and enjoy Volume 1

Issue 1 2004
Free
Cabin/Cabane 2004
The Canada Issue
The Canada Issue
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the premier issue of Hypergraphia. This special
‘Canada Issue’ was conceived as a companion to Cabin/
Cabane. Our hope is to give non-Canadians some context
in which to view Cabin/Cabane, while also providing
Canadians a unique perspective on our culture. We would
like to thank the Province of Ontario and the Government
of Canada for their support. We hope you will enjoy.
Sincerely,
Todd Falkowsky, Editor-in-Chief
Michael Erdmann, Motherbrand
Table of Contents
Product Reviews — The Mom Test
Four Mothers review a dozen Canadian products
Cabin / Cabane
Re-imagining the Canadian myth
The Cage of Aesthetic Convention
Stasis in Industrial Design and the necessity
of the Avant-Garde
In Colour
Hypergraphia rescues a historical document
A culture classic reprint
On Canada
An interview with James Culham
Notebook
Pages from the notebooks of Joseph Nanni
Examine the Familiar
A photographic look at typography in the everyday
The Canada Photos
Selections from Douglas Coupland’s Souvenir of Canada
CD Reviews
A photographer, an oceanographer and
a graphic designer give us their two cents
Includes 1:1 CD and cover art feature
Book Review
Check out the prerelease BMD Massive Change
review and soon to be released book cover
Contributors
Joseph Nanni
Karla Burr
Douglas Coupland
Born in Montreal, raised in rural Ontario, Joseph Nanni
enjoys most aspects of Canadian culture with the exception
of Montreal bagels and farmer’s markets. He currently lives
in Toronto and works as a smartass.
The granddaughter of miners and farmers, Karla is as
Canadian as it gets. She is a Winnipeg-based graphic
designer, where she is a partner and designer at spacecadet
design inc. She has won national awards for graphic design
and has travelled abroad with Motherbrand to promote
Canadian design.
Douglas Coupland is a Canadian novelist with an art and
design background. In the past four years he has resumed
his visual arts practice, and has a variety of shows coming
up in North America and Europe.
Stuart Walker
Cabin Designers
Stuart Walker is Associate Dean (Academic) and Professor
of Industrial Design at the Faculty of Environmental
Design, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and
Visiting Professor of Sustainable Product Design at
Kingston University, UK. He holds a PhD (Leeds) in
engineering, and the MDes(RCA) and Diploma of Imperial
College in Industrial Design Engineering. His writings on
sustainability and product design have been presented
and published internationally, and his experimental design
work has been exhibited in Toronto, Calgary and at the
Design Museum, London.
Reid Bayly & Jayn McIntosh, Terence Cooke,
Marc Courtemanche, Chet Domanski, Michael Erdmann,
Todd Falkowsky, Julian Goss & Graham Hufton,
Keith Haill, Cynthia Hathaway, Jin Design, Patty Johnson,
Matt Kroeker, Looolo Textiles (Joanna Notkin),
loyal loot collective (Doha Chebib, Carmen Douville,
Dara Humniski), Garth Roberts, The Thomas Sisters
(Anna & Carla), Craig Alun Smith, spacecadet design,
Stuart Sproule, Kirsten White
Holly Clarke
With an architect dad, a crafter-of-all-trades mom and
family full of clever folk, Holly was destined to become
a graphic designer. Or a fashion designer. Or a singer/
songwriter. Or a guest “Simpsons Geek” on Beat the Geeks.
Holly works as a Senior designer at Winnipeg-based
Taylor George Design and likes pretty things.
Product Reviews
The Mom Test
When you really want to know if something is a keeper, take it home to mother — we did.
Here’s what our moms had to say about some Canadian products and designs.
Jane Doerffer
Mother of Michael Erdmann
Wanda Falkowsky
Mother of Todd Falkowsky
Doreen Burr
Mother of Karla Burr
Dorothy Notkin
Mother of Joanna Notkin
Jane Doerffer is a medical
laboratory technologist.
After living in Victoria for
over 25 years she has only
recently become a ‘west
coast girl’, taking up hiking,
biking, kayaking, outrigging and even camping.
Still, she’s no granola.
Wanda Falkowsky is a
recent member of the newly
retired club. To combat the
compulsion to get up at 6:00
am she has thrown herself
into a second career working
to rehabilitate Regina’s lowincome inner core on the
local Housing Board. Being a
powerhouse crafty, her spare
time is spent pursuing her
love of fibre arts.
A former home ec. teacher,
Doreen has spent the last 29
years building a successful
seam stress business.
Recently retired, Doreen
spends every moment she
can at the cottage. She is
also chapter president of a
womens’ organization that
raises funds to educate
women.
Dorothy Notkin is the head
occupational therapist
at a special school in
Montreal. She works with
developmentally delayed and
autistic children.
CD player
Oracle Audio
Oracle design team
DN: That’s some kind of CD player. Looks heavy. I think
it’s very new age and I don’t think you have to have
so many buttons on either side or whatever.
I’m not impressed.
WF: Like the clean lines, not sure some older folks
(e.g. your Dad) would know how to operate this.
JD:
Sharp! I like the modern/industrial look of this.
Stereo equipment in my mind should look modern,
because it is, isn’t it.
DB: Very stylized. I like it. I like the style of it. I think
it’s neat — not the ordinary run-of-the mill black
box. If I was looking for a CD player I would give this
one consideration.
Sidewinder jacket
Arcteryx
Tom Routh
WF: Like, looks great, collar when zipped may be too long,
(needs a long neck.) Like the color combination.
DN: I don’t like it. It’s too military looking. It’s probably
functional, but it looks something from Star Trek, and I
don’t like those outfits so... A skier might use this type of
jacket, or somebody who’s acting in Star Trek. Who wants
to have a zipper on the side of their neck?
JD: I like it... very attractive. Looks like it would keep your
neck warm.
DB: Interesting... like the fact the zipper doesn’t go centre
front all of the way. It’s a style I haven’t seen before. I like
the mix of colours and all the zippers. The velcro at the
bottom of the sleeves is great so you can tighten or loosen
them. It functions really well, I like the length so in colder
weather it keeps your back warm, same with the high neck.
P2T full aero track bike
Cervelo Cycles
Gerard Vroomen and Phil White
Basket
Carey Nicholson
JD:
Beautiful! Very nice. This reminds me of craft day at camp.
We did things like this. That is very nice... It looks like
two different baskets. I would like one of these.
DB: I LIKE it! I really like the variation in the weaving, how it
goes from the pattern to the wider bands. I like the shape
of it because it is different. I don’t think I’d go for the
colours because it doesn’t match my house. If it is hand
made then I would think it supports culture, as long as
the person making it is being paid a fair wage.
