pollution and littering PSAs, manufactured at Smrecina B. Bystrica match factory in 1963. more and even more matchbox labels

[hatsunemimikyu]

So, I listened to this podcast episode today in the gym and I just found the main character so cool. She was called Dorothy Liebes and she was a very talented weaver and textile designer!

She collaborated with many famous american architects such as Frand Lloyd Wright, she made stuff for hotels, theaters...

She used very bold and bright colors, played with textures, used ununsual materials for the time... really such an incredible mind for design. And I had no idea she even existed! Hopefully she is more well know in trained design circles, but anyway just as someone who likes fabrics and art, I wish she was more talked about (I guess that's why I'm writing this post?).

And from all the awesome stuff she created, I was the most moved by what she did for others. She founded (or helped found) a division of voluntary artists who taught different forms of art (weaving, sculpture, knitting, embroidery, etc...) to wounded soldiers in WW2. Listening to the stories from the hospital is such a display of the power that art has to heal people.

I couldn't help but get a bit philosophical with this. I think art is such a fundamental part of what makes us human, ever since humanity has been there we see how art has always been such a huge part. And so many people never try to do anything with art after growing up, because they don't think they have any "talent" for it, or that art is a thing that's "beneath them" or they have "better things to do". When in fact art just makes us more mindful, more sensible, more... human! Idk where I'm going with this just... art is so good! We should all be doing more art grrrrr at the systems that take away our time to do good things!

Uuuh have my sources ig:

https://www.si.edu/sidedoor/dynamo-dot

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Liebes

https://laurakitty.substack.com/p/dorothy-liebes

https://www.artic.edu/artists/35485/dorothy-liebes

https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/National/history-wwii.pdf

[vignellicenter]

Abe Hirschfeld, who made a fortune building parking garages, turned a parking garage at 330 East 61st Street into an exclusive fitness club in the 1980s.

In 1979, Vignelli Associates designed a logo, brochure, stationery, and membership materials for what their own brochure deemed “a country club in the heart of the city”

“A unique sporting club offering tennis, squash and racquetball”

“No sport and racquet facility like exists anywhere.”

By 1984, the club was the place to be seen with many celebrity sightings [for example, Cher, Diana Ross, Liza Minelli, Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Ashford and Simpson, Brooke Shields]

Quotes from a 1984 NY Times article about the health club’s social scene:

''The Vertical Club is today's Studio 54''

“People join other health clubs to get in shape before they join here''

“Pure Fellini''

“It is better socially than a singles bar because it's not so obvious”'

Here is what the VC brochure promised:

“Court time at your convenience is always assured, because Vertical Club membership is strictly limited. … The congeniality and prestige of the club us maintained by our Admissions Committee, which interviews and approves all applicants.”

Staff are ready “to make each visit to the Vertical Club a delightful leisure experience.”

Courts

“Courts are stacked vertically atop one another. Each level of the vertical club is equivalent to four stories; the building is the height of a 20-story structure.”

“Architect Eugene Ho has created tennis “al fresco” through open, retractable siding on the courts.”

Courtside Restaurant and Bar

“The glass-walled, elevated Courtside Restaurant overlooks our two exhibition tennis courts and glass-sided racquetball court.”

Graphics

“Vignelli Associates are designers of tremendous scope.”

Fee schedule

“Resident + spouse Initiation fee $4000 plus $125/mo”

And speaking of the 1980s, join us next week for our next Open Houses which will highlight artifacts from the archives from the 1980s. Check out our events page on our website for more details [link in bio]

9/25-9/26, 2024 10am-4pm

And in the spring with a completely different displays of 1980s artifact!

3/26-3/27, 2025 10am-4pm