Category: 142

Originally, this was going to be a blog post on Bruce Mau. His supergraphics captured my attention during the weekly lecture and I wanted to find out more about him. Unfortunately, I fell down a sort of rabbit hole, instead, finding myself staring at pictures of the Seattle Central Library. I got sidetracked and this blog post is a testament to that.

What drew me in about the Seattle library was the way it evoked a sort of childhood nostalgia. When I did more research about how the library was supposed to not only be a library but also a “lived-in” area, I couldn’t help but remember hours spent at the local library in the town I grew up in and realize that I wanted to write a little informational post about the Seattle Central Library

The Seattle public library is an anomaly amongst libraries and an anomaly amongst buildings. Not only does it have surprising little books, but it has the design of a modern business building with an interior inspired by 70s trends. With 12 stories, rigid, geometric architecture, and an abundance of glass, this Library is a sight to behold

The library, which opened to the public in 2004, relies heavily on technology: from the supergraphics characterizing its look to the literal information it stores. It captures the zeitgeist of the 21st century. Especially during a period when libraries are at a higher risk of dying out and disappearing, the Seattle central library prevails, keeping its relevance. This is mostly due to the emphasis on the idea of access to information, instead of raw information. Thus, the use of supergraphics in its interior is fitting.

Bruce Mau paired with OMA to create the supergraphics for the Seattle Central Library. The graphics line and decorate the simple, yet slightly harsh interior of the library. They transform what could have been a cold, stark, and unwelcoming design into a cheeky one. Through the supergraphics, the library became less about books and more about living.

This blog post isn’t about a certain designer, but rather about an art movement that I feel quite passionate about Environmental art. This was inspired by the section of our lecture where Paul brought up the early beginnings of the environmental movement, which I wanted to look into. That led me here. During my research, it was almost funny to look back at the history of art, design, and architecture and see just how long the artists behind some of the most influential movements have been advocating for nature. Climate awareness as it turns out has been around longer than the word “climate change”. That being said, there has never been a time it is needed more than right now.

The environmental movement has been a long process. As of the early days of industrialization, there have been actions taken to protect nature from it. National parks were created and sanctuaries established, all with the aim of protecting our ecosystem. Perhaps most monumental was the creation of Greenpeace in Vancouver in 1971. This organization would grow to become one of the spearheads of the modern climate movement 

Since its founding, Greenpeace has fought against many potentially harmful acts against the environment. They have blocked the dumping of certain materials in the ocean, protested nuclear testing, organized and enforced animal sanctuaries, created petitions, designated world heritage spots, and lobbied against multiple governments

Nowadays, we not only have design and illustration based on the environmental movement but environmentally-themed art has become its own category of art: Land art. Land art aims to link and observe the relationship between nature and humans, with art serving as a sort of bridge connecting the two. Artists that create this art aim to alter materials found in nature in a non-destructive way. The harmless alteration of position or formation infuses nature with the human element.

For the first blog post for Paul’s 142 class, I decided to look into and learn more about art director and designer Bea Feitler. Not only does she have an impressive career, becoming an art director at Harpers Bazaar at 25, but as one of the only female art directors of the time, she had a unique visual language that resonates in the art world to this day

Bea Feitler was a Brazilian designer, most well known for her art direction for well-known fashion magazines. She graduated from Parson’s school of design and during her career, she aimed to change the female body from a subject of over-sexualization to an artistic element, using an objective lens to integrate pictures of women into her magazine covers.

Bea Feitler was aware of the graphic designer’s influence on society, noticing how design could shape populations. Therefore, she purposefully wanted to expose the theme of gender equality

Throughout her career, she faced similar problems as women do to this day. From negotiating her salary to a lack of proper credit, she struggled with it all. Due to this, she purposefully made it her mission to establish femininity as a force to be reckoned with.(She quit Harper’s Bazaar due to their inability to give her a raise)

In 1965, Feitler and Richard Avedon hired the first black model to be on the front cover of Harpers Bazaar. Due to an overwhelming amount of backlash, Feitler and the other fashion magazine designers didn’t dare try to hire black models until a good couple of years afterward. 

When mentioned in class, Feitler immediately caught my attention. As someone who had tried to enact change earlier than history would have it – hiring a black model for a front cover – I wanted to read more into her work and who she was as a person. It was satisfying, to learn that she had a very strong personality and wanted to push the limits of pretty much every aspect of her life. But it was also disappointing because there was just so little on her that I could find. I think she truly embodies what I believe artists should strive for: enact good and aim to improve society through art.