DN: I like that basket. It’s colourful, creative and probably
sustainable. Somebody might use it for a plant or as a
waste paper basket.
WF: I like color combination and shape. Adds an interest
to wherever used.
DB: My initial reaction is that I like it, but would I use it?
Probably not. I would need something very practical
but it certainly looks sharp.
JD:
Oh neat! This is awesome, what can I say? I love
cycling... this is beautiful. I think it is significant
that this is being made in Canada and winning really
important races. Sharp.
DN: The seat is too high and the handlebars too low and
the back wheel isn’t cool. It’s too patchy. It’s high,
it’s low, one’s patched and one’s not. A racer might
use this bike or anyone really. It doesn’t support
culture. What’s cultural about it, nothing, it’s a sport.
WF: Don’t know enough about bikes, looks good.
Warning Labels
Imperial Tobacco
DB: Warning labels are good — but I believe that people
who smoke probably wouldn’t pay attention to them,
but it is worth a try, I like the symbolism in this one!
JD:
This seems effective. But people who smoke must
be able to just ignore these I guess. I think it’s cute.
DN: Well, the thing is that it doesn’t only make you
impotent, it does other things like screw up your
lungs and breathing pattern. So it’s not effective.
It’s also sexist — it doesn’t make women impotent.
WF: Warning labels are good but not this one, very
suggestive and dumb.
Zero Zero One pen
Acme
Plastic Buddha Inc.
DB: I like it. It has an interesting design on it. I would
use it. I like the colours.
JD: Didn’t you design this? I (have to) love it.
DN: It’s ok. What’s the material, is it plastic? What’s the
feeling of it? I don’t care what it looks like on the
outside, it needs to be functional to be able to write with.
WF: I like this, neat color and although I can’t tell what
design is on the pen it looks interesting, something
to look at and digest during a boring lecture or
advertise the product for purpose of the lecture.
Coat Trunk
Pure
Richard Hutten
Traditional Snowshoe
GV
Ojibwe
WF: Looks good. I don’t know anything about snow shoes.
Hole in middle — would you collect snow in boot?
Good for the environment — no use of cars, etc.
WF: I like this. Would use it if I had modern furniture.
Liked the idea that the pegs are opposite to what
you might think they should be.
DN: I like that. It’s sustainable, hand made, sleek, I could have
used a pair up in the snow last week. It’s portable, fun, it
adds culture because people actually used them as a tool.
It’s creative and useful.
DN: I’m not impressed with this coat rack. I think it’s a
bunch of metal things and if you don’t watch out
you’re going to get hit in the head! And what are these
islets for? Are you supposed to hang a hanger on it
and how would that look? That’s it. Too tin looking
for me.
JD:
Well... it’s funny cause I’m really starting to be hooked on
these new high-tech snow shoes... this does invoke a
certain respect for the craftsmanship.... This almost
seems like it should be in a museum.
DB: Do they come in pairs?! They look like fun. If all organic
materials are used they would be good for the environment.
Snow shoeing is great exercise, I would be willing to try them.
JD:
I really like this! Obviously, it looks like a tree.
Instantly makes me think of being in the woods...
I feel like I’m on a walk and that’s so nice.
DB:
Different! Those look like the hooks from Dad’s
workbench downstairs. I like that it has low hooks
so kids can reach them to hang up their coats, and
that it also has higher hooks.
Special Purpose
Dexterous Manipulator
MD Robotics
MD Robotics Engineers
WF: Great for space adventure and it’s Canadian.
DN: Well, that’s a really interesting arm. Kudos. Unique,
inventive, it has a purpose, in the right age. It’s very good.
JD: Wow! It’s very impressive. Makes you feel a bit proud. I
guess I’m not sure how I feel about space exploration, but
in terms of technology and innovation this is quite amazing.
DB: I think it involves a lot of technology — highly specialized
for the space program. I think space exploration can
improve our lives and I’m proud of Canada for being able
to design and build something like that.
Skateboard
Skull Skates
Moses Itkonen
WF: I guess if you are Skull Skates you would consider a skull
on your product. I didn’t really understand the skull. I really
don’t like the image but would probably not buy from a
company called Skull Skates.
DN: I like this. It’s a skateboard and I like it. Kids or adults
could use it, or whoever wants to really. Oh, there’s a
bunch of skulls on it… I still like it because it’s clean
looking. It looks like plastic to me though.
JD: It’s a skateboard! I know nothing about skateboarding.
I can appreciate that this is a whole culture but for me it
just means kids in baggy pants.
DB: What does Moses mean? The graphic doesn’t turn my crank.
Skateboards are wonderful for young kids, but I don’t like
the graphics. I can see young people liking them.
Couturevog Paris shoe
Fluevog
John Fluevog
Tu Fold table
Neinkamper
Scot Laughton
DB: Interesting... Different... It looks like it is one piece
and just bent, which is unique. I like the looks of it,
I’m just questioning the functionality.
JD: I think that the silhouette of the legs is deer-like.
It’s metal? I think this would be a good outdoor table.
WF: Great design, future TV tables if strong enough to
function as such. Great for people who need to move a lot.
DN: I don’t like this. Somebody tried to design a fast table.
It’s for somebody who wants an interim table — it’s not
a long-term piece.
WF: I would wear these if I was 20 years younger. I like the
enclosed shoe, don’t slip off the high heel. Sole and heel
great idea.
DN: Give me a break. Looks like an elf would use it. I just don’t
like those kinds of things. They use too many squares
and pieces — it’s a shoe!!! It will also go out of style very
quickly — actually it doesn’t have style.
JD:
Hideous... ouch! Looks like a cross between a clog and a
‘fuck-me-shoe’ (oh my god please don’t print that) Seems
very haute couture to me. You know, not very functional.
Oh, I see... it is called ‘couturelog’... Well maybe on the
right person with the right clothes... not on me, but as art...
DB: They look spiffy! Are pointy toes coming back in style?
Ouch! They are too high heeled for me, it’s a young
person’s shoe, I can see the teenagers wearing them — not
for old ladies like me. But I think that they look very sharp.
