New Curator Regards L.A. as Incubator of Design Ideas

Brooke Hodge, the new curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Contemporary Art, comes to her post with a fresh perspective on Los Angeles. Previously she was assistant dean of the arts programs at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, adjunct curator of architecture and design at Harvard University Art Museums, and before that, exhibitions coordinator for the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal.

At MOCA, Hodge, 40, is responsible for organizing exhibitions and programs about design in the museum’s three venues: the main galleries downtown, the Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo and the Gallery at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. She talks about the increased interest in design among collectors, as well as L.A.’s place in the design sphere. As a newcomer, she sees L.A. as a new city, an incubator for ideas.

Question: Why is there such an unprecedented interest in design these days? From magazines to television shows to exhibitions, it seems like the topic is everywhere.

Answer: I think design has become more accessible to people. It’s available at lots of different levels, like Target stores and Ikea, and these places are producing things that are of good quality design. It’s been a thriving time for design in the last five years, and that’s really good. The more that it’s out there, the more people realize they can pick and sample different things. People don’t want to be saturated with Martha Stewart or have their whole house furnished with Ikea, but they can get a few pieces. It’s more individual.

Q: Are people aware that these objects represent a fairly high level of design?

A: I think so. I would guess that if somebody goes to Target and gets a Michael Graves toaster, they’re going to know it’s a Michael Graves toaster, and it’s designed by someone who has a name. It’s not elitist anymore. Also, [online auctions] such as EBay have made things more available to people, and magazines have made people more aware of design. But I do think this is true of industrial and product design, not necessarily architecture. Architecture is harder for people to grasp, even though it’s all around us.

Q: Why is that?

A: I think that people don’t understand what architects do, and I think they take architecture for granted, unless it’s one of the top 10 tourist attractions. Exhibitions are difficult for people because you can’t show the buildings, you have to show representations of them, and architectural drawings are hard for most people to understand. But I think with new ways of representing architecture and showing it in exhibition that will change. In school, most people don’t have any kind of education that involves architecture, even in art classes. I don’t think they’re given the tools to understand it or appreciate it.

Q: How do you make it more accessible to people?

A: Through programming related to exhibitions--lectures, educational programming for children to educate them about what an architect does and what are the different types of buildings, how buildings are made--so they’ll start to look at the city in a different way and understand its components. I think design is much more straightforward, but there are probably certain kinds of design that people also take for granted, such as packaging and movie titles. Most people probably don’t realize they’re looking at something that’s been designed.

Q: Is there a generational difference in how design is perceived or appreciated?

A: I don’t think it’s generational; it might be geographical. West Coast people are more open to modern design, and the East Coast has more of an antique preference. I think younger generations have been certainly more exposed to design and can develop an appreciation for it earlier. But I grew up with parents who had Georg Jensen flatware and Danish modern furniture, and that definitely influenced me. I like clean lines and fairly simple things.

Q: But what about graphic design? The magazines and ads geared toward 20-somethings seem very colorful and layered and frenetic.

A: I do think there is a generational difference with advertising and graphics. They’re playing to the MTV generation, so things have a quick pace, and you get the message across really fast.

Q: How will this affect design in the future?

A: You can see it happening now, with the use of bright colors in object design, the use of new materials. You can see it in movie titles, like “Snatch.” It’s definitely fast cuts with a very, very contemporary feeling. But I’ve been wondering if some aspects of design are going to be throw-away, because things are available at different price levels. You can buy a Michael Graves toaster, but in a year you might see another toaster you like better.

Q: Is it bad to be such a throw-away culture?

A: Not necessarily. It already happens in fashion. I think it’s definitely interesting and keeps it lively, which is important. But I wonder whether we’ll end up having the same kinds of things become design icons in 25 years.

Q: Like an Eames chair?

A: Yes, there might be less of those kinds of things. The timeless qualities are kind of missing. Things are more trendy and of the moment. There are some things that instantly become classics, like the Philippe Starck juice squeezer, but other things seem to have a more limited life span.

Q: We’ve also become a society of collectors. When did you begin to see that take off?

A: Probably with EBay. I’ve always had a few collections--Comme des Garcon clothes, Russell Wright china, and some outsider art, paintings made from bark when the Japanese were interned in the camps. EBay has made it much easier to collect things and to put together a collection quickly. It’s just amazing how much stuff there is, and how deep you can get into it.

Q: What does this say about us as a culture?

A: That we’re really inquisitive, coupled with being big consumers. Also it’s just maybe wanting to hang onto things when life doesn’t seem so permanent. Things are changing so quickly, and having these collections, you have something that’s your own that you can hang onto, it’s sort of secure. A lot of people can’t collect art because it’s way out of their reach, but they can collect something else that has a lot of meaning to them, and they’re learning something.

Q: How does L.A. fit into the international design scene? How does it compare to an established center such as Milan, for instance?

A: I think L.A. can be an incubator for ideas because there are a lot of different things going on in the city and different types of design--advertising, movies, architecture, products, fashion. Also, it’s removed enough from New York so it’s not in its shadow. There’s also the exposure here to other cultures and the feeling that you can do new things. It feels like a new city--independent, liberating--because it’s big and not conservative. I think I’d compare it to someplace like Tokyo. Milan has its history with the schools and manufacturers that are still great centers of design, but here it feels like you can invent yourself, or a product, or a company. You’re not going up against tradition all the time.

Q: How do all the design schools here, such as California Institute of the Arts, the Art Center College of Design, Otis College of Art and Design and the Southern California Institute of Architecture, contribute to L.A.’s design profile?

A: I think it challenges people who are already here. It’s a good breeding ground, with students coming up with new ideas. It just keeps the whole thing going.

Q: Who are some up-and-coming designers you’re watching, here in L.A. and elsewhere?

A: Imaginary Forces is a Los Angeles company that does title design and other graphic and motion graphic design. Fashion designer Jenisa Washington does amazing things with leather, it looks almost like paper. I’m also interested in LOT/EK, an architectural firm in New York that’s run by two architects from Naples who do low-tech things, using new materials and hybrid forms. There’s also good restaurant design here. [Architect] Hagy Belzbergis doing some interesting things in restaurants [Patina, Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse]. It’s not just a kind of generic interior any more; things have specific identities.

Q: Are you seeing more of an overlap of art, fashion, design and architecture?

A: Yes, I think artists are sort of looking to other areas for inspiration. Fashion houses are looking to architects to design their stores to give them a definite identity. There’s always been a lot of artists who have looked to architects for inspiration. I think all of this is happening more. I think it’s the search for new ideas.