Pre-Boarding Logan Airport

SwissNex Science Suisse exhibit at Logan Terminal E

I haven’t even left Boston yet and I already find myself face-to-face with my SwissNex hosts. Upon entering Terminal E at Logan Airport I see signs for an exhibit of Swiss science and follow them to find an exhibit of 25 amazing portraits and stories of contemporary Swiss scientists arranged along a hallway on the departure level. Amazing not only because of the work that these evolutionary biologists, geologists, physicists, robotocists, anthropologists and entomologists are doing, but also because of the manner in which the work is presented. Beautiful portraits and images by photographer Andri Pol along with narrative profiles (titled “The Roots of Violence,” “Master of Emotions,” “A War in our Body,” “Architecture of the Earth” . . .) convey the human passion behind the research and make me actually want to read and understand what these people are doing. A great use of the written word, image and design to tell the story of science. I grab a little book of the portraits (more great design) to read on the plane and think how great it would be if Massachusetts would showcase our amazing scientific research at Logan – let alone other airports. If you find yourself at Logan Airport, be sure to check out Science Suisse.

Pre-Boarding

Tending to final details before heading off on a ThinkSwiss study tour on Design & Innovation, a week of design immersion hosted by the Swiss government and its U.S. envoys, including my friends at SwissNex Boston.  Very much looking forward to meeting the other members of the U.S. group which includes folks from the Cooper-Hewitt, Corcoran Gallery, dwell, ID Magazine, Art Center College, IDEO, Art Center College, Univ. of Maryland, SF Academy of Art and the NY design collective studio.

Our homework was to provide three spontaneous ideas that come to mind when thinking of Switzerland (landscape, chocolate and fresh) and three works that I associate with Swiss design & innovation (clean, technical and quality.)  A scan of Swiss items in my household confirms:  Heidi, calendar featuring Swiss Alpine horns, Swiss Army Knife, (couldn’t find my Swatch or any chocolate) but also a favorite pair of shoes (Stefi Talman) and a slew of Swiss design publications from SwissNex.  I suspect that my post-trip collection will look quite different after visiting companies like Freitag, Nose, Ruckstuhl, Creation Bauman, Vitra and other design museums and schools in Zurich, Langenthal and Lausanne.

I’m curious about how my mental picture of Swiss design will shift in the course of the week.  And along with chocolate, I plan on bringing home some Swiss-inspired ideas about how MA can better promote our own designers.