Project Projects in New York City

Recently I visited one office in New York, Project Projects, which is involved in processes of designing and guiding our experience and knowledge about landscape, architecture, the city and alike, thereby contributing to shape our (mental) image of real places and environments, but who as well create situations to question and enrich our understanding of the (urban) environment we live in.

Project Projects principals depicted for the series 'Project Projects Postcards', (2005). [image courtesy of Project Projects]

Project Projects is a design studio focusing on print, identity, exhibition, and interactive work with clients in art and architecture. The studio was founded in 2004 by Prem Krishnamurthy and Adam Michaels; Rob Giampetro joined as principal in 2010. Project Projects work for numerous institutions and offices, including Bernard Tschumi Architects, Field Operations, Guggenheim Museum, MOMA, Princeton Architectural Press, or, Steven Holl Architects, amongst other. Next to these client-specific projects, the studio as well initiates and produces independent curatorial and publishing projects.

Fraction of the bookshelf in the studio of Project Projects.

The conversation with Prem Krishnamurthy took place during New York City's pre-Christmas buzz, which left us just enough time to briefly touch some aspects of the work done at the studio.
Asked about aspects of craftsmanship in the studio, Krishnamurthy mentioned that handwork is very important and is something often talked about within the studio. He mentioned that it is important for Project projects that their work is coherent and exact and that a certain transparency exists during the design process which is as well reflected in the finished product. Within the diverse range of work done by Project Projects, the concept is, as intellectual backbone, equally important as handwork and a love for details. What finally proves the product's quality is it's congruent representation in the specific context.

Regarding the very diverse output of Project Projects, ranging from the design of single books to whole identities for museums or parks, there is often a very unique aesthetic signature, reflecting that for Project Projects it is more important that their design supports the specific content of the product, and does not represent a certain style stemming from the office itself. In that sense, content is used to derive a unique visual appearance and not a (pre-marketed) visual appearance used to sell the content.

Website design (2010) for North Grant Park, Chicago by landscape architects MVVA. [image courtesy of Project Projects]

It is interesting that, despite the (as well graphically) very diverse output of the studio, the design of the Project Projects webpage is very calm and reduced. What decides about the specific form of a certain product coming from the Project Projects studio?
Within the studio there exists a good degree of creative freedom with different approaches and work routines informing each other. Asked about his personal work process, and the importance of head and/or hand within this process, Prem Krishnamurthy told me that his work is characterized by a first deep intellectual engagement with the specific task, then followed by the production of initial sketches whose number is dependent on the project and which are used to outline different scenarios. In this process the mental (pre)work is very fruitful and its importance often appearing later, once the hand started to sketch.

Exhibition design for 'Fast Trash', 2010. [image courtesy of Project Projects]

For Prem Krishnamurthy it is important that all the initial ideas are well tested and live up to the studio's quality standards. Then, in the process of reflection with the client, there should be only the relevant few left, the scenarios which you are convinced about, so a satisfying decision can be reached together with the client.
This process diverges a little for the task of producing 'identities', whole representations for clients such as museums or publishers for example. In finding a new identity it can be very fruitful to openly show various ideas and even mix different ideas to create an identity the client is well represented with.

Project Projects designed identity, signage and environmental graphics for Hudson River Park Pier 62, (2010). [image courtesy of Project Projects]

Currently Project Projects is as well involved in the process of transforming one of the world's vastest landfills, the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island, into the largest public park developed in New York City since more than 100 years. Together with the landscape architects Field Operations and New York City's Department of Parks & Recreation, Project Projects is designing the identity for the new park and a signage system which uses existing structures and indicates the long-term (30 years) transformation of the site.

Visually staging the appearance of Freshkills park. [image courtesy of Project Projects]

The Freshkills-slogan "re imagine" reminded me that we can differentiate aspects and meanings of landscapes according to the levels of the real, the imaginary and the symbolic. I supposed that Project Projects in this case was aiming to create a different understanding for the place in the mental image of Staten Island and NYC residents. Prem Krishnamurthy replied that Fresh Kills is at this point both, a real and an imaginary place as nothing has been constructed yet, so at this point, they are working with the imaginary representation of the site.
In the case of Freshkills park, the aim of Project Projects is to use graphics and visual design to nourish people's fantasy to develop a prospect of what can happen at the Fresh Kills landfill if turned into a public park.

