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PRESIDENT'S
MESSAGE
Dear
Members and Friends,
We have had a tremendous month at the DX – including
the opening of our National Archetype competition exhibit
with Peter Busby, the installation of our provocative exhibit
MODS for Digifest, and the kick-off for Digifest’s Orphan
Spaces. As well, we judged competition entries for Connect,
our national post-secondary competition, and for our National
High School competition. The DX was also honored to host Rocket,
ACIDO’s industrial design competition and this week
the DX is at ICFF New York – our latest New Design Canada
showcase of some of Canada’s hottest designers!
I have spent many hours in the DX Chalmers Design Centre this
month, stepping on our digital fishpond – part of our
MODS exhibit. A design that uses a seamless dual projection
system, the fish actually move and react as you step on the
‘fishpond’ matt. Imagine the virtual fishpond
designed into the play area of a children’s hospital?
Fantastic! Many children, including my own, have given this
creation their stamp of approval and I look forward to seeing
much more from designer Vincent St. Vincent.This Wednesday,
Digifest officially opens! Our theme this year, MODS, refers
to modifications to original designs over time – which
may change the intent and meaning of the original creation.
Many times, MODS is not something that designers like to think
about – we often romantically think that the original
design will be preserved forever. In most cases, designs are
altered over time to meet the needs of the changing user –
from after market accessories for cars to altered urban spaces,
this year’s Digifest is sure to make you MODIFY your
thoughts!
Go beyond Styling. Help others to understand the value of
design.Productivity, Economy, Environment, Survival, Comfort,Learning,
Enjoyment, Health, Safety – and so much more.
Are you with us?
Sam
In Passing:
It is with regret that the DX learned of the passing of Clarice
Chalmers, who (with her husband Wallace Chalmers) was one
of the DX's founding donors and whose name graces our Chalmers
Design Centre on the ground floor. She was awarded the Order
of Ontario
for her overwhelming generosity to cultural, educational and
charitable causes. In the area of education alone, she has
established the Wallace G. Chalmers Engineering Awards at
the University of Toronto, and provided seed money for the
Creative Design Research Unit (a collaborative project between
the University of Toronto, Ryerson Polytechnic University
and the Ontario College of Art and Design). There will be
a memorial service on Tuesday, May 23rd from 1:30 to 3:00
pm
in the Clarice Chalmers Conference Room, 6002, 6th floor,
Cardinal Carter Wing at St. Michael's Hospital.
DX
Hours for May:
Mon-Fri: 10am-5pm: Sat/Sun: 12-5 pm
NOTE: DX will be closed on Mon. May 22 (Victoria Day)
DIGIFEST
MODS KICKS OFF THIS WEEK!
Digifest
2006 is right around the corner!Starting May 10,
forty Canadian and international presenters will showcase
their work over four days. Works by new and established artists
will be featured at the DX, at Harbourfront Centre and the
Ontario Science Centre.This year's highlights include:
Opening Night Wed.May 10th With Orphan Space
Charette PLUS COMPOUND PILOT performance
Games, Gadgets and Garments - an exhibit
curated by Derek Chezzi on display at the DX on the Ground
Floor.
Headstart Portfolio Review Day for gaming, animation and web:
at the DX on Fri May 12th
DNA Fingerprinting Workshop at the Ontario
Science Centre. Also at the OSC, Victimless Leather
will explore the concept of a semi-living garment
prototype.
At Harbourfront Centre, look for Mods and Rockers,
a project of art, video and sound works curated by Sally McKay.
Opens
Friday May 12th. There's lots more to see and hear. For full
program info visit digifest
online and download registration.
