The Creative Exchange No. 3


Books

The Ward by John Lorinc, Michael McClelland, Ellen Scheinberg, Tatum Taylor

From the 1870s to the 1950s, waves of immigrants to Toronto Irish, Jewish, Chinese and Italian, among others landed in The Ward in the centre of downtown. Deemed a slum, the area was crammed with derelict housing and ethnic businesses; it was razed in the 1950s to make way for a grand civic plaza and modern city hall. Archival photos and contributions from a wide variety of voices finally tell the story of this complex neighborhood and the lessons it offers about immigration and poverty in big cities. Contributors include historians, politicians, architects and descendants of Ward residents on subjects such as playgrounds, tuberculosis, bootlegging and Chinese laundries.

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The Design of Childhood by Alexandra Lange

From building blocks to city blocks, an eye-opening exploration of how children’s playthings and physical surroundings affect their development.

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The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman

Anyone who designs anything to be used by humans — from physical objects to computer programs to conceptual tools — must read this book, and it is an equally tremendous read for anyone who has to use anything created by another human. It could forever change how you experience and interact with your physical surroundings, open your eyes to the perversity of bad design and the desirability of good design, and raise your expectations about how things should be designed.

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PODCASTS

Design and Architecture

“Host Frances Anderton looks at design and architecture from a Los Angeles perspective.”

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Scaffold

“Fortnightly interviews with architects, artists & designers.”

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About Buildings and Cities

“A podcast about architecture, buildings and cities, from the distant past to the present day. Plus detours into technology, film, fiction, comics, drawings, and the dimly imagined future.”

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Movies

Columbus directed by Kogonada

“When a renowned architecture scholar falls suddenly ill during a speaking tour, his son Jin finds himself stranded in Columbus, Indiana – a small Midwestern city celebrated for its many significant modernist buildings. Jin strikes up a friendship with Casey, a young architecture enthusiast who works at the local library.”

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The Pruitt-Igoe Myth directed by Chad Freidrichs

“Destroyed in a dramatic and highly-publicized implosion, the Pruitt-Igoe public housing complex has become a widespread symbol of failure amongst architects, politicians and policy makers. The Pruitt-Igoe Myth explores the social, economic and legislative issues that led to the decline of conventional public housing in America, and the city centers in which they resided, while tracing the personal and poignant narratives of several of the project’s residents. In the post-War years, the American city changed in ways that made it unrecognizable from a generation earlier, privileging some and leaving others in its wake. The next time the city changes, remember Pruitt-Igoe.”

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Brazil directed by Terry Gilliam

“Low-level bureaucrat Sam Lowry escapes the monotony of his day-to-day life through a recurring daydream of himself as a virtuous hero saving a beautiful damsel. Investigating a case that led to the wrongful arrest and eventual death of an innocent man instead of wanted terrorist Harry Tuttle, he meets the woman from his daydream, and in trying to help her gets caught in a web of mistaken identities, mindless bureaucracy and lies.”

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AND MORE...

Frank Lloyd Wright Sites to Swap Virtual Visits Weekly

“The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Unity Temple Restoration Foundation, is excited to begin #WrightVirtualVisits. Each Thursday, beginning on April 2 at 12 p.m. Central time, each participating site will share a short video tour of another site via social media.”

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Gensler's Amazing Cities Coloring Book

A free, public download of nearly 200 pages of Gensler-designed project designs and sketches that offer a peek into the architectural process, while also serving as a creative escape for children and adults.

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Virtual Design Festival

Be part of the world’s first online design festival hosted by Dezeen. Starting Wednesday, April 15, expect cultural programs, interviews, movies, and more.

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Watch Movies Online with your Friends and Family

…while social distancing!

Find out how to host your next virtual movie night and invite your friends and family.


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