re:D
The Magazine of Parsons School of Design 2021 Health and Wellness for All
news i
Regarding Design (re:D)
2021 Celebrating more than a century of changemaking creativity and critical thought
Health and Wellness for All This issue explores the potential of design to make a world of difference in the realm of health and wellness—and expands the focus of wellness-related work to encompass broader systems, including our natural environment. 1 NEWS 7
WHERE IT MATTERS MOST: DESIGNING HEALTH AND WELLNESS FROM THE INSIDE OUT Reflections on design and health from Executive Dean Rachel Schreiber
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DESIGNING WELLNESS FOR ALL Designed care from our community for all life stages
Myles Loftin
15 REVOLUTIONIZING CARE THROUGH
BFA Photography ’20
NEW DESIGN DIALOGUES
Depicting a universal gesture of
Parsons–Psychology department collabs
comfort—an embrace—this issue’s
are improving public health
front and back covers feature images from Myles Loftin’s HOODED series,
19 PROFILES
a multimedia project he completed in
Featuring Parsons alumni, faculty, and students
Gigi Polo’s first-year course at Parsons.
representing a range of disciplines
By capturing his subjects smiling and laughing while wearing vibrant
29 HOME FOR GOOD: A HEALTHIER
neon hoodies, Loftin directly counters
FUTURE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
overwhelmingly negative media representations of Black men and boys.
Employing safer materials in Pennsylvania
“HOODED was meant to be a response to a long history of media that has
public housing
purposely disenfranchised Black men and warped our social image so much that it negatively impacts the outcome of our lives,” he explains. “My hope
31 RE:WIND Spotlight on Edith d’Errecalde, Costume Design ’41
32 WE’RE PARSONS A few facts about us and what we offer
is that one day everyone sees the Black boys in hoodies I photographed, or any Black person anywhere, the way I do.” Much of Loftin’s photography is about reclaiming identity and amplifying underrepresented narratives. Through his work, he’s highlighted Black queer life and youth culture. His images often have a playful sensibility and show relatable, strikingly human moments. “I try to open up the space for the person or people I’m photographing to feel comfortable in front of my camera,” says Loftin. “My work seeks to create authentic depictions of the
Connect with alumni @NewSchoolAlumni, join our community at thenewschoolnetwork.com, and learn about alumni programs at newschool.edu/alumni or by emailing alumni@newschool.edu. Support Parsons and The New School at newschool.edu/giving. Seeking student talent? Email careerservices@newschool.edu
people who sit in front of my lens.” Loftin’s distinctive perspective has helped him forge a groundbreaking career. Since graduating, he’s worked with brands such as Calvin Klein, Converse, GCDS, Nike, and Under Armour and publications such as The Cut, Garage, i-D, Paper, and Fader. Last year, Loftin was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in the Art and Style category. As he continues to effect cultural change as a creative
or corporatepartner@newschool.edu.
tastemaker, Loftin is keenly aware of the power an image can carry. “We look
newschool.edu/parsons/red
yourself represented, it’s very hard for you to imagine a future for yourself.”
to the media for ideas of what our future can be,” he says. “And if you don’t see
NEWS
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HOME WORKING
of communication. Her film was nominated for
Students and staff were eagerly welcomed back
Best Experimental Short and Best Visual FX in
to campus this fall after rigorous protocols—
this year’s Indie Film Fest. Outside the classroom,
including requirements for masks, vaccines,
faculty advanced public health creatively. David
and testing—were put in place to ensure the
J. Lewis, dean of Parsons’ School of Constructed
community’s health and safety. Parsons had
Environments and professor of architecture,
gone fully remote last March in response to
and his firm, LTL Architects, researched
the pandemic, and community members
historical urban pandemics to develop their
came together to support one another and
Manual of Physical Distancing, a guide for
imaginatively enrich online learning. Students
practitioners adapting temporary spatial
faced challenges as well as opportunities
adjustments into long-term ones to fight the
for greater access to peers and faculty, who
spread of the coronavirus. The New School
offered virtual office hours and online sessions.
Urban Systems Lab (USL)—supported by the
Students shared work on social media using
National Science Foundation and others—was
the hashtag #ParsonsMakes. Working within
established to equitably build resilient cities
the constraints of home and limited resources
through research, design, and practice. Led
sparked new methods and outcomes. BFA
by The New School’s Timon McPhearson,
Fashion Design student Zara Zaman salvaged
associate professor of urban ecology, MS Data
local palm fronds and used them in sustainable
Visualization program director Daniel Sauter,
garments. Professor Dan Michalik tasked
and lecturer Chris Kennedy, a team of USL
students in the Designing Chairs class with
researchers including students from throughout
creating models using found materials and
the university created COVID-19 resources and
received miniature models including a broccoli
an interactive layered map depicting COVID
bergère by Maximilian Paek, BFA Product Design
data (e.g., testing and mortality) in relation to
’21, and a banana lounge and accompanying
socioeconomic and climate change data and
ottoman by Product Design student Grace
location. The integrated tools both underscore
Wang. BFA Architectural Design student Kohki
the role race and class play in the differential
Hiramatsu used collage and photography to
impacts of health crises and climate change and
cope with pandemic-driven isolation, creating
call for recovery strategies reflecting the special
Resilience Journal. Jiangnan Hou, MFA Design
vulnerabilities of different communities.
and Technology ’21, mastered new software and
newschool.edu/red/parsons-makes
made The Beaks, a VFX film featuring masks
newschool.edu/red/makes-video
like those used for protection against COVID-19,
urbansystemslab.com/covid19
to comment on separation and the challenges
medium.com/resilience news 1
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AWARD-WINNING WORK
the Council of Fashion Designers of America
practice of associate professor of architecture
Bhavya Gupta, MFA Design and Technology
(CFDA) Design Scholar K11 Innovation award and
David Leven and Stella Betts, was recognized
’21, recently received a Schmidt Futures Award
a Judges Recognition Award in the Biodesign
as the 2020 AIA NY State Firm of the Year.
for her project providing resources to migrant
Challenge 2020. Parsons Design and Technology
women business owners in India affected by the
graduates Emily Gobeille, MFA ’05, and
pandemic. The $25,000 prize—given for the new
Theodore Watson, BFA ’05—founders of Design
The New School announced the launch of Parsons
Reimagine Challenge, which called for innovative
I/0, a firm that also includes Nick Hardeman,
Entrepreneur Academy, a digital program headed
ways to rebuild communities and areas heavily
MFA ’05—were recently awarded Cooper
by Christina Long, director of Digital Learning.
hit by COVID-19—will be used for Parsons
Hewitt’s National Design Award for Digital
The program provides entrepreneurially minded
scholarships. Luis Berríos-Negrón, BFA Fine
Design for their interactive storytelling solutions.
creatives with the tools necessary to build a
Arts ’03, was one of four students shortlisted
Gabriel Gianordoli, MFA Design and Technology
business around their art form from their homes.
for Harvard University Graduate School of
’15, and his New York Times colleagues won
The academy was developed by leaders at the
Design’s 2021 Wheelwright Prize, which carries
the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for public service for its
cutting edge of their fields, including Parsons
a $100,000 award. Berríos-Negrón’s project
multimedia COVID-19 coverage. Forbes again
faculty and alumni; the curricula emphasize
proposes greenhouse technology to address
included Parsons on its 30 Under 30 list, naming
collaborative strategy and community-
climate change resulting from colonialism.
Myles Loftin, BFA Photography ’21; Nour
based support. Uniquely tailored to working
Ash—an at-home sexual wellness diagnostics
Chamoun, MFA Design and Technology ’15; Lisa
professionals, the program offers participants the
start-up launched by Mio Akasako, MS Data
Qu, BFA Fashion Design ’19; and Maisie Schloss,
opportunity to receive training and mentorship,
Visualization ’20, and others—won a Cornell
BFA Fashion Design ’13. Recent CFDA Design
attend courses, and connect with a worldwide
Tech 2020 start-up award, which provided
Scholar Award recipient Jacques Agbobly, BFA
network—all online. Long says of the program,
$100,000 in pre-seed funding to help bring
Fashion Design ’20, was featured in Teen Vogue
“We don’t all walk the same path to becoming
the venture to market. BFA Fashion Design
and Hypebeast for design that engages with
an entrepreneur, and our online programs
students Ar’Myiah Lee and Yetunde Sapp
incarceration and Black men. Faculty award
make space for that. Our online community of
won 2021 Gucci Changemakers North America
recipients included Jennifer Bolstad and Walter
instructors, mentors, and peers can help creatives
Scholarships, awards providing financial support,
Meyer, instructors and co-founders of Local
launch, grow, and expand their businesses.”
mentoring, and internship opportunities to
Office, who won a Climathon Global Award
parsonsentrepreneuracademy.com
promising fashion students. Frankie Bingxin Yu,
in the Cities Track category for their public
MFA Interior Design ’21, won in the Best Student
green space project in Miami. Koray Çalışkan,
Design category in Interior Design magazine’s
an associate professor at Parsons’ School of
Last year, the Office of Alumni Engagement
Best of Year awards for her ReDefine chair
Design Strategies, won a 2021 Falling Walls
launched thenewschoolnetwork.com, an online
collection. Tômtex, a compostable biomaterial
Foundation Science Breakthrough Prize for
platform giving community members a new
alternative to leather created by MFA Textiles
work bringing together computational analysis
way to connect and support one another. The
program graduate Uyen Tran ’21, recently won
and global ethnographic research related to
site’s business directory—MadeNEW Market—
cryptocurrencies. LEVENBETTS, the architecture
features hundreds of alumni-owned companies,
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2 Parsons re:D
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ENTRE NOUS
MADENEW MARKET
7 4
YEE YEE
VISUAL DISCOVERIES
Visual Collection of of Sections Sections Visual Discoveries: Discoveries: A A Collection is an an image-forward image-forward book book that that is is devoted devoted to to is showcasing notable notable section section drawings drawings throughout throughout showcasing history and and demonstrating demonstrating that that the the section section history drawing, drawing, while while having having roots roots in in architecture, architecture, has spread spread to to many many other other disciplines. disciplines. has Allen Allen Keith Keith Yee Yee is is co-founder co-founder of of cloudred, cloudred, an an award-winning award-winning digital design design studio studio located located in in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New New York. York. He He graduated graduated digital with a a B.A. B.A. in in Architecture Architecture from from the the University University of of California, California, with Berkeley and and an an M.F.A M.F.A in in Design Design and and Technology Technology from from Parsons Parsons Berkeley School of of Design. Design. He He currently currently lives lives in in Greenpoint, Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Brooklyn. School
$35.00 $35.00
ISBN-13: ISBN-13: 978-1-943532-96-4 978-1-943532-96-4
A COLLECTION OF SECTIONS ALLEN KEITH YEE
53 35 50 00 0 5
9 7 78 81 19 94 43 3 5 53 32 29 96 64 4 9
VISUAL DISCOVERIES
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including ones offering products selected for the
which details the lives of female spies in history.
