I depend on the stuff back there to come forward at its own pace, and it does, if you believe it. Partially [the logo’s success was] because it was a long campaign, and partially because it came out of New York, [which] has a terrific advantage over every place else on earth. And then, the “I” is a word, the heart is a symbol for a feeling, and “NY” are initials for a place. There are three modes of thought. There’s a shift. I always try to include something in any graphic solution that moves the mind, that makes you pay attention. The cheapest way to get that effect is to present the little puzzle. If it’s too difficult, it’s over. It has to be a beat. The next time you see it, it’s confirmed in the memory bank and the neurons go off and before you know it, it becomes memorable.
The Magic of the Movies
I’m designing a movie house at the [School of Visual Arts], on 23rd Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues. It’s going to be great for the school as a promotional tool. It has two auditoriums, with 300 and 500 seats. The entire façade is a billboard about a subject that’s treated like a mural--the secret of art, which is a poster I did for the school. The whole thing has about 100 quotes about the secret of art that will change a couple times a year. On the roof of the marquis is a kinetic sculpture, 18 feet tall, that’s a variation of Tatlin’s Monument to the Third International. It has three cages that rotate every hour on the hour, [forming] a grid diagonally, vertically and horizontally in different colors. On the marquis appears the time. It says, “It’s one o’clock. Time to think about the meaning of your life.”
And then there’s a bar [I designed] that’s been installed. It’s bent metal with a pattern of dots, painted in brilliant automotive paint. It looks fabulous.
Paint It Black
I’m making versions of [drawings] in black. They’re all computer-generated giclee prints. I had this idea that you go into this room with low light. You see nothing but black patterns, and then as you stand in front of it, [the object] begins to merge into your visual field and you suddenly can see it, because you’ve paying attention. I don’t have that many ideas, but this idea of perception and attentiveness is for me the most intriguing area I’ve worked in. I think that’s my fundamental lesson. In order to experience anything you have to be attentive. If you’re not attentive, you never see it.
A 50-Year SVA Teaching Stint
You teach because you want to hand it on and you want to have others benefit from what you’ve learned. It’s just so much a part of my life that I can no longer ask myself why I teach, and it’s very complicated, and like most things, you don’t know in any case. But I like teaching. I like the experience of being in a classroom, and I’m good at it.
Everybody likes to generalize about [differences between generations of students] and it’s so often not true. You always get the same level of intelligence and commitment. You’ve got 10 percent cream, 10 percent sour milk and regular milk in the middle.