Cabin Fever
by Robert Enright
I have always had the feeling that written into the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, along with
the requisite guarantees of religion, expression, and
political association, is the right to own a cabin. In my
lucid moments I know it’s not the case, but it still feels
like it ought to be. The cabin — whether at the lake where
we summer, or in the snowy wilderness where we winter
— is a national icon. It is both a real place and a state of
mind and the remarkable thing about the designs included
in the Cabin Project, is that they perfectly embody this
complex relationship between material and myth. The
more than twenty designers from across Canada invited
by Motherbrand to contribute to the collection have
created a product line of absolute intelligence, economy
and functionality. Every one of the works they have
chosen contributes something necessary to the experience
of being in a cabin, and they do so in with a sense of
uncompromising aesthetic restraint. The fact that the
collection is able to be ironic and nostalgic - it makes
fun and gets fuzzy at the same time - is a measure of the
thorough understanding these designers have of both their
country and their sense of purpose.
Consider, for a moment, the deceptively simple mix of
form and function that shapes Todd Falkowsky’s Log
Stool. (The Loyal Loot Collective’s Log Bowls achieve an
equivalent degree of playful utility in the kitchen context.)
Falkowsky’s piece is so pared down that it ought not to
have anywhere near the personality it has: this stool is one
of those wallflowers that turns out to be better looking and
a better mover than anything else in the room. Or further
consider Terence Cooke’s Cancon Chair, a piece of furniture
that takes one largely unseen Canadian icon, the elegant
A. J. Donahue chair, and covers it with another icon that is
ubiquitous, the Hudson Bay blanket, a fabric with a palette
as pure as a Morris Louis painting. Finally, look at the witty
combination of surfaces — all shiny and woody — on Craig
Alun Smith’s Cedar Table. The single white leg is exactly
right, a fitting homage to all the mis-matched objects that
invariably found themselves at the cottages and cabins our
parents pieced together for the languorous summers and
wintry weekends of our youth.
The cabin, after all, has always been a resting-place for the
things that weren’t good enough for the city; the bedding
and towels so thin and ratty you could almost see through
them; the chipped plates that were part of an incomplete
set; the cutlery that always seemed to lack luster; the
stuffed chair that had lost its spring; the novels and
magazines that had gone brown from the sun and crinkly
from the water. But what invariably happened was that
those things ended up carrying the memory of the lake and
the cabin with you wherever you went and whenever you
thought about them.
Motherbrand’s collection addresses the sense of memory
and emotion at the centre of the cabin experience, and
many of the designs are acts of aesthetic retrieval and
reinterpretation. The HYW 400 Series recognizes what
its’ designers call the cabin’s “ceramic menagerie”; Matt
Kroeker’s Oldstock candle holders, cast from recycled
beer bottles, memorialize a ritual — staying up late into
the morning and drinking beer — that rests at the heart
of cabin country; Marc Courtemanche’s Ceramic Chairs
— with bacon patterning — are unique in combining the
reality of art with the olfactory concept of breakfast, as if
Duchamp and Grey Owl were close cousins. (Grey Owl does
make a smart appearance in Garth Roberts’ coat rack, which
utilizes paddle handles and a basin to catch the water from
the apparel of rain-soaked campers and canoeists). In this
regard, Jin Designs Dek does an admirable job in negotiating
the line between outside and inside, between nature and
nurture: it is a piece of the wilderness that you can bring in
from the cold.
One of the most compelling recoveries in the Cabin
collection is Joanna Notkin’s tribute to the wrath of moths.
She accepts the inevitable randomness of Nature, which
she reads less as red in tooth and claw, than pale in wing
and mandible, and gives us blankets and pillows in which
the insect’s delicate consumption offers a clue for making
marks of intentional distress. In a similar manner, the
Thomas Sisters make a nylon and polyester netting, called
Carrie, that not only protects you from mosquitoes, but
also allows you the fantasy of sashaying around the cottage
like a model on a Vivienne Westwood runway. (If you accept
the fantasy, be sure and carry the Webbed Tote, a pattern
that deserves to be as widely seen as a Burberry plaid).
Things become talismanic in the cabined world; things
become other things. When I look at the banners and the
wallpaper in this collection, I immediately want to tell
someone a story about the lake. The designs are generative;
they oblige us to remember what the cabin has meant and
encourage us to invent what it can be in the future. This
is the special quality of spacecadet’s banners, which both
remind us of campfire stories and make us aware that the
things we have around us are part of a larger and necessary
cultural narrative of functional beauty. It is a story that
needs content, like the resonant silhouettes on Cynthia
Hathaway’s faux wood wallpaper. I would love to wake up
to that pattern, or be comforted in the dark by its white
and ghostly presences. Similarly, Michael Erdmann and
spacecadet design’s Cork Tablecloth is matchless, an artful
combination of surface and decoration. But it’s Erdmann’s
Tin Can Lamp that is especially rich in the commingling
of art and design that animates so much of this collection
desirable. The delicacy of the Chinese rice grain ceramics
re-configuring the tin can is the story of an ugly duckling
turned into a swan, which then causes a swoon.
As I think about it, this sense of artfulness is at the core of
what I really want to say about this inspired and inspiring
collection. I admire the way it looks, but beyond that I
admire the way it works. The Cabin designers have made
objects that correspond to the way the cabin operates
in — and on — our imaginations. In its subtlety and its
fine minimalism, the project offers the widest range of
experiential possibility. By giving us just enough, they
allow us so much more. The cabin is a place of leisurely
contemplation and every one of the things Cabin’s designers
have made - from a faux-bear rug to a Mason jar cream and
sugar set - is able to satisfy fully that unhurried regard.
Robert Enright is a Winnipeg-based writer and
broadcaster. He is the Editor-at-Large for Border
Crossings magazine.
Log Bowls, loyal loot collective • Cedar Table, Craig Alun Smith • Buddington Bear, loyal loot collective
HYW 400 Series, Jules Goss and Graham Hufton
Coat Hang, loyal loot collective • Webbed Tote, Jayn McIntosh and Reid Bayly
Finger (Ceramic Chair), Marc Courtemanche • Yuppy Wood, Keith Haill • Carrie, Anna and Carla Thomas
Urban Moth, Looolo Textiles
Cabin Banner, spacecadet design inc.
Cabin Banner, spacecadet design inc.
SouvenirsforCanada, Patty Johnson • Tin Can Lamp, Michael Erdmann
Braided Rug, Michael Erdmann and spacecadet design inc. • Cancon Chair, Terence Cooke • Cork Tablecloth, Michael Erdmann and spacecadet design inc.
Mason Jar Cream and Sugar Set, Michael Erdmann • Logo Quilt, Todd Falkowsky • Memory Wallpaper, Cynthia Hathaway
Grey Owl, Garth Roberts • Stumpmats, Kristen White • Axe Handle Utensils, Stuart Sproule • Dek, Jin Design
National Park Tables, Todd Falkowsky • Lacrosse Bench, Chet Domanski • Oldstock, Matt Kroeker
Cabin Banner, spacecadet design inc.
