Book description
We live in a world drowning in objects. But what do they tell us about
ourselves?In The Language of Things, Deyan Sudjic charts our
relationship - both innocent and knowing - with all things designed.
From the opulent excesses of the catwalk, or the technical brilliance of
a laptop computer, to the subtle refinement of a desk lamp, he shows how
we can be manipulated and seduced by our possessions. Sudjic delivers an
exhilarating insider's history of design as he introduces us to the
world's most original innovators and reveals the hidden meanings in
their work. How did the design of a pistol influence a car? Why did a
chair make a cafe the most fashionable place in Paris? What can we learn
from a banknote, a police uniform or a typeface? And why can't any of us
decide what size to wear our trousers? In an age when the word
'designer' has become synonymous with the cynical and manipulative,
Sudjic examines the qualities behind successful design and explores the
conflicting tensions between high art and mass production. Brilliant and
courageous, The Language of Things defines the visual vocabulary of our
time and gives us a powerful new way of seeing the world. Director of
the Design Museum, Deyan Sudjic was born in London of Yugoslav parents.
Former architecture critic for the
Observer
and a visiting professor at the Royal College of Art. In Milan, for
many years he edited Domus
, the international magazine of art, architecture and design. He was
Director of the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2002 and is author of
The Edifice Complex,
the much-praised 100-Miles City
, the best-selling Architecture Pack
, and monographs on John Pawson, Ron Arad and Richard Rogers.