Kelly Walters collected 12 interviews with
first-ever Alumni Holiday Market. More than 30
Jasmin Hernandez, BBA Strategic Design and
graphic design educators of color showcasing
alumni entrepreneurs from the past 30 years—
Management ’02, the founder of Gallery Gurls,
their stories, which address the complexities
from makers of apparel and jewelry to health
curated We Are Here: Visionaries of Color
of race in design and education. A thought
and wellness experts to branding consultants—
Transforming the Art World, documenting 50
experiment by BFA Integrated Design faculty
presented 250 items on the university’s
groundbreaking Black and Brown artists and art
member Otto von Busch, The Psychopolitics of
merchandise site, The New Store. The Alumni
workers, including queer, trans, and nonbinary
Fashion: Conflict and Courage Under the Current
Holiday Market spiked upon its launch, bringing
subjects. Featured in Vogue magazine, Open
State of Fashion imagines fashion as a state
in the greatest sales and traffic ever on the New
Source Fashion Cookbook—conceived by Angela
and offers a critique and alternative practices
Store website. Available goods included corduroy
Luna, BFA Fashion Design ’16—is aimed at
to produce a more engaging experience that
bucket hats by Amina Suleimanagich, BBA
democratizing fashion and calls for ethical
he calls “deep fashion.” Sam Mejias, associate
Strategic Design and Management ’16; Moonlit
approaches to the industry. Photographer
professor of social justice and community
Skincare products by Stephanie Kim, BFA
and creative director Mayur Tekchandaney,
engagement, and Shakuntala Banaji co-edited
Communication Design ’12, and Krisztina Matyi,
BFA Communication Design ’00, captured the
Youth Active Citizenship in Europe: Ethnographies
BFA Product Design ‘12; and silk head wraps
early-morning colors of Mumbai in Still Bombay.
of Participation, an analysis of what “active
by Chardae Adams, MFA Interior Design ’12.
Allen Yee, MFA Design and Technology ’04,
citizenship” means in and to European youth
The Alumni Holiday Market returns this winter,
published Visual Discoveries: A Collection of
culture. Multidisciplinary artist and instructor
offering pieces by Parsons alumni for seasonal
Sections, a visually rich work that employs
Andrea Geyer published original artwork in
giving. Alumni are encouraged to join The New
architectural section drawings to explore the
Andrea Geyer: Dance in a Future with All Present, a
School Network and list their businesses in
history of medicine, transportation, product
monograph tracing the pivotal role women played
MadeNEW Market. Selected product lines will
design, geology, and landscape architecture. Visit
in the development of American Modernism.
be sold at The New Store.
the 2021 Alumni Bookshelf to see the full list of
newschool.edu/red/fac-books
thenewschoolnetwork.com
alumni authors who released a book this year.
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ALUMNI BOOKSHELF
Rodrigo Sanchez, MFA Design and Technology
newschool.edu/alumni/bookshelf 6
FACULTY IN PRINT
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PARSONS FESTIVAL 2021
The annual Parsons Festival reached a broad audience this past summer, featuring graduating
’04, and instructor Dan Bullock, MA TESOL ’18,
Notable recent faculty publications include MA
students’ exhibitions and research symposia on
co-authored the critically acclaimed How to
Fashion Studies professor Christina Moon’s
an interactive online platform. On view and related
Communicate Effectively with Anyone, Anywhere,
Labor and Creativity in New York’s Global Fashion
to the theme of this issue of re:D were projects
which offers a communication system aimed
Industry, which delineates the various sites and
by a number of students, including Taylor Su,
at changing the way people interact in global
practices of fashion labor and their implications
MFA Design and Technology ’21, who presented
settings. Debut young adult author and illustrator
for the global industry. In Black, Brown + Latinx
COPE, an animation and accompanying tool kit
Veronica Mang, BFA Illustration ’19, published
Design Educators: Conversations on Design and
destigmatizing PTSD; Feras Alhabeeb, MArch ’21,
Secret Spy Society: Case of the Missing Cheetah,
Race, BFA Communication Design professor
who proposed a holistic homeopathic wellness news 3
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space at Fort Tilden, an abandoned site in
Computer modeling is validating their design’s
MA Fashion Studies students also created
Rockaway, New York; Sarah Nguesso, MA Fashion
efficacy, and the team is preparing to test lighting
Printed Dialogues, an exhibition organized with
Studies ’21, who shared Photoshop and Other
gear on both a surrogate virus Smyth developed
Bibliothèque MAD Paris and RareBooksParis.
Drugs: Fashioning the Instagram Self; and Ashley
and building products. The technology represents
printingfashion.fr/printing-fashion-2021
Lehrer, MS Design and Urban Ecologies ’21, who
an alternative to commonly used cleaning
presented Regenerative Growth, a proposal for a
products containing antimicrobials—toxic
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plan to promote equitable urban food systems.
chemicals that disrupt human developmental,
External partnerships connecting the university
Video projections installed at Parsons’ windows
hormonal, and reproductive functioning—and less
to industry continued throughout the pandemic.
on the corner of 13th Street and Fifth Avenue will
effective HVAC-based sanitizing systems.
Recent initiatives paired celebrated interior design
showcase student work publicly until fall.
newschool.edu/red/uvc
firm Sister Parish (a company previously led by
festival.parsons.edu 9 8
SPOTLIGHT ON HEALTH
A SHARED CENTENNIALS
EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS
Interior Design program alum Albert Hadley ’49) with MFA Textiles students, who were asked
Parsons Paris and the legendary Paris-based
to address the problem of textile waste. Guided
Since summer 2020, MFA Lighting Design faculty
magazine L’OFFICIEL celebrated their shared
by program director Preeti Gopinath, students
member Craig Bernecker has been collaborating
centennials together with the largest-ever Printing
researched and presented an approach to textile
with Parsons’ Healthy Materials Lab (HML),
Fashion festival. Led by Marco Pecorari, Parsons
making and business based on longevity and
Davida Smyth (associate professor of natural
Paris MA Fashion Studies program director,
reuse. In spring 2020, the BFA Fashion Design
sciences at Lang), and an SCE graduate on a
students were given access to L’OFFICIEL’s physical
program partnered with Special Olympics on a
cross-disciplinary initiative to develop a UVC
and digital archives of nearly 900 issues to use in
class challenging athletes and student designers
germicidal ultraviolet light system for sanitizing
their academic research and for the third edition
to collaboratively create figure-skating warm-up
interiors. Today UVC technology is employed
of the festival. The partnership marked the first
gear and costumes. Organized by faculty leads
in healthcare facilities to quickly kill bacteria
time the archive was opened for academic
Ranjit Lalvani and Yuchen Zhang and faculty
and viruses in the upper air, but it must be used
purposes. Held this past March, Printing Fashion
mentor Grace Jun, MFA Design and Technology
carefully to minimize human exposure to the
included roundtables, lectures, and conversations
’16, the class had students work with Clo3D, a
light, which damages skin and corneal tissue.
on the theme of value and topics such as the
digital 3D fashion design software company, to
(UVC also degrades pigments, wallcoverings,
economic transactions involved in making the
develop a custom body avatar for each athlete.
and fabrics, posing sustainability challenges.)
magazine; the cost and conventions of print,
Acclaimed musician and activist Travis Scott
The design developed by Bernecker’s team,
magazine advertisements, image making, and
recently announced a partnership with Parsons
which includes HML researchers Meryl Smith,
criticism; and pressures to increase magazine
through the Cactus Jack Foundation, which
MArch ’21, and MFA Interior Design/Lighting
revenue. Speakers included Stefano Tonchi
created the HBCU Waymon Webster Scholarship
Design double major student Katrina Matejcik,
(L’OFFICIEL), Peter Behrman de Sinety (Purple
program and is now sharing Parsons curricula
discreetly incorporates UVC fixtures into
magazine), Marie Amélie Sauvé (Mastermind),
with Houston youth through Scott’s organization,
architectural lighting to continuously lower a
Yann Weber (Antidote magazine), and Elise By
My Brother’s Keeper. The United Nations recently
room’s viral and bacterial load from occupants.