Cabin Banner, spacecadet design inc.
Cabin Banner, spacecadet design inc.
We’re grateful to everyone who helped us along the
way to make the Cabin project happen in New York City:
Jeffrey Crossman; Eric Cloutier; John Monahan; Elise
Hodson and Ilena Messina at the Design Exchange; Erin
Knowles; Carly Carratura and Joey Tesalona at Felissimo
Design House; and Byron Neilles.
We would also like to acknowledge the generous support
from our sponsors Azure Magazine, Maclean’s Magazine,
Canadian Consulate-General in New York, Ontario
International Marketing Centre - New York, Unibroue,
and Hiep Vu Photography.
Michael Erdmann and Lynda Chau
Motherbrand
www.motherbrand.com
REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL
DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE
• Interdisciplinary coverage
• Profiles of national and
international designers and
architects
• Reports on major trade
fairs in North America and
Europe
• Explores new ideas and
innovative projects, products,
materials and technologies
WWW.AZUREMAGAZINE.COM
Illustration by Shouresh Jalili
In order to deal effectively with many contemporary
issues of environmental degradation and social disparity,
we must radically re-think our notions of material culture.
Potentially, the design profession can make significant
contributions in this area through the development
of design solutions that challenge precedents and
demonstrate alternative possibilities. Such a direction
requires a rethinking in design education and design
practice, as well as new understandings of product
aesthetics and our notions of ‘good’ design.
The focus on the definition of product appearance,
in both the industrial design profession and design
education, renders product aesthetics hollow and
superficial. This preoccupation prevents industrial design
from evolving into an authentic, substantive discipline
that effectively addresses important issues of our time.
For example, one of our most pressing contemporary
concerns that is not being effectively addressed in the
field of product design and manufacturing is sustainability.
Other concerns, not unrelated to sustainability, include
notions of meaning, identity and culture associated
with the design and production of our material objects.
The dominance of fashion-oriented, essentially trivial
aesthetic definitions suggests a barrenness of thinking,
a relinquishment of creativity, and a replacement of
originality by bland, market led, ‘safe’ solutions.
Design and Diamonds
Some years ago, when I was studying engineering, I heard it
said that the majority of the world’s diamond production
was for industrial applications. There are huge markets for
industrial diamonds — for cutting tools, drill bits, abrasive
wheels and grinding tools. These low-grade diamonds,
which have no special optical qualities, are crushed into
grits of various sizes. Apparently, because of the high
demand, and the relative rarity of gem quality diamonds,
many of the mineral processing systems have been geared
towards the production of industrial diamonds. In this
process the ore is crushed to the size of coarse sand and
the dense diamond grit is separated out. With such a
system there is no possibility of finding another Hope
Diamond or Great Star of Africa — they are simply
eliminated by the process.
Obviously, we need industrial diamonds, but we also need
the Hope and the Great Star of Africa. The Great Star of
Africa is about as close to a diamond-embedded industrial
disc cutter as chalk is to cheese. Industrial diamonds are
valued for instrumental reasons — they are a means to
some other end — they are valued for their utility. They are
used, they wear out and they are replaced. The Great Star
of Africa is valued for how it shines, how the light plays
through its facets to inspire sheer awe — but it is totally
useless in terms of function. The Great Star of Africa is not
about function, its about poetry and beauty and wonder.
It is an end in and of itself. It has intrinsic value, it never
wears out and it is irreplaceable.
In some ways industrial design — in both education and
practice — is not unlike industrial diamond processing.
It tends to emphasize the production of competent,
practical and useful design solutions that conform to
current norms and work within established notions
of aesthetics, manufacturing, economics and utility.
Accordingly, our mass-produced products are generally
useful, ergonomic, convenient, economic, and have a
pleasant appearance.
However, there is also a need to generate solutions that
defy current norms, that challenge convention, that
re-conceive what design, production and products might
be and, importantly, to create solutions that inspire.
Preconceptions in Design
To do this we must ensure that such solutions are not
automatically rejected or eliminated by the processes we
have put in place, in both design education and design
practice. For original thinking to flourish in design we must
value and nurture the unfamiliar, the atypical and even the
perplexing, in addition to technical competency and design
proficiency. Inevitably, creative insights and ideas that
are of lasting value will be rare and hard won, but they
are urgently needed in today’s industrial design milieu.
It is important to acknowledge that, over the past century,
there have been many inspiring examples of design that
have challenged prevailing stereotypes and stimulated
and influenced subsequent designers. Historically, the work
of van Doesburg, Gerrit Reitveld and the De Stijl group in
The Netherlands from 1917 and of the Bauhaus designers
in Germany, such as Marcel Breuer and Gunta Stölzl, in the
period 1919-1933, had an enormous effect on 20th century
design, and their legacy is still highly influential. More
recently, the work of the Memphis group in Italy during
the 1980s had profound effects on design education and
practice. In their time, these groups were highly innovative
and ground breaking; they were also of their time. The
issues and agendas they were responding to are not our
issues and agendas. Today, we are facing new challenges
associated with the globalization of industrial capitalism,
the environment, national and trans-national socioeconomic inequities, major technological developments,
and so on. While incremental developments that address
these issues are important and necessary, it is also essential
to encourage ideas that break with convention, that test
preconceptions and, potentially, re-frame our notions of
product design and post-industrial material culture.
The ‘Droog’ designers, again in The Netherlands, are dealing
with some of these contemporary issues in innovative
ways that lie somewhere between art and product design,
between clarity and ambiguity, between seriousness and wry
wit. It is quite appropriate that many of the Droog designs
defy existing classifications because part of the process of
rethinking the current place and role of industrial design is
to reconsider its boundaries and scope.
When the aesthetic definition of a product is regarded
as a primary objective, in and of itself, we must consider
from whence our aesthetic decisions are derived. Personal
experience, memory, notions of taste and conventions
of beauty are all sources. However, it is these very
conventions that have influenced, configured and, to an
extent, determined personal experience, memory and
taste. Here then, is the paradox of aesthetic definition.
It is informed by convention — our conventional notions of
beauty and taste. But it is this very influence of convention
that results in the endless regurgitation of variations on
a theme and imprisons product design in its own cage
of introversion. The derivations and repetitions that
result disregard and deny the necessity of innovation
that lies at the heart of aesthetic expression. While many
contemporary products may have the attributes of being
economical, convenient and pleasant to look at, they also
tend to be monotonously mundane, inherently destructive
of the environment, representative of grossly inequitable
employment practices, culturally damaging in their
blanket distribution, and ethically questionable in terms
of their marketing. These observations have an honorable
precedent. Over twenty years ago the design critic Stephen
Bayley spoke of the ‘plateau of mutual pastiche’ that
determined the appearance of so many consumer products.
