P r o d u c t P la c e m e n t
P a u l L o e b a d h
“ I w a s s e a r c h in g f o r a n in d u s tr ia l
w a s t e la n d ,” s a y s f u r n it u r e d e -
s ig n e r P a u l L o e b a c h o n w h y h e
m o v e d in t o a f o r m e r k n i t t in g
f a c t o r y in B e d f o r d - S t u y v e s a n t ,
a g r i t t y n e ig h b o r h o o d in B r o o k -
l y n , N e w Y o r k . “ I lo v e d t h is
p la c e . I t ’ s d a r k a n d e m p ty . T h e
a r e a ’s a b it o f a n o - m a n ’ s - la n d .”
I t ’ s fr o m th is a p a r t m e n t /
s t u d i o —w h e r e d e s ig n s h a n g o n
t h e w a l l s , b o o k s o v e r f l o w o f f
t h e b o o k s h e lv e s a n d h is e x p e r i -
m e n ts w i t h v a r io u s m a te r ia ls
c o v e r t h e f lo o r a n d a n y o t h e r
a v a ila b le w o r k s p a c e - t h a t L o e -
b a c h d e s ig n s p ie c e s t h a t m a n y
s a id w o u ld b e im p o s s ib le . “ P e o -
p le t e ll m e I c a n ’t d o s o m e th in g
a n d t h e n I d o it . I ’ll b e l i k e , ‘ I
k n o w w h a t y o u ’r e s a y in g b u t I ’ m
g o in g t o ig n o r e i t , ” ’ h e e x p la in s .
“ Y o u h a v e t o u n d e r s ta n d th e
b a s ic p r in c i p le s o f d e s ig n a n d
th e n m e s s w i t h t h e m .”
L o e b a c h ’s e x p o s u r e t o d e s ig n
c a m e e a r ly in lif e . H e is d e s c e n d -
e d f r o m a f a m i l y o f G e r m a n
w o o d w o r k e r s . “ M y d a d t a u g h t
m e w o o d w o r k i n g - t h a t w a s o u r
m a n ly t h in g w e d id t o g e t h e r ,”
h e s a y s , la u g h in g . “ I w a s s e v e n
y e a r s o ld a n d r u n n in g a jo in e r !”
w a y s s u s p e c t i n g h e ’ d b e a n
a r t i s t , h e s o lid if ie d h is in t e r e s t
in a r t a n d d e s ig n d u r in g a n e x -
te n d e d tr ip to F r a n c e , w h e r e h e
liv e d w i t h h is p a r e n t s ’ f r ie n d s .
H e w e n t o n to a tte n d U n i v e r s i t y
o f C i n c in n a t i a n d d is c o v e r e d
in d u s tr ia l d e s ig n . “ E v e n th o u g h
m y f a m ily w e r e c r a ft s m e n a n d
m y d a d w a s a n e n g in e e r , I h a d
n o id e a th a t d e s ig n e x is t e d a s a
c a r e e r ,” L o e b a c h s a y s . “ N o r d id
a n y o n e e l s e .” B u t a f t e r a y e a r
a t t h e u n iv e r s i t y , L o e b a c h l e f t .
“ T h e p r o g r a m w a s t o o r e g i -
m e n t e d , a n d I ’ m n o t a b ig c o m -
p r o m is e r . I n d u s tr ia l d e s ig n , y e s .
I ju s t n e e d e d to fig u r e o u t h o w
t o d o i t .”
L o e b a c h w e n t t o C o lo r a d o
a n d t h e n a f r ie n d s t u d y i n g a t
R h o d e I s la n d S c h o o l o f D e s ig n
c a lle d a n d s a id “ I ’m a t k is i >.
Y o u ’ d li k e i t . ” H e w a s r ig h t .
R is n ’ s c o m b in a tio n o f p r a c t ic a l-
i t y a n d c r e a t i v i t y w a s w h a t
L o e b a c h w a n t e d , a s y n t h e s is
r e fle c t e d in h is r e c e n t d e s ig n s © .
