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HIPA and HUAWEI Themes launch 11 digital photography collections

HIPA and HUAWEI Themes launch 11 digital photography collections


شرطة أبوظبي تناقش “الأمن الإلكتروني” للأسرة

أبوظبي في 6 يونيو/ وام/ نظمت مديرية التحريات والتحقيقات الجنائية بقطاع الأمن الجنائي وإدارة الشرطة المجتمعية بقطاع أمن المجتمع في القيادة العامة لشرطة أبوظبي مجلساً توعوياً بعنوان “الأمن والسلامة الإلكترونية..مسؤولية مجتمعية” وذلك في روضة الأمل بمنطقة الشهامة في إمارة أبوظبي بحضور عدد كبير من أولياء الأمور والكادر التعليمي وتلاميذ الروضة.وشهدت الجلسة تفاعلاً كبيراً من الأطفال وأسرهم والكادر التعليمي حول الطرق الآمنة للتعامل مع البرامج والألعاب الإلكترونية واتخاذ الإجراءات السليمة التي تضمن أمنهم وسلامتهم عند التعامل مع شبكة الإنترنت.وأكد الرائد علي فارس النعيمي بمديرية التحريات والتحقيقات…

Catalina Swinburn Meticulously Excavates the History and Ceremony of Textiles in Her Woven Paper ‘Investitures’

Catalina Swinburn Meticulously Excavates the History and Ceremony of Textiles in Her Woven Paper ‘Investitures’

“Il Ritorno d’Ulisse” (2021), woven paper investiture from the scores of ‘Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria’ by Claudio Monteverdi, 150 x 130 x 40 centimeters. All images © Catalina Swinburn, shared with permission

“The cloak is a talisman from harm, keeping one safe and secure throughout transitions,” says Chilean artist Catalina Swinburn, whose elaborate sculptures use thousands of pieces of folded paper to explore world history. Living and working between Buenos Aires and London, she is drawn to ideas around migration and displacement, turning material derived from books, documents, and maps into large-scale wall pieces and intricate, robe-like compositions.

Swinburn is interested in liminality, the process of transitioning across borders or boundaries in space or time that often requires formal procedures. She focuses on investitures, a term that applies to both an honorary ceremony and a type of garment that covers, protects, or adorns the wearer. “My works are what I called Ritual Investitures that extend power and resistance by the way they are constructed,” she says, “also in the fictional idea of how this can be used as an armour to protect, or wings to fly, or become something you wish.”

 

Two details of a sculpture made of woven paper from books.

Detail of “Il Ritorno d’Ulisse” (2021)

From meticulously folded pieces of paper comes a draping fabric, often mounted onto a panel or photographed as it wraps around a figure’s shoulders. The historically fraught practices of collecting and exhibiting cultural artifacts, ceremonial materials, and human remains is also a touchpoint for Swinburn, as she considers the nature of ownership, power, bias, and representation. She often uses archaeological volumes for her sculptures, culling pages cataloging ancient Roman floor mosaics or antiquities. “Athánatoi,” for example, is woven from vintage sheets containing documentation of displaced glazed bricks from the Palace of Darius, Susa, an ancient city in modern-day Iran.

In archaeology, textiles rarely survive, adding another layer of mystique to craft and garment traditions around the world. “Textiles are among the most visible signs of sacred spaces and sacred roles,” Swinburn says. Using a technique she calls “inset” or embedding, the artist creates a durable fabric with a robust geometric structure that references built environments and patterns employed by Indigenous groups. “The weaving is designed with a stepped pattern inspired from the sacred ruins and old scaffold textiles used in the Andean cultures,” she says. “Referring to the suyu whipala structure, each module is cut and joined together manually.”

 

A sculpture made of woven paper from books, mounted onto a gold-leaf panel.

“Athánatoi” (2021), woven paper investiture from vintage archeological documentation books relating to the displacement of archeological glazed bricks from the Palace of Darius, Susa, 180 x 150 x 30 centimeters

Books have fascinated Swinburn since childhood, when her father amassed stacks of volumes about architecture and prehistoric civilizations. She finds her source material in charity shops, markets, fairs, and during her travels, often inspired by a unique title or vintage illustrations. “Books for me are like pilgrims: they are also constantly travelling and moving,” she says. “They have passed from different hands, so it holds its narrative, but for me, also the narrative of it’s own journey.” The portability of Swinburn’s materials is a significant aspect of her practice, since she travels frequently. Her technique involves slicing out the leaves, then carefully cutting and folding into precise squares that can be bundled up and taken anywhere.

