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| Stephen Burks | Are You A Hybrid? at Museum of Arts and Design, New York |
Last week American designer
Stephen Burks' exhibition 'Are You A Hybrid?' opened at the
Museum of Arts and Design in New York. The exhibition brings together projects by designers who are working with artisans around the world to help preserve traditional skills by applying them to new products for an international market.
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| Stephen Burks | Are You A Hybrid? at Museum of Arts and Design, New York |
The projects embrace a global vision of design, sharing formal influences and DIY, conceptual strategies. They are both historical and contemporary, favouring the spirit and immediacy of craftsmanship that is readily found in cultures of the African diaspora and beyond.
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| The Hybrid Project, 2009, Archival photographic print by Stephen Burks, Daniel Hakansson, Monica Brand and Francisco Lopez |
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| Antibodies, 2009 Screen-print by Fernando and Humberto Campana |
Burks explains how his own Brooklyn based studio,
Readymade Projects, has made cultural fusion its signature strategy. Contextualising his own approach, Burks has selected works by design luminaries such as
Patricia Urquiola,
Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec,
Mike Meire and
Hella Jongerius who all work comfortably across disciplines and incorporate multiple cultural references in their work.
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| Stephen Burks | Are You A Hybrid? at Museum of Arts and Design, New York |
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The exhibition perfectly encapsulates WGSN's autumn/winter 2012/13 macro trend
Hyperculture and echoes the strong trend for handcrafted, locally made products that WGSN has highlighted at 2011's tradeshows and design events.