Rather than viewing aesthetics as a direct aim, it can also
be considered as an outcome of an approach to product
design that has different objectives. Industrial design
can then focus on the meanings of material culture and
thus develop and evolve. Ironically, in doing so, aesthetic
definition will also evolve, unconstrained by the customs
and precedents of product definition. In other words,
aesthetics will begin to be more profoundly related to
the whole of what a product is. Consequently, the aesthetic
definition of a product, when derived from a different
source will without doubt challenge current norms. It
will find its own place as an outcome rather than an allconsuming aim. In doing so, product design can respond
creatively to the critical issues of our times in ways that
are thoughtful, considered and inspiring.
The Need for an Avant-Garde in
Product Design
The rejection both of ‘convention’ and of ‘aesthetics
as a direct aim’ is not, however, a rejection of history
and experience, in fact quite the opposite. History and
personal and cultural experience can be embraced as
providing important insights and nourishment for product
definition. A nourishment that is urgently required if we
are to effectively address contemporary issues in ways
that overcome fads and fashions, and which are rooted
in meaningful and enduring human and cultural values.
This must start in our design schools and in the ways
we educate our students.
Avant-garde artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Richard
Long, the composer John Cage, and perhaps also the
contemporary architect Frank Gehry, demonstrate that
true creativity can be challenging, difficult and frequently
misunderstood. It is often commercially unsuccessful
and frequently, at least initially, ridiculed and dismissed.
Duchamp submitted the piece known as Fountain to an
exhibition in New York in 1917 that was jury-free and open
to all works of art. Fountain, a white-porcelain urinal
that Duchamp had purchased from a supplier and signed
R.Mutt, was, nevertheless, rejected from the exhibition.
Despite this, it has become an icon of the 20th century and
has caused people to reassess their ideas about art. Cage’s
musical composition 4’33” of 1952, “for any instrument or
groups of instruments” has been equally controversial and
confusing and is still a cause for comment and ridicule.
This piece has three movements and each movement is
marked ‘tacet’, indicating that the performer is to be
silent throughout the movement. As Duchamp provokes
questions about visual art, Cage causes us to reassess our
preconceptions about music. Both demonstrated that new
forms were possible that addressed important aspects of
being human and that were highly creative, original and
inspiring. Similarly, the works of sculptor, Richard Long
and architect, Frank Gehry are challenging and, perhaps,
sometimes bewildering. But such contributions allow us to
see anew; they disrupt our comfort and test our attitudes.
There is a need for such work in product design, before the
excesses of our current preoccupations bury us alive in
waste, pollution, and sheer banality.
Over the course of the last century, products were
promoted as ‘new’ and ‘leading edge’ based on two major
features — aesthetics and technology; and this is still the
case. The first encompasses the latest in fashions, styling
and colours and is the primary focus of the industrial
designer. The second includes such things as features,
functional attributes and gadgetry and is informed more by
aspects of engineering. Neither has given us a lasting and
meaningful material culture. Instead, they have contributed
to the unsustainable, destructive characteristics of our
current design and production approaches. We need an
avant-garde because time passes, the world changes, new
issues come to the fore and need to be addressed. What
might have been appropriate and acceptable then is
not necessarily appropriate and acceptable now. This is
especially true if, over time, our ways of doing things are
revealed to have damaging consequences. Fashion and
much technological innovation is often superficial, trivial
and invariably wasteful. It is time to establish new criteria
for product design, new criteria for ‘progress’ in design
and for our notions of ‘good’ design. An avant-garde based
in meaningful and pressing contemporary issues could
provide the impetus for new, urgently needed thinking and
directions in product design; an impetus that would rouse
the discipline from its current stasis.
In order for new ideas to be meaningful, innovative and
well grounded, designers must be educated in issues that
go beyond the traditional boundaries of design. Philosophy,
historical and contemporary issues, current affairs, and
discussions that stimulate critical thinking can all be
brought to bear on how we re-configure our notions of
products, industrial design and the creation and meanings
of material culture in today’s world.
An example here might serve to expose our presumptions
and prejudices. Our traditional, socially embedded
understandings of business, growth and capitalism are,
in fact, relatively recent. Industrial capitalism grew
from the British cotton industry during the Industrial
Revolution and is, therefore, only a few hundred years old.
The distinguishing feature of this system, which now seems
so normal and unquestionable, is that the surpluses of
production began to be used to expand productive capacity
itself. This gave us the notion of continual industrial
growth, and the corollary of continually expanding
consumption, disposable products, resource depletion,
pollution and waste. We are living with the consequences
of this today and are seemingly unable to free ourselves
from its destructive grip. Before the rise of capitalism,
however, the surpluses of production were used for other
purposes. They were invested in economically unproductive
endeavors, which, viewed from our current frame of
reference, seems both incredible and ludicrous. The
great European cathedrals are one legacy of this, which,
incidentally, still fulfil an important function today.
This example illustrates that what, today, we might regard
as preposterous was once perfectly acceptable and natural.
That is not to suggest we should somehow try to return to
a pre-capitalist, medieval time. It does, however, allow us
to see that existing norms can change, that alternatives
are possible, and urgently needed given our current rates
of ecological destruction and the gross social inequities
associated with our today’s modus operandi. Critical
thinking and the challenging of precedents and standards
must begin to pre-figure the design process, and become
more commonplace and more substantive than is generally
the case today. Designers will still have the important task
of translating these ideas into form, but ultimately, it is the
strength of the ideas that is important for the evolution of
a lasting, meaningful and more benign material culture.
Illustration by Amber Olson
Originally published in The Design Journal, Volume 5, Issue 2, ISSN
1460-6925, Ashgate Publishing, Aldershot, UK, www.ashgate.com.
Originally published by:
Associated Screen Limited, Montreal.
Photographer unknown, date unknown.
Design writers often ask us about the state of design
culture. So now that we have this opportunity, we
thought it might be enlightening to turn the tables.
an interview with James Culham
Todd Falkowsky conducted this interview with
Vancouver based design and travel writer James Culham.
In search of a culture that we can call our own, the
Canadian public has tried everything from appointing
royal commissions, authoring books, inviting
consultants and creating organizations like the Design
Council and the Massey commission. Are we any closer
to uncovering what it is that makes us unique?
Design has struggled to arrive in Canada. In this I
mean that Canadian companies and brands have
largely ignored the benefits of creative. Unlike other
countries, Italy or more recently Holland, that are
using design to create real competitive advantages
and value. Why is this occurring here?
