I’ve been sitting on this story since October, hoping I’d be able to get to the show, but It’s increasingly clear that I’m not getting to NYC for a while. So, anyway…
MoMA is showing SAFE: Design Takes On Risk
Wired Magazine described it:
Just in time for the wave of catastrophes plaguing our fragile planet, some top designers unveil a series of aesthetically pleasing objects that could be handy in dangerous situations, from the banal to the apocalyptic.
[…]
The 303 pieces in SAFE cover six categories: shelter, armor, property, everyday, emergency and awareness. Some protect us from the trivial danger of embarrassment (Otohime, which muffles bathroom noises with the electronically generated sound of a toilet flushing), while others could help us survive a shipwreck in stormy seas (a Sea Shelter life raft with a step below the surface of the water that makes it easier to clamber aboard).
[…]
Not every exhibit item is a lifesaver. The miniature frog respirator and prairie dog work gloves in the Safety Gear for Small Animals exhibit are presumably meant to deliver more metaphorical impact than practical benefit. Such displays of whimsy help lighten the mood at what could have been a horror show of our darkest fears.
I’m consoling myself with the online exhibition, but wishing I lived a little closer to New York.