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Stephen Elliott, an always thoughtful media critic, and an author whose fiction and nonfiction I really enjoy, learns a thing or two from a profile of himself that ran in his hometown paper, The Chicago Tribune. It's a very intriguing piece, that notes, among other things, that he's headed to Uganda to do some reportage.
A conversation with Raphael Sperry, architect and advocate for a prison design boycott
By Lauren Cerand
Architects are not particularly known for their activism. So you can imagine my surprise when I noticed the back page of the Architecture Newspaper (which, like many people, I read for the deliciously tart gossip) was devoted to a radical call to action last month. I recently spoke with Raphael Sperry about his rebel yell for “No More Prisons” and the concrete implications of the campaign for the world beyond the design community.
What has the reaction been to the prison design boycott campaign since you launched it in September [2004]?
There’s been a lot of support for the campaign from within the design community. There are definitely people who appreciate what we’re saying. There have been individual comments from people who are confused or hostile.
How many people have signed the boycott to date?
Right now, it’s not as many as I would like, and there are reasons for that, but it’s about 40 architects and a hundred-some other supporters.
.…I had a conversation with a person who works at an architecture firm that has designed a federal prison that included a death row. And I asked this guy about designing the execution chamber. That’s pretty heavy. And he told me, “It’s just a room.” I don’t believe that that’s true. But it can be rationalized that way. So some people will do that, but I think that in the design community, a lot of people understand it’s not just a room. He said, you know – “Okay, we had to make sure the door was big enough to fit the gurney they had to have to roll in people,” because it’s lethal injection so they’re strapped down to a hospital-type gurney. So that was the special design constraint.
Is the function of prisons so essentially flawed that there can’t be a form that’s positive or useful to society?
I’d say yes. Not everybody agrees with me. I don’t think everybody has to agree with me to sign this pledge, either, because the first level that this operates on is about prison expansion. It’s not about prison quality. The United States, last year, hit the benchmark of more than two million prisoners, which is more than the population of most of the cities in the United States. And per capita, we have the highest incarceration rate in the world. … We’ve got to find some way to deal with the problems that send people to prison.
As taxpayers who fund these institutions, members of the public have a vested interest in this campaign. How can non-architects effectively support the campaign?
You can sign up as a supporter who’s not an architect. People can donate money to Architects and Design Professionals for Social Responsibility [ADPSR]. I don’t want to make a big pitch out of your article, as I don’t think that’s necessarily appropriate, but I will tell you it’s entirely volunteer-run, including my time and it has a miniscule budget ... There are a lot of great groups that exist that challenge this, and most of them are not focused around design. A lot of them are run by former prisoners who know firsthand what’s wrong with the prison system and others are run by families of prisoners and those groups don’t get attention from people who care about design. And they need it. I’m just starting to look for partnership with those other organizations to see more clearly how we can support them. I feel like we have resources that we haven’t even tapped into yet. Families of prisoners do not have that many resources.
Are there two or three that you have in mind -- or even one -- that you look to as examples of doing the right work around these issues and galvanizing support?
I wish I was a little further along and had talked to them, but there’s Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in California. They have a campaign called Books Not Bars. The leader of that organization is named Van Jones, and he’s supposed to be terrific. There’s a group that’s been around a long time that’s called Families Against Mandatory Minimums and I haven’t talked to them, but they’re standing up for the right things.
What do you hope to achieve with the boycott of prison design?
In addition to raising awareness, I want to develop a list of architects who are willing to take ethical positions and identify themselves as the ethical leaders of the profession. I’d like to open a broader debate about the ethics of the built environment, what should be being built, how architecture and design serves the public interest, what the roles of individual professionals are in meeting those goals and it seems like an important topic to start on. I would like to develop a list of signatures that will serve as one more tool the rest of society can use to combat prison expansion. We’re not going to do this alone.
It seems to be in the contemporary era, with concerns about sustainability, anti-sweatshop production methods and fair trade that there can be a political aspect to the idea of “good design”. Would you say that’s something that comes into play here, or is the idea of “good design” still only about form and function?