You make it sound like we pay too much attention to
design! I would say the opposite. I’m not sure that it is just
about finding what is uniquely Canadian — but I wish our
government and the general public were more interested in
design in a very broad sense — and put a hell of a lot more
money into promoting it.
I’m not sure who’s to blame — but you’re right Canadian
companies don’t seem to see the value which good design
can bring. Or those that do seem to do it in a really selfconscious way — like someone’s uncle wearing a “designer
shirt” and making a big deal about it.
When I go to design shows in Europe and Japan in
particular you see how important good design is to some
countries. There is a real sense that they see it as an
integral part not only of their countries’ industries but as
a representation of their cultures as well. The governments
get behind their designers and there doesn’t seem to be
any real backlash over wasted tax dollars either.
I’m thinking of a major Swedish show that goes on in
Tokyo every year. I’ve gone a couple of years and it is really
phenomenal how much government backing they get to
promote Swedish design in Japan.
I was also writing about Swiss design recently and went
to an exhibit in New York where the Prime Minister of
Switzerland was speaking with great knowledge and
enthusiasm about Swiss design — past and present. When is
the last time we heard any Canadian politician even use the
word “design?” They really, honestly, don’t care. I’ve been
in meetings with some of these people — they just stare
blankly and wait for you to leave.
Is Canadian design playing a role in our soul searching?
I really don’t think so — designers have to find some way to
be more relevant here than they are. My test when I travel
is talking to taxi drivers. In some countries the taxi drivers
know the names and are proud of their top architects and
designers. I don’t think that’s true here — maybe we need
to talk more to cabbies.
I wrote about the Japanese retailer Muji recently — which
is kind of a cross between Wal-Mart and The Gap — cheap
generic goods mostly — but everything is so well designed.
For me that is much more interesting than high-end
design objects.
So should Canadian Tire have a designer aisle? No, I think
that would be sad. But I think many companies could pay
closer attention to design in millions of small ways. Maybe
someone could design a better french fry for McCains and
Air Canada could benefit in many ways from attention
to design.
There is a growing mistrust of companies, which is
leading to the reevaluation of consumerism. Following
the lead of writers like Joseph Heath and Naomi Klein,
does Canadian design have an edge or leading role
in these emerging dialogues?
I haven’t read Heath — but I found No Logo to be too one
sided and didactic — sort of like Michael Moore. I’m more
interested in the nuanced middle ground — shades of
grey and fence-sitting — which is as Canadian as it gets.
Around the time No Logo came out, Marti Guixe — a Catalan
designer came up with its natural opposite — branded food.
He had concluded that world advertising expenditures were
roughly equal to the amount it would take to feed everyone
on the planet. So he proposed food with logos on it — Calvin
Klein beans and IBM apples — to be distributed for free.
Of course it is bonkers in a way but hilarious and actually
quite brilliant — and frankly more interesting than Klein’s
hectoring. Marti is resistant to the high gloss design world
and refuses to make typical consumer goods. I actually
got the New York Times to take a feature on him — which I
completed and they had scheduled to run. Then ironically
they saw his plain, deliberately amateurish pictures and
they pulled the story. I said to them, that is kind of the
point — to resist making fashion or fetish pieces — and they
replied, “yes, but did you see his pictures?” Um, never mind.
In the face of globalization, is nationally flavored
thinking even relevant anymore?
Sure, we all can list off a bunch of things that are uniquely
Canadian — even in a place as diverse and vast as this
— there are Canadian values, ideas and aesthetics. I think
it is a rich area for designers to work in. I wouldn’t want
to see everything with a Maple leaf on it — but there is no
reason to try to negate who we are either.
That is another reason we travel — to see how different
things are. I think the people who assume we’re all
becoming Americans are alarmists. There are a lot of places
in the world that reject homogenization. Even the Japanese
who are famous for adopting foreign aesthetics and
fashions — have a deeply felt national pride which is
never far from the surface of things.
In the cult of the new, can we still design heirlooms?
Sure, I don’t think one has to negate the other. I’ve designed
a concrete table, but I also have many things whose shelf life
is measured in months. I’m attracted to both extremes.
You are one of a handful of design journalists working
freelance in Canada, any war stories?
Oh, I don’t know what I should say about it — I still need
to make a living... There are frustrations like in anything
— but I guess if I had to pick out one thing that really irks
me — it is how conservative, formulaic and safe editors tend
to be — both in the types of stories they take and what they
allow writers to say.
I guess it is just part of their survival as well — so I shouldn’t
be too critical. But I’ve always tried to bring stories that
are unusual and ideas based (which is unusual in itself) — by
designers and architects who are relatively undercovered.
But this just seems to make it harder for myself.
I wish particularly that Canadian magazines and
newspapers covering design would allow more opinion and
debate — stop being so nice all the time — but then I guess
that is a national tradition or cliche... I’m not saying I want
to be the Don Cherry of design writing — but there is room
for a lot more criticism — or it just reads like P.R. and people
just flip through looking at the pictures — and Wallpaper
magazine will have been proven right.
Design, presented by our media, has tended to be
largely from outside of Canada. Has this created an
illusion of design being an activity that only happens
in other places?
Maybe, it depends who you’re talking about though.
I contribute to The Globe & Mail newspaper — and they’re
pretty adamant about CanCon. I wouldn’t even call them
with a story unless it has a significant Canadian angle.
But I know there are some design publications who are pretty
Euro-centric and of course the American publications see
Canada as about as newsworthy as North Dakota.
Why the shift from design journalism to travel writing?
It isn’t a shift really — I’ve been doing both all along — but I
find that people in “the design industry” don’t really get it.
You’re either with them or against them — design is such a cult.
I’ve been combining travel and design stories — partly
because I love to travel and to keep from going mental
writing about the thousandth chair design. And a big part
of travel for me is to see how things are done in other parts
of the world. Design magazines don’t always have the budget
to pay for travel — so I combine the two and it works.
I end up writing about design-related things when I
travel as well — like local architecture — or from design
exhibitions. And recently I’ve been focusing on the travel
industry from a design perspective. I wrote on airplane
design for Metropolis magazine in the U.S. and some
others for a design and travel magazine I edit,
UsefulandAgreeable.com.
What is happening in Canada of interest?
I have been working on a book for a while now and kind
of sequestered away — but I’ve been following a bit of the
selection process for architecture and design relating to
the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. It is still in the early stages
— but from all indications of very modest budgets and types
of firms who are seen as being front-runners I’m really kind
of depressed about it all.
