Totally Rad: Making the Ordinary Extraordinary
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
New York, NY –
Designer Karim Rashid is fascinated by everyday objects. He’s designed everything from fashion to furniture. But what’s on Rashid’s mind these days? Radiators.
RASHID: For example we’re sitting in my apt right now, all the the radiators are hidden and they are kind of atrocious.
But Rashid says a little design expertise can make what's atrocious into art.
RASHID: Design is touching every aspect of built environment, radiators is one of the last frontiers designers have to do some better work at it.
For a new show at the Museum of Art and Design, Rashid looked at hundreds of radiators from all over the world. He says some designers now offer up radiators as pieces of art. They're no longer the crumbly, rusted relics that get tucked away in the corner.
RASHID: They designed to be bas relief or montage or painting, designed to look like a canvas on the wall.
The radiators in the show can be moved around or stacked on top of each other some of them evoke sculpture, with gently curved steel tubes. Some radiators go even farther – like the one with a bread basket on top – a bit like a toaster.
Here's a slideshow of the zaniest of the designs.
And the survey of all the radiators – called Totally Rad -- is heating up the Museum of Arts and Design, from March 4th through May 17th.
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