Ticket Prices:
Opening on May 10th at DX: $15 ($20 at the door; DX Members
Free)
Headstart May 12th $20 with registration (DX Members Free)
DNA Fingerprinting workshop Fri May 12 at OSC $40 with registration
The Design Exchange gratefully
acknowledges the support of the following for digifest 2006:
Telefilm
Canada
Department of Canadian Heritage
Ontario Arts Council
Rogers Yahoo Internet
Xbox Canada
Seneca College
Consulate of the Netherlands
Australian High Commission
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ARCHETYPE
FOR
A
LIVING CITY
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An
Exhibition of Sustainable Housing Design
NOW ON DISPLAY - AND FREE ADMISSION THROUGHOUT MAY
Come
check out the national professional design competition "Archetype
for a Living City". Seventeen design teams from
across Canada have submitted their designs for a sustainable
home, in the form of 3D models and poster boards. The winning
home will be built as a public model, at the Kortright Centre,
in 2007. BE SURE TO CAST YOUR VOTE FOR THE
"People's Choice" AWARD
.A Partnership with Toronto and Region Conservation. On display
until June 25.
For full details on the project visit Archetype
for a Living City
CONNECT
EXHIBITION OPENING
The Design Exchange in partnership with Canada
Millenium Scholarship Foundation invite you and
a guest to the annual awards ceremony for CONNECT - Design
Exchange's National Student Design Competition for design
and visual arts. .
Date: Thurs May 18th
Time: 6.00 pm - remarks at 7:00 pm
RSVP by May 15th to Connect
Opening or to 416 - 216 - 2138
This competition is
generously supported by Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation.
DX INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER SERIES
FEATURING
TJERK REIJENGA, The Netherlands
Date May 24th
Tjerk Reijenga is architect and CEO of BEAR Architecten in
Gouda, The Netherlands. BEAR Architecten works within the
field of sustainable building and housing. In the vision of
BEAR, ‘Sustainable Building’ is more than a technical
solution. Sustainable Building stands for high quality in
landscaping, town planning, architecture and culture. In the
design process, attention is given to sustainable aspects
(indoor quality, healthy buildings, solar energy, energy and
water saving, sustainable materials and green around, and
on, buildings). Tjerk Reijenga is a member of BNA (Dutch Architects
Association), ISES (International Solar Energy Society and
CIB. Between 1996 and 2002 he worked as an expert for the
IEA PVPS task 7 program (Building Integration of PhotoVoltaic
Power Systems). He has been a visiting lecturer on ‘Sustainable
Building’ at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam since 2001.
This lecture is supported by the Consul General of the Netherlands..
Location
DX Trading Floor
Time: 6.30 pm - 8 pm
Download Registration Form
IF
YOU MISSED THE LECTURE BY GIOVANNA FRANCI, YOU CAN CATCH IT
ON TVONTARIO'S 'BIG IDEAS', ON MAY 13TH !
Next in the Speaker Series: Sarah Wigglesworth
(UK) June 13th, 2006
For full speaker series program, visit DX
Speaker Series
Media Partner:
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DOORS
OPEN ONTARIO |
The
Deisgn Exchange celebrates DOORS
OPEN ONTARIO. We'll throw our doors open on
Saturday May 27th from 10 am to 4 pm - free
admission. And our curatorial staff will offer guided tours
of our building, built in 1937, a superb example of Art Deco
and streamlined Moderne architecture.
Curatorial
Editorial
Having recently had the good fortune to be visiting Australia
and New Zealand on a research trip to speak with curators
and designers, I was struck one day while waiting in an Auckland
restaurant for the arrival of a colleague by what I see as
a problematic aesthetic phenomenon. The nouvelle-California-lite
restaurant I question – situated on trendy Ponsenby
Street and boasting a name like ‘Mistral’ or ‘Zeitgeist’
(I honestly cannot recall – was one of those minimalist
but intensely designed places. The walls were museum white
and hung with colorful abstract art. The bar and doors to
the washrooms were luxurious dark wood (not Wenge, but not
far from it either). The dining tables were by Charles Eames
– small rectangular things with a centre column and
extending X-form legs in brushed aluminum -- and the molded
plastic chairs were by Phillipe Starck. The china was white
porcelain and plain and the flatware was Danish-esque, or
the type of 1950s modern stainless steel flatware that with
its curvilinear appeal would be easily at home in the MOMA
store. The saltshaker and pepper-grinder were by Michael Graves
for Alessi and each table displayed a small Pyrex laboratory-type
glass vessel holding a single spray of freesia. And lastly,
the room was enlivened by soft Afro-Brazilian jazz being piped
out of the wall-mounted Bose speakers. All told, at first
glance the restaurant was appealing. Upon reflection, however,
the décor and its import were rather unsettling.