Most Olympics try to create at least a few signature
buildings which will live on and be a wonderful reminder
of the Games and an asset to the host cities. What we’re
likely to end up with is a bunch of bland community centre
type buildings that will inspire no one. I would like to be
able to get involved in it but it just feels like a very uphill
battle — I hate to sound defeatist — but it is a good example
of what is frustrating about advocating good design in
this country.
In a past article I wrote that Canadian design should act
as a bridge between Europe and United States. I argued
that Canada must leverage our understanding of
America to help European brands as well as mining our
European roots to take American brands overseas to
the EU. Do you see any strategic advantage for design
in Canada?
I guess I’m reluctant to make generalizations but it’s
inevitable I suppose. So yes, I think Canadian designers
tend to be more outward looking than Americans — partly
from necessity I suppose — but it is cultural as well. I think
we’re comfortable moving between cultures — we get plenty
of practice here at home. But not just with Europe — maybe
it is my west coast bias — but Asia offers arguably more
interesting opportunities.
Canada has had no problem creating designers but
has had difficulty retaining them. In true Canadian
fashion we call this behavior brain drain (unlike
the Americans who romanticized it with the outside
notions of the expat). Is there a potential to reimagine
this phenomenom?
Maybe I’m being too optimistic — but it’s a global world
— within reason everyone can work anywhere — that’s
what airplanes are for. It doesn’t matter where they sleep.
And I think the mixing of cultures that results is going
to be interesting to watch. It isn’t just Americans going
everywhere — in fact if they re-elect their cowboy president
I think they’re going to encounter more resistance abroad
than ever in the years ahead. But I think Canadians can
make an impact in China like Swedes in Japan and Swiss
in the U.S.
Who is leading design in Canada?
I’m not so interested in leaders and the whole star system.
Of course some names spring to mind — but as in my writing
I tend to focus on the ones that don’t. I wish the whole
thing would become less ego driven and more cultural.
Which of course means valued — and paid for — by the
culture — both public and private.
Canada is the multicultural test tube, which is
mimicking the relationships that occur in a global
village. Do you see this advantage assisting design
in Canada?
Yes, I think Canadians tend to adapt very well when
interacting with the rest of the world — we’re honoured
guests and generous hosts. We have many cultural
traditions and none at all. Try explaining that to
the Japanese.
There is a lot of goodwill in the world for Canadians and
Canadian companies — and we’re seen as having an enviable
way of life — which, selfishly speaking, we can exploit in a
way that many countries cannot.
What do you think the barriers are to design being
established in Canada?
Oh, God — that’s a two hour and four beer conversation
— which I’ve had too often and to too little effect.
But ‘design’ is like a currency — in order for it to have
value we all have to believe that it does...
James Culham is the editor of Useful + Agreeable
(usefulandagreeable.com), a travel and design magazine.
He is currently working on a book dealing with tourism
and terrorism.
Notebook by Joseph Nanni
We are all designers. It doesn’t matter whether our
talents fall closer to the category of “beautifully
crafted” or “carelessly scrawled.” Whether we realize
we’re designing or not, even throwing some marker on
a sheet of loose leaf to say “For Sale,” we are designing.
The minute you tack that message up on a bulletin
board for the public to read (or walk past, unaware)
you are a designer, whether you wear all black or not.
The second someone stops to rip that phone number
off the sign that message is successful.
Holly Clarke & Karla Burr
Motherbrand believes that nurturing ‘local’ cultures can
enrich our lives within the ‘global village’. That drawing
from our own Canadian experiences we can contribute to
global dialogues in meaningful ways. If you have projects
that you’d like to pursue or stories that you’d like to tell,
contact us: [email protected]
Or visit: www.motherbrand.com
The
Canada Pictures
By Douglas Coupland
I wanted to do a series of photos which were like insider-only still lifes. Canadians ought to catch all of the references, but
Americans — or anybody else — ought to look at the images and go, “what the heck?” The differences between Canada and
everywhere else are subtle, but ehy’re real.
The Canada Pictures
The Canada Pictures
The Canada Pictures
��������
Illustration by Bill Acheson
CD Reviews
From: “Patrick Hemingway” <[email protected]>
Date: : Tue, 23 Mar 2004 17:44:30 AM Canada/Eastern
To:[email protected]
Subject: FW: DESTROYER review
Hey Todd,
Here it is, the review of Destoyer’s new album ‘Your Blues’
Upon first listening to Destroyer’s new album ‘Your Blues’
you get the feeling that this is quite the departure from
their last album ‘This Night’, and you’re right, it is quite
different, or is it...? Gone are any semblance of a greasy
guitar lick, but the same passionate vocals and exceptional
song writing are still present. It takes five or six listenings
before the album grows on you, but do give it the chance
to-it is worth it. What makes this album different from
its predecessor is its paired down use of instruments and
simple recording style. There are still lots of hummable
songs (even if you don’t understand the somewhat cryptic
lyrics) that seem to stay in your head long after listening
to it. A lot of the songs have an airy feel to them that is
reminiscent of 70’s ballads, but that is not to say that they
are sappy. There is an intelligence that is conveyed in both
the structure of the songs and the delivery of the lyrics
that is quite refreshing, especially when you consider some
of the alternatives out there... in the modern music world.
So get up and rush out and buy ‘Your Blues’ and experience
one of Canada’s (Dan Bejar) premiere artistic talents.
ph, March 23rd, 2004. Vancouver
ps. Todd: feel free to edit/slash/take away or add...
love,
paddy
Patrick Hemingway is a photographer in Vancouver.
Destroyer drawing by Sydney Vermont, layout by Marya Speton
CD Reviews
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 12:23:55 -0400
From: Gregory Durrell <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Todd,
It sounded fine man, no need to change anything!
You still never received the email with the skate pics?
Greg
Werkburo.com
I was born a unicorn!
In an industry dominated by overproduced, slick and
hyper packaged music the Unicorns drive up in their “bone
camero” to deliver the low phi sounds that we love. After a
listen you will be reminded of what little it really takes to
make good music.
Their latest release from Alien8 recordings, Who Will Cut
Our Hair When We’re Gone? is a high water mark for music
in Canada, even if it does sounds like it was made in a
basement using toy instruments and a VIC 20. The grooves
are hypnotic, lyrics novel and the melodies catchy — almost
as if the band grew up listening to eight tracks, their sound
is familiar but always remains fresh and pioneering.
This has CD has slipped into high rotation at the studio
and we would definitely recommend getting this one.
Greg is a principal member of the Werkburo, a new
graphics firm in Toronto.
