Wednesday, July 27, 2011

My review of "Chasing the Perfect: Thoughts on Modernist Design in Our Time"

Chasing the Perfect: Thoughts on Modernist Design in Our Time
Chasing the Perfect: Thoughts on Modernist Design in Our Time by Natalia Ilyin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A collection of personal essays centered on design, Ilyin voices the doubts some of us have when we see a chair, fork, or table in a catalogue that looks perfectly designed with its clean lines, brushed stainless steel surface, and its hefty price tag. We see these items for their promises of a better life after we slide our plastic cards through the checkout line and bring back the haul into our homes. But these promises can often be nothing more than hollow and imbalanced, despite appearances. Even when we choose imperfection, as Ilyin notes with great insight, it's for the "right" type of imperfection.

"What will happen to us as a culture when we have been completely conditioned only to choose between options, rather than to come up with solutions?" Ilyin asks. It's a question that goes beyond the world of design.

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