Olsen (International Library of Fashion Research).
invited students in Parsons’ Global Executive MS
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in Strategic Design and Management (GEMS)
was the provost and executive vice president for
Interior Design ’19—invited industry stewards and
program to assist with the organization’s Global
Academic Affairs at Emory University, where he
social justice scholars to explore opportunities
Communications group’s Decade of Action
was also Asa Griggs Candler Professor of African
to undo systemic oppression with students and
campaign. The GEMS cohort outlined solution-
American Studies, Distinguished Affiliated
the public. Speakers included Canadian artist
based goals to be attained through education
Professor of English, and associated faculty
and architecture scholar Esther Choi; Tasoulla
focused on children and their parents. In a project
in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Hadjiyanni, a professor and refugee from Cyprus,
led by Christopher Musci, director of Parsons’
Dr. McBride has published award-winning
who founded the nonprofit Culturally Enriched
Art and Design Summer Intensives and Pre-
books, essays, and articles and has edited works
Communities; and TRNK NYC co-founder Tariq
College programs, and faculty members Aneta
examining the connections between race theory,
Dixon. AMT’s fall and spring Artist Lecture Series
Genova and Gregory Gertz, Parsons recently
Black studies, and identity politics. He is also the
offered conversations with local installation artist
partnered with New Jersey’s Newark School
co-founder and co-editor of the James Baldwin
Abigail DeVille, multidisciplinary artist and social
of Fashion & Design to create interdisciplinary
Review. In May 2021, the university announced
practitioner Mary Mattingly, Beijing-based
fashion curricula for the new high school, whose
the appointment of Dr. Renée T. White as
artist Guan Xiao, and others. The Design and
mission is to develop the academic and creative
the university’s next provost and executive
Technology program presented Cloud Salon,
potential of local students through changemaking
vice president for Academic Affairs. Dr. White
a series connecting participants to professional
design practices. IBM collaborated with Parsons’
previously served as provost and professor of
artists and designers including musician and
School of Art, Media, and Technology (AMT) on
sociology at Wheaton College in Massachusetts
theorist DeForrest Brown Jr. Milano and Parsons
Quantum Computing, a new class that provided
and is an accomplished higher-education
faculty member Michele Kahane engaged
students with access to cutting-edge computers
administrator and scholar of race, gender, and
with Jacqueline Novogratz, a New York Times
and opportunities to develop skills critically
social inequality. Both appointees represent the
best-selling author and the CEO and founder
needed in high-tech careers. This past spring and
university’s commitment to interdisciplinary
of Acumen, in an online New School Public
summer, students from Parsons’ BFA Product
inquiry and inclusive leadership in support of
Program discussion of entrepreneurial ventures
Design and BFA Interior Design programs
excellence in teaching, learning, and research.
aimed at addressing global poverty.
teamed up with Shanghai-based NIO, a leading
newschool.edu/red/president
manufacturer of premium smart electric vehicles,
newschool.eud/red/provost
to transform leftover airbags, seat belts, microfiber,
VIRTUAL VOICE BOX
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NEW DIPLOMACY
The university conferred diplomas virtually this
leather, and aluminum into apparel, accessories,
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and home goods. Selected designs were promoted
Speakers often come to campus to share new
Dean Rachel Schreiber and student speaker
throughout the NIO Life product ecosystem.
ideas, and this year, the online format enabled
Sunghyun “Julie” Ahn, BFA Communication
audiences around the world to benefit. Racism,
Design ’21. Honorary degree recipients included
Classism, and the Constructed Environment—
National Medal of Arts winner Ping Chong,
The New School welcomed its ninth president,
a School of Constructed Environments (SCE)
a theater director, choreographer, and video
Dr. Dwight A. McBride, in April 2020. Before his
course led by assistant professor Cotter Christian
artist, who was named a Doctor of Fine Arts
appointment at The New School, Dr. McBride
and adjunct professor Randall Jones, MFA
for his body of work challenging audiences
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NEW LEADERS
past May, with addresses from Parsons Executive
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to reconsider critical topics and communities
musician and innovator Travis Scott; and
and financing investigations. The extended
including racism, colonialism, people with
fine artist Carrie Mae Weems. Entertainment
timetable of the project, which was paused by
disabilities, the casualties of war, and survivors
included performances by R + W (Ricardo Arbiza,
the pandemic, enabled students to create and
of sexual abuse. Forward-thinking community
Mannes ’21, and BFA Fashion Design student
pitch three competing design schemes featuring
philanthropist Darren Walker was named
Weijing Xiao) and the Bergamot Quartet, led
a greenhouse, a common-use building with a
a Doctor of Humane Letters for his work as
by four female musicians. On display was work
green roof, gardens, and even an Airbnb dwelling.
president of the Ford Foundation, whose sales
by the MFA Textiles Class of 2020 and BFA
of a first-of-its-kind Social Bond raised $1 billion
Fashion Design Class of 2021. Parsons Executive
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for nonprofit organizations affected by the
Dean Rachel Schreiber wore a look by Saya
Abrima Erwiah was recently appointed to lead
COVID-19 pandemic. José Alberto and Luz Mery
Zalel, MFA Fashion Design and Society ’18, and
the Joseph and Gail Gromek Institute for Fashion
Gutiérrez of Bogotá, Colombia, were named
Parsons Paris Dean Florence Leclerc-Dickler
Business at Parsons, a new academic center
Doctors of Humane Letters in recognition of their
wore an ensemble by Gabriella Naoum, BFA
aimed at fortifying the university’s educational
efforts to establish a free community library.
Fashion Design ’21.
mission of interdisciplinary design education
The university honored Parsons faculty members
newschool.edu/Parsons-Benefit-2021
and innovation. The position, along with a
Nadia Williams and Matt Whitman with
FARM FRESHENED
NEW FASHION INNOVATOR
new faculty appointment, was made possible
Distinguished University Teaching Awards.
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The complete Commencement 2021 ceremony
Thirteen MArch students taking part in the
individual donor in the school’s history—from
can be viewed online.
Design Workshop—the long-standing signature
Joseph R. Gromek, then the chairman of the
newschoolcommencement.live
design-build program of Parsons’ School
university’s Board of Trustees. Gromek says that
of Constructed Environments (SCE)—have
with the founding of the institute, he hopes to
developed comprehensive site plans for Urban
establish a “crossroads for the study of fashion
Parsons Benefit 2021, coinciding with the
Sprouts, an Atlanta-based organic farm and food
business, retail, and brand management.” Of
school’s 125th anniversary, raised an impressive
education community nonprofit. For the past
her appointment, Erwiah says, “I’m thrilled to
$3 million for scholarships and was held in
year, students collaborated virtually with faculty
expand my work at Parsons, where my goal is
person at The Rooftop at Pier 17, in the city’s
leads Mark Gardner and Dr. Sharon E. Sutton
to create an inclusive and innovative institute
Seaport District, and was streamed to a global
(see p. 24), architect and urban planner Tonja
that leverages the best of business, fashion, and
audience. The event honored visionary figures
Adair, and multidisciplinary artist and Georgia
design in a city I love. The institute will aim to
including Jeff Gennette, chairman and CEO
Tech artist-in-residence Ruth Dusseault. Local
transcend borders, cross-pollinate across the
of Macy’s, Inc., recipient of the Parsons Table
leaders from AgLanta Initiative and students
industry, and disrupt the fashion system
Award; Angela Ahrendts DBE, former SVP of
from Spelman College facilitated the students’
in every way.”
Apple Retail and CEO of Burberry; designer
extensive research and community engagement,
newschool.edu/red/erwiah
Gabriela Hearst, who received the Frank Alvah
which included conducting stakeholder
Parsons Award; Pyer Moss and Reebok designer
interviews, analyses of factors ranging from
Kerby Jean-Raymond; multi-platinum-selling
pollution to sound conditions, and zoning
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PARSONS BENEFIT
6 Parsons re:D
by an $8.5 million gift—the largest from an
A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT Executive Dean Schreiber is shown in her office, designed by Jordana Maisie Design Studio. Maisie, a 2016 graduate of Parsons’ MArch/MFA Lighting Design dual-degree program, created the office, called Stacked Space, using sustainable safer materials sourced with Parsons’ Healthy Materials Lab and provided mainly as in-kind donations. Shown are Columbia Forest Products plywood, made from responsibly sourced wood and a soy-based binder; nontoxic mineralbased Romabio paint; recyclable, biodegradable paper-based flooring from Aronson’s Floorcovering; and custom furnishings held together by mechanical fasteners instead of toxic glues. The artwork is from The New School Art Collection.
Where It Matters Most: Designing Health and Wellness from the Inside Out BY RACHEL SCHREIBER, EXECUTIVE DEAN OF PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN
Soon after I started at Parsons, we held a Dean’s Council retreat in which
vital role in critiquing the exclusionary nature of mainstream media and
we made an exciting discovery: We found that throughout the college,
advocating for a broadened representation that supports mental health.
research and curricula focusing on health and wellness had expanded
Research including that undertaken at Parsons’ Healthy Materials Lab
significantly. And when we considered wellness on a societal and
(HML) spans disciplines in a mission to improve the health of systemically
ecosystem-wide basis, it emerged as a thematic that intersects and arches
underserved populations. HML promotes the use of nontoxic and
over environmental sustainability and social justice, two long-standing
environmentally responsible materials throughout the building industries,
and fundamental values at Parsons. We began to understand wellness as
but especially in affordable housing, harnessing design to effect change
an umbrella concept enabling us to see, for example, climate justice and
in health-related systems.
racial equity as intersecting challenges. In short, wellness means caring for
Throughout this issue of re:D, you’ll see examples of health- and
ourselves, one another, and the planet—and understanding that to achieve
wellness-focused work coming from these disciplines and research
any one of these, we need to address them all.
initiatives, and you’ll also see evidence of our remarkable community’s
Because art and design both reflect and shape the concerns of the day,
ability to provide mutual support through a global crisis. I’m referring here
it isn’t surprising to find that our community would apply its experience,
to students, faculty, and staff, who modeled the same ability along with
skills, critical thinking, and creativity to fostering wellness at a time marked
creative problem solving, adaptation, collaboration, and a human-centered
by climate collapse and faltering systems, including healthcare and
approach to design in order to persevere with teaching and learning in
political systems—all of which have significantly challenged our well-being.
the face of enormous challenges.
Add the coronavirus pandemic, and one can see why we’ve chosen
In practical terms, it meant that faculty and staff skilled in online
to address health and wellness in this issue of Regarding Design. The fact
instruction shared teaching techniques and made themselves more
that we’re qualifying the theme with an inclusive imperative—well-being
available to students than ever, tailoring courses and workshops in
for all—makes it clear that at Parsons, we seek to examine the ways full
response to the challenges of remote learning. Staff at the Making Center
access to health and well-being have been systemically privileged for some
helped designers and artists create at home with their own tools. Students
and withheld from others.
found ways to collaborate with one another, engage with their local
The COVID-19 outbreak inspired the Parsons community to meet needs
communities, and use available materials—all valuable capacities for
ranging from PPE to new approaches to assessing and communicating
an evolving and uncertain future. Connecting all of these activities were
the pandemic’s unequal effects. These efforts built on our growing
compassion, empathy, and a willingness to listen deeply—all qualities
expertise in systems related to health. Some of this work involves studio
abundantly evident throughout our community and this issue of re:D.
disciplines that have distinguished us for years—including fashion, product, interior, and communication design. In other cases, our healthfostering work has raised awareness of the importance of newer
Read on to learn more about projects that reflect our community’s
fields such as data visualization, transdisciplinary design, and other
wellness-focused work, which is aimed at expanding access to healthcare
approaches. As the critical importance of understanding visual culture
and aligns with our commitment to building a better, more resilient
becomes more widely recognized, our MA programs continue to play a
world through design. 7
Desig Welln for All by Lilit Markosian
ning ness l
How Parsons designers are enhancing well-being throughout our lives
Superior design offers much more than aesthetic pleasure. In subtle, often
unnoticed ways, it shapes our daily experience by increasing functionality and introducing ease and comfort into challenging tasks and environments. Today more designers are turning their attention to wellness and taking into account the needs of underserved populations, employing collaborative practices in the design of services related to physical and mental health. On the following pages, we present a series of products, prototypes, and conceptual initiatives developed by Parsons students, alumni, and faculty that explore a range of design solutions for every stage of life. Created for children, adolescents, young adults, and people at middle and advanced ages and the end of life, these innovative designs enhance and elevate the human experience.
