Now showing: Rodarte: States of Matter at MOCA LA.

Celebrating the art of fashion, MOCA’s newest exhibition presents recent fashion and costume design pieces by Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the sister-dream-team behind the house of Rodarte. Portraying Rodarte’s experimental, daring, and often conceptual garments as charged, sculptural objects, States of Matter features creations from Rodarte’s Spring 2010, Fall 2010, and Fall 2008 runway collections, as well as original ballet costumes designed by the Mulleavy sisters for the recent hit, Black Swan.

This is the Mulleavy’s first solo exhibition on the west coast, and follows last year’s hit installation at New York’s Cooper-Hewitt: Quicktake: Rodarte. The MOCA show was curated by MOCA Associate Curator Rebecca Morse and designed by Alexandre de Betak, and is presented by Swarovski.

Kate and Laura Mulleavy received their bachelor’s degrees in liberal arts from UC Berkeley in 2001. Following their graduations, they returned to their home in Pasadena and launched Rodarte – without any formal fashion training – in 2005. Since then, they’ve launched a dozen instinctively designed, eclectically inspired collections (motivated by everything from Japanese horror films to California Condors) and won multiple awards, including the CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2009.

Rodarte: States of Matter runs through June 5, 2011 at MOCA, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

*images by Autumn de Wilde, courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

Now showing at Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum: “Ted Muehling Selects: Lobmeyr Glass from the Permanent Collection.”

Jewelry and decorative arts designer Ted Muehling has been invited to curate a Cooper-Hewitt show of more than 100 pieces by legendary Viennese glassmaker, Lobmeyr. The resulting exhibition – which runs through fall 2010 – features J. & L. Lobmeyr glassware from 1835 to 2008 (spanning nearly the entire history of the firm) from the museum’s permanent collection, alongside original drawings lent by Lobmeyr, and other related works from the museum’s collection. The result is a thoughtful show, grouped by period, that demonstrates the timelessness of Lobmeyr’s glassware, the company’s influence on the modern aesthetic, and the its ongoing collaborative spirit.

Over the years, Lobmeyr has collaborated with an amazing list of designers and artists, including Josef Hoffmann, Adolf Loos, Michael Powolny and Josef Wimmer. The collection also features works by major 19th-century designers, such as Ludwig Lobmeyr and Josef Storck, as well as glass by contemporary designers like Max Lamb and Polka.

Muehling, who has also created his own designs in glass for Lobmeyr (see below!), brings a unique perspective to the show, and has chosen works that celebrate the art of drinking and entertaining.

Celebrated for its clear, simple forms, many of the Lobmeyr’s designs have been in continuous production since their introduction in the mid-19th century. One of Lobmeyr’s most celebrated commissions is the Starburst Chandeliers at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

According to Lobmeyr co-owner Leonid Rath, “Our parents conserved an appreciation for quality and the abilities of craftsman. We inherited a great opportunity…and we have a great love for designers in a time when people are fed up by superficial products.” Rather than compromising on quality, he says, Lobmeyr continues to create quality work that simultaneously pleases the contributing designers, the company and the public. “There is no tradeoff.”

“Ted Muehling Selects” is the 10th in a series of small one-gallery exhibitions in the Nancy and Edwin Marks Gallery. The museum invites guest curators from all around the world to create exhibitions and installations interpreted in their own voice from works in the museum’s permanent collection.

*above: Butterfly” Tumbler, pattern no. 279. Designed by Ted Muehling (American, b.1953) . Manufactured for J. & L. Lobmeyr. Austria, 2007. Glass. Museum purchase through gift of Arthur Liu and Anonymous Donor and from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund.

*above: Josephine bedside bottle. Designed by POLKA (Marie Rahm (Austrian) and Monica Singer (Austrian). Manufactured by Bšhmische Manufaktur for J & L Lobmeyr. Vienna, Austria, 2006. Glass. Museum purchase from General Acquisition Fund.

*above: Ambassador” wine decanter, pattern no. 240. Designed by Oswald Haerdtl (Austrian, 1899–1959). Manufactured for J. & L. Lobmeyr. Vienna, Austria, 1925. Glass. Museum purchase through gift of Arthur Liu and Anonymous Donor and from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund.

*above: “Black and Gold” Water pitcher. Designed by Karl Massanetz (Czech, 1890–1918). Manufactured for J. & L. Lobmeyr. Vienna, Austria, 1913–14. Glass. Museum purchase through gift of Arthur Liu and Anonymous Donor and from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund.

*above: Group of table glass, pattern no. 218 . Designed by Stefan Rath (Austrian, 1876–1960). Manufactured for J. & L. Lobmeyr. Vienna, Austria, ca. 1905. Glass. Museum purchase through gift of Arthur Liu and Anonymous Donor and from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund.