Re-use of existing structures in creating freshkills park. [image courtesy of project projects]

The act of placemaking and imaginary re-design of Fresh Kills started by a simple, yet clever intervention by the designers. The designers renamed the 'Fresh Kills landfill' into 'Freshkills Park' to allow people to create new associations to the place.
As Krishnamurthy states "it is about the creation of possibilities" at a site already monumental because of the sheer vastness of space and the distinct existing structures. The design for the park's identity and signage therefore followed the approach of 're-purposing' existing elements on the site. Diggers will be used to mount signs and an initial design idea proposed to use corten steel on the site for the signage.

Initial design for park signages made from solid steel found on site at freshkills park. [image courtesy of project projects]

One example for a landscape-related publication designed by Project Projects is Alan Berger's 'Drosscape - Wasting Land in Urban America', published by Princeton Architectural Press. Project Projects worked in this case with the existing graphics and a manuscript and successfully adapted initial design ideas to support readability and usability of the publication. Thereby the (book)designers helped the readers to understand certain landscape phenomena and are an important support for scholars to successfully get their word out in an aesthetic and graphically clear form.

Proof for "Drosscape - Wasting Land in Urban America' by Alan Berger, book design by Project Projects, (2006).

Project projects is as well active as independent publisher and editor. One good example for this work is the book 'Above the Pavement - The Farm!'. The book was published within the Project Projects spin-off 'Inventory Books' which is 'a platform for the synthesis of textual and visual research on transformations in urban spaces and culture. The series is edited by Adam Michaels, designed at Project Projects, published by Princeton Architectural Press' and presents rigorous content in an accessible format for a diverse public.' [source]

'Above the Pavement - The Farm' presents text, drawings and images to document the processes which led to the final form of the 'Public Farm PF1', designed and organized by WORKac and built by over 150 volunteers at PS1 in 2008. The book presents oral histories of all people involved in the process and was an interesting alternative approach (to glossy architecture publications) for Project Projects to present architectural design by making 'tactile architectural processes' available to the readers. This book is especially interesting for architects and students of architecture or landscape architecture as they can learn about 'real' processes of architectural (and landscape) construction from how the book is 'demystifying a fast-paced, complex collaborative process.' [source]

'Above the Pavement - The Farm' readable as 'maybe the biggest book of the summer' at Union Square market, 2010. [image courtesy of Inventory Books]

Collateral materials for 'The Good Life'. [image courtesy of Project Projects]

In 2006 Project project was designing identity, printed materials, website and motion graphics for the exhibition 'The Good Life: Public Spaces for Recreation'. Talking about the work on this project, Prem Krishnamurthy underlined the importance that the visual design for exhibitions unifies the reading and seeing to support the viewer's engagement with the subject. In the case of exhibition design, the studio seeks to create 'immersive exhibitions' which contain various depths of information so that people can freely engage with the exhibition on various levels and can let themselves be drawn closer and closer to the subject.

Exhibition 'The Good Life' at pier 40, Manhattan west. [image courtesy of Project Projects]

For the 2005 artist group exhibition 'The Plain of Heaven' Project Projects was responsible for designing exhibition graphics, catalog, website and collaterial materials. The exhibition took place in a building destined to be demolished at the southern terminus of the High Line. The exhibition graphics were spray-painted in stencils and the catalog contained some hidden narrative on the inside of the french-folded pages. 

Location of exhibition 'The Plain of Heaven' in 2005, nowadays busy as High Line Park southern access. [image courtesy of Project projects]

Exhibition catalog of 'The Plain of Heaven'. [image courtesy of Project Projects]

Concluding the visit to Project Projects, Krishnamurthy stated that the best work they are doing is possible in situations where their own fields of interest (he mentioned architecture, landscape architecture, art and urban planning, amongst others) are represented in the content of the projects and allow the studio's team to personally engage with the subject matter and be inspired by it. I wish the team of Project Projects that they can continue to enrich and support our gathering of (visual) knowledge and continue in an inspired way to create extraordinary situations in public, virtual and printed space which in turn allow us to become inspired.

Flickerlab New York

This Friday I was able to visit Flickerlab in new York City which is a media design and production company concerned with 'storytelling for people and planet'.

Still from 'A Brief History of the USA' in 'Bowling for Columbine'. [image courtesy of Flickerlab]

I was attracted by the outstanding philosophy of Flickerlab and my interest in a company working at the cutting edge of latest media technology to create environmentally and socially responsible content for digital media. During my visit I was interested in the Flickerlab working routine (under the aspect of digital craftsmanship); their current projects and future endeavors as well as motivating forces.