I’m not sure I entirely understand what you mean by good design.
I’m interested in the way that, once upon a time, something could just be aesthetically appealing or well-constructed or innovative in the method by which it was produced or conceived, but now I think -- especially among people who are under 35 -- there’s a real sense that there’s another level to it, whether it’s about being ethically- or politically-conscious and concerned about the origin of the materials being used. I wonder whether that movement matters to people who are design professionals or if it’s still way out there in terms of saying, “That’s a really great car, but what kind of emissions standard does it have?” or “That’s a really great dress, but how was it produced?” Is there a sense in the design community that political perspectives – prison work being beneficial or not beneficial to society – are coming into play more than they might have 15 or 20 years ago?
Well, I think so, and I think that the fact that I’m not the only one who’s been doing this campaign and that the rest of ADPSR and all of the board members really wanted to support it indicates that that thinking is there in our own organization, and is reflected in the interest it’s gotten, because you know, there have been articles, or at least mentions of it, in Metropolis and architecture magazines and other places. And I think what it means to the design community is shifting -- design thinking is a really powerful approach to the world -- and applying it at a different level to the process and to the systems in which things get designed. Cradle-to-Cradle was developed by designers working in the environmental sphere. What it said is, “Not only are we designing the object, we’re designing the whole process in which the object gets produced.” There’s still the design but now you have to design the process and I’d say we need to re-design the prison system or no, not just the prison system. We need to re-design the justice system. When people break the law, when they hurt society, what happens to them? How does society respond? It’s really broken. That’s a huge design challenge. We really try to focus on alternatives to incarceration. Through New Village Press, which is part of ADPSR, we’re publishing a book on alternatives to prisons.
Although they’re insidious on a slighter scale, shopping malls are notorious destroyers of public space. Could you see the principled approach of this campaign applied to other kinds of design in the future?
Well, it’s not like, one by one, we want to go along and not design anything anymore. It’s not just shopping malls. I think urban sprawl is a really, really pressing issue. And I think in a way a lot more architects designers and planners – it affects us much more in our day-to-day work than prisons do. For those of us that don’t do prisons, well, after they’ve signed the campaign, then how can they be involved with ADPSR? Of course, they can be part of a speakers’ bureau that will talk about this campaign or can call up their colleagues and get people to sign up or they can spend time coordinating with other anti-prison groups and going to public hearings and stuff like that, which would be great. But in terms of their day-to-day work for the clients that they actually have it’s not going to transform that work exactly. Whereas every project we do makes a statement about larger planning on another scale, both the scale below and the scale above. The scale below has to mostly be about green building and we’re still working on that. When you’re designing a house, you are selecting all these sub-components: How are they produced? What’s that impact? The scale above is like, is it an urban in-fill project? Is it going to require people to drive thirty miles every day? I think what’s next would really be trying to work on that. We have a new chapter forming in Eastern Washington State, in Spokane, that wants to work on this very issue so I’m excited to see what they can come up with…
Raphael Sperry is the president of Architects and Design Professionals for Social Responsibility (ADPSR). He’ll be discussing the Prison Design Boycott at the Center for Architecture on Monday, April 11. For details, visit adpsr-ny.org.
I made my reservation on Friday afternoon -- that's the smoothest reportage possible; more like the ticket I had was set to expire and I had to call a friend at work and persuade him to book the itinerary for me since I was, as they say, about to get some serious dust in my wig over the whole affair.
I fly into Brussels two weeks from today, and from there I think I'll head up to Amsterdam for a day or two and then back down to Antwerp for a few more, then back out via Brussels after a day there (really just long enough to take a peek at the marche oiseaux - seen here in a gorgeously whimsical photo by Robert Kayaert, c. 1955 - on the way to the airport, of course).
It's a quick trip -- about all I can manage right now, given work constraints and my necessary predilection for no-frills chic -- but six fabulous days of promise and delight await me in lovely Flanders and surrounding environs. Lynn Yaeger, no slouch herself in the style department, has a very intriguing piece on Amsterdam's "fashion-forward neighborhoods". I can't wait to hop on a bicycle and cruise around as many of them as possible.