*above: Drinking set no.248 – “Loos.” Design: Adolf Loos, 1931. The bar set. The architect Adolf Loos was ahead of his time with this clear, uncompromising concept of form. This tumbler service is made with a so called brilliant pattern on the base. Each line is still cut by hand and carefully matt-polished. This series paved the way for modern glass design and is another Lobmeyr classic since 1931. This particular image courtesy of Lobmeyr.

*All photographs by Andrew Garn, except Drinking set no.248 – “Loos.” Images courtesy of Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

Designed to be the world’s most affordable car, the Tato Nano was unveiled last year in India by Tata Motors, India’s biggest car manufacturer. Next month, it makes its debut at New York’s Cooper-Hewitt.

Targeted toward families previously unable to buy a car, the base model Tato Nano starts at $2,200 and can seat up to five adults. It’s intended as a safer, all-weather transportation alternative to the two-wheelers (motorbikes and scooters) so pervasive in India.

The four-door Nano is about 10 feet long, weighs 1,300 pounds, has an all-sheet-metal body, a rear two-cylinder engine, small tubeless tires, and a reinforced passenger. It gets 50 miles per gallon, and can go as fast as 65 miles per hour. To allay concerns about safety, the car passed a roll-over test and offset impact, which are not regulated in India. Nano versions for the European and American markets are under development.

Running from February 18th through April 25th, a sunshine yellow Tato Nano will be on display at the Cooper-Hewitt, along with diagrams and a short film describing its concept and production. According to Cara McCarty, curatorial director of the museum, ““Cooper-Hewitt’s mission is to present the very latest developments in design and technology and the Tata Nano introduces more families in India to the new world of affordable and safer mobility.”

For more information, visit CooperHewitt.org.

*Images courtesy of Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

Ezri Tarazi's installation of bamboo totems moves the dense landscape of China’s bamboo forests indoors, creating a domestic forest that supports a range of living arrangements. Photo: Udi Dagan

Round sections of bamboo hang from a metal structure to create a chair. Each section is suspended from a metal rod that allows the rings to turn.

Using FSC-certified plywood from Bolivia, Abbott Miller designed a chair whose components can be shipped flat and dry-assembled with a rubber mallet. Photo: Jay Zukerkorn

The chair design highlights the beauty of Bolivian wood, while also yielding three chairs per sheet of plywood, with a minimal amount of waste. Photo: Jay Zukerkorn

New York fashion designer Issac Mizrahi during a fitting session. Mizrahi used salmon leather to create an ensemble that includes a dress, jacket and shoes. Photo: Mackenzie Stroh

Yves Béhar meets with indigenous women who run an organic chocolate cooperative in Costa Rica. Photo: Serge Beaulieu

Béhar’s final design calls for stainless steel and sustainably-harvested Costa Rican hardwood. His chocolate shaving tool is designed to rest on the lip of a mug and resemble a twig. Photo: Dan Whipps

Not to be missed: Design for a Living World at the Cooper-Hewitt, organized by The Nature Conservancy, through January 2010.

Ten leading designers have been commissioned to develop new uses for sustainably grown and harvested materials in order to tell a unique story about the life-cycle of materials and the power of conservation and design. Projects include:
- Swedish industrial designer Yves Béhar’s chocolate shaving tool, designed to rest on the lip of a mug and resemble a twig, to benefit a Costa Rican women’s organic chocolate cooperative.
- Abbott Miller’s Bolivian wood chair design, which yields three chairs per sheet of plywood, with a minimal amount of waste.
- Stephen Burks Australian raspberry jamwood piece that allows for easy collection and processing of plant-based materials for use in the skincare line. He also created a complementary suite of jamwood containers to hold the cosmetics.
- fashion designer Issac Mizrahi’s unexpected Alaskan salmon leather-made dress, jacket and shoes.

The designers’ prototypes, drawings and finished products are all on display, along with video revealing their work behind-the-scenes. Design for a Living World is co-curated by graphic designer Abbott Miller and Ellen Lupton, curator of contemporary design at Cooper-Hewitt. This is the debut venue in a national tour of the exhibition, organized by The Nature Conservancy.

The full list of featured designers and locales includes:

Yves Behar/Costa Rica; Stephen Burks/Australia; Hella Jongerius/Mexico; Maya Lin/Maine; Christien Meindertsma/Idaho; Isaac Mizrahi/Alaska; Abbott Miller/Bolivia; Ted Muehling/Micronesia; Kate Spade/Bolivia; and Ezri Tarazi/China.

Images courtesy of Cooper-Hewitt.