A Wrap That's Almost Human

[Dave Monroe]

>From Roberta Smith, "A Wrap That's Almost Human," NY
Times, Friday, May 17th, 2002 ...

DESIGN is us and always has been: it is made by and
for humans, and it mirrors human needs and capacities.
But these days design is more us than ever, thanks to
digital technology, astounding synthetic materials and
postmodern miracles like cloning and genetic
engineering. The distance between the animate and
inanimate diminishes daily. This is a situation as
scary as it is wondrous, as is demonstrated by "Skin:
Surface, Substance and Design," a tantalizing yet
deficient exhibition at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design
Museum of the Smithsonian Institution.

[...]

There is a medley of great moments from Hollywood
horror movies, from Frankenstein's monster to Pinhead
in "Hellraiser III," as well as a nod to more
permanent transformations in four short, gruesome
videos of elective cosmetic surgery.


Some of the most startling displays aren't much to
look at: for example, the tiny bit of white polymer
shaped like the cartilage of the human nose. The label
indicates that it can transform itself with the
injection of a few cells of cow cartilage, which grow
and replace the polymer....

[...]

"Skin" also reminds us that the closer design gets to
the human form, the more frequently it resembles that
most anthropomorphic of 20th-century art styles,
Surrealism....

[...]

Being anthropomorphic and dream-driven, Surrealism has
an immense potential for expressing narcissism, just
as contemporary design seems to provide infinite
opportunities for living it. Materialism, the urge to
physical perfection, the need for constant stimulation
and superficial contact, the intolerance for stillness
and the sound of one's inner thoughts — these are
among the narcissistic downsides of the hyperdesigned,
acutely responsive world that "Skin" skims across. But
you can't blame design; after all, it's only human. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/17/arts/design/17SMIT.html?todaysheadlines


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