Textiles have been long been associated with domestic activities and often disparaged as “women’s work.” Swinburn turns the tables on this narrative, exploring the representation of women throughout time or highlighting their absence from the record altogether. She says, “I mostly named all of my pieces out of names for emblematic women: Penelope, Arachne, Inanna, Astarte, Isis, Phoenix, Cocha, Quilla, Copacati, Dido, Aida… I always think, what about if history would have been told from a feminine perspective? I want to bring back these narratives and empower them, for us all to think on how powerful they have been.”

Swinburn will open a solo exhibition in a London chapel with Selma Feriani Gallery this October. You an find more of her work on her website and Instagram.

 

Detail of a sculpture made of woven paper from books.

Detail of “Athánatoi” (2021)

A wall piece made from folded pieces of paper from books.

“Apadana” (2021), woven paper from archaeological documentation of stone displaced from Persepolis, 370 x 410 centimeters

Detail of folded and woven paper.

Detail of “Apadanis” (2021)

A sculpture made of woven paper from books.

“Cocha” (2021), handwoven paper investiture piece made from selected cut pieces from Latin American maritime seafront atlases and maps, 130 x 150 x 45 centimeters

Detail of a sculpture made of woven paper from maps.

Detail of “Cocha” (2021)

A sculpture made of woven paper from books, worn by a figure.

“Penelope” (2020), performative photo with woven investiture made from scores of ‘Il Ritorno di Ulisse in patria’ by Claudio Monteverdi, 120 x 180 centimeters

A sculpture made of woven paper from books.

“Autobiography of a Yogi” (2019), woven paper, 234 x 270 centimeters

Pieces of folded paper in small bundles.

Pieces in progress for “Autobiography of a Yogi” (2019)

A sculpture made of woven paper from books.

“Quilla” (2021), woven paper investiture made from vintage music scores of the national hymns of Latin America, 150 x 150 x 40 centimeters

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Catalina Swinburn Meticulously Excavates the History and Ceremony of Textiles in Her Woven Paper ‘Investitures’ appeared first on Colossal.

Ikra Arshad Adds Graphic, Pastel Stamp Onto Art Pod During Residency

Ikra Arshad Adds Graphic, Pastel Stamp Onto Art Pod During Residency

Every year, East Quay enlists an artist for their Pod 5 Artist Residency, which invites a creative to live in and transform a small living space called Pod 5 in Watchet, West Somerset, United Kingdom. For 2023, they tapped London-based artist Ikra Arshad, known for her large-scale murals and installations, to stay for two weeks and put her mark on the space. Arshad brought her playful style merging pastel shades and monochrome tones with geometric patterns for a lively, energetic feel.

She incorporated orange to reflect the local Somerset clay, along with pink, purple, and green that give nod to the noteworthy sunsets and local flora. Rounding out the pastels are more graphic sections with black and white stripes, black geometric shapes, and a white/black grid found on the bedding. The space comes together for a bold yet calming aesthetic.

small space interior with pastel wall art and black and white details

small space interior with pastel wall art and black and white details

The mezzanine is turned into “The Dreaming Room” as a relaxing space for visitors to ideate and reflect.

small space interior loft with pastel wall art and black and white details

Arshad says: “As the sun rises and sets on the harbor, the mural and shelf objects will change and shift in its appearance, acting as a prominent sundial throughout the day whilst people experience the artworks. The immersive artworks will act as a creative intervention, sparking the viewer’s curiosity and a fresh perspective of seeing the world.”

small space interior loft with pastel wall art and black and white details

small space interior with pastel wall art and black and white details

The elevated pod lives atop the East Quay building overlooking the Bristol Channel and marina, making for an inspiring location. Along with renovating Pod 5, Arshad spent her two-week residency leading creative workshops with the local community, from toddlers to adults.

small space interior with pastel wall art and black and white details

small space interior with pastel wall art and black and white details

Launched in 2021, East Quay is a thriving hub in the Watchet community for creativity and activity, with galleries, artist studios, education space, print studio, paper mill, restaurant, and five accommodation pods, including Pod 5.