Unicorns art work by Nicholas “Niel” Diamonds
CD Reviews
From: Graig Sutherland <[email protected]>
Date: Tue Apr 6, 2004 12:27:29 PM Canada/Eastern
To: mother <[email protected]>
Buenos dias senor,
Here’s your review (I’ve attached a .txt file with the review).
I initially started going through a track-by-track thoughts
on the album, but it was just getting too long and convoluted.
This is what I originally had:
1. Intro: 17 seconds of spine-chilling screams accompanied
with maracas and distant cow bells. Reminds me of home.
2. Broken and Blue: A sleepy ballad about lost love and
lonely afternoons. Explosions fill the background like
civil war cannons.
3. Prison Memoirs of An Anarchist: Self-sacrificing
optimism. Lyrical or literal, its alright.
4. The Transit Song: Beautifully added lyrics from
a low-fi (somewhere around answering machine quality)
recording of Victorian-style shower singing. A loopy
guitar and rhythmic organ fill out the scene.
5. A Million Dead End Jobs: Why do you persist on
annoying me with that ticking clock? I get it already!
6. What Comes After One: A great instrumental that
builds a slowly bouncing melancholy into tea time
at the circus.
7. Small Town Murder Scene: First death ballad I’ve heard
with a clap-along chorus. You can join in the fun at home.
8. Mom’s Ether Blues: Mom doesn’t sound too blue.
It must be good ether.
9. Theme from a Radio Play: The fruit is ripe and its
time to jam.
10. Tombstone Blues: Not a Bob Dylan cover.
This one is an eerie death song.
11. Outro: The sound of a wind up toy scuttles
us off into the sunset.
I like the album, but it took me a while to get past the excessive
use of little sounds (clocks, explosions, etc.) That ruin the
songs. Like the painter who doesn’t know when to stop.
Cheers,
Graig
Graig Sutherland is a physical oceanographer currently
based in Victoria, B.C. He likes tides and has submitted
papers on local tidal phenomenon and energy capabilities
to the Journal of Physical Oceanography and the Journal
of Fluid Mechanics.
Fembots layout by Amanda Wagner
Book Review
Cover Previews courtesy of BMD
Massive Claim:
Bruce Mau on the future of design culture
Canadian design guru Bruce Mau is making preparations for
what is perhaps his studio’s most ambitious project to date,
a book and travelling exhibition to be launched in the fall
of 2004 - both titled “Massive Change: A Manifesto on the
Future of Global Design”. While the book Massive Change is
modest in size - 240 pages as compared to his collaboration
with Rem Koolhaas S,M,L,XL’s 1300 pages - the subject
matter here is all-encompassing. Rather than considering
“Design” within its typically restrictive parameters - the
book posits that design is the biggest project of all and
occurs across disciplines, from urban planning and energy
to materials science and manufacturing. Interviewed indepth in the book are “designers” in fields such as tissue
engineering, grid computing, copyright law, environmental
physics and economics. Removing usual preoccupations of
form, aesthetics and style - BMD here focuses instead on
capacity.
Examples of such diverse endeavors as the manipulation
of human genetic code, developing new modes of mass
transportation, treating disease with bio-engineered rice
and the enormous “Three Gorges Dam” project in China are
used to illustrate the new power and promise of design.
Leaving aside the fact that it will be news to the
aforementioned scientists and engineers that they are now
designers, Mau makes a convincing case that we are living
in a time of massive change in design culture. It is tempting
to drop preconceived notions, suspend disbelief and fall
in line with Chairman Mau’s radical redefinition of the
discipline.
www.massivechange.com
Review by James Culham
m
co
i
.
gn
w
.
w
w
a
sp
c
ce
es
td
e
ad
hypergraphia
Founding Father, Editor-in-Chief
Co-Founders
Art Direction
Graphic Design
Advertising
Words
Photos and Illustrations
Font Design
Todd Falkowsky
Michael Erdmann & Karla Burr
Motherbrand
spacecadet design inc.
Lynda Chau ([email protected])
Stuart Walker, James Culham, Robert Enright, Karla Burr,
Holly Clarke, Todd Falkowsky, Joseph Nanni, Michael
Erdmann, Greg Sutherland, Patrick Hemingway, Greg Durrel,
Douglas Coupland
Chris Clarke, www.gfpix.com, Joseph Nanni, Karla Burr,
Douglas Coupland, Holly Clarke, Patrick Hemingway,
Bill Acheson, Shouresh Jalili, Amber Olson
Samy Halim (2Rebels)
Montreal Based 2Rebels, generously donated their font
“Flembo” for the publication of this magazine.
www.2rebels.com
HYPERGRAPHIA
www.hypergraphia.ca
Printed in Canada
Printed at Esdale Printing on 70# Jenson Satin
Thank you to: Noinin Clarke, Doreen Burr,
Wanda Falkowsky, Dorothy Notkin, Jane Doerffer,
Chris Clarke, Holly Clarke, Shannon Persowich,
Mari Wardrop, Bill Acheson, Erin Knowles, Eric Burr,
Dr. and Mrs. Fred Doerffer, Dale Hughesman, Janet
Nowatzki and everyone who helped make this possible.
Motherbrand gratefully acknowledges the support of
the Trade Routes Program of the Department of Canadian
Heritage, the Canadian Consulate-General in New York,
and the Ontario International Marketing Centre — New York.
“Straight ahead along the great highroad of
cooperation, destiny and greatness beckon.
This is the road that we should choose.”
Wilder Graves Penfield 1891-1976 is generally considered
to be the father of modern surgical treatment of epilepsy.
Despite being born in Spokane, Washington and educated
at Princeton and Oxford, Penfield was, in his lifetime called
“the greatest living Canadian”.
Penfield was a great believer in the power of collaboration.
In 1934, he founded the Montreal Neurological Institute,
bringing together scientists, surgeons and neurologists
to work as one team. The first of its kind in the world,
MNI is still recognized today for its advancements in
research, education and treatment of the human brain.
Through their research the MNI team was also able to map
the functions of the brain in great detail. Stimulating
precise areas of the brain, the scientists were able to elicit
memories including scent, sound, movement and colour.
This cooperative thinking brought about our modern
understanding of human behavior and inspired new
models for the compassionate treatment of patients. In
addition, the MNI laid the groundwork for the discovery
of hypergraphia* and are a symbol of the trailblazing and
pioneering dimensions ingrained in Canadian culture.
*hy·per·gra·phia \’hI-p&r-’gra-fE-&\
noun
1. Affliction which causes the sufferer to uncontrollably
transcribe their thoughts or produce in other media,
presumably caused by temporal lobe epilepsy, or a right
cerebral stroke.
2. The continuous production of drawings, writings, design
etc. as a strategy for healthy life
Printed in Canada
2004