It’s almost been a year since season two of @abstractdesign debuted on @netflix—and what a year it’s been. We have found ourselves often recalling some of the quietest moments of the show, those that explored the places that designers go when they need to self-reflect. Few places seemed as spiritually restorative as the Nezu Museum’s garden in Tokyo, featured in the episode profiling @ianspalter, the head of Instagram Japan. Summer—to be honest, a summer like no other—may be in full swing, but we are mentally craving the transformative nature of fall, when trees like these shed their leaves and get ready to return, taller and stronger than ever. They’re excellent role models for all of us.
#abstractnetflix#abstracttheartofdesign#tbt
Fans of @abstractdesign got to know the brilliant artist Christoph Niemann in season one (still on @netflix and available for free viewing on the streamer’s YouTube channel). Neimann’s mind-bending illustrations, whether on the cover of @newyorkermag or in his delightful @abstractsunday feed, play with the idea of what is real and what isn’t. Something he found very real while quarantined in Berlin? An inability to develop new routines. So he drilled down on a favorite hobby: becoming a more skilled piano player. He explored the ups and downs of the endeavor in a touching (and as always, funny) illustrated storyboard for @nytmag, a few panels of which he shares here. “Even though I play in solitude,” Niemann writes, “I take comfort in knowing that I’m not alone.” Nope, you’re not, Christoph. We’d love to hear from our Abstract community: Have you adopted any new routines, or gone deeper into familiar ones? Let us know here.
#abstractnetflix#abstractseason1#abstracttheartofdesign
Want a unique opportunity to learn more from two of the brilliant designers featured on @abstractdesign? Join us at San Francisco Design Week’s virtual festival (@sfdesignweek) this Friday. If you’re a watcher of the show (and we suspect you are since you’re here), you know that the series goes beyond visuals into the science and philosophy that drive the visionaries who shape our culture—and humanity’s future. We explore gender and racial identity, the climate crisis, and social media ethics through the lens of design.
For Cas Holman (@casholman), design is a form of activism. A queer toy designer known for encouraging creativity by emphasizing unstructured play, she uses toys and play not only for learning but as an influential process that can help nurture a child’s outlook on life for the better. Ian Spalter (@ianspalter) has shaped the ways we interact with our devices: He developed the FuelBand for Nike and became head of design at @instagram in 2015. He’s always thinking about how technology—and the ways we choose to use it—affect the world around us.
Join Mary Melton (@marymeltonla), editorial director at Godfrey Dadich Partners, on Friday, June 19th, 2pm-3:30pm PDT, for a conversation with Cas and Ian about the need for optimism, promoting inclusion through design, the importance of mentorship and representation for Black designers, and more. Link in bio.
#abstracttheartofdesign#abstractnetflix#SFDW#casholman#ianspalter#notbusinessasusual#intentionaldistortions#sfdesignweek@godfreydadich
Ilse Crawford, who runs the London design house @studioilse_, understands more than most the importance that a home not merely be comfortable, but have elements throughout that bring joy to those who live in it. We’ve spent a lot more time at home than usual lately, so we asked Ilse, who was featured in Season 1 of @abstractdesign, if she had some new work to share to light up our lives right now. Turns out she recently added the W203 Ilumina lamp to her vast collection (see what we mean in her episode, streaming now on @netflix) of gorgeously designed home furnishings. The Illumina is a modern take on a library lamp; Ilse designed it for the Swedish lighting company Wastberg. We love how its circular shade emits an even glow on a table. It’s dimmable, too—a real plus if you’re looking for a softer focus in your next virtual meeting.It’s dimmable, too—a real plus if you’re looking for a softer focus in your next virtual meeting. ( 📸: @wastberglighting)
#abstractnetflix#abstracttheartofdesign#ilsecrawford#home#design#abstractseason1#interiordesign
Sheltering in place the last few weeks has reminded us how much we miss our road adventures. So we checked in with a bona fide car expert in our midst: Ralph Gilles (@ralphgilles), the global head of design for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (@fiatchrysler_na), who was featured in Season 1 of @abstractdesign. The series is streaming on @netflix, and all of Season 1 is now available for free viewing on Netflix’s YouTube channel to enable anyone with an internet connection to gain valuable educational insights into the design process. Ralph’s episode focused on the build of a concept vehicle called SM1. It did debut, to overwhelming positive reviews, as the Chrysler Portal Concept. Since then Ralph reports that he’s worked on several new successful vehicles, including the all-new Jeep Gladiator that takes its cues from a rich heritage of tough, dependable Jeep trucks; the award-winning Ram 1500 and Ram Heavy Duty models; and, for the European market (lucky them), the plug-in hybrid vehicles Jeep Compass and Jeep Renegade. “We also introduced two concept vehicles, the Alfa Romeo Tonale and the all-electric Fiat Centoventi,” Ralph told us. “We have so much more coming down the pipeline, but, of course, I can’t talk about that. So keep your eye on us!” No problem, Ralph: we always keep our eyes on you, and we can’t wait to hit the road in one of your new creations soon.
