Normally, EMERGE hates just reiterating a bit of info we got in an email, but every once in a while we need to make an exception. Now is just such a time.




Note, these are just stills. click links below to see video

For a few years now, we've been buddies with some of the folks at motion graphics powerhouse Buck. Just yesterday, we got news of some recent work they've done for clients like Toyota, Fuel TV, the NBA, and the Vancouver Olympic Committee. What's more, they've also launched a new site and posted a brand new reel, which is damn fine if we do say so ourselves. That tune in background? That's "Fa Fa Fa" by Datarock...

Also, take a moment to check out their making-of documentary for their recent work on Toyota Corolla here. It's a pretty fascinating peek behind the curtains, into the process of creating a design- and story-intensive spot.


Posted by James Friedman

Sorry for the lack of original editorial today, but we're feeling referential today...

Last year, Scott King had a show at one of our favorite arts institutions, PS1 in Queens. Included were a year's worth of would-be Vogue covers, reimagining the content while preserving the style of presentation of fashion's most iconic periodical.

Read 'em and weep:










(via Creative Review Blog)




Posted by James Friedman

Okay, we're not sure why EMERGE is so fixated on architecture today, but after a quiet couple days where we were grasping for worthwhile things to post, we stepped out of our comfort zone over the weekend and dove into learning more about something we're not totally conversant in. Thanks to the insights of good friends who happen to be architects, we discovered a couple fascinating shows we wish we could zip out of NYC to check out:

Shaping The Future: Eero Saarinen Retrospective at Cranbrook Art Museum

The guy who designed the St Louis Gateway Arch and the stunning Terminal 5 at JFK gets his first ever career retrospective, which also showcases lots of lesser-celebrated but no less remarkable designs from this absolute giant of 20th Century architecture and design.



House: Jorge Pardo at MoCA NoMi

A mid-career survey of the work of Jorge Pardo, House features sculpture, paintings and illustration in a format that has transformed the museum space into a series of residential tableaux representing the various areas of a home: bedroom, dining room, garden, etc. As the museum's own description says: "In keeping with the genre-crossing characteristics of Pardo’s work, the exhibition will extend beyond the museum itself to encompass site-specific projects around the world, including Pardo’s own house in Los Angeles. These projects will be presented as photomurals at MOCA." The murals are also presented thematically alongside the corresponding residential vignettes, creating a "disorienting space for viewers that oscillates between the physical space they are occupying and the space represented in the photo-mural."






Posted by James Friedman

Not to be confused with our last post regarding the Storefront for Art and Architecture, the nearby Center for Architecture also hosts some fascinating events and exhibitions in their space in the West Village. One such exhibition opens tomorrow, February 26th, and like our last post, it too is tied to a major event in 2008: the Olympics. As so much discussion of the Games this Summer mentions, China is in the throes of a massive effort to modernize, a process that is only intensifying under the international glare of the competitions to be held in Beijing. Building China: Five Projects, Five Stories Rather than rehashing this story, the Center for Architecture examines the broader context of Chinese development and showcases five recently completed projects as a lens through which to view several important themes: Production of Contemporary Culture, Reinventing Urban Fabric, Making the Private Public, Reinterpreting Traditional Design Philosophy, and Hybrid Development Models. "These case studies of contemporary architecture introduce critical voices from the People’s Republic of China, challenging the West’s stereotypical interpretation of China as a homogeneous society."












Posted by James Friedman

It's no great revelation to note that design has stepped out of the shadows in recent years. Thank Apple if you want, but whatever the cause, people are paying attention like never before to how form and function interact. That said, exactly how the balance between these two essential components of design is struck is often seen as creative rather than the more complex and nuanced decision it truly is.

That's why EMERGE found this article on the design of medical training simulators so fascinating. Published in today's issue of the New York Times Science section, the article explores not just the work of Dr. Carla Pugh, but the broader issues of medical necessity, social propriety, and institutional inertia in the training of new physicians.


A pelvic exam simulator combining a 3D model with a computer image

It turns out that many young doctors complete medical school without an adequate familiarity with the myriad form those awkward bits of human anatomy can take, leaving them ill equipped to conduct potentially life-saving testicular, breast, and pelvic exams. Doctors, like the rest of us, are a little weirded out by fondling their patients genitals, and some schools have even drawn criticism for training students on anesthetized patients- sometimes without their consent. Enter Dr. Pugh, who jury rigs anatomical models to train her students. She simulates tumors in her artificial breasts with a lima bean, builds synthetic scrotums using wood balls, rubber bands, a large condom and peanut butter, and even constructed a "vaginal vault" from cardboard toilet paper roll, Play-Doh and a badminton shuttlecock.

If the idea of doctor's training on what sound like high school science fair projects seems a little alarming, don't fret. The article quotes a surgical pioneer called Dr. Richard M Satava who explains how simple models like Dr. Pugh's are in fact preferable: "A very sophisticated simulator would be too much for a student. For simple tasks like a pelvic exam, a simple simulator like Carla's is actually preferable. You don't teach a teenager to drive in a million-dollar Ferrari."


Posted by James Friedman

For the past couple of months, EMERGE has had moving on our mind. Starting back in October we were scoping out new digs and by December we had found a place and had moved on to thinking about decor. Having spent hours scouring the web, furniture shops and catalogs, EMERGE knows just how out of reach much of what is sold by Design Within Reach actually is for the average joe with an agency job and a blog. That's why Thwart Design's Design Without Reach instructional catalog made us laugh so hard. Take a gander and see for yourself.




Posted by James Friedman