9
Childhood The early years of childhood are foundational; pre-adolescent experiences shape development and can influence future abilities and chances for success. The designs explored in this section reflect an understanding of young people as individuals whose specific needs can be addressed directly, rather than miniature adults lacking agency. In its own way, each project draws on the imagination and playfulness intrinsic to childhood.
“I wanted to design something for children with type 1 diabetes, something fun, something they could look forward to.” —RENATA SOUZA LUQUE
Tangible Pain Assessment Tools Aishwarya Janwadkar, BFA Product Design ’18 The numerical pain scales doctors use are limited; it’s impossible to know whether level 5 pain feels the same for all people. Doctors who look only at a number may be more likely to prescribe greater amounts of medication, which can present a host of problems. As an alternative, alumna Aishwarya Janwadkar developed a set of tactile pain scales that facilitate nonverbal communication between doctors and patients, especially children. One of the pain scales is continuous and measures intensity. The other is categorical, enabling patients to choose between pain types, such as sharp, dull, and throbbing. Janwadkar’s project received the 2018 NYCxDESIGN Student Design Honoree Award and a 2019 Core77 Student Notable Health and Wellness Award, and her focus on health-related design continues to earn recognition. newschool.edu/red/tangible
THUMY Renata Souza Luque, BFA Product Design ’17 Created for children with Type 1 diabetes, THUMY is an insulin kit that makes administering insulin to the body easy and fun. The prototype set, intended for children ages four and up, includes an insulin pen designed to fit in a child’s hand and a series of temporary tattoos (available for purchase) that help children remember where they previously made injections. THUMY was a James Dyson Award finalist in the United States in 2017. thumy.org
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Kozyfone Evan Landau, MFA Industrial Design ’20 Managing screen time can be especially challenging for children. Created in collaboration with Dr. Emily Klass, a child psychologist, Kozyfone is a charging station that helps children develop better tech and sleep habits. The product, designed to resemble a tiny bed, invites children to tuck their smartphones in before going to sleep themselves. With extended use, the goal is to make “putting your phone to bed” a regular part of a child’s bedtime ritual. The team has iteratively developed, focus-group tested, and engineered a production-ready prototype and is currently seeking a partner for manufacturing, marketing, and distribution. kozyfone.org
Young Adulthood and Gen Z Often characterized as tumultuous and challenging years, adolescence and young adulthood are also times of profound change, discovery, and the development of empathy. The following projects celebrate the perspectives of those at this life stage, highlighting the value of being in touch with one’s emotions and curiosity. These designs also engage with values Gen Z is known for: inclusivity and a desire to make space for communities often othered or marginalized.
Research Collaboration on Diversity and Body Positivity Monica Belot (faculty); Isabela Pak and Katie Choi (BBA Strategic Design and Management students) This BBA Strategic Design and Management course partnered students with fashion company KONTOOR Brands to research issues related to inclusivity and body positivity. “It was a unique opportunity for a brand to gather fresh research and insights from a Gen Z perspective,” says Monica Belot, who taught the course. One research project, conducted by students Isabela Pak and Katie Choi, explored deficiencies in plus-size retail. By interviewing real women and analyzing consumer data, Pak and Choi uncovered ongoing problems in the sector and insights into the plus-size shopping experience and market opportunities. newschool.edu/red/research
The Teenage Experience—Emotions Dome Kat Lepak, MS Strategic Design and Management ’18 The Emotions Dome, conceptualized by alumna Kat Lepak for her thesis, is an interactive structure that gauges a community’s emotional state. The dome’s purpose is to help people, especially teenagers, take responsibility for their emotions and understand how others in their surroundings are feeling. Through an app, users submit assessments of their emotions to the dome, which assigns each emotion a color and lights up in patterns. The dome also responds. For example, if the community is agitated, the dome’s interior “safe space” will show calming colors. katlepak.com
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The Beauty of Being Deaf Haoran Li and Siying Qu, BFA Fashion Design ’15 (Private Policy); Chella Man When Li and Qu crossed paths with Chella Man at a Vogue party, their conversation included the fact that they’d all attended Parsons and ended with a proposed creative collaboration. The Beauty of Being Deaf is the resulting capsule jewelry collection, launched jointly by Private Policy designers and Chella Man, a deaf genderqueer trans-masculine artist, performer, and activist. The calligraphic, expressive jewelry—designed to adorn hearing aids, cochlear implants, and ears—is based on Chella Man’s artwork. The pieces celebrate both the beauty of the deaf and hearingimpaired communities and the mission-driven ethos of the Private Policy brand. A portion of the collection’s proceeds was donated to the Deaf Queer Resource Center.
“Stylists and photographers have tried to avoid getting my cochlear implants into images rather than accepting them as part of me.”
privatepolicyshop.com/collections/all
—CHELLA MAN
Middle Age One of the challenges faced by middle-aged people is maintaining a healthy balance between different aspects of their lives. Those managing competing responsibilities related to family, work, and the future sometimes struggle to pay adequate attention to selfcare. And increased engagement with the broader society brings a heightened awareness of societal needs. Accordingly, the designs in this section address well-being for not only middle-aged people but also the community at large.
MyMeditarium Ilona Vileyn-Salah, BBA Strategic Design and Management ’21 (Parsons Paris) Mental health has become a priority in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and prolonged shutdowns. For her senior capstone project, Ilona VileynSalah developed an application designed to help people improve their mental wellness through meditation and collaboration. Through the app people can express their needs and share wellness-focused tips with other users. The app also enables users to participate in challenges; set goals; track meditation journeys and progress; create groups on the basis of theme, age, or interests; and even book meditation sessions in wellness centers.
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Bacteria Invasion: Is Your Favorite Food Contaminated? Yicen Shi, MS Data Visualization ’18 Yicen Shi developed a data visualization tool called Pathogen Contaminations in the Food Industry to help consumers make smart food choices. The digital tool collects and analyzes data on major incidents of food contamination and recalls throughout the United States. Users can search this data through several interactive visualizations and learn more about pathogens commonly found in food products. The goal of the project is to encourage the public to become conscious consumers and be aware of challenges with food safety. newschool.edu/red/bacteria
Rosy Living Mirabelle Kunz, BFA Integrated Design ’21 Rosy Living: A Guide to Caring for Your Mind, Body & Earth is a lifestyle book created by alumna Mirabelle Kunz. This beautifully designed book explores forms of self-care and how we can apply them to create a holistic lifestyle that promotes health and happiness. Kunz’s book goes beyond examining the need to attend to our minds and bodies; it also explores the importance of caring for our planet and the environment. “This book is about self-care and earth care,” explains Kunz. newschool.edu/red/rosy
Advanced Age and the End of Life Aging populations are arguably among the most overlooked in society. End-of-life realities are regularly avoided, both in healthcare and the design world. But as medical advances increase longevity, it’s more
The Lacer Sarah Lam, BFA Product Design ’21 Alumna Sarah Lam created the ergonomic Lacer for stroke survivors with decreased hand dexterity who struggle to tie their shoelaces. Designed to reduce stigma related to disability, the Lacer prototype fastens to the top
important than ever to design for older individuals. These designs are aimed at making the world more comfortable for older people. They also tackle taboo topics like the process of death, seeking to make it more manageable and human centered.
of a shoe, enabling users to tie their laces independently with a single hand. The adaptive accessory also features release slits that make untying easy. This year, the Lacer was a WantedDesign featured project, and Lam is developing the project further. newschool.edu/red/lacer
13
Poetics of Dying Jenny Liu, MFA Transdisciplinary Design ’19; Amanda Astorga-Pinto, MFA Transdisciplinary Design ’18; Naoki Hashimoto, MFA Transdisciplinary Design ’19
“We began our process by examining how physician attitudes around end of life are formed, starting with the early stages of their medical training.” —JENNY LIU, AMANDA ASTORGA-PINTO, AND NAOKI HASHIMOTO
Ongoing medical advances have helped prolong life among many demographic groups. Yet as populations age, we lack the tools with which to address their complex needs. In collaboration with New York Presbyterian Hospital, alumni Jenny Liu, Amanda Astorga-Pinto, and Naoki Hashimoto created Poetics of Dying, a tool kit that teaches medical practitioners how to have honest and open conversations with patients about the end of life. designforlivinganddying.com/poetics
Ensemble Aditi Timbadia, BFA Product Design ’19 Ensemble is a product prototype for a set of musical instruments designed especially for older people. While making music can be physically and mentally stimulating and therapeutic, it becomes increasingly difficult with age. Aditi Timbadia designed Ensemble’s unpitched percussion instruments for people with hearing loss, arthritis, dementia, and other conditions. With Ensemble, music making is a collaborative, multisensory experience, incorporating touch and sight as well as hearing. adititimbadia.com
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Lilit Markosian is a nonfiction writer who covers technology and culture and splits her time between New York City and Yerevan, Armenia.
