As a fan of both design and Dwell print mag/online, I was super excited for the Dwell On Design conference this weekend. Overall it was worthwhile, though they could have made it a more interesting experience by housing it in a different venue - the LA convention center is massive and feels disconnected from the real world, which is exactly the opposite of what Dwell was trying to convey. Nevertheless, the program was impressive and the exhibits were the stuff of home improvement (or home building) dreams.
California was key to the presentations and exhibits, and the city of LA was the perfect backdrop. Many of the talks focused on local projects, which provided real-world examples of the importance of design thinking in everything from recycling water to food trucks.
To me, the most interesting talk was about LA’s Cleantech Corridor, an ideas competition to rethink the relationships between industry, community, and public spaces that will be applied to an area of downtown along the riverfront. The competition will be announced in July, and is an effort sponsored by SCI-Arc’s Future Initiatives Program and the Architect’s Newspaper. The competition is aimed at architects, engineers, and designers, but the panel stressed that anyone can submit ideas - because you know, sometimes the best ideas come from unexpected places.
Of note from the conference: reclaimed houses, Peter DeMaria’s talk on container architecure, the Metamorphosis exhibit, and young, bow-tied furniture designer Benjamin Rollins Caldwell who made a chair out of retired Vegas playing cards and a modern sofa out of recycled zippers.
To see more photos, click on the image.