Flickerlab is headed by Harold Moss and Tammy Walters which set up the company in 2000 and merged with the Danish animation company Gonzoft in 2009 creating Flickerlab, LLC.
Flickerlab's services include design of interactive media, technology development, media production and content creation. Their clients encompass the BBC, Michael Moore, Hooked on Phonics, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Greenpeace, MTV, or, The United Federation of Teachers, amongst others.

Still from animation for Repower America. [image courtesy of Flickerlab]

Still from 'The Wildlife Present: Climate Cartoons' for TV2, Denmark. [image courtesy of Flickerlab]


I was talking to Harold Moss of Flickerlab to find out more about how Flickerlab is supporting environmental and social change on several levels. 
Firstly, Flickerlab is using the medium itself (ebooks, internet, film etc) to create content which is powerful enough to change perspectives in people's minds. Interesting here is the future potential of ebooks which may be an unprecedented opportunity for providing high quality education for mass audiences.
Secondly, in their own practice the company aims to be as sustainable as possible. So when it comes to production, Flickerlab is emphasizing green industry principles and 'cradle to cradle' design with their business partners. In their own office, electricity is entirely coming from New York's renewable share. Moreover, the consumption of hardware and office supplies is dedicated towards a minimal use of resources.
Thirdly, Harold Moss emphasized that it is important to act as a change agent in every aspect of what you're doing, not necessarily only during your work life.
I agree on that: We can't greenwash in our practices and still live a life like the most resource wasteful consumers. It is about working with and cultivating a new understanding.

 Recycled coffee from neighboring Star***** helps the plants in the Flickerlab to grow. 

During our talk I was interested in the importance of craftsmanship in the practice of Flickerlab a question which stemmed from reading Richard Sennett's 'The Craftsman'. Sennett argues that the 'abuse' of digital tools (his example is CAD as used in architectural design) can create a situation of separated hand and head in which the head is suffering in the sense that it is not any more informed by a creative and learning hand.
So how does a digital animation laboratory answer to this challenge? My visit showed that modern tools are going beyond what Sennett described in his book. There is not necessarily a divide between the hand and the head any more. The drawing pads Flickerlab associates are working on are digital drawing boards and screens at the same time. So the head and the hand are connected again. For sure the tactile sense is a different one and you can erase indefinite iterations but this enhanced interface can be seen almost as new form of paper.

 Wacom pen-tablet workstation at Flickerlab. An advanced hands-on digital interface. 

Still from 'St. Joseph's Hospital - Many Roads', drawn completely digital. [image courtesy of Flickerlab]

In this aspect it is as well interesting to state that Flickerlab's 'Go Real-time Animation System' employs the human hand to create animations (such as 'The Nelly Nut Show') in real time with a two-hand game controller (see images below).

An interesting aspect came up during the conversation with Harold Moss. There may be other means than drawing for establishing the creative relationship between head and hand. Inside the Flickerlab are some devices which make that possible. Toys are located on the main meeting table (image) or books used to represent the concepts for ebooks.

Building blocks for new ideas on the Flickerlab meeting table.


We were as well talking about how to maintain a good working environment (something of deep interest for a company concerned with social and environmental change) for successfully producing creative solutions(products). Seen as a workshop, the leaders of any creative work environment (working under the regime of deadlines) have to balance the 'conflict between autonomy and authority' as Richard Sennett put it in 'The Craftsman'. This role of the guiding authority may be in the case of Flickerlab represented by the creative director (Harold Moss). 
For Flickerlab it is firstly important to work with people who bring in their own strong vision and talent (this is not a guide for your cover letter!). They then try to find out what is in the heads and minds of collaborators and associates to leave certain autonomy open. It was noted by Harold Moss that usually some kind of common language is developing with collaborators Flickerlab worked the most with.
So it is important to sensibly cultivate a climate in your workshop in which people feel free to author, not left alone, can be guided, include their skills and surely also credit for their work. I felt that Flickerlab a very attractive workplace as there is a very professional but fair and relaxed atmosphere. 

The Flickerlab couch. A place to have a rest for cultivating creative unrest.


Inspiration for the environmentally and socially conscious practice of Flickerlab stems as well from two books.
'Cradle to Cradle Design: Remaking the Way We Make Things' by William McDonough and Michael Braungart is a book held up by Flickerlab and a frequently gifted present for business partners and friends.
'Blessed Unrest' by Paul Hawken is a book portraying the worldwide movement for social and environmental change. 

Still from 'Tek Jansen' produced for 'The Colbert Report' [image courtesy of Flickerlab]

You can visit Flickerlab's you tube channel for examples of their work. Warning: Including explicitly hilarious material!

I wish the whole team of Flickerlab a very bright and interesting future and the best luck for their upcoming endeavors.