Creative Playboy:
Ron Arad may not be a familiar name to most of the population, but in the art and design world, he’s regarded as a bit of a bad-boy genius, known both for blending the worlds of design, art and architecture and a strong personality. On a recent July morning at MoMA, though, during a preview for “No Discipline,†the first major U.S. retrospective of Arad’s work running through October 19th, despite others’ best efforts to place the bad boy persona on center stage, Arad just let the work speak for itself.
First on the agenda was an exhibition walk-through. “No Discipline†presents a career’s worth of work organized by what Senior Curator of Design & Architecture Paola Antonelli calls “families:†related pieces sit on, within and outside a massive figure-eight structure that takes up most of the room, referencing the recurrence of the shape in Arad’s work. Screens throughout show video of Arad’s work, as well as a stop-motion video of the enormous figure eight’s installment. It was potent, and as I walked around, I was repeatedly asked to step out of the way for other hungry pressman eager to snap shots of – what?!- no curmudgeon, rather an agreeably posing Arad.
Next up: comments by MoMA Director Glenn Lowry and Paola Antonelli. Both made all the appropriate thank-yous, and Lowry put the exhibit in context: “This museum, as I think all of you know, really grew out of a deep commitment and belief in the fact that modern art expressed itself across many different media and disciplines…Ron stands out as one of the most influential designers of our time for his adventurous approach to form, structure, technology and materials, in work that spans the disciplines of industrial design, sculpture, architecture and mixed media installations…His relentless experimentation of materials of all kinds, as well as his radical reinterpretation of some of the most established archetypes in furniture that put him at the forefront of contemporary design. Ron, we’re so thrilled that you are with us today!â€
(Applause.)
Then Paola Antonelli: “Ron Arad really did change design history – without really thinking about it – he doesn’t seem to care that much in general – but slowly but surely, one piece after another, and with his tremendous work at the Royal College of Art as head of the Design Products program for ten years….he really shaped – or unshaped and deconstructed – a new generation of designers…â€
Speaking of Arad’s approach: “Push to the limit, materials, forms and people around you. It’s really important to push…Designers are those that make revolutions in technology and science and lifestyle, if you wish, come true, and transform them into objects you and I can use… I’d like to answer one question that I’ve had many times from many journalists, I’m going to say it here once and for all…as a very kind correspondent from the BBC very Britishly put it this morning: ‘Um, I have heard that Ron Arad is kind of – has a thing with being – strong willed. How did this exhibition go?’ It was truly a collaboration – it was his creative vision. Well, I was the discipline and he was the No. Blood was shed. It’s on the wall (pointing to the exhibition’s sign, which includes red paint splats, on the wall to her left); the result is fantastic. And we’re still friends. So, there you have it. Thank you!â€
(Applause.)
And then the bad boy himself, Arad, dressed in a t-shirt, cap, sneakers and pants a cross between pajamas and hammer-pants, meandered to the podium. After a very quietly spoken thank you to another contributor, he quickly closed, saying, “All the rest is there, I have nothing to say. Enjoy it!â€
No drama necessary. Guess we’ll just have to let badass work speak for itself.
For more information on MoMA, visit moma.org
For more information on Ron Arad, check out ronarad.com
Images courtesy of MoMA
Also, check out a great TED design talk by MoMA Senior Curator Paola Antonelli here: