Think: The interdisciplinary presentations of Charles and Ray Eames followed by A conversation between Eric Schuldenfrei & Samson Young
Date: Sunday, November 2, 14:00–16:00
Venue: Open Space, 8F
Moderator: Hsieh Feng-rong, Senior Curator, NTCAM
Speaker: Dr. Eric Schuldenfrei
In Conversation With: Samson Young, Artist
Admission: Free (museum admission ticket required)
Language: Conducted in English and Mandarin, with consecutive interpretation
Dr. Eric Schuldenfrei — designer, curator, and author of the monograph The Films of Charles and Ray Eames: A Universal Sense of Expectation — will contextualize the multi-screen film THINK within the oeuvre of the Eameses' from the late 1950s onwards, when there was a general shift in their practice away from consumer culture and towards broader social and philosophical inquiries. This moment of introspection was closely related to events of the Cold War, when designers began to question their sense of purpose. This lecture will cover topics ranging from the Bauhaus Total Theater, to early computer's entanglement with the military, to the use of multi-source media on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Excerpts from The Information Machine (1958), Think (1964), and Image of the City (1969) will also be shown. Dr. Schuldenfrei's lecture will be followed by a conversation between the speaker and the artist on the commissioned work Pavillion, and its resonance with the concerns of the Eameses' and their peers.
About Speakers
Dr. Eric Schuldenfrei
Eric Schuldenfrei served six years as the Head of the Department of Architecture and currently teaches architecture and design at the University of Hong Kong. Receiving his PhD from the University of Cambridge, he has taught at Princeton, Columbia, and the Architectural Association. His book The Films of Charles and Ray Eames: A Universal Sense of Expectation, focuses on architecture, politics, cinema, and education. Schuldenfrei served as the Curator of Exhibition, Education, Film, and Media for the Hong Kong & Shenzhen Biennale and has presented his work at the V&A museum, Harvard University AsiaGSD series, the University of Cambridge, and the Royal College of Art in London. Together with Marisa Yiu, Schuldenfrei founded ESKYIU – a multi-disciplinary architecture studio integrating culture, art, community and technology. They have been awarded the “Architectural League Prize” and “Design Vanguard” as well as edited the books Instant Culture and Industrial Forest together.
Current research includes examining architects who created projects as educational experiences. From the late 1950s to the early 1960s there was a moment of introspective self-reflection in the West stemming from the events of the Cold War. This moment of uncertainty was crucial, for it provided the incentive to question the values and concerns of society as a whole. In turn, designers began to question their own sense of purpose, temporarily expanding the purview of design to a broader field of inquiry. The solution of promoting greater education experiences as an alternative to consumerism in America required that different sectors of society functioned in unison to address political, social, economic, and educational concerns. The research reconsiders how design intersects with humanity, culture, and the sciences.
Samson Young
Samson Young was born in Hong Kong. His artistic practice spans sound, video, performance, and installation, integrating both academic research and creative experimentation. His works have been presented at major institutions including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Hong Kong Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, documenta, the Biennale of Sydney, and the Shanghai Biennale.
He holds degrees from the University of Sydney (Music, Philosophy, and Gender Studies), a Master’s in Composition from the University of Hong Kong, and a Ph.D. in Composition from Princeton University. His practice explores media technology, historical narratives, and the politics of sound, employing an interdisciplinary approach to expand the boundaries of how we listen and perceive.