Indeed, having been to a similar type of restaurant space
the evening before and to several comparably designed places
in the previous week – one in Hobart, Tasmania and several
in Sydney and Melbourne respectively – I found myself
on that afternoon at ‘Sirocco’ (or whatever the
eatery was called) thinking about the implications of what
I see as the proliferation of an undifferentiated global aesthetic.
By this I mean that there exists today an aesthetic culture
that, while striving to be stylish and therefore meaningful
to a specific demographic, constitutes a crisis of sorts in
terms of the surrendering of local character and identity
for the ubiquitously chic look. In this prevailing world of
contemporary taste, interiors are neo-modernist, the accoutrements
of the space (whether the fittings for a home or a restaurant)
are rightly drawn from the roster of 20th century design icons
and the quiet, appropriately understated message – whether
proclaimed in Calgary, Portland or any number of other places
– is that such stylistic expression is a marker of social,
cultural and economic sophistication.
And, on the surface, there is something to be said for the
return of a modernist sensibility that champions clean lines,
the banishment of decoration (think of Adolf Loos’s
likely bewildered approval of present-day design trends).
But arguably, the trend towards a shared metropolitan aesthetic
– and by metropolitan I am speaking to the fact that
design centers such as New York, Berlin and London tend to
set the aesthetic trends for the rest of the world is nothing
new. What used to be called the aesthetics of imperialism,
or the ways that provincial societies around the imperial
globe relied on metropolitan trends for guidance and inspiration,
is now constituted as the aesthetics of globalization. For
in the same way that the International Style of the 1930s
was hailed as an appropriate design aesthetic for a rightfully
modernizing and improving world, the spread of the globalized
and sleek aesthetic of the early 21st century is seen as the
tangible (not to mention tasteful) manifestation of world
progress.
Now it may seem that I am making a mountain out of a molehill
and unfairly lambasting an Auckland restaurant that simply
wanted to be successful and to offer its patrons a pleasant
environment in which to dine. However, I did wonder when waiting
for my colleague to arrive about how the style or material
tone of the restaurant was such that I could have been sitting
practically anywhere in what is still championed as the developed
world. To be sure, the existence of that restaurant and the
several other like places on the same stretch of road speaks
loudly to me about a problematic phenomenon in the world today
namely that the consumer drive desire for cosmopolitan-ness
results in a corresponding genericization of design and a
concomitant loss of design and aesthetic distinctiveness.
I say this because in my work I spend a considerable amount
of time trying to ascertain the status of identity in the
contemporary late post-modern world (and this includes the
role of identity in design, in the branding of places and
the relationship between the handmade and the mass-produced
thing. In the case of the Auckland restaurant, there was nothing
identifiably New Zealand about it, other than the wine list
and the inordinate number of lamb dishes. As a result, I found
myself wondering whether the not-unpleasant embrace of the
prevailing global aesthetic represented a type of provincial
discomfort or the tangible acknowledgement of a need –
nurtured, obviously, by distance and relative isolation –
to be up-to-date, current and significant? Now this is not
to say that such a restaurant should have been a study in
New Zealand practice and tradition, but it is clear that global
commerce and the often-slavish embrace of the design trends
of Milan, Terrence Conran, and so on –while all immensely
important – can often supplant vernacular identity,
achievements and aspirations.
So I leave you with the following questions: what are the
cultural and aesthetic implications of globalization? Should
design – and design process -- speak of place and the
specificity of experience? What is the meaning of the relationship
of creativity and production in the contemporary world economy?
