Residents of the Westside, where I live (LA from West Hollywood to Santa Monica, including West LA), have a wonderful opportunity to easily taken in three intentional design experiences, all opening this month: the Nomadic Museum designed by Shigeru Ban and constructed of containers and tents in the Santa Monica Pier parking lot, showing "Ashes and Snow" by Gregory Colbert; "Dark Places," an exhibition produced by servo at the Santa Monica Museum of Art (a Westside urban treasure); and the Getty Villa, housing the classical portion of the Getty art collection in a grand faux Roman mansion in Malibu.
Though different in content and treatment, each is groundbreaking, controversial (especially the Getty, the object of various overseas and domestic investigations into the theft of Classical art objects), and designed to provide unique, pure experiences (not brand-related) to visitors and participants. Sadly, you'll be visiting the Getty in March or April unless you have pull and can sidestep the online ticket dispenser. Admission is inexpensive or free for each experience.
I hope to get interviews with each experience's designers for future entries to TE. Meanwhile, if you're local or visiting -- get experienced, three ways.
BOB JACOBSON is fascinated by the experience of experience. A planner and technologist, Bob has a Ph.D. in Urban Planning & Design from UCLA. He's been a policy researcher, technology CEO, science writer, and consultant. As a Fulbright Scholar, he studied cellular telephony's impacts on transborder communities in the Nordic Arctic Circle. Bob edited Information Design (MIT Press 2000) and is now writing a book on the theory and practice of creating edifying, transformative experiences.
PAULA THORNTON says, "Understanding human behavior (economics), optimizing interactions (design) and facilitating conversations (markets), are the means to achieve strategic differentiation. This is the focus of our discipline. It is not a 'nice to have'‚ and is not, like documentation once was, an afterthought. It is the means by which to start a strategic discussion and the means by which to drive a tactical initiative. All design should be evidence-based."
