When Isamu Met Bucky
I had the pleasure this evening of attending the opening of a new exhibit at the Noguchi Museum in Queens highlighting the work of sculptor Isamu Noguchi and his good friend Buckminster Fuller.
Buckminster Fuller, many people will remember, was the man most famous for inventing the geodesic dome, an incredibly strong structure made up of a network of struts. Fuller’s invention was conceived as an extremely lightweight but stable building that could be erected simply and inexpensively. While the dome was a big success, he designed it after a long string of other inventions which Fuller hoped would create a better life for humanity, but which never caught on.
Dymaxian House, an easy-to-ship and easy-to-assemble home that hangs from wires around a central column (“Dymaxian” is Fuller’s made up contraction of the words Dynamic, Maximum, and Tension). Fuller imagined this as the wave of the future, an ultra-efficient, ultra-affordable, mass-producible home. But only one Dymaxian House was ever built. It was lived in for 30 years before being relocated to the Henry Ford Museum in 2001.
Several of those inventions are showcased in the new exhibit. One highlight is a scale model of Fuller’sDymaxian Car, a highly efficient vehicle that seated 11, reached 120 miles per hour, got 30 miles per gallon (unheard of at the time) and did it all on only 3 wheels. It was 20 feet long, but barely needed more space than that to do a full 180 degree turn. Sadly, an accident at the 1933 World’s Fair prompted investors to abandon the project, and the car never passed the prototype stage. It’s a shame it never went any further in development. It’s hard not to imagine how automobiles would be different today. For the current exhibit, the Noguchi museum has brought together models, pictures, and video footage of the car in action.
Fuller’s Utopian vision extended beyond homes. In 1933, he built a prototypeAnd this is just the tip of the iceberg. The exhibit explores many more of Fuller’s projects, but these were my favorites.
The exhibit, called “Best of Friends: R. Buckminster Fuller and Isamu Noguchi,” reflects the friendship and values of two men, each dedicated to improving the lot of the common man, one working through science and the other through art.
The lives of both men are presented nicely through an exhibit designed by graphic designer Tomoko Miho, who the AIGA called “the design world’s best kept secret.” Along one wall, an extensive timeline follows the parallels of both men’s lives, and is included in full as a gatefold in the exhibition brochure, making it a great souvenir.
The exhibit opens this Friday, and continues through October 15.
Comments
Boy does that chick in the 2nd photo look like an ex of mine.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 19, 2006 12:24 AM
Who is the girl in that photo?
Posted by: Anonymous | May 20, 2006 3:05 AM
Hey, Anonymous, if you want to e-mail me with the name of the person you think it is, I’ll be happy to confirm or deny it for you. Just use the “contact” link on the right. -David
Posted by: David | May 20, 2006 7:39 PM
Hi!
I enjoyed this post.
Was wondering where you got the picture of Noguchi’s table with the dome.
I’m using it in my blog, designKULTURE. Hope you don’t mind.
Best,
M
Posted by: Michael | October 18, 2009 2:49 PM