small space interior with pastel wall art and black and white details

small kitchen interior with lavender and white checked walls

angled view of small kitchen with lavender and white checkered walls and small bar

small kitchen interior with one wall in purple and white checkered design and one with two tone green triangle

closeup of small kitchen interior wall with two tone green triangle

closeup view of white wall shelf in kitchen holding dishes

exterior view of elevated living pod

angled view of door exterior of elevated living pod

angled view of door exterior of elevated living pod

side view of woman in black painting stripes on wall

Artist Ikra Arshad painting art pod Photo: George Harwood Smith

angled interior view of small bedroom with graffiti art on walls

Previous interior of art pod designed by Bristol artist Andy Council Photo: Joseph Horton

Want to call Pod 5, or any of the other four pods, home for a short or extended stay? You can book them here.

Photos, except where noted, by Jesse Wild.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.

Slowing Down Can Help Photographers Find Their Subject

Slowing Down Can Help Photographers Find Their Subject

Westphal College of Media Arts & Design Photography Professor Andrea Modica is known for using a distinctive technique to photograph her subjects that requires a great deal of patience. Eschewing the latest technology, Modica uses a large-format camera that was state-of-the-art in the 1920s and a platinum print-making process that was popular the mid 1800s. In a moment when digital photographers can instantly review their shots and have limitless options for editing and retouching, Modica’s process stands apart for the time it takes — both to make the photograph and to make the subjects feel comfortable enough to forget about the big camera in the room.

Modica, a Guggenheim Fellow and Fulbright Scholar whose photos are part of permanent exhibitions in the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art and have been published in The New York Times, The New Yorker and TIME magazine among others, puts in the time to build trust with her subjects, whether they’re minor league baseball players you might recognize, Italian high schoolers, or Mummers in South Philadelphia. Her latest work, on display at Unique Photo in Philadelphia through June 30, is a series set in an equine hospital in the small town of Budrio di Bagnarola in northern Italy. Modica spent eight years photographing the caregivers and their patients, ultimately producing a book recognized as one of the best collections of photography in 2022.

Modica discussed her work on the project at length in an introduction for the book, that she excerpted below for the Drexel New Blog. She also took a moment to discuss the challenges of teaching a new generation of photographers and the benefits of a more deliberate process.

Three years ago, I began photographing with my 8X10” view camera at a horse hospital in the small town of Budrio di Bagnarola in northern Italy. The facility is owned by the prominent veterinary surgeon Fabio Torre and it attracts remarkable and, generally, very valuable horses for a range of procedures. I became aware of the hospital through Dr. Torre, who is also an art enthusiast. I was immediately drawn to the contrast of these magnificent animals rendered so vulnerable.

I began photographing the horses in their post-operative recovery rooms: simple padded stalls with overhead windows, which produce lovely, filtered light. The floors are covered with the doctor’s recycled shredded junk mail, medical journals and art magazines. The stalls are at once theatrical stages and humble boxes.  In my photographs the horses are in a state of post-operative anesthetic sleep. They are recovering from operations that include, among other things, fracture repairs, complicated dental work and castrations.

The second facet of this project is comprised of still lifes of the tools of surgery prior to procedures. I spent many hours photographing Dr. Torre’s extensive collection of spectacular tools, choosing to use the recovery stalls as my studio, thus employing the same light and atmosphere as the prior group of photographs. These images include the marks on the walls, made by the horses as they awaken from their post-operative anesthetic sleep. These platinum prints are titled with the name of each tool, which often refers to its inventor and the procedure for which it is used.

The next group of photographs in this project includes still lifes of the tools of surgery after the procedures. I made these photographs in the operating room, where I utilized the lights of the surgical theatre. I was particularly drawn to the manner with which the tools were returned to the table after use, often reflecting the type of surgery performed. For example, after a routine arthroscopic surgery the instruments are often returned in neat piles, while a post-colic table may convey a sense of a more dramatic emergency procedure. The titles of these platinum prints include the date and name of the surgical procedure.

The final part of this project is a series of short films. I filmed each horse’s eye while the horse was being sedated before the operation. The films can be quite abstract, referring often to landscape. The soundtracks are comprised of the horse’s heartbeat, the doctors’ conversations and the staticky radio playing contemporary Italian pop music and advertisements.

