because minimalism is far too easy…
Fellowship proposal: Space & Objects of England and Japan- the influence of "Mod"
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My purpose in this itinerary is to trace, as a linguist would, the influence of the design style, concepts, and forms that occurred in the late 1950's through the 1960's, focusing on London and Japan. England was the cultural source of the aesthetic and culture we call "Mod". In fact Mod still remains alive in a very large and active subculture in England. With the SOM Traveling Fellowship I would like to investigate and trace the modern incarnations of this style.

Itinerary Goals:

1.) To interview and/or map those influential designers within the movement and those impacted by the 60's ideas, including but not limited to: Ross Lovegrove (London), Matali Crasset (France), Droog (Amsterdam), KWID (L.A.), Karim Rashid and Asymptote (New York), Ushida Findlay Partnership (Tokyo), Pascal Hausermann, Verner Panton, and Antti Lovag (French architect, who is now initiating a research center to test his theories on the built environment).

2.) To visit the spaces significant to the early and current movements in England and Japan.

3.) To experience the preserved Mod revival culture in England (by attending weekenders, scooter meet-ups, and galleries).

4.) To analyze how Tokyo reinterprets the forms, colors, and psychedellia of Mod in their minimalist society. Also looking at how the Japanese minimalism contrasts with its NeoMod-like consumer-driven youth culture.

Every design movement is a promise to break with the past and create a whole new world. Within each rereading of history, therefore, you find the roots for a new movement. As Yona Friedman has written, "Every child has a Utopia. A Utopia becomes realizable if it indicates how to get rid of a problem and, if it attains a large consensus, a realizable Utopia is not any more a Utopia." No one is original in this world and everyone designs with influences from the past infused with their own Zeitgeist. Mapping out the descendants of Mod design would show this and would likely contribute to the creation of new movements. The interest this study could arouse in Japan is potentially significant, as Japan is currently going through it's own version of a Mod revival movement. Traditional Japanese architecture, which could be seen as Japan's inherited Minimalism, is no longer enough for its consumer culture youth. They do not have the investment in tradition that their elders had, and this opens up another rebellion against the optical straight line in architecture, space, and objects.

With in my own design work I have rebuked the homogenous tectonic and minimalist approach in favor of going beyond what was easy to what was interesting and fun. I have come to focus on the familiar and emotional aspects of design, along with "Mod" which is considered the height of Pop-Art. My ultimate goal is to not only be seen as a designer, but also be viewed as a spatial artist and develop my own distinct visual language. This goal will be a life long task but assuredly the SOM Traveling Fellowship would speed up the process by allowing me to see the creations I admire, and to speak to their creators.