Writing

Essays

Critical prose on art and design, their movements, and their critics — synopses, reflections, and arguments written alongside the studio work.

2015

The not-so-magic system of Industrial Design : Summary and reflections on ‘Design for the Real World’

Victor Papanek’s polemic treatise read through its history and its warnings — industrial design’s depression-era beginnings, the dark twins of styling and obsolescence, the post-war tyranny of choice, and the case for an anticipatory, morally and environmentally responsive design.

Read ›
2014

Clement Greenberg’s ‘Avant-Garde and Kitsch’: Synopsis and Reflections

A synopsis of and response to Greenberg’s landmark 1939 essay — kitsch and the avant-garde traced from Rothko to Rockwell, and the question of whether either could exist without the other.

Read ›