For all the images in this project I produce 8×10” contact prints on vellum, utilizing the 19th century, hand-coated platinum process. The delicate tones created by this process illuminate the details in the horses’ powerful physiques and the sensuous light in which they sleep, as well as the odd piles of shredded paper on which they lay.

Inspired by the region’s High Renaissance art, the mannerly structure of the photographs in combination with the soft platinum tones are in direct contrast to the aggressiveness of the procedures the horses have endured and their anesthetic vulnerability. I am transfixed by their slumber; they appear comfortable, yet fragile, both powerful and compromised. This induced sleep marks the end of their operation and the beginning of their recovery. It is at once terrifying and hopeful, always moving. The title of each of these photographs includes the horse’s name and breed, the date and the type of operation the horse has undergone.

In the end, all the images from the horse hospital project are highly descriptive, yet not illustrative of any specific idea; they will be absorbed and interpreted by the viewer. The extended tonal range of the platinum print in combination with the formal elements I employ welcome a broad audience, as well as a great variety of complex and impactful interpretations. Both the films and the platinum prints can be deceptive in their seductive beauty, finally presenting potentially unsettling information, perhaps inviting us to ponder our own vulnerability and temporariness, strength and endurance. As with much of my work, this project is not documentary in nature, but truly conceptual.

Modica is now teaching students who have lived their entire lives in the age of digital photography. And while these tools enable photographers to record places and parts of life that were previously inaccessible, Modica and her colleagues emphasize the value of learning and maintaining a deliberate process.

“The fast pace of producing digital images can be challenging, in fact. In the Photography program we are committed to teaching the students to slow down the shooting process and be more decisive and informed practitioners,” she said. “To assist with this, all our majors start with mastering analog techniques, including working with a large format camera, hand processing film and working in the darkroom, as well as getting a deep understanding of the history of photography and contemporary trends in both fine art and commercial applications.”

For more information about Modica’s work, visit: http://www.andreamodica.com/

Reporters interested in speaking with Modica should contact Britt Faulstick, executive director, News & Media Relations, bef29@drexel.edu or 215.895.2617.

Extraordinary shots from a prestigious Scottish landscape photo awards

Extraordinary shots from a prestigious Scottish landscape photo awards

Great Scot! The extraordinary winning images from the 2023 Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year contest, from crashing waves to tropical-looking beaches

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Prepare to fall under Scotland’s spell, courtesy of these spellbinding pictures.

These remarkable photographs are all winners and finalists in the 2023 Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year awards, an annual contest that celebrates the scenery of Scotland in all its glen-filled glory.

This year, the contest saw more than 4,000 images submitted by both Scottish photographers and talent from further afield – everywhere from Australia to the Netherlands. An Edinburgh street blanketed in snow, a thundering waterfall on the Isle of Skye and a glorious white-sand beach in the Outer Hebrides are among some of the beautiful landscapes that were captured by photographers whose work was honoured in the contest.

The title of Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year, however, goes to Brian Pollock – based in the town of Bearsden near Glasgow – for his portfolio of three ‘stunning’ images taken in the Scottish Highlands.

Commenting on his victory, Pollock says: ‘The outdoors and the Scottish landscape, in particular, have been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember and it is a privilege to be able to share that passion through my photography.’

Competition founder Stuart Low weighed in: ‘Once again, I’m humbled by the huge support shown by photographers to the awards. These awards and the photographers’ images promote Scotland massively and give the country a huge boost for tourism. I’m sure that this year’s collection of stunning images will touch many people’s hearts.’ Without further ado, here’s MailOnline Travel’s pick of the breathtaking images that have garnered acclaim in the contest – scroll down to the very bottom to see pictures from the overall winner…

Commended in the 'Landscapes' category, this otherworldly photograph by Alan Johnstone shows a misty morning in Binning Wood in East Lothian

This picture by photographer Glenn Murray shows Gairloch Church in Northwest Scotland in the late afternoon. Murray says: 'The pre-setting sun provided this rich, saturated scene.' The image is part of a wider collection that is highly commended in the 'Portfolio' category

Titled 'Going Up', this picture by photographer Graham Niven shows a waterfall 'defying gravity' on the Isle of Skye. It's from a collection of images that are highly commended in the 'Portfolio' category

