U.S. and Japan Architecture and Design Visionaries Build for Social Good
The Design Difference
Tuesday, November 2, 2010, 6:30 pm, at Japan Society
日米イノベーターズ・シリーズ 公開フォーラム「The Design Difference: デザインでセカイを変える」
New York, NY – Whether in the context of producing green products or building structures that contribute to social good, there is growing interest among designers and social entrepreneurs in the role design can play in helping to solve some of the world’s most pressing social problems. In The Design Difference, Japan Society's U.S.-Japan Innovators Network brings together an intersection of architecture and design visionaries.
Atelier Bow-Wow's Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Public Architecture's John Peterson discuss the latest thinking in architecture and design from Japan and the U.S. How does architecture and design influence behavior? How does the built environment shape community? How does architecture and design illuminate culture? Moderated by Designers Accord's Valerie Casey, the discussion addresses these questions and more on Tuesday, November 2 at 6:30 pm, and is followed by a reception.
Atelier Bow-Wow recently published Behaviorology (Rizzoli, 2010), the firm's illustrated treatise on the connection between people, nature, and the built environment. Tsukamoto discusses his unique and rather organic perspective on the practice of architecture, and notes "behaviorology brings about an immediate shift in subjectivity, inviting many different elements together and calling into question who or what may be the main protagonist of a space."
Peterson discusses Public Architecture's departure from the commission-based standard when selecting building projects. In addition to their commitment to projects for the public good, the organization created a 1% program, which asks design and architecture firms to donate 1% of their time to pro bono service.
The Design Difference discussion is part of the Innovators Network's two-day exchange program in partnership with Designers Accord, Common Ground Community and the Brownsville Partnership, and GOOD magazine. In addition to Tsukamoto and Peterson, several designers and social entrepreneurs from the U.S., Japan, Thailand and Vietnam will look at how design can contribute to solving challenging social problems. The program begins with a visit to Brooklyn's Brownsville, which has the highest concentration of public housing in the U.S. and more than half of the residents live under the official poverty line. The following day, the group will hold a charrette--a key tool that designers and architects use for a planning and brainstorming around need. The charrette, led by Valerie Casey, will generate new ideas and possible solutions for the Brownsville Partnership to consider as part of their overall efforts in Brownsville, and will be touched upon at the public discussion.
Architect Yoshiharu Tsukamoto founded Atelier Bow-Wow with Momoyo Kaijima in 1992. A leader of a new generation of Tokyo architects that promote a site- and use-specific approach to design, Atelier Bow-Wow re-evaluates the current architectural character of Tokyo in an attempt to achieve a more responsive urbanism through the adaptability and mutative qualities of architecture. Tsukamoto received the 16th Yoshioka Prize and Gold Prize for Residential Architecture from Tokyo Society of Architects and Building Engineers in 1999. He was a Visiting Lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2003 and 2007 and a Visiting Associate Professor of UCLA in 2007-2008. His work was recently featured at the Venice Biennale Japanese Pavilion in 2010. He is an author of several books including, Behaviorology (2010), Graphic Anatomy Atelier Bow-Wow (2007), Bow-wow from post bubble city (2006), Contemporary House Studies (2004), Pet Architecture Guide Book (2001), and Made in Tokyo (2001). He is Associate Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology. More at http://www.bow-wow.jp/.
John Peterson is founder and president of Public Architecture, which he established in 2002. Peterson served as Chair of the board of directors until October 2008, when he became a fulltime member of the Public Architecture staff. He also maintains a small private architectural practice, Peterson Architects, which for over 15 years has dedicated an extraordinary amount of time to pro bono work, serving arts institutions, city agencies, community development corporations, nonprofit organizations, and social service agencies. John has been appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom to both the San Francisco Green Vision Council and Open Space Task Force. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Nice Modernist award from Dwell magazine, the Jefferson Award for Public Service, as well as the 2009 Designer of the Year award jointly with Executive Director John Cary. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. He was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design from 2005-2006. More at http://www.publicarchitecture.org/home.htm.
Valerie Casey is a globally recognized designer and innovator. She consults with start-ups, governments, and organizations all over the world on challenges ranging from creating new products and services, to transforming organizational processes and behaviors. Before starting her own practice, Casey held executive leadership positions at IDEO, frog design, and Pentagram. Her work has been highlighted in multiple publications, and she has been named a “Guru you should know” by Fortune magazine, a “Hero of the Environment” by Time magazine, and a “Master of Design” by Fast Company. She was also selected as one of the “World’s Most Influential Designers” by BusinessWeek. Casey is the founder and Executive Director of the Designers Accord, the global coalition of designers, educators, and business leaders focused on creating positive social and environmental impact. Casey speaks globally on systems thinking, cultural change, and sustainability, and is an Adjunct Professor in the graduate design program at CCA. She holds a master's degree in cultural theory and design from Yale University and a BA from Swarthmore College. More at http://www.designersaccord.org/.
Japan Society's U.S.-Japan Innovators Network is a multidisciplinary network of emerging and established innovative leaders committed to creating a better world. The Network explores new potential for U.S.-Japan collaboration by connecting people and ideas through network-building exchanges, private retreats, public forums, and long-term projects. Since its inception in 2005, Network members meet to generate ideas for collaboration, and wider discussion is facilitated through public forums featuring the work of the participants. Moving forward, Japan Society will look for new ways to expand the Network, connecting innovative Japanese and Americans who are working to create social value and catalyze change for a better future.
Founded in 1907, Japan Society has evolved into a world-class, multidisciplinary hub for global leaders, artists, scholars, educators, and English and Japanese-speaking audiences. At the Society, more than 100 events each year feature sophisticated, topically relevant presentations of Japanese art and culture and open, critical dialogue on issues of vital importance to the U.S., Japan and East Asia. An American nonprofit, nonpolitical organization, the Society cultivates a constructive, resonant and dynamic relationship between the people of the U.S. and Japan.
The Design Difference takes place Tuesday, November 2, at 6:30 pm. Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street between First and Second avenues (accessible by the 4/5/6 at 42nd Street-Grand Central Station or the E and V at Lexington Avenue and 53rd St.) Tickets are $12/8 Japan Society members, seniors & students. For reservations visit www.japansociety.org or call the box office at 212-715-1258. For further information call 212-832-1155 or visit the website.
The Design Difference is generously funded by The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership and the Toshiba International Foundation. The U.S. –Japan Innovators Network is assisted by grants from R&R Consulting, Inc. and Yoko Makino. International transportation is supported by Continental Airlines and All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. The Network is also made possible in part by Japan Society’s endowment for policy projects.
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Shannon Jowett
Japan Society
T: 212-715-1205
F: 212-715-1262
E: sjowett@japansociety.org
Kuniko Shiobara
Japan Society
T: 212-715-1249
F: 212-715-1262
E: kshiobara@japansociety.org
