MoMA's new exhibition, "SAFE: Design Takes On Risk," looks at over 300 products and concepts for addressing stress, protection, preparedness, anda sense of security. I've already posted a couple of things that show up in the show--the Stokke Xplory and Boezels, the hipster/therapy plush creatures--but here are some more highlights [I went to a preview the other night; the show and its comprehensive website open 10/16.]:
MoMA's "Safe" opens Oct. 16 [moma.org]The Mini Marat (1990) is an Israeli air filtration system an infant 0-6 mos. can lie down in. Basically, it's a transparent vinyl pup tent with a positive pressure fan/filter attached. Looks like nursery equipment from a Terry Gilliam movie. It's manufactured by a company called Supergum; their current infant shield allows for changing and feeding
The Takata04 Neo Child Car Seat (2004) is one of the more subdued Japanese car seat designs. [The ratchet to tighten the seat belt is called a "mama relax handle," which, though typically sexist, sounds like a brilliant invention.]
There's a sweet neoprene baby carrier called the Polygloo from Pinpon (France), but I can't find it online anywhere. Yet. [It's too big to actually use, I think, but it's cool.]
The Patapata Pen-chan attaches to a bathroom faucet, and when water runs through it, the little penguin flaps it wings [always with the penguins these days!]. It encourages kids to wash their hands--or to run the water all day. Very cute.
But not as cute as the entire collection of Giant Plush Microbes.
Even cuter, though, and more thoughtful, was the Huggable Atomic Mushroom Cloud by the British design duo Dunne and Raby. As their website says [#008], the Mushroom "is for people who are afraid of nuclear annihilation. Like treatments for phobias, they allow for gradual exposure through different sizes."
[update: Core77 has a nice gallery of the show, easier to navigate than MoMA's own (admittedly) fancy flashsite.]
So, where can we get the penguin?
Never mind. I've been reminded by my wife that our bathtub doesn't have a spout, just some weird metal disc on the tub that the water comes out of the bottom of.
[whew, cuz it's not as cute as you probably think, and it's actually designed for a tiny handwashing sink that's built into the top of most Japanese toilets. -ed.]