The Legacy of Massimo and Lella Vignelli

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The Vignellis are perhaps the most famous couple in design. The late Massimo and Lella Vignelli worked for several decades on numerous projects ranging from architectural feats to dinnerware sets, and most notably, the New York subway system wayfinding signage. Their Italian heritage and culture informs their passionate and lighthearted approach to life.

I recently watched Design is One, a documentary on the Vignelli’s work. It was full of insight and humor, an intriguing look into the life of two prolific, innovative designers.

Upon viewing Kathy Brew and Roberto Guerra’s documentary on the late Vignellis, I was delighted to see the work of Lella and Massimo Vignelli documented and explained so eloquently–a metaphor for their design work which is simultaneously simple and gorgeous. The 2012 film highlights a few key works of art made by the dynamic duo over the past 50-plus years in a way that is powerful yet humorous at times. What really struck me was the intimate humanity prevalent in the film–the interviews with Lella and Massimo themselves and testimonials by well-known architects, designers, and friends (Glaser, Bierut, Meier to name a few) highlighted their beautiful partnership, full of play, honesty, and of course, bickering.

With decades of marriage and work shared between them, the film emphasized Lella’s important and equal role in their collaboration. Despite Massimo usually holding most of the spotlight, I enjoyed the credit attributed to Lella in their creative process. Massimo is described as “the dreamer” and Lella “the reality.” To even stay together for that long is a feat in and of itself, but to curate a professional relationship in addition to marriage is truly admirable.

What I enjoyed most about the film is the overall theme of design as an inherently utilitarian tool. Through objects such as the Heller plastic dinnerware set or the redesign of the New York City subway system, the Vignellis demonstrate their dedication for design as a way to improve people’s everyday lives. With countless projects and collaborations under their wings, Lella and Massimo have definitely achieved their dream of being immortal.

Design is One

 

Works – from Inkbot Design

 

The Poetry Snapshot: Time Running

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Everyone around us has 24 hours.
Yet sometimes, I feel like I’m the only one.
Scaling towers to make the most of my time,
and squeeze in work to make a quick dime.

Everyone around us has 24 hours.
So why do I feel the need to be empowered?
To use my time and make a change.

If everyone around me has 24 hours,
the girl who cured cancer and the boy who runs track,
they must have superpowers.
But at the end of the day,
that’s not the case.

Everyone around us has 24 hours.
Finding a way to make yours count,
that’s what matters.

__________________________________________________________________

This poem is inspired by my panic to make the most of my time and the rush I’ve been in, which didn’t allow me to take new photographs. Ironic, yet fitting.

 

Infest The Rats’ Nest: Environmental Thrash

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One music genre that I struggle with is new rock and metal. There’s usually just too much noise and screaming and it gives me a headache, not to mention I have no idea what is going on lyrically or even musically half the time. On the other hand, I really WANT to enjoy heavy metal; the aesthetic is so raw and emotional, and great heavy metal music (think Iron Maiden) can be extremely motivational and profound. So I’ve spent a long time searching for new metal that I can actually enjoy, and that long and tedious journey finally led me to Infest the Rats’ Nest, a thrash metal album conceived by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (don’t ask me about the name, I have no idea). Immediately this album set itself apart: it was clear and concise, with real musical composition that was understandable, it featured an environmental theme focusing on humanity’s destruction of the Earth, and although it was still more aggressive than I was used to at first, it was so catchy that I couldn’t stop listening, and it’s one of the most insanely energetic albums I have ever been able to listen to.

Surprisingly, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard usually produce psych rock and noise rock, which shares a lot of commonalities with thrash metal: it’s loud, over-the-top, energetic, and features a lot of interesting instrumentation. However, I can’t seem to enjoy any King Gizzard project as much as Infest the Rats’ Nest, and I think it’s because it’s the only album that strikes a great balance between the actual music and the content. This album in particular features a great concept that is executed flawlessly, unlike other albums that are all over the place, both in ideas and composition. The story of Infest the Rats’ Nest starts with a burned out planet Earth, largely destroyed by the unsustainable and destructive practices of the human race, portrayed best by these lines from the opening track Planet B:

Urbanization

Scarification

Population Exodus

There is no Planet B

Open your eyes and see

Not only do these lyrics hit close to home in the current day and age of environmental concern, they are so raw and accurate that it takes you by surprise. I never would have thought that thrash metal was the place to convey an environmental message, but listening to this song for the first time was mind-blowing: it makes perfect sense that the destruction of Earth, our home, should be portrayed with cynical clarity and thrashing aggression. These lines are especially powerful due to the perfect delivery by the lead singer and the accompanying gut-wrenching guitars and drums.