And lastly, does the notion of trans and post-nationalism
as discernable states of existence herald the decline of identity
and cultural distinctiveness in making of things?
By Michael Prokopow, DX
Curator
NEW DESIGN CANADA:
International
Contemporary Furniture Fair, New York
May 20 - 23
Visit Booth 1758 to see the work of bookhou, Cocoon Branding,
Davide Tonizzo, Furni, Lily Yung, Matthew Kroeker, Periphere,
Ridgely Studio Works, the brothers dressler, Tsunami Glassworks
and Vicki Sather. New Design Canada is an initiative that
supports the export capabilities of innovative design firms.
New Design Canada is a DX undertaking in partnership with
the Governments of Ontario and Canada.
Spec'd
Spec'd is a new Canadian design export program focused on
facilitating the international specification of Canadian designs
in large scale architectural and interior design projects.
For more information visit Spec'd
Call
NOT A MEMBER OF THE DX? WHAT ARE YOU
WAITING FOR?
The DX offers membership categories for individuals and organizations.Membership
fees start as low as $20 for students or
$55 for individuals. Corporate memberships are available for
design firms too! Whether you're a design student, a design
professional, a manufacturer - or simply a lover of design
- consider membership at the DX. It's Canada's design museum
with exhibits, lectures and events year-round. Contact Membership
Coordinator for further details. We'd love to see you
here!
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This
Summer
DX
Design Camps are back! |
The
DX Design Camps return this summer and registrations are going
fast! Themes includes graphic design, fashion, toy design,
jewellery/prop design and more. Camps are targetted to children
ages 7 - 15 years, and are held weekly. Registration Fee:
$290 (DX Member Rate $275). .
EARLY
BIRD RATE
Register before May 31and save 5%
Camp Dates: July 10 - Sept. 1, 2006
Location: DX is at 234 Bay, TTC accessible
FOR FULL INFO AND REGISTRATION FORM VISIT DX
Summer Camps online or contact DX
Camps Coordinator
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SAVE
THE DATE!! |
The DX has set the date for this
year's Gala Fundraiser. The DX Black and White Gala in Steel
Blue will take place Saturday October 21.
We'll let you know when tickets are on sale! Steel yourself
for some shocking surprises!!! Supported once again by Audi
Canada and TD Bank Financial Group.
VOLUNTEER
YOUR TIME AND LEARN ABOUT DESIGN!
The DX has programs, lectures and many activities for the
public, and we are always looking for new people to join our
volunteer corps.. Your energy and imagination will help us
deliver our programs! So visit DX
Volunteer Program and find out how to register - or send
your information to Volunteer
Coordinator
MORE
THAN CANADA'S DESIGN CENTRE
The Design Exchange can host any function from small intimate
settings to grand scale events, any day of the week. Our largest
room, the old Toronto Stock Exchange Trading Floor always
draws a crowd because of its historical significance and unique
Art Deco design. Located in the heart of downtown Toronto
at Bay St. and King St., we are conveniently connected by
the PATH as well as having underground parking facilities
on site. Book your corporate or social event at the DX today!
For more information Book
the DX
IN
FOCUS THIS MONTH Burdifilek
burdifilek
is a Toronto based interior design firm with an international
portfolio of strong commercial projects. We are a 14 year
old 30 person firm with a multi-disciplinary design team with
diverse global backgrounds. Communication with the client
and the design team is the cornerstone of the burdifilek creative
approach. Every project begins with a conversation, and although
the team leverages the latest technology, every design begins
with a pen and paper. Our process requires a clear understanding
of our client's brand concept and merges this with a polished
knowledge of aesthetics and project implementation. Notable
Current Projects include Holt Renfrew flagship Toronto store,
TELUS Mobility, and Stratus Winery in the Niagara Region.