After floating the idea of Rotterdam to a group of friends this weekend, and getting resoundly mocked (despite having enjoyed this recent article on the city's status as an emerging capital for architecture), I think I'll stick with my original plan of spending most of the trip in Antwerp, a city that is, after all, known for its diamonds, beer, chocolate, and avant-garde fashion (oh yeah, and frites, natch), and rather sounds tailor-made for me.
I've got a Lonely Planet guide, the Wallpaper* navigator, and lots of fantastic links online, but if you know of anything that I absolutely must see or do, well then, by all means, please do comment 'til your heart's content...
Related from the LL Archives: Ring-A-Ding-Ding! and It's Psychedelic, Baby!
I very rarely wear jewelry; it's not really my style, although I do like a bold and striking piece now and then. I did go through a phase a few years ago of wearing fabric flower pins, which seems to have been a particularly memorable period as people (always men) who knew me then often mention it.
The last time I wore earrings (to meet friends for drinks), I lost one and, later on when I realized it, thought to myself: "Oh, I guess last night was fun after all." I do plan to snag this darling objet that I've had my eye on for years as soon as I find myself "Beyond-Beyonce-Rich", which shouldn't be too long now, right?
So it's not without a touch of wonder that I find myself transfixed by trends in jewelry design lately. The Los Angeles Times magazine had a great spread on organic, gorgeously handcrafted pieces by four designers: Jeet Sohal, Gabriella Artigas, Patricia Candido, and Roxane Assoulin's Lee Angel line. It's too bad that the photo from the print edition, credited to Pornchai Mittongtare, isn't online.
And, of course, I'm not immune to the charms of anything Marni, as you know, including the earthy yet whimsical new necklaces that seem to be everywhere this season and feel so right at the moment.
I did save the best for last, though, as the 18-karat gold shark-tooth pendant necklace with diamonds ($1,825) by Finn has sent me absolutely over the moon. As the current issue of Elle notes in a short piece on the new line and its two co-designers, Candice Pool and Soraya Silchenstedt, "Although Finn has roots in ancient mythology, the designers find inspiration in more contemporary tales, from F. Scott Fitzgerald's stories to their favorite films." Absolutely dreamy.
I am on the honorary benefit committee for a very cool theater company called The Civilians. They are having a big party soon and I said I'd send out some invitations on their behalf.
I'll be dropping a few in the mail this weekend to a few people who I know would love to go, but do let me know if you'd like one and I'll happily send it your way.
Tickets are $65 for the party, or $10 for the afterparty, and it all goes to a chic, smart, and fabulous cause! I'm definitely looking forward to this one...
This month's issue of Boldtype, an online book review that devotes each of its monthly issues to a specific theme, explores "creativity", and it's one of my favorites so far. (Lately, Boldtype seems to be getting better and better.)
The design header is an image of a painting by Henry Darger, the mysterious outsider artist whose work is the subject of a three-part exploration, entitled Intensely Darger, that's jointly sponsored by Dance Theater Workshop and the American Folk Art Museum, and kicks off March 17th.
I picked up Osho's Creativity the other night at the Bodhi Tree bookstore. Normally, the Osho series would be too fruity for me, but someone who I like and respect was reading one not too long ago ("Intuition") and so I thought I'd check it out, and I'm glad I did. I'm only a few pages in, but I already like one of the main points so far, which is basically, "stay away from smokers; they are deeply bored people". This is a patently true assertion.
If you're at all interested in the creative process behind Lux Lotus, you can check out my del.icio.us feed, which is a loose assortment of links that I come across -- clipping, saving and sometimes discarding them as part of the daily endeavor to produce fresh and intellectually invigorating content for this blog.