Revolutionizing
Care through New
Design Dialogues by David Sokol
A
s an undergraduate deciding between majors in
found she still wanted to explore the relationship between
Essen, Germany, Hanna de Vries realized she could
psychology and design, and in even greater depth. While
pursue communication design without sacrificing her
examining her postgraduate options, she discovered the
passion for exploring the human mind. In creating projects
MFA Transdisciplinary Design program at Parsons. The
like a typeface embedded with pronunciation cues for deaf
examination of complex systemic challenges and embrace
readers and trauma education materials for refugees that
of intense collaboration in “the program allowed me to
replace written language with images, de Vries exercised her
do exactly what I wanted, which was to design across
compassion for and interest in people. “To design for people,
psychology and other disciplines for social impact,” she
it’s crucial to understand why they behave the way they do,”
says. De Vries began the two-year MFA in fall 2018, building
says de Vries of her college experience.
bridges between design and her other fields of interest
After moving to New York for an internship, de Vries
from day one. 15
Dr. Adam Brown, PhD Psychology ’08, an
wanting to bring design perspectives to this
(Shona) Mahata came to Parsons from
associate professor of psychology and the vice
systems-oriented way of thinking,” Brown
a different path: She had helped create more
provost for Research at The New School for
remembers. Particularly impressed by
inclusive classrooms for children with autism and
Social Research (NSSR). Brown joined the NSSR
Transdisciplinary Design students’ big-picture
developed employment opportunities for people
faculty in 2018, at a moment when he was
perspective and capacity for cooperative
with disabilities. In the Transdisciplinary Design
shifting his professional focus. “When I became
efforts, Brown adds, “In that moment, I began
program, she was able to build on her experience
a clinical psychologist, I was interested in why
to realize there’s a whole way of work that
and give her professional life a new direction.
certain people, when exposed to trauma and
designers engage in that I hadn’t known much
In her first semester, Mahata collaborated with
adversity, develop long-standing conditions
about.” He invited students to join in his project
caregivers for pediatric cancer patients to design
whereas other people bounce back and adapt
of democratizing mental healthcare and
care journals for the Design for Living and Dying
quickly,” says Brown, explaining the first phase
psychosocial support.
studio, which is co-led by Transdisciplinary
of his career. But as he studied emotional resilience
Design program director John Bruce. Reflecting
in migrants and refugees, he grew increasingly
the pair conducted a Burnout Innovation Focus
on the resilience of her interview subjects,
aware of inequities in people’s access to
Group on behalf of the UNICEF Staff Counseling
Mahata says, “I wanted to create a safe space
psychological and psychiatric services—
department in spring 2019. Four years earlier,
for participants during the co-creative process
especially among displaced populations like
in surveys of more than 17,000 United Nations
to be able to openly share their experiences
those he had tracked. Meetings with the
employees, Brown had uncovered notable levels
and traumas that may be part of their personal
World Health Organization (WHO) led Brown
of distress among staff. In turn, the counseling
narratives or journeys.” She employed this
to focus on “equipping people with little or
department tapped Brown and de Vries to
inclusive approach as she embarked on her thesis.
no background in mental health to serve as
lead corporate employees of UNICEF through
She also wondered more broadly about combining
additional points of care in their communities.”
exercises dedicated to shedding light on
participatory design processes with evidence-
He launched the Trauma and Global Mental
burnout in their office culture. Bringing together
based research in applied psychology to develop
Health Lab at NSSR in part to conduct these
design thinking and brain science, the activities
inclusive person-centered models of care.
capacity-building interventions.
not only pinpointed causes of burnout among
De Vries’ program classmate Sudeshna
For both de Vries and Mahata, the journey through Transdisciplinary Design led to 16 Parsons re:D
“Within the first week of my arriving, I had Parsons students knocking on my door,
De Vries was among those first collaborators;
UNICEF workers but also helped participants find ways to identify and cope with stress.
“The need to understand what it means to solve
problems for people, which involves all sorts
of issues concerning privilege and power, will challenge designers for decades.” —Jamer Hunt
In 2020, Brown and Mahata teamed up on
Mahata aimed to make the PM+ remote
T
he alliance taking shape between Brown
a separate mental health capacity-building
training platform easy to use and emotionally
project, this time using the WHO’s short-term
engaging, saying of her efforts, “I didn’t want the
mental health intervention, known as Problem
richness of mental health psychosocial support
unexpected, says Jamer Hunt. The founding
Management Plus (PM+). Although Brown had
content to be overshadowed by the technology.”
director of Transdisciplinary Design, he
a plan in place to pilot PM+ training with NSSR
She was also eager to see if the digital delivery of
currently teaches in the program and has led
students in his Trauma and Global Mental Health
mental health interventions would be effective,
transdisciplinary initiatives for the university
Lab, COVID-19 compelled him to deliver the
as such evidence would represent “a huge win for
through the Provost’s Office. Hunt notes that
training virtually, so that students and community
accessibility of mental health.” By all accounts so
the design professions are increasingly moving
members could provide counseling to New Yorkers
far, both PM+ and the digital training are proving
beyond production expertise and embedding
facing adversity during the pandemic.
successful. Brown’s graduate students used their
user knowledge in practice. “The need to
PM+ tools to provide five weeks of counseling
understand people—and what it means to solve
hours of remote training successfully, we
to ten patients who had been selected from the
problems for people, which involves all sorts
needed someone who could approach training
Safran Center for Psychological Services waitlist.
of issues concerning privilege and power—will
as a designed experience,” Brown says. “From
Equally telling, preliminary data show that these
continue to challenge designers for decades.”
the very beginning, Shona helped us think
recipients of PM+ counseling had made gains
Whereas de Vries came to recognize the need for
through how we wanted to communicate with
in emotional regulation, self-efficacy, social
understanding on her own, Hunt says, Parsons
program participants, how we would streamline
connectivity, and other metrics. Since then,
is uniquely creating conditions to develop this
information sharing, and how we’d evaluate
Mahata has gone on to adapt mental health
awareness: “We have patiently and strategically
whether people were learning the competencies
and psychosocial support (MHPSS) trainings
developed an infrastructure by which the
they were hoping to learn.” Mahata attended
with the International Federation of Red Cross
movement of students across disciplinary
the sessions alongside Brown’s eight graduate
and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), SOS Children’s
boundaries is easier and easier.”
student trainees, and she redesigned the training
Village, the WHO, and other NGOs, offering
on the fly when she and Brown observed that
mental health and psychosocial support to
of the groundwork, as the program was founded
attendees were the most deeply engrossed in
communities in North America, Ukraine and
as a platform from which to engage with large-
the material in interactive group sessions.
other European countries, Africa, and Asia.
scale challenges rather than simply augmenting
“It became very clear that to pull off 80
and Transdisciplinary Design students
like de Vries and Mahata is exciting but not
Transdisciplinary Design is an important piece
17
“THE PROGRAM ALLOWED ME TO DO EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED,
WHICH WAS TO DESIGN
ACROSS PSYCHOLOGY
AND OTHER DISCIPLINES FOR SOCIAL IMPACT.” —Hanna de Vries
students’ skills. The program’s capacity for
As Bruce describes it, “I’m not a fly on the wall.
in access—has been launched under Brown’s
dealing with complexity has encouraged
My presence has an impact and an effect.”
oversight to offer graduate students at The New
inquiries into systemic racism, climate change,
A straight line could be drawn from Bruce’s
School opportunities to gain related skills. Hunt
and other difficult problems critically connected
embrace of reflective practice to Mahata’s
anticipates that this expanded infrastructure
to at-risk communities. Given Transdisciplinary
looking to psychology for techniques to avoid
will yield more Transdisciplinary Design activity
Design’s aversion to formulaic responses, as
re-traumatizating the patients with whom
in the areas of healthcare, education, and
Hunt puts it, “It’s no surprise that mental health
she collaborates.
international development. He adds that greater
would become one of the things that students pay attention to.” While a program in existence for more than a decade might have settled into its own
exposure to mental health pedagogy will help
I
nstitutional support for a design-psychology
design students align their user research with
exchange is increasing. This fall, Bruce is rolling
the high standards established by institutional
out the Superstudio concept, in which students,
review boards in the psychology field. Meanwhile, Brown’s original design
orthodoxies by now, Hunt praises faculty
faculty, and collaborators from across disciplines
member John Bruce and others leading the
participate in a series of events representing
collaborators are also deepening their knowledge
program for celebrating a mission of open-
five systems that define our time, after which
of psychology and continuing to apply it in
endedness. “John has a sensibility that allows him
students break into affinity groups and develop
their practice. De Vries, who currently designs
to be comfortable in ambiguous situations and
their own research endeavors. Healthcare is
behavioral change strategies on behalf of UNICEF
see beyond disciplines,” he says of his colleague.
one of the five pillars that Bruce has chosen for
and other NGOs with the consultancy Common
Superstudio, and he will be leading an event
Thread, earned an additional MA in psychology
pursuits as a professor may be behind students’
dedicated to attachment theory—which deals
at The New School this past spring. Mahata is
desire to learn about the human psyche. Now
with the bonds between individuals, including
engaging leaders of NGOs in dialogue about
five years old, his Design for Living and Dying
parents and children—with NSSR psychology
workplace and organizational change strategies in
course examines notions of care from the
professor Miriam Steele and MA Psychology
collaboration with Brown and IFRC in new projects
perspective of end-of-life experience. Besides
candidate Zishan Jiwani. Simultaneously, a new
geared toward reimagining mental health in
focusing on a charged subject, the studio compels
Global Mental Health graduate minor—which
humanitarian settings using the power of design.
participants to consider the various ways their
Brown describes as aimed at addressing gaps
design research creates a psychosocial dynamic.
in mental health treatment and disparities
Bruce, meanwhile, observes that his own
18 Parsons re:D
David Sokol is a New York–based writer specializing in design.
profiles
Using The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Open Access API, Saloni Shah created Disappearance, a data visualization that shows how climate change and pollution are leading to the extinction of the world’s ocean creatures.
Saloni Shah Data Storyteller Data is a language all its own. When it is analyzed, beautiful stories emerge. Complex rhythms can be understood. The hidden patterns of how we live become clear. For Saloni Shah ’20, data helps tell the complicated story of humans, their environment, and the ways the health of humans and that of the
“Without environmental wellness, there is no human wellness.”
environment are bound together. When she entered the MS Data Visualization program, Shah noticed a deepening pattern: Environmental wellness was closely linked to human wellness. Where the environment was compromised by increased carbon emissions or deforestation—the subject of her master’s thesis— humans struggled to maintain physical and mental health. “Without environmental wellness, there is no human wellness,” says Shah. Shah’s intent is to make information on environmental wellness more comprehensible and compelling through data visualization. That mission has led her to create applications that expand the boundaries of data visualization. A notable example is Disappearance, planned for display as an interactive work at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. For the project, Shah drew inspiration from Ocean Life, a lush 19th-century watercolor by James M. Sommerville, which depicts a thriving underwater ecosystem. Shah researched and labeled the species present in the painting and explored how climate change and pollution have threatened them. Using an augmented reality app, viewers can point their cell phone cameras at Sommerville’s painting on the museum wall and see on the screen species from eels to sea anemones disappear—just as they have begun to disappear from the world’s oceans. In the app, a list of the species represented in Ocean Life appears alongside the painting shown onscreen. Viewers see the entry for each creature crossed off as its likeness vanishes from the painting. “We get a glimpse of what is happening beneath the surface,” Shah said. “You can begin to see what happens if we have an empty ocean. And react as we do to art—emotionally.” salonishah.co/disappearance
profiles 19
Textured fabrics enable users to understand the visual appearance of ve° garments by touch, and smartphone-scannable QR codes trigger audio descriptions of garments.
