To honor Detroit’s designation as the first and only UNESCO City of Design in the United States, the entirety of September is recognized as Detroit’s Month of Design (MoD).
Celebration of creativity
Programmed by Design Core, Detroit Month of Design is a citywide celebration of creativity that gathers designers and the greater community to celebrate Detroit’s role as a national and global design capital. From September 1-30, 2019 more than 145 participants will present over 55 events and special projects throughout the city. This year’s expanded programming of the 9th edition of MoD includes talks, tours, exhibitions, workshops, open studios and more.
Partners across Detroit—from emerging studios to established companies and educational institutions—come together to show off their latest works and ideas.
These cross-disciplinary events take place in all corners of the city, highlighting the talent and innovation that makes Detroit a UNESCO City of Design.
WE WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT YOU TO A SMALL SELECTION OF THE PROGRAM OF DETROIT MONTH OF DESIGN:
OPEN STUDIO – Chris Schanck Studios
Detroit-based designer Chris Schanck embraces contradiction in his work, finding a comfortable place between the distinctions of dilapidation and assemblage, individual and collective, industrial and handcraft, romanticism and cynicism. His efforts deviate from the mass-produced, instead reviving mundane materials by transforming them into unique objects of uncommon luxury. Schanck is perhaps best known for his “Alufoil” series, in which industrial and discarded materials are sculpted, covered in aluminum foil and then sealed with resin.
OPEN STUDIO @ Studio – Space – Jack Craig
Open house featuring work from artists in residence Matt Rosner, Craig Heijka, Gisela Mcdanial, Ellen Rutt, Patrick Ethen, Paul Karas, Marshall Sass, Thing Thing, Vannassa Cronan.
EXHIBITION – Design and Science
Design and Science investigates overlap between design and science through projects that merge design and science through biodesign, present “pictures” of data about natural systems, or connect design and science through 2-D and 3-D “thinking” models. Along with the exhibition, Eastern Michigan University will host a round-table discussion with exhibition participants.
EXHIBITION – Field Condition
Field Condition is a hyper-sensory art exhibition which centers around a body of ephemeral, immersive light sculptures by artist and designer Patrick Ethen. Ethen uses light as a medium to explore emergent behavior, using meticulously wired arrays of electronics to build installations which envelop the viewer in a meditative, immersive aura which feels simultaneously human and artificial.
EXPERIENCE – OH-100: Centenary Sound Lab
Over the summer of 1919, renowned architect C. Howard Crane built Orchestra Hall for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The building, which offered “every modern device,” and “perfect acoustics,” was completed in under five months. A century later—and after a near demolition in 1970—the sound of Orchestra Hall continues to attract musicians, patrons, and acoustical experts. Visualize the sound of the Hall in real time with demonstrations by HEAD acoustics Inc. via their propriety HEAD VISOR technology.
EXPERIENCE – Architectural Photo Walking Tour
During this 2 hour walking tour will visit some of the most iconic buildings Detroit has to offer. Detroit has often been called the Paris of the Midwest and boasts some of the most significant late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century buildings and skyscrapers in the nation. Detroit is also home to a number of world-renowned architects such as Albert Kahn, George D. Mason, Wirt C. Rowland and Minoru Yamasaki.
TALK – Experiential Retail: Redefining Retail as a Cultural Cultivator in Detroit
Detroit has long established itself as a city of resilience and innovation; where future-forward ideas bloom and culture continues to flourish and expand. As the urban landscape of the city experiences fast-paced growth, those invested find themselves influencing today’s experience of Detroit. Gensler Detroit will host a panel discussion to dive into the influence, ideas, and process behind creating the spaces that help redefine retail in Detroit.
TALK – Detroit’s Design DNA: The1949 For Modern Living Exhibition — Legacy and Lessons
How can the legacy of Detroit’s past – its “design DNA” – inspire Detroit artists, institutions and civic/corporate leaders of today and tomorrow? Join art historian Deborah Lubera Kawsky to explore a watershed moment in Detroit design history: the 1949 For Modern Living exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary this fall.
WORKSHOP – Youth Design Day
Join Detroit’s next generation of design stars for an afternoon of creativity and exploration. Bring your families and enjoy the Michigan Science Center with design focused workshops geared towards kids ages 5-14.
WORKSHOP – ZoneDetroit Game x Mixer: Zoning Game. Music. Food. People. Discussion
The City Planning Commission staff along with their consultant have developed an interactive board game to get players to think about zoning and land use decisions. The game gives residents the chance to create their desired neighborhood scenario as a group.
A full schedule is available online at designcore.
Text & Photos: designcore.org