the chicago design museum and chicago design firm thirst provide two venues of inspiration in close proximity to neocon happenings at block 37 located on state and randolph.
the museum show runs through 18 august and thirst’s pop-up through 13 june 2018.
chicago design museum reimagines container corporation of america’s stunning advertising campaign, great ideas of western man, great ideas of humanity: out of the container highlights a broad spectrum of human thought and reminds us that, sometimes, looking to the past helps to comprehend the present.
a portion of the show will highlight the great ideas of 826chi students, encouraging us to think about who decides what “great” means, and reminding us that great ideas can come from anywhere.
as a special component to the exhibition, 10 pieces reflect the quotes of distinguished chicagoans such as ida b. wells, buckminster fuller, and lászló moholy-nagy, designed by chicago artists and designers. learn more about great ideas of humanity, and see all of the artwork on the great ideas website
several steps from the museum is a pop-up one finds a display banner with drawings of two sets of hands being busy on their phones. the banner reads beautifools / memoir.
something is going on and this particular retail experience is luring its visitors into a very private, albeit abstracted, intimate relationship — a memoir.
in this pop-up installation we encounter fragmented relics and emotional dioramas left in the wake of two fools who were unable to swipe away an over-heated desire to feel intense closeness. longing for more under their index fingers, these two hid for some time behind many foolish masks… for crying out loud.
chicago designer rick valicenti, tells us that this installation is all an experiment in story telling. in the world of stories we are all familiar with film, novels, comics, opera, but here the designed setting is serving as a narrative platform.
valicenti is the recipient of the nation’s highest design honor bestowed by the smithsonian cooper-hewitt national design museum and he is chicago’s only graphic designer to hold this award. chicago architect, jeanne gang, and chicago product designer, scott wilson also holds this recognition.
valicenti is joined in the creation of beautifools / memoir by members of his branding design studio,thirst, and the 2018 thirst artist in residence, satoru nihei. mohamed dardiri added his craftsmanship to the many fascinating artifacts that compromise this very unique installation which even includes shou-sugi-ban, a japanese term that translates to burnt cedar board. the lost technique has been commonplace in japan since the 1700s and describes the art of charring ‘sugi” (cedar) planks used to protect the home.
