They are now blocks of color, pieces of foundation, towers to the ceiling. They still ‘read’ visually as books, but are useless as books.

This grandeur of scale is a good first step in creating a spectacle, but I am really intrigued by the use of books in such a context as makes them utterly impossible to read.

They are organized by tone and color so intricately, that seeing the photographs of so many of them stacked together is totally overwhelming. Matej Kren created a giant, cylindrical tower of thousands of books, which is currently on display at the Israel Museum. I’d love to spend my time creating art that speaks in this way, but am lacking something critical to achieve this goal-a great idea. Now I’m not talking about a pee-on-a-crucifix kind of spectacle, which I think really just revels in shock value, but some kind of visual stimulation that truly causes the viewer to be disoriented, and to evaluate the world around him again in light of new, improbable circumstances. One of the most interesting projects of contemporary art is creating a certifiable, stop you-in-you-tracks spectacle. In fact, a self-conscious clinging to the “olde-worlde” aesthetic is far more manipulative in the long run. I think it is very reactive thinking to assume that contemporary nomenclature and design standards make it impossible for authenticity and creativity to thrive. Perhaps the definition of “good design” needs to be modified, because it seems now clear that the Modernist dream was just that–a dream–and not a sufficiently thought out starting point for all design endevours. While I agree that many shoddy businesses hide themselves behind slick graphics, I bristle at the broad claim of good design being little more than an obscuring agent in contemporary culture. The urban environment is now over-designed. You don’t see the work of sign writers any more it’s hard to find handmade signs and ramshackle window displays. When I see my favorite sandwich bar introduce a slick new fascia and smart window decals, a little wave of disappointment runs through me.

Today, good design is little more than a cosmetic agent, an obscuring agent. The old Modernist dream of good design standing for rationality and human values has been flipped. “.design has become, more often than not, a badge of mediocrity.

Vienna secession design