It's sort of like a scratch pad, although I have plenty of those too (e.g. Fish Magic 1925: "a magical realm where the aquatic, the celestial and the earthly intermingle"; oh right, Klee at the Philadelphia Museum of Art last week. Or, "white muses w. black eyes, courtly flourishes; dress, fan, violin, hunting dogs." Yes, of course: Marie Laurencin's "Women in the Forest" (1920) at the Hammer Museum on Sunday). Pictured here: her Femme Aux Fleurs dans les Cheveux.
Also, take a peek at: Elle Decor's "Truth In Decorating: The 10 Most Dynamic Desks" (I'm most fond of the Ondine Desk by Salon Moderne, but, truth be told -- only by a hair), the hello, can you see me? people, and everything MUJI @ MoMA, especially the colored pencils.
Related from the LL Archives: The Creative Process + A Sense of Place.
At the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles for the "Conversations" show, I was browsing the California history section on the lower level when I came across a display devoted to silent film sensation Mae Murray.
She was a movie star who personified the easy fortune of the Jazz Age. The museum had the dress (designed by Adrian) she made famous in Circe the Enchantress. The accompanying text, rather snidely, noted that she was much more well-known for her chic look, fashion sense, publicity and "bee-stung lips" than her talent. And also that she went crazy and died penniless.
As though having personal style that endures nearly a century later weren't an achievement! It would certainly be enough for me.
Other LL Icons: Denise Levertov
The title is in all-caps just to get it out of the way. I am back in New York, at my desk, sifting through what feels like a million-billion emails, drinking a cup of tea and trying to shake off a wicked vacation hangover. Los Angeles was absolutely lovely, and it gets better every time I go.
Everything was deliriously cheap, museums were never crowded, and the weather was positively life-affirming. I particularly enjoyed spending as much time as possible at the magical corner on Melrose where Urth Cafe (the Spanish Latte is habit-forming), Aunt Vi's Garden, and the Bodhi Tree bookstore intersect.
I had a marvelous dinner with Mark Sarvas in Santa Monica, home of my new favorite bookshop, Hennessey + Ingalls. I went back the next day and found a book on the bargain shelf about living by the sea, that includes lots of pictures of the Parisian houseboats I adore, (in French) for three dollars. I also checked out Bergamot Station, and totally began to understand exactly why it is people find Santa Monica so bewitching.
Also wonderful, I saw my "fake cousin" for the second time in three months (and fifteen years). Our fathers were best friends in college but we didn't see each other much after my parents got divorced. He is really terrific, and so, so cool. And Bryan was fantastic on his latest television appearance. I gave him the joke that made Dennis Miller laugh, so that was extra fab.
I saw some gorgeous art at the Hammer Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Santa Monica Museum of Art, and the Getty, lots of great architecture, had a fantastic conversation regarding an upcoming project, enjoyed more sunshine than I've seen in New York in a year, spent time with funny, smart people, and ate more In-and-Out burgers "protein-style" than is perhaps advisable.
But it was a vacation (of sorts), and it was all fabulous.
More later on specific topics, like an enchanting shade of blue (sort of Yves Klein-ish) that I noticed in paintings by Odilon Redon, some new jewelry design I like, a few photos I took (of street art and antiquities, mostly), and other news.
Bryan will be on CNBC's Dennis Miller this Monday night!
From the LL Archives: Bright Young Thing, Thousand Points of Lux.
Right now I am maybe nodding off a little; too much to do and never enough hours in the day. I wanted to post a few meandering entries before I left for Los Angeles, but sadly, I have to turn my attention elsewhere at the moment and I'm too tired to think anyway. Here is a list of a handful of intriguing things on my mind:
1. How nice sea glass is to look at, and to hold in the palm of your hand.
2. Wouldn't it be deliriously lovely to have a big, gorgeous vicuna scarf? Like shawl-size? But cruelty free.
3. The window display at 3 Doves, a shop on the corner of East Second and Avenue B, full of shells and jewelry and pretty things.
4. The little blue Egyptian glass vase I bought last week, and how much I treasure its imperfections.
5. White tulips - nature's most perfect creation? No, that would be the nautilus.