R e f e r r i n g t o t h e p r o c e s s a s
“ a e s th e tic a th le t ic is m ,” L o e b a c h
g i v e s t r a d it io n a l s t y le s a n e w
t w i s t th r o u g h s u c h t e c h n o lo g y
a s ra p id m e ta l p r in t in g a n d c o m -
p u t e r - c o n t r o lle d m a c h in e r y .
“ I ’m e x p lo r in g h o w t o p u s h th e
lim it s o f n e w m a n u f a c t u r in g
p r o c e s s e s , t r a d it io n a l m a te r ia ls
a n d t h e i n t e r p la y o f fo r m a n d
s p a c e ,” h e s a y s .
P u s h in g t h e lim it s h a s
s p a r k e d L o e b a c h ’ s in t e r e s t in
w h a t t h e f u t u r e o f f e r s w i t h
t e c h n o lo g y a n d s o c ie t y . “ T o d o
s o m e th in g n e w y o u o f t e n n e e d
t o u s e a n e w t e c h n o lo g y b e c a u s e
e v e r y t h i n g e ls e h a s b e e n e x -
p l o r e d ,” h e e x p la i n s . “ W h a t ’s
n e w in p e o p l e ’ s li v e s a n d o u r
c u lt u r e m a k e s th a t e x p lo r a t io n
w o r t h w h i l e . I t r y t o h a v e a n
a w a r e n e s s o f w h a t ’ s g o in g o n
n o w a n d t r a n s la t e t h a t t h r o u g h
m y w o r k . I ’ m t r y i n g t o m a k e
t h in g s t h a t a r e r e le v a n t t o o u r
t im e .” — s .s .
Gimme More!
p a u llo e b a c h .c o m
H o t S p o ts
E y e C a n d y
G a lle r y s h o w s , lis t e d A - Z b y
s t a t e . V i e w c o m p le t e c a le n d a r :
a m c r ic a n c r a ft m a g .o r g
A Z / M e s a
Mesa Arts Center:
Androgyny: New Work by
Sergei Isupov
t o A u g . 2
m e s a a r t s c e n t e r .o r g
I s u p o v ’s la r g e c e r a m ic h e a d s ,
v is u a l l y a r r e s t in g a n d e m o t io n -
a lly a la r m in g , e v o k e t h e t r a g ic
c h a r a c t e r s o f a D o s t o e v s k y
n o v e l.
C A / S a n J o s e
San Jose Museum of Quilts
and Textiles:
Connections: Small Tapestry
International
t o J u ly 2 6
s jq u ilt m u s e u m .o r g
T e x t i l e a r t is t s e x p a n d t h e ir
h o r iz o n s w h ile s h r in k in g d im e n -
s io n s , c o n n e c t i n g t e c h n iq u e an d
c o n c e p t in r iv e t in g n e w w o r k .
C T / G u i l f o r d
Guilford Art Center:
Craft Expo 20op
J u ly 1 6 - 1 8
g u ilf o r d a r t c e n t e r .o r g
V i s i t o r s fr o m n e a r a n d fa r f lo c k
y e a r a f t e r y e a r t o o n e o f th e
m o s t a n t ic ip a t e d e v e n t s o f t h e
r e g io n t o d i s c o v e r a n d r e d is -
c o v e r t h e im p o r t a n c e o f A m e r i -
c a n h a n d m a d e o b je c t s .
D C / W a s h i n g t o n
Smithsonian American Art
Museum:
Jean Shin: Common Threads
t o J u ly 2 6
a m e r ic a n a r t .s i.e d u
A n o t h e r ’ s t r a s h is S h in ’ s t r e a -
s u r e a s s h e b r e a t h e s n e w lif e
in t o t h e c a s t o f f s o f c o n s u m e r
s o c ie t y , u s in g t h e m t o c r e a t e
s t r ik in g la r g e - s c a le in s ta lla tio n s .
jun/julo9 american craft oi*