Camila Chiriboga Sensory Sartorialist When Camila Chiriboga, BFA Fashion Design ’17, arrived at Parsons from
“I couldn’t assume I understood someone else’s lived experience and just start designing.”
her native Ecuador, she was an avid Project Runway fan who wanted to “design pretty clothes.” Once at the school however, her passion for fashion led her to something much bigger. Chiriboga’s interest in designing for people with different abilities was sparked after her freshman year, when she was recovering from kidney surgery and was unable to get dressed by herself. As her interest in inclusive fashion grew, it led to her senior thesis—a line of clothing designed specifically for blind and visually impaired people. She named it ve°—from the Spanish “to see.” As a sighted person, Chiriboga says, “I couldn’t assume I understood someone else’s lived experience and just start designing.” So she volunteered at a center for blind people, observing how they went about their daily lives and their relationship to clothes. For three months, Chiriboga got dressed while blindfolded. Her research helped her develop a design system for ve° that promotes independence and confidence. She tagged 3D-printed and embroidered labels with QR codes that can be scanned with a smartphone, so that the wearer can listen to a description of the garment and information on wearing and caring for it. Zippers are easy to grasp and positioned on pockets to prevent items from falling out or getting lost. Smart navigation pods embedded in shoes provide vibratory feedback to help users navigate streets safely. As Chiriboga continues her mission to turn ve° into a scalable business, her career has blossomed. A UNIQLO internship brought her to Tokyo for two years. She currently works for CLO, a groundbreaking firm that is transforming apparel design and manufacturing through its 3D garment simulation software. As Chiriboga’s embrace of the new continually takes her into new terrain, she’s bringing the field of fashion along with her. camichiriboga.com
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Harpreet Sareen Cyber botanist The work of Harpreet Sareen, assistant professor of interaction and media design, resembles science fiction. In his lab, he explores “cyber botany,” a new realm where technology converges with nature to reveal wonders like robot-sunflower hybrids, furniture-producing greenhouses, and growable devices. Sareen joined Parsons’ faculty in 2018 after working for groundbreaking organizations including the National University of Singapore, Linz-based Ars Electronica FutureLab, Microsoft Research, and Google’s Creative Lab and completing a graduate degree in media arts and sciences at MIT. The resources of Parsons and the university as a whole have enabled him to continue cultivating new ideas at the intersection of material science, biology, and electronics. His work here merges theory with real-world application in provocative ways. Argus, one of Sareen’s ongoing experiments, is a perfect example of cyber botany enhancing the human experience—and health. The project was partly inspired by how weeds in a garden absorb heavy metals. “I was looking at mechanisms where plants could determine whether water is polluted or not,” explains Sareen. By injecting nanosensors into plants, he has been able to create an organic monitor that detects contamination within two hours; if the augmented plant has absorbed lead (toxic industrial waste metals), the leaf with nanosensors begins to glow in the dark. Argus has been prototyped and is currently in development. Sareen envisions its application near nuclear or waste management facilities and says the biotechnology can be used in homes as well. Argus won a 2019 SXSW Interactive Innovation Award and recently received the Edison Gold Award (in the Clean Water Technology category) and an A’Design award in the category of Cybernetics, Prosthesis, and Implant Design. Sareen collaborates broadly in his research, maintaining affiliations with the University of Tokyo and MIT Media Lab. He acknowledges that his investigations are a bit unconventional but believes in cyber botany’s potential for creating more sustainable interfaces. “This research is vision-driven,” he says, “but pursuing technologies that can make nature more resilient, expressive, and functional will help us reevaluate the role of artificial systems in which we not only depend on nature but also integrate and converge with it in a way that it becomes our future.” harpreetsareen.com
Sareen works at the “nano” level— with electronic substrates rather than chips—opening up new possibilities for drawing on plants’ capabilities. The diagram depicts nanomaterials he injects into plant cells. Sareen exhibits widely, and later this year will present work at the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Dresden, Germany.
profiles 21
Milgrom’s “How Healthy Are We?” (HHAW) Web questionnaire offers a visually appealing tool for increasing users’ awareness of their health-related consumption habits.
Chyelle Milgrom Data artist During her final year as a BBA Strategic Design and Management (SDM)
seeking to better understand their health habits and to governments,
student, Chyelle Milgrom ’20 partnered with Gallo Wine on a project
institutions, and businesses. “HHAW is not attempting to tell individuals
organized by SDM program director Hala Malak. The goal? To explore
whether or not they are healthy,” writes Milgrom. “Instead, it aims to help
market insights into the health and wellness industry. When she
people see the patterns in their health-related consuming habits so they
discovered that the term “health” has a variety of meanings, Milgrom
can understand what prompts them to want, use, and even stop using
set about creating an interactive data tool that could reveal what health
products. The end goal is the self-awareness that factors into health—
means to different people and how that could shape their purchasing
as well as an understanding of the ways marketers can manipulate us
behavior and other activities in health-fostering ways.
toward less health-fostering decisions.”
Milgrom’s solution came in the form of “How Healthy Are We?” (HHAW), a gamified digital questionnaire exploring eight dimensions of health and
Since graduating, Milgrom has worked as a Web designer and quality assurance tester. Reflecting on her education, she says it revealed her
designed to yield information about health habits and perceptions. On
aptitude for “management, recognizing patterns, and decoding data
the website, Milgrom notes that while similar market surveys have been
into valuable insights that help develop strategic business acumen.” As
released, none fully consider design and user experience. HHAW has shown that an individual’s habits and convictions dramatically influence purchasing. But the survey can offer more than basic market insights. Milgrom says it can be helpful both to individuals
22 Parsons re:D
Milgrom continues to build her career, she says, she’s determined to create work with social impact. chyelle.com
Prachi Gor Design Advocate Menstruation is a part of life that people don’t tend to talk about much. Prachi Gor, MPS Fashion Management ’20, hopes to change that. “I grew up with taboos around menstruation, and I’m one of those women who literally cannot function when menstruating,” says Gor, who was born and raised in Oman and studied design as an undergraduate in India. A post-college job in an Indian garment factory inspired her to write Fashionable Flow, her master’s thesis at Parsons; in it, she advocates for better menstrual hygiene provisions for garment workers in India. “I wondered how these women did it,” says Gor. She observed that women feared losing wages during the time it took to tend to their hygiene needs. She noted the lack of access to feminine hygiene products and found through secondary research that it forced many to use dirty rags and risk infection. She found that male managers were often uncomfortable discussing the women workers’ health-related needs. Gor’s research-based proposal calls for Indian garment manufacturers to take measures to provide access to menstrual hygiene management and consider education and conversation that would give women
“If my research changes even one factory in India, I’ll be happy.”
opportunities to tend to their menstrual hygiene needs while at work. She believes that Western brands can play a role in encouraging Indian garment factories they employ to adopt such necessary measures. Gor arrived at Parsons as the pandemic struck and attended virtual classes on topics ranging from digital branding to supply chains. She formed what she describes as an “amazing network” during the year, crediting it in part for the position she found heading up brand partnerships for the innovative platform Fashwire. She takes every available opportunity to raise public awareness of fashion industry workers’ menstrual hygiene needs in India and their impact on women’s physical, mental, and economic health. “If my research changes even one factory in India, I’ll be happy,” she says. prachigor.com
15%
14%
A slide from Fashionable Flow, Gor’s research and advocacy presentation on menstrual hygiene provisions in Indian garment factories.
86% Women at executive level positions in fashion industry Women graduates from fashion school
85% Female garment workers in India
Male garment workers in India
profiles 23
Sharon Egretta Sutton Architect of Change In her practice, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Architecture Sharon Egretta Sutton has always aimed to provide more than just shelter. “Architecture can either enhance or compromise the well-being of individuals and communities,” Dr. Sutton says, “depending upon whether its affordances align with their needs, capacities, cultural identities, and memories.” Sutton holds degrees in architecture, music, philosophy, and psychology. She is a recipient of a Medal of Honor from the American Institute of Architects’ New York and Seattle chapters and was the first African American woman in the United States to be promoted to full professor in an accredited professional degree program in architecture. Threaded through her multifaceted career as an architect, writer, educator, lecturer, and fine artist is a commitment to calling out injustice and creating social change, often by working against the grain. Sutton is currently doing just that by lecturing at universities on the need to prepare students to become agents of change rather than just serving as workers in a global economy. And at Parsons’ School of Constructed Environments, she helps students develop changemaking capacities in a graduate housing seminar and design studios emphasizing collaborative work. Sutton’s teaching draws on insights shared in her forthcoming book, A Pedagogy of Hope: Pursuing Democracy’s Promise Through PlaceBased Activism. In it, she describes three community-based programs devised to help low-income teenagers “develop the agency to tackle the injustices in their neighborhoods, one through theater, another through organic farming, and a third through critical inquiry.” Sutton challenges her students to take a similarly socially critical approach to fostering urban resilience and equity through design. Her hope is that students come away with an awareness that “a healthy city is a just city, one that promotes equal opportunity and economic equality.” beyondthebuilt.com/see-it-loud
Shown from left to right are artworks by Sutton consisting of lacquered transfer prints with gouache and collage: Series of Fragmentary Memories (1987), Disciplinary Delicia (1b), and City Life On and Off the Grid (A).
24 Parsons re:D
´rı̄ series from 2019 includes Kosar, Malik’s Nā a transfer print on khadi cloth that features gota patti and zardozi embroidery. In it, a subject hides her face to suggest the danger of being seen publicly.
