Sophistication

"(...) Sophistication often brings with it a peculiar disdain for popular appeal, where the very aspects of a design that make it appeal to many people distress some intellectuals. (...)"

em Emotional Design: Why we Love (or Hate) Everyday Things (2004) de Donald A. Norman, edição Basic Books

Sophistication
in Emotional Design: Why we Love (or Hate) Everyday Things (2004) by Donald A. Norman, Basic Books edition

Utilitas Interrupta

É a última referência da programação da EXD'11 que temos em carteira, mas nem por isso menos boa do que qualquer outra que aqui já trouxemos.

Aliás, trata-se de uma notabilíssima exposição, embora já extinta (mas com a possibilidade de itinerar!), que versa na perfeição o tema do Useless escolhido pela bienal.

Fala-nos de uns coitus interruptus infraestrutural (Joseph Grima) acontecidos porque, afinal, o mundo, ou uma sociedade específica, não avançou da maneira esperada ou desejada. Do que restou da ambição de homens que quiseram marcar a diferença no mundo. Da desgraça do espectacular.

Aconteceu na Fundação Arpad Szènes - Vieira da Silva e no Museu da Mãe d'Água, o que também tornou a exposição simbolicamente notável.

Não restou um catálogo, mas aguardamos por que volte acontecer noutro sítio do mundo.

(imagens: da exposição Utilitas Interrupta, com curadoria de Joseph Grima para a bienal EXD'11 da Experimentadesign, na Fundação Arpad Szenes - Vieira da Silva e no Museu da Mãe d'Água em Lisboa)

Utilitas Interrupta

It is the last reference from the EXD'11 program we will have here, but no less good than any other we have ever had.

In fact, this is a very remarkable exhibition, though now defunct (but with the possibility of itinerancy!), which deals perfectly with the theme chosen for the biennial - Useless.

It speaks about some infrastructural coitus interruptus (Joseph Grima) happened because, after all, the world, or a specific society, has not progressed as expected or desired. About what remained of the ambition of men who wanted to make a difference in the world. Abut the disgrace of the spectacle. It happened at the Arpad Szenes - Vieira da Silva Foundation and at the Museum of Mãe d'Água, which also made it a symbol.

There remains a catalog, but we look forward to that happening again elsewhere in the world.

(photos: Utilitas Interrupta exhibition, curated by Joseph Grima for the Experimentadesign's EXD'11 biennial at the Fundação Arpad Szenes - Vieira da Silva and Museum of Mãe d'Água in Lisbon)

Feliz Royal

The Reflective Level

"(...) It is only at the reflective level that consciousness and the highest levels of feeling, emotions, and cognitive reside. It is only here that the full impact of both thought and emotions are  experienced. At the lower visceral and behavioral levels, there is only affect, but without interpretation or consciousness. Interpretation, understanding, and reasoning come from the reflective level. (...)"

em Emotional Design: Why we Love (or Hate) Everyday Things (2004) de Donald A. Norman, edição Basic Books

The Reflective Level
in Emotional Design: Why we Love (or Hate) Everyday Things (2004) by Donald A. Norman, Basic Books edition

Palmeiras

Digam o que disserem os nossos amigos paisagistas, dói-nos na alma que comprámos a Lisboa ver as palmeiras partir.
Na verdade não podemos dizer que já nos tínhamos habituado, pois nunca vivemos sem elas.
Agora teremos que nos habituar, mas não vamos mais viver na mesma ilusão dessa paisagem.

Palm Trees

Whatever our landscapist friends say, it hurts our Lisbon soul to see the palm trees leaving.
In fact we can not say that we had already became used to, because we have never lived without them. Now we will have to get used to it, but we will no longer live in the same illusion of that landscape.

Instrospectiva

Mais um dos projectos Creative Lab do MUDE e, aqui para nós, o melhor de todos.
Passámos da moda para o produto e com as criações essenciais de Filipe Alarcão.
Geometrias e jogos formais a partir destas, do espaço e da leitura do próprio objecto e da sua (ou nossa) imagem.
Criações limitadas e outras que queremos ver serem massificadas.
Não fez parte da programação da EXD'11 mas ficou-lhe tangente.
E ainda pode ser vista até 15 de Janeiro. À borla.

(imagens: subversivamente roubadas na exposição-instalação Introspectiva, de Filipe Alarcão no MUDE)

Introspective

Another Creative Lab project at MUDE and the best of all.
From fashion to product with Philip Alarcão's design essentials.
Playing with geometries and the object and space readings, the object itself and its (or our) image.
Limited editions and other creations that we want to see mass produced.
Outside the EXD'11 program but as tangent to it.
And it still can be seen until January 15th. For free.
(photo: subversively taken at the exhibition-instalation Introspective, by Filipe Alarcão at MUDE museum)

The Behavioral Level

"(...) The behavioral level is about use, about experience with a product. But experience itself has many facets: function, performance, and usability. A product's function specifies what activities it supports, what it is meant to do - if the functions are inadequate or of no interest, the product is of little value. Performance is about how well the product does those desired functions - if the performance is inadequate, the product fails. Usability describes the ease with which the user of the product can understand how it works and how to get it to perform. Confuse or frustrate the person who is using the product and negative emotions result. But if he product does what is needed, if it is fun to use and easy to satisfy goals with it, the the result is warm, positive affect. (...)"

em Emotional Design: Why we Love (or Hate) Everyday Things (2004) de Donald A. Norman, edição Basic Books

The Behavioral Level
in Emotional Design: Why we Love (or Hate) Everyday Things (2004) by Donald A. Norman, Basic Books edition

Colour Nativity

Agora sim, é Natal.
E é claro que o celebramos com design, na proposta de Sebastian Bergne: um presépio reduzido ao essencial.
Para os design victim minimalistas, depois da vida toda povoada por imagens de presépios, eis a composição que se deixa adivinhar apenas pela dimensão e cores das formas paralelepipédicas.
É uma edição de apenas 6 exemplares de autor para ser reproduzida aos milhões na China.

(imagens: Colour Nativity (2011) de Sebastian Bergne)

Colour Nativity
Now yes, it's Christmas.
And of course we celebrate it with design, with the proposal by Sebastian Bergne: a nativity scene reduced to the essentials.
For the minimalist design victim, after one life populated by the images of nativity scenes, here is the composition that is left only to guess through the size and colors of shapes.
It is an edition of only six copies, to be reproduced in millions in China.
(Images: Colour Nativity (2011) Sebastian Bergne)

The Visceral Level

"(...) The design requirements for each level differ widely. The visceral level is pre-consciousness, pre-thought. This is where appearance matters and first impressions are formed. Visceral design is about the initial impact of a product, about its appearance, touch, and feel. (...)"

em Emotional Design: Why we Love (or Hate) Everyday Things (2004) de Donald A. Norman, edição Basic Books

The Visceral Level
in Emotional Design: Why we Love (or Hate) Everyday Things (2004) by Donald A. Norman, Basic Books edition

Snapshots de P-Town

P-Town de João Pedro Vale e Nuno Alexandre Ferreira na Galeria Boavista, em Lisboa.

Snapshots from P-Town
P-Town by João Pedro Vale and Nuno Alexandre Ferreira at Galeria Boavista, in Lisbon.