burdifilek has won numerous awards from such organizations
as the International INterior Design Association, the National
Association of Store Fixture Manufacturers and the Institute
of Store Planners. To contact their office, phone Michelle
Auer, Director Marketing and Media Relations at phone number:
(416)703-.4334 or Michelle
Auer
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CELEBRATE
ARCHITECTURE
AND
DESIGN
THROUGHOUT
THE MONTH OF MAY |
The Festival of Architecture and Design celebrates the architecture
and design of Toronto. During the month of May, Toronto's
architecture and design will be showcased to the local public
and to visitors by the City and its many partners. The Festival
will feature exhibitions, films, symposiums, lectures, walking
tours, readings, book launches, award celebrations and dinners.
FOR FULL DETAILS ALL THE EVENTS, VISIT fAd
online
STUDENT
CHAIR SHOW INSITU 2006
Students
from Humber's Industrial Design program will display their
work at the Century Room (580 King St. West, Toronto).
Date: Monday May 15
from 6.30 - 11.30 pm
Admission $5
DESIGN
BUZZ FROM WINNIPEG By Sandra
Sasaki
Landscape
Architecture: the skateboard world is all abuzz as Winnipeg’s
world-class skateboard park is slowly taking shape at The
Forks in downtown Winnipeg. Designed by van der Zalm + associates
from Vancouver with Winnipeg landscape architects, Scatliff,
Miller and Murray, this $1 million, 5,000 square metre park
- reported to be the largest and most expansive skate plaza
in North America. One third of the park will be made up of
a traditional cement bowl but the remaining two-thirds will
contain the world’s first skateable sculpture park.
Destined to become a huge tourist attraction for Winnipeg
(skateboarders like surfers, travel from destination to destination
looking for the ultimate ride) The Skatepark at the Forks
is scheduled to open on Canada Day. Contributed by Sandra
Sasaki
one-of-a-kind LAPARKA.
Twenty
years after Canadian fashion designer Linda Lundström
introduced her LAPARKA – now an iconic piece of Canadian
fashion history – she has designed a spectacular one-of-a-kind
collectable edition, entitled Okichitaakwe, to commemorate
the anniversary. Created in collaboration with Canadian fibre
artist, Juno and First Nations teacher, Kaaren Dannenmann,
Okichitaakwe is made of intricately designed wool with a delicate
shell overlay. Okichitaakwe will be unveiled at the Design
Exchange on May 17, 2006 where it will remain on display until
the fall. In October, the coat will be auctioned off on eBay
Canada with proceeds going to the KIISHIK fund – a fund
established by Lundström to benefit the First Nations
communities in the Red Lake district in north-western Ontario.
For more info visit Linda
Lundstrom online
HGTV
SEEKING NEW TALENT FOR NEW REALITY SERIES!
Are you a recent graduate of a recognized Canadian
School of Design? Are you an accredited mid or senior level
designer looking for a change of scenery? Are you talented?
Passionate? Open and adventurous? Then HGTV wants you for
a new reality series based in the world of real design. Auditions
will be held in Toronto on Sunday May 28th 2006 to
find twelve contestants who have what it takes to compete
for a paid internship at Cecconi-Simone Inc.,
one of Canada's leading design firms. For pre-registration
go to HGTV
Casting Call..
EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES:
CORKTOWN DESIGN
Opening soon! We are hiring part time and full time
staff for our new Industrial Design store located in the heart
of the Distillery Historic District. Weekends and evenings
required. Must be personable and friendly and have interest
in the design field. Closing date, May31st. Please email resumes
to CORKTOWN
DESIGN.com or fax to (416) - 861-1832.
REMINGTON
DESIGN STUDIO
Well
established and growing residential Builder is looking for
part-time weekend staff to assist new home buyers at Design
Studio. Duties include greeting people and guiding them through
the newly built facility, answering questions about upgrade
options and colour selection, and product knowledge of the
various interior finishes offered. Location: Markham. Enthusiastic
candidates interested in joining our professional team may
fax resume to (905) 477-7027. |