This atmospheric picture shows Ardmair Beach near the village of Ullapool in Northern Scotland 'under leaden skies'. Commended in the 'Seascapes' category, it's the work of photographer Rob Sutherland

The ferocity of Storm Brendan, a storm that struck Scotland in early 2020, is captured 'raging' against the 'ballast bank' earth bank in the town of Troon, South Ayrshire, in this dramatic shot by photographer Stuart Strachan. It's a runner-up in the 'Seascapes' category

A runner-up in the 'Landscapes' category, this dreamy photograph shows 'trees appearing through a cloud inversion at sunrise'. It's the work of Marc Pickering

This enchanting shot by photographer Robert Quig shows mist over a cluster of lochside trees. It's from a series of images that are highly commended in the 'Portfolio' category

This glorious shot from Quig's portfolio shows 'a splash of sunlight' on Luskentyre beach on the west coast of Harris, in the Outer Hebrides, 'prior to a stormy weather front approaching from the north'

Commended in the Seascapes category, this stunning aerial shot by photographer Bill Crookston shows a rocky beach at the southern end of the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute

Appropriately titled 'White Out', this cleverly-composed picture of a snowstorm in Aberdeen takes the top prize in the Urban category. Photographer David McLauchlin points out the person 'casually walking across the road' in the image, 'seemingly unconcerned' by the snowy weather as they look at their phone

Describing this breathtaking image, photographer Grant Bulloch says: 'A day of passing snowstorms provided a backdrop to the oil platform on the far side of the Firth of Forth.' Bulloch adds that the picture was taken from the slopes of Arthur's Seat, a hill in Edinburgh, using a special telephoto lens. It's commended in the 'Seascapes' category

Commended in the 'Landscapes' category, this spectacular image was captured by Steven Oates at the Corrieshalloch Gorge in Braemore. Oates says 'an early morning, summer visit' to the gorge was 'rewarded with a fast-flowing and full falls, mist, and some striking rays from the low rising sun'

Commended in the 'Seascapes' category, this painterly photograph by Mark Ferguson shows waves crashing against the sea cliffs of Yesnaby on the west coast of Orkney Mainland island

This moody shot of St Andrews Harbour by Graham Hutchison, titled 'City Lights', is commended in the 'Urban' category

Fog spills over Craigmore hill near the Perthshire village of Aberfoyle in this powerful shot by photographer Richard Fox. It's part of a series of images that is highly commended in the 'Portfolio' category

This enchanting photograph forms part of Erik Lornie's highly commended collection of images in the 'Portfolio' category. Titled 'Winter at Loch Gamhna', it shows a beautifully soft orange sky in the 'afternoon light on a peaceful winter's day in the Cairngorms National Park'

The sunrise brings a beautiful amber tone to this striking photo of the Needle, a 37m- (121ft) tall rock in the Quiraing on the Isle of Skye. It is part of a wider portfolio by Jos Pannekoek that is highly commended in the 'Portfolio' category

This magnificent shot - a second image from Jos Pannekoek's highly commended portfolio - shows Stac Pollaidh mountain in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland behind radiant reeds bathed in 'golden light', with a 'beautiful rainbow' overhead

Almost tropical in appearance, the turquoise waters of Farr Bay on the north coast of Scotland can be seen in this brilliant shot by Calum Hamilton, which is highly commended in the 'Seascapes' category

'I left Inverness at 8.30 in the fog and rain as this was the first time in Torridon I was out for some photos and new locations,' says photographer Arthur Mitchell, describing the story behind this magical image of a Highlands fisherman's hut. The photo forms part of his commended portfolio

Steve Marson recalls capturing slender Downy Birch trees 'in the rising sun on a wintry autumn morning beside the River Dee'. It's from a collection of images that are highly commended in the 'Portfolio' category

This dynamic photograph from Steve Marson's highly commended portfolio shows 'challenging conditions on the west coast of Lewis', with 'dramatic seas and skies'

Captured by Alan J Bain, this charming shot of Edinburgh's Circus Lane 'caught in an early morning snow shower' is one of a collection of images that is commended in the 'Portfolio' category

Autumnal trees are reflected in the waters of the Union Canal on a foggy morning in Linlithgow, a town in West Lothian, in this richly-coloured shot. Taken by David Queenan, it's from a collection of pictures that are highly commended in the 'Portfolio' category

