Postmodernism

The Memphis Movement was a design trend that began in not Memphis, Tennessee but in Milan. The name Memphis came from the Bob Dylan song, "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again". The Memphis Group focused on the use of strong geometric patterns, saturated colors, and mixed materials such as laminate. It was incredibly creative and went against the modern mantra that "less is more". 

Ettore Sottsass was one of the most influential designers during this design movement and the founder of the Memphis Group. On the left is the Carlton Room Divider. It was made of wood and plastic laminate in 1981 and is now currently on display at the The Met in New York. While there is a use of vivid use of colors and an avant-garde like structure, the underlying system is actually quite practical with the use of geometric patterns to create the overall look.

Andrea Branzi was another Italian architect that was a part of the Memphis Group. Branzi liked to make creations that mixed craftsmanship along with nature and technology. This can be seen in the image on the left of a chair that he created in 1985. The upper part of the chair resembles that of tree bark and the bottom is a much more streamlined shape. The two together create a very visually interesting piece of furniture. 

Nathalie du Pasquier is another founder of the Memphis Group. She worked on a variety of arts, that include furniture, jewelry and painting. Painting has been her main focus, and one of her works can be seen in the image on the left. Her work followed the same trends of geometric patterns and stark use of saturated colors. During her time with the Memphis Group she mostly designed textiles and furniture.

The Memphis Movement was a child of the 1980's and has mostly stayed in that time period. Currently though designs with Memphis-like foundations have been seen into mainstream design today.

The pieces seen on the left are designed by Kartell, an Italian plastics manufacturer. Like most Memphis designs, you can see a use of stark and saturated colors along with strong forms. Not all eight pieces are currently being manufactured, however the CEO of Kartell plans to do so eventually. 

This piece of furniture is called the Panda Cabinet. It was designed by Paola Navone for Giulio Cappellini (another designer). At the 2015 Salone del Mobile fair, Cappellini introduced a series of furniture designed by Navone that focused on boldly colored laminates. 

Super Great Videos That You Should Watch

The Memphis Group Re-Examined | https://youtu.be/dEBEm9fQJiY

Alessi and Postmodernism | https://youtu.be/ZIOQzrNgyx0

Peer Reviews 

Alex | I thought it was interesting that Alex discussed the use of design from the Memphis Movement in fashion. She showed examples from American Apparel and it was really cool to see the connection to this design movement.

Courtney | I liked that Courtney focused on Michael Graves and discussed his importance to accessibility in design. It was interesting to be able to see his ideas applied into a specific project, such as the Wounded Warriors residence. 

Modernism in America II

As many of us traveled to Michigan earlier this semester, I thought it would be interesting to recap modernism in American through the scope of the company Herman Miller. Herman Miller opened in West Michigan in the early 1900's. By mid-century, Herman Miller became one of the most well-known companies to produce modern furniture.

The first image above is an IBM ad that appeared in the New Yorker magazine in 1957 that featured an upholstered Eames wire chair and a Herman Miller desk. In the second image, a dining room is seen furnished with upholstered Eames wire frame chairs. There was a push during this time for affordable homes to be able to attain good design. Lastly, the third image shows an action office set up from "The Design Process at Herman Miller" at the Walker Art Center in 1975.

In the first image, you can see an Action Office System. The general concept of the Action Office has stayed the same over the years, just with changes to the materials and actual structure of the products. The second image is a current Nelson Swag Leg Desk with Eames Wire Side Chair. As with the Action Office, these two products have held true to their original concept. You can see this when compared to the IBM ad above. Lastly, this image of a dining and living room image shows a variety of different Herman Miller furniture in a current application. It includes pieces such as the Eames Molded Plastic Chairs, Walnut stool, and the Eames Sofa Compact.

Super Great Videos that You Should Watch

Herman Miller - Who We Are | http://www.hermanmiller.com/about-us/who-is-herman-miller.html
Herman Miller - Our Story | http://www.hermanmiller.com/about-us/who-is-herman-miller/our-story.html

Peer Reviews