What's the connection between a new fan and a house in Malibu? Airplane technology. Find out when Frances Anderton talks to James Dyson about his new air multiplier, and to David Hertz about a house made of a mothballed Boeing 747. Plus, California Design and a conversation with Rose Apodaca, Alissa Walker and Stewart Reed about what you'll find at the new Biennial at the Pasadena Museum of California Art.
Design's Biggest Fan
British inventor James Dyson has become a household name for his revolutionary line of bagless vacuums and the Air Blade, a more efficient, more sanitary way to dry hands in public restrooms. Now he's taking on the fan, or rather the Air Multiplier. Frances talks to him about what makes this bladeless fan a breath of fresh air for the design world.
Wing Man
Architect David Hertz has spent the last 25 years exploring the role of recycled and reclaimed materials in the structures he's designed. But nothing can top a house he designed for a client in Malibu which had been previously owned by Tony Duquette, a designer who creates pieces out of found objects. Hertz speaks with Frances about how he honored Duquette's legacy by using a rather unusual element to build the now-legendary Wing House: wings from a deconstructed Boeing 747.
Action and Reaction
The 2010 California Design Biennial Action/Reaction opened this past weekend at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. The work includes five categories individually-curated by Frances (architecture), Louise Sandhaus (graphics), Alissa Walker (product), Rose Apodaca (fashion) and Stewart Reed (transportation). Frances talks to three of the curators about the show's highlights and what designing in California means. If you missed the opening, on August 1
at 3pm, the museum will host a panel discussion with all five curators.
In Memoriam: Stephen Kanner
The prolific Los Angeles architect Stephen Kanner died two weeks ago, leaving behind a legacy that included hundreds of projects ranging from socially-focused work like the affordable housing project located at 26th Street and Santa Monica to California icons like the In-N-Out Burger in Westwood. Frances penned a moving remembrance of Kanner, and there is also a lovely eulogy in the LA Times and a piece in the Palasadian Post, where Kanner was a longtime resident. A piece on LA Observed reproduces a letter about the effect that Kanner's presence had on Westwood. The A+D Museum, which Kanner founded, will hold a retrospective of his work in September. A memorial fund has been established in his honor.
Banner image: 747 Wing House, designed by David Hertz, photograph by Laura Doss