This striking photograph is the handiwork of photographer Ian Bowie, whose body of work is highly commended in the 'Portfolio' category

Another image from Ian Bowie's highly commended portfolio, this image shows the Harris mountain landscape in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The photographer says: 'I'd been expecting conditions to be fine and, with light showers forecast, I headed up An Clisham hoping for a sunrise over these little but impressive range of summits'

This shot was commended in the 'Portfolio' category, with photographer Bob Davis saying he was 'struck by the juxtaposition of the washing line against the industrial harbour'

Finn Curry captured this striking photograph shortly before the arrival of a storm. It's one of a series of photos that have been named runner-up in the 'Portfolio' category

This magical winter-time scene, featuring the mountain of Buachaille Etive Mor in the Highlands of Scotland, was captured by overall winner Brian Pollock. He describes the snowy landscape - captured from his perch on the nearby peak of Beinn a'Chrulaiste - as 'pristine'. The picture is from a collection of photographs that also take the top prize in the 'Portfolio' category

This transfixing picture, taken by overall winner Brian Pollock, shows the mountain of Binnean Beag (foreground) and the peaks of the Grey Corries in the West Highlands 'as light breaks at the edge of a rain storm'

How Danish design helped shape 1950s American design culture and taste

How Danish design helped shape 1950s American design culture and taste

This very succinct and engaging book, on how Danish design and Danish Modern helped shape 1950s American design culture and taste, weaves its story around the history of two chairs designed in 1949, their origins, methods of making and place within the Danish and, especially, American markets: Finn Juhl’s Chieftain Chair and Hans Wegner’s the Chair (originally called the Round Chair).

Among the most recognisable of Danish chairs, they are described by Maggie Taft as “emissaries” for the strategic creation of an American export market for a wider range of Danish furniture and domestic objects. So successful was this strategy that, gradually, not only was Danish production shaped for American consumers but, in the US itself, Danish Modern became a term applied to American-made furniture and product design.

From 2006 onwards in publications in both Danish and English, including his 500-page book Danish Modern Furniture, 1930-2016: The Rise, Decline and Re-Emergence of a Cultural Market Category, the economic historian Per Hansen proposed that the concept of Danish design was consciously invented with a clear marketing narrative, underpinned by the idea that it was “democratic, social and honest, created out of a unique sense of moderation and regard for surroundings and human need”. The creators and drivers of this narrative were a coordinated network of Danish designers, makers, their organisations and the Danish government.

Hansen’s research—a major contribution to design history without which the title under review is unimaginable—was revelatory. He explained that what began as a plan to revive and diversify the Danish economy in the 1930s by exporting to European markets, was only realised from the late 1940s when it focused on the American market. In Danish Modern Furniture, 1930-2016, Hansen devoted a whole chapter to the American story. While perhaps Taft could have more fulsomely
acknowledged Hansen’s work (there are some footnotes), she delves deeper into the key role played by the American market in creating and transforming the idea of Danish design, consumer responses and copies.

Origin stories

Taft begins her book with the origin stories of her two protagonist chairs, placing them within the Copenhagen context where, at the top end of the market, “craftsmanship was king”. It was members of the Cabinetmakers Guild and certain architects (rather than the wider Danish furniture trade) that championed this idea; along with the export-minded Danish government, the department store Den Permanente and various trade bodies, they led the push into the US.

With the help of the post-war Marshall Plan, the Danish government was instrumental in moving away from import tariffs on woods, especially Thai teak, in favour of subsidies for Danish cabinetmakers, who were limited by an insufficient supply of native timbers. Taft highlights the backstory of the commercial relationship between Denmark and Thailand, which began in 1858. As a result of the Danish subsidies, between 1952 and 1957 teak became the wood most used in and associated with Danish furniture exported to the US.

Taft deftly organises her chapters into a compelling narrative that explains, in chapter two (“Made in Denmark”), how Juhl’s and Wegner’s chairs were modified in design and manufacturing technique for export, and then (in the case of Juhl’s chair as well as other furniture designs) for manufacture in the US. Between 1949 and 1960, the majority of Danish factories had under ten employees—too few to meet the needs of the US market, which consumed at least 50% of the entire production of the new Danish Modern furniture.

