That’s a line from an old poem of mine.  It’s about the desire—begun in childhood and still going strong—for a hide-out, den, fort, or tree house: some small, cozy, rustic space in nature that facilitates dreams.

(A lot like what the Indianapolis Island residents are going to experience in the IMA’s 100 Acres: Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park).

There’s an architect who’s long advocated for the domestic pleasures and greater sustainability possible with smaller, well-crafted homes: Sarah Susanka, author of the Not So Big House series of books.  She speaks at The Toby this Thursday, May 20 at 7 pm, as part of the IMA’s Planet Indy speaker series.

In advance of her Indy visit, I asked Sarah a few questions about her ideas:

What is the relationship between good design and sustainability?

In my books, they go hand in hand.  I believe that anything that is well-designed will stand the test of time and will sustain the inhabitant.  The wise use of both energy and monetary resources is a core element of good design.

How do you create desire for small instead of big?

I talk to people and work with people at all ends of the spectrum–people who want 600 sq. ft. homes and those who want 6,000 sq ft.  I’ve tried to offer the tools they really need to evaluate their decision.  When people are focused on high square footages, there is usually some “keeping up with the Joneses” going on.  I tell these clients: “How about having the coolest house, not the biggest?”  I help people “right-size” their homes.

What about modular homes?

The pre-fab industry is learning how to make better a house than the typical modular home currently on the market.  But a small house doesn’t have to be a cheap house.  You don’t buy a Porsche because it’s big – the point is that it’s beautifully made.  I believe that if we could look into the future we would find that many houses are going to be made through a manufacturing process.  The art of the home will be greatly enhanced and tailored onsite, but basic form will be delivered.

Manufactured Housing

What projects are you working on now?  What trends do you see?

My latest book [published March 2010] is More Not So Big Solutions For Your Home, about doing more with less space.  And we’re developing a line of houses for the builder market, for the people who build suburbia.  Some of them are gung-ho about building smaller houses, but you can’t just shrink a big one and make it livable.  We need to take their simple-to-build houses and make them a whole lot more interesting to live in.

A longer version of this interview will appear in the June-July issue of Indiana Living Green magazine.

Filed under: Current Events, Education, Local, Public Programs, The Toby

It was the nose that got me. So baroque! So infinite! The first time I laid eyes on Crispin Hellion Glover was in 1985’s Back to the Future. Now Crispin – star of films like Alice in Wonderland, Charlie’s Angels, and Willard – is coming to The Toby this week.

So what’s Crispin’s mission at the IMA? To present a taboo-busting film he co-directed called It is Fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE! It’s a journey into the psyche of a kinky, bloodthirsty guy with cerebral palsy. Crispin calls the film a response to the question: “What does it mean when a culture does not properly process taboo?”

He’s referring to the fact that the major film studios tend to pre-censor material that is darkly ambiguous or productively disturbing, thus preventing our ability to wonder, question and learn from cinema.

So Crispin has taken the making of challenging films into his own hands. He uses the proceeds from his roles in films like Hot Tub Time Machine to fund independent film projects at his new sound stage in Prague.

Joe Shearer of the local website The Film Yap did a great interview with Crispin (to be posted soon) in which Crispin expounds on his mission as an artist.

Crispin’s Toby April 24 appearance will include the 74-minute film, a one-hour narrated slide show, Q&A, and book signing. He is committed answering every fan question if it takes all night. Tickets are $15 for IMA members and $20 for non-members. It’s open seating; doors open at 6:30 pm.

This culturally adventurous event is co-sponsored by Big Car, Indianapolis International Film Festival, and the Naptown Roller Girls – some of whom will act as ushers, rolling up and down The Toby’s steep aisles.

Racer Xtasy (via Marc L)

What’s your favorite (or least favorite) Crispin role?

Filed under: Art, Current Events, Film, Local, The Toby

After three weeks in southern South Korea, I can vouch that Korean culture is rich with visual communication, design and promotion. Every city here has a brand, like “Charm Jinju” or “Sparkling Hadong.”

Many restaurant facades bear a cartoon depicting the main dish served, like a perky eel or cute cow.

Even bathroom doors have creative signage.

On the natural side, the mountainous Korean terrain inspires a terraced pattern for landscape architecture.

Ancient designs can pack the biggest wallop. The eaves of Buddhist temples are decorated with exquisite detail and color.

We all need dragons guarding our doors.

Filed under: Art, Design, Travel

When is destruction gorgeous and true?  At the Marion County Fair Demolition Derby.  On a trip there earlier this month, I was awed by the performative aspects of the event.  You could say the derby was as spectacular as anything we’ve presented at the IMA, except perhaps the stunning 2008 Summer Solstice event featuring a Japanese Butoh dancer named Oguri who moved into the fountain on the Lilly House allee and emerged, steaming, in the rays of a powerful searchlight at the moment the sun dropped below the horizon.

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Filed under: Art, Local, Public Programs, The Toby

How hard should I fight the impulse to sit on this couch and watch the traffic go by on Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, just south of the IMA?  Why am I charmed by a couch on a sidewalk?

This couch is the sadness of a party that’s over, or some desire that’s run its course.  It also highlights the contrast between the soft comfort of furniture, versus the mean streets and the unforgiving elements (i.e., torrential rains this week).  The couch’s presence here puts us in a strange netherland that’s half Martha Stewart, half feral.  There’s something innocent about it too.  Do you think the couch seems ready to face the big bad world, perhaps for the first time?

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Filed under: Current Events, Local, Musings