On the next track, Mars for the Rich, the perspective is that of a farmer left on a scorched Earth, poor and doomed to die a horrible death, while he watches the rich traveling to Mars on TV. The irony is strong after the haunting message of Planet B, and shows how although there is no planet B for the human race, there is for the rich and privileged.

Mars for the privileged

Earth for the poor

Mars terra-forming slowly

Earth has been deformed

The next track of interest is Superbug, which is exactly what it sounds like: a virus that is immune to antibiotics and ravages the Earth, infecting the population and lasting for generations. The concept of this song is best summed up by these lyrics:

Superbug gave a shrug

And ate all your prescription drugs

and never, ever, ever stopped

…

Unnecessary

Anti-Bs

Likely killed humanity

This track is almost prophetic given today’s situation, although it was bound to come true eventually given how accurate is and how careless humanity is with antibiotics, especially in relation to factory farming. One thing I love about this song is how gritty and terrifying it is; the Superbug is portrayed as indiscriminate and inevitable, while the narrator anguishes about the Superbug in his blood, knowing that he is doomed and so is the rest of humanity. Again, I think this song really emphasizes how perfectly thrash metal and environmental consciousness complement each other, using grim lyrics and devastating instrumentation to convey the looming destruction of the Earth.

The second half of the album is just as interesting, if not more sci-fi oriented, and continues on the environmental themes of the first half. I would love to discuss it more but unfortunately this post is already quite long; therefore I recommend giving it a listen yourself. Pay attention to the message of each song and how they all connect, while also noticing how well the music complements the message, then feel free to leave a comment and we can discuss it further. Regardless, Infest the Rats’ Nest is a stand out metal album, the only one of its kind, due to both the quality of the composition and the effective presentation of its unique environmental message.

“what is art?” #15 – Ariel Friedlander, “Queer As In”

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As an art student, it is inevitable to meet people with different art practices and messages. As an art student at the U of M… this theory is further expanded because the art school is within a larger university. There is an infinite amount of opportunity here and one of my favorite parts about being a student in Ann Arbor is getting to see others use art as a form of discussion and watch them grow at the same time as myself. 

 

One of my favorite artists I’ve had the pleasure of meeting is Ariel Friedlander. I met her in my 2D Studio course that we were both taking as a requirement. I learned that she is both an art and art history major and I grew to like Ariel not only because of her personality and artwork but also because of her innate ability to constantly challenge our assignments and professor. Her confidence with what she was creating inspired me and continues to inspire me and how I create my own work.

In class I watched Ariel make art pertaining to her Jewish, queer, and diabetic identities. I loved watching her connect these ideas and start discussions about intersectionality as well as also focusing on pushing boundaries of other topics. My favorite moments were when she made individuals in our class and our professor question what something meant and then hear her educated and organized response back. 

Ariel is always churning out a multitude of work at a time and is constantly updating her social media with the work she creates. It is great to watch her build a community with her art especially when she posts about her travels.  

She recently has been working on curating a portrait photography and text series, “Queer As In”. In this project, she explores, “the nuances of queer identity through collaboration with self-identified queer individuals.” Ariel had noticed banners and pickets with slogans like “Queer as in fuck you” or “Queer as in abolish ICE” from activist experiences. This inspired her to create this series and have the model she photographed “fill in the blank with a
word they feel is important to their LGBTQ identity.” The color on the portraits are chosen by the model as the color they believe connects the most with their word. The final arrangement shows the photos creating one large pride flag. 

 

Tonight from 7-9pm in the Michigan League’s first floor lobby is the opening of her “Queer As In” art exhibition on campus. The show will be up from February 11th until March 13th and is sponsored by Spectrum Center and RC.  

As a community, it is important to show up to events and art shows like this to show support and interest. The effort of trying to learn and have an open mind is what sometimes is the most important part of the shows themselves. Ariel’s work is 110% worth the time to check out and I recommend you all go either tonight or within the next month to see her stunning curation. 

 

 

Hope to see you there! 🙂

P.S. Check out her cool ass earrings on her Etsy account!

P.P.S. Photo creds to her Instagram!