Chapter three (“At Home with Danish Design”) explores the sellers, tastemakers and consumers who promoted Danish design, including in exhibitions. Especially fascinating are the motivations of American consumers revealed in correspondence with Den Permanente. More traditional tastemakers included Edgar Kaufmann Jr, of the Museum of Modern Art in New York; he was an influential champion of Juhl and saw meaningful parallels between Danish and American design cultures. “Both are drawn to organic design … [which] blends form, structure and utility into a vivid whole,” he wrote. Parallel connections were observed by American design writers, notably the Cold War warrior Elizabeth Gordon, the editor of House Beautiful and a keen admirer of Danish Modern. For Gordon, both cultures exemplified democracy and thus Danish design was spuriously enlisted into the McCarthy-era fight against Communism within the sphere of the American home.

The final chapter in the book (“Mail Order Danish Modern”) covers the plagiarising of Danish Modern furniture, with Wegner’s the Chair described at the time as “the most stolen-from design in the world”. Taft argues that the proliferation of copies helped grow the concept of a Danish Modern style and was instrumental in popularising it. Ironically, by 1968, when the US Federal Trade Commission banned the “misleading” use of the word Danish for furniture produced outside of Denmark (except for “Danish manner” or “Danish style”), copies had ultimately destroyed the export market for such furniture. These and other stories in Taft’s book make it essential for an understanding of post-war Danish and American design.

Maggie Taft, The Chieftain and the Chair: The Rise of Danish Design in Postwar America, University of Chicago Press, 184pp, 16 colour & 36 b/w illustrations, $22.50/£18 (hb), published 22 May

Christopher Wilk is the keeper of performance, furniture, textiles and fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Budget for June 8

Budget for June 8

A-1: lau-20230608-news-flooding (photo), lau-20230608-news-retirees (three photos), one or two photos can be on jump page, lau-20230608-news-splashpark (photo with cutline) (this can move to A-2 if you don’t have space), lau-20230608-news-schoolchanges (head shot).lau-20230608-tease-lemonade (photo), lau-20230608-tease-allstars (photo), lau-20230608-tease-citizenship. Subscriber: Opal Gomer.

A-2: These items will all go under the header “Community Digest”: lau-20230608-news-specialk, lau-20230608-news-foofest, lau-20230608-news-frereconcert, lau-20230608-news-barndance, lau-20230608-news-schoolmeeting. lau-20230608-news-lemonade (two photos of kids with stands).

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Gatorade Previews High-Tech R&D Center

Gatorade Previews High-Tech R&D Center

Gatorade previewed the opening of its new state-of-the-art R&D facility, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI). 

The new facility, located in Valhalla, NY, will provide the opportunity for innovation and product development across all Gatorade Portfolio brands, including Gatorade, Fast Twitch, Propel, EVOLVE, and Muscle Milk, that provide athletes or exercisers the resources they need for all-day nutrition and the energy and hydration required to take their fitness to the next level.

The world-class facility within PepsiCo’s Global Beverage R&D Center of Excellence campus includes an environmental chamber to monitor athletes’ response to hot and humid weather conditions and muscle performance, biochemistry, metabolism, body composition, and cognitive performance testing.

“The first step in product creation has and will always be athlete insights, and the critical work the team is doing across our GSSI labs helps bring those insights to the forefront of our innovation pipeline,” said Dr. Lindsay Baker, R&D director at GSSI, in a statement. Over the past three decades, GSSI has worked with thousands of professional and amateur athletes at PepsiCo R&D labs nationwide to collect data surrounding nutrition science and hydration to drive future product innovation.

Gatorades first foray into the tablet market, Gatorade Zero and Propel Immune System Support, were developed at the R&D Center in Valhalla and will release later this month. This convenient and sustainably-minded product will mark the first cross-portfolio launch since the PepsiCo sport and fitness brands unified under the Gatorade Portfolio.

“With solutions in ready-to-drink, powder, supplement and now tablet form, we’re advancing our business forward by reaching more athletes and exercisers on more occasions,” said Marissa Pines, senior marketing director at Gatorade.

Many in the consumer goods market are investing in new state-of-the-art R&D facilities, with Mondelēz International announcing investment in a new $50 million global R&D innovation center and L’Oreal announcing a $140 million research and innovation center that will be fully operational in 2024.