Spandita Malik Collaborative Portraitist Growing up in India, Spandita Malik, MFA Photography ’19, frequently
Malik resolved to “have each woman’s voice be part of the portrait.”
encountered “very beautiful images of poverty,” often depicted from a photographer’s colonial perspective. For her master’s thesis, Malik decided to upend that narrative. The result is a powerful portrait series ´rı̄ —Sanskrit for “woman” or “wife.” called Nā During interviews with Indian women that she hoped to photograph, Malik learned of their struggles with misogyny and domestic abuse as well as cultural stigmas surrounding mental health. She resolved to “have each woman’s voice be part of the portrait.” When she met a group of women who did extraordinary embroidery, a co-created narrative thread came forth. After photographing each subject, Malik printed the image on fabric from the region and gave it to her subject to embroider. Malik imposed no creative guidelines and was always surprised and delighted with what emerged from the collaboration. “In every portrait, you can see a different personality,” she says. In a culture where handicraft often goes unappreciated, Malik’s collaborators have come to value their creativity and see firsthand how self-expression fosters mental health. “I don’t think they thought of the embroidery they do as art,” says Malik, “but these women are artists.” ´rı̄ subject conceals her face behind a newspaper, reflecting life One Nā in a society in which it can be unsafe for women to leave their homes. Another subject washed and ironed her portrait, causing some emulsion to come off. “I grew to love that piece,” says Malik. “A lot of making work is happy accidents.” Malik credits Parsons with giving her a “safe space” in which to grow as an artist. The school lets “you be exactly who you want to be without a trace of doubt.” spandita-malik.com
profiles 25
“Critical thought is healthy and necessary for an industry like fashion that has, for so long, contrived an incomplete narrative.”
Rachel Kinnard Unabridged Historian
Titled The Fabric of Fashion, this collage was created for The Fashion and Race Database by the artist behind the Instagram account Museum de la Moda (@museodemoda). It metaphorically echoes an aim of the database initiative: to bring together a range of elements to form a composite that has greater impact than its parts.
Rachel Kinnard ’13 dissects the power of representation and the dynamics
but it was hard to criticize without more resources.” The database offers
of oppressive majority cultures through her research and teaching. She
just that: resources for scholars and educators of fashion history.
began her practice as a student in the MA Fashion Studies program at Parsons, where she researched the relationship between plastic surgery
As a lecturer on fashion studies at California State University Los Angeles, Kinnard broadens access to the spectrum of fashion histories
and dress. These early investigations provided a solid foundation for
and encourages debate in the classroom. She says, “Critical thought
her current role guiding students and practitioners in exploring race as
is healthy and necessary for an industry like fashion that has, for so
an means through which majority culture suppresses diverse fashion
long, contrived an incomplete narrative.” She incorporates The Fashion
histories and enforces restrictive definitions of beauty and value.
and Race Database into her syllabus, encouraging her students to look
Kinnard recently partnered with Kimberly M. Jenkins, a colleague from her graduate program, on Jenkins’ research platform, The Fashion and Race Database, for which she now serves as project manager.
beyond canonical sources. Inspired by like-minded thinkers she met at Parsons, Kinnard is optimistic about her field and its effect on an industry seeking greater
The platform includes tools designed to make fashion history more
representation for the people that built it. She sees education as an
comprehensive and hold the fashion system to a higher standard in
entry point for changemakers looking to tell fashion’s whole story and
terms of representation. “When I was young,” Kinnard says, “the only
empower a new generation.
fashion media was Vogue. I knew things were missing from the narrative,
rachel-kinnard.com/projects
26 Parsons re:D
Penny Wolfson Material Culture Investigator When asked how she came to write her thesis, Enwheeled: Two Centuries of Wheelchair Design, from Furniture to Film, Penny Wolfson ’14 makes it sound like a foregone conclusion. Wolfson had raised three children and enjoyed a varied writing career by the time she decided to pursue a master’s degree. She’d long been fascinated by material culture studies, a branch of history that examines objects and ephemera to extract sociocultural insights. In fact, she once wrote a magazine article about a meat grinder. Parsons’ MA History of Design and Curatorial Studies program, offered jointly with Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, enabled Wolfson to immerse herself in her passion. Wolfson’s thesis also grew out of personal experience. Her son Ansel was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy as a child and has used a wheelchair since age 11. “Ansel started me thinking about how crucial wheelchair design is,” says Wolfson. When she took Marilyn Cohen’s course on design in film, “it suddenly struck me that wheelchairs must appear in films.” Thus her Enwheeled thesis was born. Wolfson had already published a National Magazine Award–winning piece in The Atlantic about her son’s experience in a wheelchair. But
Wolfson prefers to describe wheelchair users as “enwheeled,” which she feels better communicates the way humans and machines move in sync.
with her design historian tools, she explored new ground, tracing the evolution of wheelchair design and the ways wheelchairs are depicted in film. In her thesis, Wolfson considers a range of works—from silent films to classics such as Rear Window and Born on the Fourth of July to documentaries like Murderball—analyzing film’s unique capacity to show wheelchairs in use. With each film, Wolfson delves into the relationship between wheelchair and user and what their story reveals about society’s “prejudices, aspirations, and fears.” Having observed how her son’s wheelchair helps him navigate the world, Wolfson encourages us not to view wheelchairists as “confined” or “bound.” Instead, she prefers to describe wheelchair users as “enwheeled,” which she feels better communicates the way humans and machines move in sync. “It feels like flying,” she says. pennylynnewolfson.net/index.htm
LEFT Because the disability James Stewart’s character in Rear Window (1954) has is temporary, Wolfson notes, the wheelchair in the film “does not signal tragedy or loss,” as wheelchairs often do in movies. RIGHT: Wolfson analyzes how “machine and man become one” in the 2005 documentary Murderball, which depicts “quadriplegic men slamming their high-tech sports chairs into each other.”
profiles 27
Noemi Florea Sustainable Solution Finder As the COVID-19 pandemic surged in June 2020, BA Environmental Studies/BFA Integrated Design dual-degree student Noemi Florea sought to apply the lessons in design thinking, sustainability, and economics she had been learning at Parsons and Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts to the global health crisis. “The pandemic really magnified the amount of waste in our system right now,” she says. Florea began designing with an ambitious goal in mind: to develop a new system to conserve resources. Her solution was Cycleau Sanitation, a compact non-electrical device that sanitizes PPE, washes household items, and uses water four times before disposing of it. Instead of requiring a pump to circulate the water and cleaning solution, Cycleau Sanitation uses the air pressure created by filling the tank to force fluids through narrow tubes connecting the device’s three chambers. The filtration system makes the water and cleaning solution reusable, saving users money while encouraging them to wash items more frequently.
“Designers are being taught to imagine different scenarios and be creative about developing systems and thinking about the products and services within those systems.”
The BA/BFA program has enabled Florea, now in her fourth year, to explore sustainability with the faculty and curricular resources of both Parsons and Lang while pursuing a minor in economics. The interdisciplinary approach has helped her understand the ways water scarcity, inaccessibility, and unaffordability directly affect the health and economic well-being of millions of Americans. To create a prototype of Cycleau Sanitation that can be massproduced locally, Florea is collaborating with several of her New School professors, including Gary Chwatuk, Raz Godelnik, and Leonardo Helland; engineers at the University of Maryland and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands; and city partners in Baltimore, Cleveland, and Flint, Michigan. The progress she has seen makes her hopeful about the device and its potential for fostering healthy and sustainable cities. “Designers are being taught how to think differently,” Florea says, “to imagine different scenarios and be creative about developing systems and thinking about the products and services within those systems.” cycleausanitation.com
Rubber stoppers
Glove depository
Pressurized water tanks Drain slots
Florea says her experience at The New School has helped her “leverage design as a skill set for issues you engage with more theoretically in the liberal arts.”
Drain compartment 28 Parsons re:D
Home for Good A Healthier Future for Affordable Housing Passing by 506 Spruce Street in New Castle, Pennsylvania, you might think this early-20th-century house in the former manufacturing capital was simply getting a freshening up. The 800-square-foot dwelling is in fact the site of cutting-edge design and construction research led by Parsons’ Healthy Materials Lab in collaboration with local community partners. But to witness the home’s radical innovations firsthand, you would need to take a chainsaw to a side of the building. In a typical freestanding American home, an exterior wall has as many layers as the functions it performs. Wood framing is placed between panels and sheets dedicated to waterproofing, blocking drafts, insulating interiors, and finishing surfaces. While the assembly encloses a space effectively, the many individual components add cost and often harm occupants: The building products typically contain known asthmagens, endocrine disruptors, and other compounds that damage human health. Even lumber usually contains endocrine-disrupting flame retardants. The mission of Parsons’ Healthy Materials Lab (HML) is to reduce human exposure to such chemicals, especially in affordable housing. Jonsara Ruth, who co-founded HML with Alison Mears, says this work reached a turning point in 2017, two years after the collective’s launch. Observing that healthful materials advocacy focused on products that contain toxic substances, Ruth recalls realizing that “removing one harmful ingredient at a time is an important but slow process. So we convened a group of TOP: Project partner DON Enterprise recently purchased 506 Spruce Street to convert the property into a low-cost, nontoxic home for people with disabilities. MIDDLE: Perimeter walls like this one, made with sprayed-in HempLime, typically contain a variety of materials, which introduce added cost and toxics. BOT TOM: Lori Daytner, of the nonprofit developer DON Enterprise; Cameron McIntosh, of the hemp-building firm Americhanvre; HML research fellow Meryl Smith; and HML co-founder and design director Jonsara Ruth outside of 506 Spruce Street.
student researchers to identify available building products that best safeguard health.” This shift in HML’s perspective—from mitigating the effects of toxic substances in mass-market materials to promoting healthful alternative products—soon led the team to HempLime, a material made from hemp’s woody fibers; lime, a silica material from limestone; and water. The biodegradable mixture can be cast or blown into wall cavities to perform the functions of several layers of a typical wall section. It is naturally mold resistant, flame retardant, antimicrobial, vapor regulating, and insulating. Instead of off-gassing, HempLime continuously absorbs airborne toxics, even sequestering carbon 29
dioxide. HML’s Trace Material podcast
Regarding Design (re:D) 2021
refers to HempLime as a “superstar” of the healthful materials toolbox.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Anne Adriance
A multipurpose plant, hemp has been grown in the United States since the
EDITORIAL BOARD
17th century but was banned in 1970 for
Jen Rhee, MA Media Studies ’13; Yvette Sobky Shaffer; Yolanda Urrabazo; Simone Varadian
sharing a species category with marijuana.
