2010
MILAN 2010 - FREEDOM IN BALANCE
SUPERSTUDIO PIU’, ZONA TORTONA, MILAN DESIGN WEEK April 14-19, 2010
For Milan 2010 David Trubridge has created a new installation based on the story of Icarus, which was shown at the ‘Temporary Museum for New Design’, in Superstudio Piú, Zona Tortona.
Last year we told the Maori story of ‘The Three Baskets of Knowledge’. This year we follow that up by illustrating the dual nature of this knowledge. Who hasn't stood on a cliff-top and longed to leap off, soaring effortlessly? Flight has forever been mankind's ultimate dream. That dream is both a physical escape from the bondage of gravity, and a metaphorical liberation from the body's earthly desires.
We can now fly, whether it is in a jet, a hang-glider or a squirrel suit. But has this technical achievement granted us enrichment or just adrenalin rush? We suggest that such technical advances are insufficient on their own without greater wisdom. Like Icarus, we could be carried away and fly too close to the sun, lose our wings and perish.
New Zealand used to be inhabited solely by birds – there were no mammals. In Maori mythology birds are the ‘Kaitiaki’ the original guardians. All-seeing, they glide freely over the land keeping watch. They are the intermediaries with the sky, the heavens and the gods. We are now the guardians of our planet which is threatened by the heat of the sun. We must not lose our aspirations but use our knowledge wisely for the benefit of all. The ability to fly is not enough – it is what we do with it that matters. Borne by our wings, we can spread our knowledge for all, rather than flying off alone too high.
The installation is a series of uplifting, wing or feather-like light forms that seem to either spiral upwards or downwards. They are designed to help the spirit soar, but also to cause reflection on our place in the world.
Like last year, this presentation created minimal environmental impact. There was NO freight – our entire display was be carried in our luggage and assembled on site. The photos above show it unpacked and in construction. Using LED lights our stands power consumption will be less than 5 kilowatts per day compared to a neighbouring average of 500 kilowatts last year.
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DESIGN TRIENNIAL
David Trubridge has been selected for Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt 2010 National Design Triennial. This Triennial is America’s most highly regarded design show exhibiting the world’s most forward-thinking designers and is a critically acclaimed and publicly lauded survey of the best in contemporary design.
The exhibition, which includes one of Trubridge’s three Spiral Island seat/light pairs, asks the question "Why Design Now?" It examines why design thinking is an essential tool for solving some of today's most urgent problems; what draws creative thinkers, makers, problem solvers to this crucial field of discovery; and why business leaders, policy makers, consumers and citizens should embrace design values.
“Why Design Now?” will be on view from May 14, 2010,through Jan. 9, 2011, and will explore the work of designers addressing human and environmental problems across many fields of design from architecture and product design to fashion, graphics, new media and landscape design. Organized by Cooper-Hewitt curators Ellen Lupton, Cara McCarty, Matilda McQuaid and Cynthia Smith, the Triennial will be global in reach for the first time, reflecting the connectedness of design practices and the need for international cooperation to solve the world’s problems.