( 📸 : Fiat Chrysler Automobiles )
@fiat@fiatusa#abstractnetflix#abstracttheartofdesign#ralphgilles#auto#design#fiat#chrysler#jeep#ram
So much heroic work being done at labs around the world often gets overlooked; that hasn’t been the case this year, when global eyes have been focused on scientists doing life-saving research to create tests and vaccines to combat COVID-19. We drew back the curtain on some other designed solutions in Season 2 of @abstractdesign on @netflix, when we profiled the work of bio-architect Neri Oxman. The tenured professor walked us through her lab and talked about its significance; there hadn’t been a place for science and art to mingle at MIT until the Media Lab opened. We’re thrilled that the Museum of Modern Art is opening Neri Oxman: Material Ecology, which explores the influence of nature on Neri’s design and production processes, online starting May 11 (@themuseumofmodernart). As for this dish, we couldn’t possibly explain what’s brewing in it, but we were struck by the role that art can play in the progress of science and culture. Rarely has the work of scientists felt more vital.
#abstractnetflix#abstractseason2#abstracttheartofdesign#nerioxman#moma#nature#setlife#tbt
We’re always eager to celebrate the power of great design, and to shout from the rooftops about the increasingly important role designers play in our world. That’s why we’re so delighted that Season 1 of @abstractdesign is being made available on @youtube! With most schools shut down, educators have fewer opportunities to take advantage of @netflix’s educational screenings policy, so the team behind the show has decided to make the first season available—for free—on Netflix’s YouTube channel. Anyone with an internet connection will now be able to binge the first eight episodes. For all of you in our @abstractdesign family, please share the news with your friends around the globe.
#abstractnetflix#abstractseason1#abstracttheartofdesign
During this time of social isolation, many artists are sharing their work online in new and intimate ways. Every artist featured in @abstractdesign sheds new light on the creative process, and how design weaves its way into everything we do. One artist in particular—architect and designer Olafur Eliasson (@studioolafureliasson)—thinks more about light than most, and how it can change the way we perceive the world. Walking through the artist’s Reykjavík studio while filming Season 2, which is now streaming on @netflix, Abstract co-creator and executive producer Scott Dadich (@sdadich) was struck by one of Eliasson’s pieces, which the artist calls “Flatland light”—its form, how light refracts through the filtered panes, the way it evokes a crystal in nature—and snapped this photograph. With the 50th annual Earth Day coming up April 21, it’s a vital reminder that we must preserve and protect the most inspirational subject of all: the natural world around us.
#abstractnetflix#abstractseason2#abstracttheartofdesign#olafureliasson#earthday#earthday2020#climateaction#bethechange#setlife#berlin#light#tbt
The events of the world have changed our perspective on pretty much everything the last few weeks. Bjarke Ingels (@bjarkeingels) knows a thing or two about shape shifting. Watch his @abstractdesign episode from Season 1, still streaming on @netflix, and you’ll see what we mean. We caught up with the Danish architect and his firm, @big_builds, to learn about one of their latest projects. When they were tasked with linking a flat forest to a hillside across a river in Norway’s Kistefos Sculpture Park, they didn’t settle for any bridge. Instead, they built “The Twist,” which spectacularly torques 90 degrees midway across the river. Depending on which way you enter, you walk into a horizontal structure and exit a vertical one. Its staggered aluminum exterior recalls the fanning motion of a deck of cards; inside, visitors feel as if they’re walking into the shutter of a camera. But one thing that is no illusion: the Twist’s functionality. When it opened last fall, it doubled the interior exhibition space of @kistefos. We can’t wait to make a pilgrimage. (📸 : @LaurianGhinitoiu) #abstractnetflix#abstractseason1#abstracttheartofdesign#bjarkeingels#kistefossculpturepark#BIGKISTEFOS#kistefos#kistefosmuseum#thetwist@visitnorway#architecture
For nearly 20 years, Cas Holman (@casholman) has been designing toys to engage the imagination and create a sense of discovery when at play. Her now-legendary creation Rigamajig is enjoyed in schools, homes, and on playgrounds around the world. It’s a no-batteries-required invention that encourages children (and, yep, also adults) to build their own worlds of wonder, and we’ve got no doubt that an entire generation of architects will cite Rigamajig as the toy that first gave light to the designer within. There is much to admire about all that Cas, who self-identifies as queer, does to promote inclusion—you can learn about her inspiring career in her episode on Season 2 of @abstractdesign, streaming on @netflix. But on International Women’s Day, we want to thank her for creating toys that appeal to all children, that reach all identities, and that will empower the next generation of womxn to tap into their own inner engineer—or designer, or architect, or artist, or anything in the world they want to be.
#abstractnetflix#abstractseason2#abstracttheartofdesign#casholman#internationalwomensday#EachforEqual#IWD2020#representationmatters#queerartist