Italian lighting company Flos will host PUBLIC WORKS, a poster exhibition created by PUBLIC, a design-based bicycle company with a mission to improve cities and public spaces. The exhibition will kick off on Thursday, October 18 and run through October 25th, will coincide with Archtober, at the Flos SoHo store at 152 Greene Street in New York City.
Posters will be shown from renowned graphic designers, illustrators and cartoonists including: Dana Arnett, John Bielenberg, Roz Chast, Frank Chimero, Milton Glaser, Eric Heiman, Kit Hinrichs, Maira Kalman, Michael Mabry, Geoff McFetridge, Jeremy Mende, Jennifer Morla, Jason Munn, Stefan Sagmeister, Paul Sahre, Paula Scher, Ralph Schraivogel, Jason Schulte, Michael Schwab, Skolos-Wedell, Erik Spiekermann, Jennifer Sterling, Niklaus Troxler, Rick Valicenti, Michael Vanderbyl, Frank Viva and Henning Wagenbreth.
Poster by Paul Sahre
The group of 27 international designers were challenged to interpret the concept of “public” in their own voice and style with the below criteria:
•Public Goods are the best measure of the success of democracy. They form the bedrock of civilization, and we often take them for granted.
•To alter the perception of the bicycle in our culture. They are viewed primarily as recreational sports objects rather than as tools that help us connect and engage in our public lives.
•PUBLIC WORKS’ vision is to reclaim urban streets, sidewalks and spaces for walking, biking and eating with posters that encourage these activities that foster closer human interaction and conversation.
Poster by Paula Scher
“Flos is pleased to work with PUBLIC to present these works in the New York area”, stated Jan Vingerhoets, CEO, Flos North America, “Being an avid biker myself, I hope that these kinds of events put more people in the saddle. Using a bicycle is not only good for your health, but it gets you around town more quickly and it’s good for our environment.”
At the by-invitation kick-off event on Thursday, October 18, ten posters from each designer and an exhibition book will be available for sale. Two PUBLIC Bikes will be raffled off, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Transportation Alternatives, New York City's leading transportation advocacy organization that works to revitalize the city’s neighborhoods with a robust scope of transportation choices.
Poster by Roz Chast
“New York has earned an international reputation for innovative city design with examples that range from the expansion of bike lanes to the conversion of Times Square to a pedestrian mall to the High Line,” said Rob Forbes, founder of PUBLIC. “It is consistent that a design leader such as Flos is part of this modern movement.”
San Francisco and other cities in the United States and Canada will host similar events starting in October 2012. A percentage of proceeds from each exhibition will be donated to a specific non-profit within each host city.
