Walking in the museum gave no sense of anything special. The Museum of Arts and Design looked like any normal company office, with less people. Everything was simple, clean and spotless. Then the elevator took me up to the 5th floor, which held the Carolyn S. and Matthew Bucksbaum Galleries. Took a step out, and I felt as if I’ve entered into a new world. Everything was made out of what people use on a daily basis. Looking at all the designs around me, I realize that the relationship between the part and the whole is that we can always get the parts from the whole, but we can also get the whole from parts as well. People don’t usually think like that.
When I walked in the Carolyn S. and Matthew Bucksbaum Galleries, the first thing that attracted my attention was Paul Villinski’s My Back Pages, because anything that has to do with music gets my attention rather quickly. The first thing I saw was the record player lying on the floor, but I didn’t quite understand the butterflies until I looked closer. The butterflies are made of old vinyl records of various famous artists. As for the relationship of the part and the whole, the part would be the butterflies, and I’d guess that the whole refers to the life generated from the fluttering butterflies.
There were many more designs that were a part of a life story, like the flower made of plastic forks and cotton swabs, the teacup set made of seashells, the “After Mona Lisa” painting made of different color threads. There was a globe like shape made of materials and objects that symbolized everyday life in India. The whole would be life in India, and the parts would be all of the pots and pans that the design is made of. In order to have life in India, everyday objects are essential to the survival of those in India. Then again, the need for essentials come from having life in India.
What amazed me the most for a moment was Do Ho Suh’s military jacket made of 3,000 military dog tags. His idea behind this design was a brilliant one. 3,000 dog tags, the whole, represents the troop, and that one jacket, the part, represents one soldier. In order to have a victory, soldiers need to be a part of an entire troop. In order to have a troop, there needs to be honorable soldiers. With this design, there was that relationship between the whole and the parts.
After a few aimless strolls around the museum, I came across the Barabara and Eric Dobkin Gallery. The one design that kept me staring was Jill Townsley’s Spoon Pyramid . It took a long time to realize how she made this design. There was also a video that indicated several collapses while building this design. In order for the pyramid, the whole, to hold up, there must be enough spoons, the parts, to secure its structure. Johnny Swing’s Quarter Lounge wouldn’t be able to hold up if he didn’t put the whole idea together. He said, “Sitting in something that normally clings together in your pockets is altogether a bizarre new truth.”
So, then it hit me. The relationship between the whole and the parts are that the whole needs to have parts, and vice versa. The whole is the main generator, and the parts work to help keep the generator up and going. Without one or the other, it would all fall apart.