PARSONS ADVISORY BOARD
Because industrial hemp production
Shana Agid, Ben Barry, Rhonda Garelick, Cynthia Lawson Jaramillo, David J. Lewis, Rachel Schreiber
was re-legalized federally only in 2018, HempLime’s benefits have not yet been
MANAGING EDITORS
thoroughly documented, and designers
Kyle Hansen, Audrey Singer
and builders are only now learning how
EDITOR AND LEAD WRITER
to use it in conjunction with standard
John Haffner Layden
wall section components. In 2019, HML
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
discovered a fellow HempLime champion
Hannah R. Brion, Megan M. Garwood, Lilit Markosian, David Sokol
in the organization DON Enterprise, which renovates and develops affordable,
LEAD DESIGNER
accessible housing in New Castle for people
Jamie Ficker
with disabilities. The nonprofit recognized
PRODUCTION COORDINATORS
that the material could improve the lives
Steven Arnerich, Sung Baik
of its residents while revitalizing the local
COPY EDITOR
agricultural economy, and it teamed with
Leora Harris
HML to explore HempLime’s building applications, ultimately leading to the renovation at 506 Spruce Street. The collaboration began in earnest in
PRODUCED BY HempLime sprayed into spaces between wood framing replaces a number of layered wall components with an affordable, nontoxic, and breathable material.
January 2020, when classes conducted by HML and Parsons’ Master of Architecture (MArch) program charged students with designing affordable housing for a New Castle site using HempLime as a building material. Inspired by those proposals, DON then tapped HML to prototype a renovation. With Meryl Smith—an MArch student who participated in the HempLime Architecture Studio in spring 2020—Mears and Ruth developed architectural and construction plans in which HempLime blown into the existing balloon frame simplifies the traditional sandwichlike wall section. Mears explains that the interiorfacing wall is then finished with locally sourced lime plaster applied directly to the HempLime. The exterior locally milled hemlock boards, which are visible from the street and set off slightly from the wood frame, serve as a rainscreen; the air barrier between the two surfaces prevents mold from developing inside. Although the project is just wrapping up, its transformative potential has already attracted considerable notice. The Pennsylvania Housing Research Center has signed on to monitor 506 Spruce Street’s performance, and the groundbreaking renovation method is featured in the television series America by Design, which began airing in June. newschool.edu/red/hml
Marketing and Communication, The New School LETTERS AND SUBMISSIONS
re:D welcomes letters and submissions. Include your year of graduation, the degree completed, and your major or program. Unsolicited materials will not be returned. CONTACT US/ADDRESS CHANGES
re:D, Parsons School of Design, 79 Fifth Avenue, 17th floor, New York, NY 10003; red@newschool.edu REGARDING DESIGN, SEPTEMBER 2021 POSTMASTER
Send address changes to Regarding Design (re:D), 55 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10011. CREDITS
Cover—Myles Loftin, BFA Photography ’20; News— Abrams, ADIFF, Luis Berríos-Negrón, Bloomsbury Publishing, Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Georgiana Dallas, Amenah Dashti and Vidushi Tekriwal, Justin French/ Ford Foundation, Getty Images, Ally Green, Grey & Elle, David Handschuh & Design I/O, Veronica Mang and Kate Renner/Penguin Random House, Adam Nadel, L’OFFICIEL, Rod Sánchez/Career Press, Ragini Siruguri/Tara Books, Tonje Thilesen for the New York Times, Claudia Tomateo, Willy Wong; Where It Matters—Martin Seck; Designing Wellness—Apple; Art of Line; Johannes Bornlöf; CanStock Photo; David Noton Photography; EventDomes Photography; Freepik; Getty Images; Grayscales09; Hello Games Ltd.; Aishwarya Janwadkar; Mirabelle Kunz; Sarah Lam; Evan Landau; Kat Lepak; Jenny Liu, Amanda Astorga-Pinto, and Naoki Hashimoto; Renata Souza Luque; MaryV.; Isabela Pak and Katie Choi; Peter Lik Photography; Sciences Photo Library; Yicen Shi; Syaraku; StrawberrySalads; Teamlab; Aditi Timbadia; Ilona VileynSalah; Design Dialogues—Harper Brown, Hanna de Vries, Ben Ferrari, Shona Mahata; Profiles—(C. Chiriboga) visuals courtesy of Camila Chiriboga; (N. Florea) courtesy Noemi Florea; (P. Gor) visuals courtesy of Prachi Gor; (R. Kinnard) Fabric of Fashion by Museo de Moda; (S. Malik) courtesy of Sarah Hasted (Brooklyn, New York) and Sammlung Klein (Germany); (C. Milgrom) Web development by Mike Anderjaska, visuals courtesy of Chyelle Milgrom; (H. Sareen) portrait by Jeifu Zheng, project photos courtesy of Harpreet Sareen; (S. Shah) courtesy of Saloni Naishad Shah; (S. E. Sutton) courtesy of Sharon Egretta Sutton; (P. Wolfson) Alamy; Home for Good—Google Earth, Healthy Materials Lab, Anthony Vespirini; re:WIND—The New School Archives; We’re Parsons—Martin Seck. THE NEW SCHOOL does not discriminate on the
A rendering of the completed renovation at 506 Spruce Street, where HempLime insulates the house and provides a surface for breathable interior wall finishes.
30 Parsons re:D
basis of age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, religious practices, mental or physical disability, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, or veteran or marital status. The New School is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution.
re:wind
Iconic work from Parsons’ archives (1949) This recruiting poster, designed by James Schucker, popularized the nurse’s uniform Edith d’Errecalde designed for Mainbocher in 1949.
D’Errecalde’s practical but stylish new uniform aided in an effort to recruit 8,000 public health nurses in the United States.
Edith d’Errecalde’s original watercolor drawing for Mainbocher is housed in the New School archives.
Public Health Nurse’s Uniform Edith d’Errecalde, Costume Design ’41 The name Edith d’Errecalde (1905–2002)
wake of World War II. The new uniform, it was
work, possibly created in collaboration with
is one that might easily have been lost to
hoped, would help in the effort to recruit the
Mainbocher illustrator and designer Douglas
fashion history. But thanks to The New
8,000 nurses needed by public health nursing
Pollard. How? Because her original sketches
School’s archives, d’Errecalde’s career in
agencies throughout the United States.
are in the New School Archives.
fashion and her groundbreaking design for a nurse’s uniform can be celebrated.
When it was unveiled, Mainbocher’s bold
Edith d’Errecalde’s papers document her
new uniform, which featured a prominent
dynamic career as a fashion director, freelance
bow, ignited an image makeover for the
fashion designer, writer, and editor. After
studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris
nursing profession. A news article from the
working for Mainbocher, she started her own
before immigrating to the United States
era cites the designer’s attention to detail,
sportswear company, Maxmil; she later held
in 1939 and studying costume design at
noting the ensemble’s white coverall apron
positions at Evan-Picone and Cohama Fabrics.
Parsons. In 1941, d’Errecalde went to work for
and navy gabardine coat with “zip-in lining
D’Errecalde was also a critic and a lecturer at
Mainbocher, a Paris couture house established
of fireman red flannel.” The uniform was even
Parsons in 1969–1970.
by Chicago-born Main Rousseau Bocher. For
popularized in a national recruiting poster
11 years, she was in charge of Mainbocher’s
(shown on this page). In it, the nurse looks
life, but her influence on fashion and nursing
workroom and directed many of the fittings,
capable and empowered. The uniform looks
is clear. One can imagine d’Errecalde taking
as all work was made to order.
chic and stylish.
pride in dressing America’s essential workers—
Born in Strasbourg, France, d’Errecalde
In 1949, Mainbocher was enlisted to design a uniform amid a nursing shortage in the
Although Mainbocher took credit for the
Not much is known of d’Errecalde’s personal
impeccably and for impact.
designs, we now know that they are d’Errecalde’s 31
32 Parsons re:D
We’re Parsons— and we’re designing a world you want to live in
WHAT CAN YOU STUDY HERE? Degree Programs Architectural Design (BFA) Architecture (MArch) Architecture and Lighting Design Dual Degree (MArch/MFA)
Parsons School of Design—consistently
Art, Media, and Technology (BFA) Parsons Paris only Communication Design (BFA, MPS, AAS)
named the best art and design school
Data Visualization (MS)
in the United States and ranked third in
Design and Technology (BFA, MFA)
the world—has sent changemaking artists
Design and Urban Ecologies (MS)
and designers out into the world since
Design History and Practice (BFA) Fashion Design (BFA, AAS)
its founding in 1896. Today we’re part
Fashion Design and Society (MFA)
of The New School, a major university
Fashion Design and the Arts (MFA) Parsons Paris only Fashion Management (MPS)
in New York City offering programs in
Fashion Marketing (AAS) Fashion Studies (MA)
subjects ranging from the liberal arts and humanities to the performing arts to
Fine Arts (BFA, MFA) History of Design and Curatorial Studies (MA)
media, management, and more. Here
Illustration (BFA)
and at our Parsons Paris campus, a diverse
Industrial Design (MFA)
community channels its creative and
Integrated Design (BFA) Interior Design (BFA, MFA, AAS)
critical capacities into fostering a more
Interior Design and Lighting Design Double Major (MFA)
equitable, sustainable, and beautiful world through design and innovation.
Lighting Design (MFA) Photography (BFA, MFA) Product Design (BFA) Strategic Design and Management (BBA, MS) Textiles (MFA)
OUR COMMUNITY AT A GLANCE
Transdisciplinary Design (MFA)
#1 art and design school in the U.S.
newschool.edu/parsons/academics
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Continuing and Professional Education 2
44% international students at Parsons 41,000 Parsons alumni worldwide
Parsons also offers certificates and courses that help you prepare a portfolio, explore art and design, or fast-track your career or entrepreneurial ambitions. newschool.edu/parsons/continuing-education
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