Design and the Changing World

For a final day in New York my Dad, Alder and I went to the Cooper-Hewitt Museum for Design Life Now, the peoples choice triennial . Alder amazes me in his ability to stay calm for long periods of time. We spent over an hour in the exhibit and I only stopped once to feed him. His patience allowed me to really enjoy the exhibit.

While there were many pieces that I liked as well as many I didn't what really excited me about the triennial was the breadth of what was represented. It really spoke to the the ways in which our culture is changing and being changed by technology. Years ago the Triennial focused primarily on objects and architecture but with the advent of the Internet and the new focus on individuals designing for themselves the exhibit has grown to include video games, communal blogs, and magazines such as Ready Made and Make. Because of the interactive nature of design of today forms are now becoming more accessable and in many cases more whimsical.

The piece I found the most disturbing was a training "game" for the military but I understand why it was included. "Today, with much of the U.S. military’s work, such as peacekeeping missions, happening away from the battlefield, soldiers need greater skills and training in diplomacy and decision-making. To accomplish this, ICT creates synthetic immersive experiences that are so compelling, the participants often react as if they were real." The similarities to the new Will Wright (creator of SimCity) game Spore
was eerie. Life and fantasy are coming closer and closer together. Not a reasuring idea when it involves our military's orders in Iraq.