design workbook

DESIGN WORKBOOK
STEVE DISKIN

Printed in the Czech Republic
All Rights Reserved
© Steve Diskin, 2005
DESIGN WORKBOOK
STEVE DISKIN

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Steve Diskin was awarded a BA, magna cum
laude, in Visual Studies (Architectural Sciences)
in 1970, as well as a Masters in Architecture at
Harvard University in 1974. He joined Kenzo
Tange + URTEC in Tokyo, where he participated
in many international architectural projects. His
career expanded with the design of his HELIX
clock (now in the permanent collection of the
National Design Museum at the Cooper-Hewitt
in New York), which uses the rotational and linear
characteristics of the spiral for a dramatic departure
in time-telling. This led to the establishment of his
industrial design and manufacturing company, Tik-
Tek Engineering, in Los Angeles. He was invited
into the Kovacs Design Group in New York in
S T E V E D I S K I N
1982, and his lamp series “Parallels” was later
produced by Kovacs Lighting.
Diskin designed a futuristic chandelier for the
entry of the Norfolk Airport Hilton Hotel, and
during March-May 1986 he showed his work in
a group show entitled “Sidecar: The Process of
Design in Contemporary Lighting” at the Los
Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum.
Steve Diskin was Executive Vice President of
MEGA/ERG, a small, select team of designers of
office furniture and accessories. He has directed
the efforts of the group in the design and
prototyping of more than 25 projects, large and
small, in the area of office furniture and accessory
devices. In 1988 he authored the “Microsystem”
modular furniture and space enclosure system.
Mr. Diskin was featured in the New York Times in
1983, in the Los Angeles Times in 1985, and again
with MEGA/ERG in 1988.
In addition to his professional work, from
1989 to 2002, Steve Diskin was senior instructor
in Advanced Product Design and Environmental
Design, as well as co-coördinator of the graduate
program in Industrial Design from 1998-2002, at
Art Center College in Pasadena, CA, where he was
voted “Great Teacher” thirteen times. His work at
Art Center has been the subject of articles in the
Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Business Journal,
Progressive Architecture and Popular Science.
He has previously been on the faculty of the
Harvard University Graduate School of Design in
the summer Professional Development Program
(1995-2001) and has lectured at the Academy of
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
Fine Arts in Warsaw, Istanbul Technical University,
Acer Computer in Taiwan, The Institute for
Industrial Design in Oslo, LEGO in Denmark,
New Balance in Massachusetts, IMD International
in Lausanne and the HGKZ in Zurich, as well
as other universities and academies of design in
Europe.
Diskin is the co-author of Los Angeles at 25
MPH, a photographic excursion through LA’s
rich residential architecture. He has also studied
towards an advanced degree in film at Art Center,
concentrating on digital video and documentary.
His multi-media videos “Africa on My Mind”,
“Four Friends: How Designers Think They Work”
and “For Forty Years I Have Tried to Understand
the Moon” won critical acclaim at the Industrial
Designers Society Conferences in Detroit, 1994,
Santa Fe, 1995, and Orlando, 1996. Diskin received
an Art Center Digital Artist Grant in 2000.
Steve Diskin is presently Visiting Professor
at the Academy of Art Architecture and Design
(VSUP) in Prague. He was visiting professor for
two years at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia,
in the Academy of Fine Art and Design (ALU)
and was simultaneously guest professor in the
Department of Textiles, Faculty of Natural Sciences
and Engineering, for the spring semester 2003.
Steve has recently contributed articles to
several Slovenia publications: Ambient (interior
design), Adria Airways In-Flight Magazine, and the
Saturday Supplement of the daily newspaper Delo.
He is also the author and illustrator/writer of
What a Totally Crazy Orchestra (Strune od Zemlje
do Lune), a book about musical instruments
for children published in 2004 by Vale/Novak in
Ljubljana. The book was one of three nominated
as Best Children’s Book of 2004 by the jury of the
2004 Ljubljana Book Fair.
In addition to his teaching and professional
work, Diskin is pursuing his doctorate in
architecture at EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique
Federale de Lausanne) in Switzerland and is hard
at work on his first book of fiction, Nomad Hotel.
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
HELIX CLOCK
The rotation of three helical elements (and the translation of
rotational into linear motion) shows time at the intersection
with the numbered index. Production: 1980-82, Kirsch-
Hamilton Associates, Boston. Permanent collection of the
National Design Museum (Cooper-Hewitt), New York.
Published in Look of the Century, history of design from the
permanaent collection of the museum, 1996
58cm x 9cm
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
OCTO AND TETRA
High-tech, “industrial” table clocks using ABS plastic pipe
connectors. Production by Tik-Tek Engineering, Los Angeles,
1981-1985
11cm diameter
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
NOVA WALL CLOCK
ABS plastic in black, white or gray with red, yellow and
green indicators. Floating acylic lens. Production by Tik-Tek
Engineering, Los Angeles, 1982-1986.
27cm diameter
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
TIME CAPSULE
Reminiscent of a compass, Time Capsule tells time by the
rotation of three concentric discs past a fixed indicator.
Spun aluminum base with epoxy finish in black, red or
white. Aluminum discs. Acrylic dome. Production by Tik-Tek
Engineering, Los Angeles, 1983-1986.
10cm diameter
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
DISCUS AND ORB
Both clocks use acylic and anodized aluminum components.
Production by Tik-Tek Engineering, Los Angeles, 1984-1986.
25cm diameter disc (Discus)
15cm dome (Orb)
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
DIGIT AND ALARM
Digit features an anodized aluminum base to support a
large size LCD display. Alarm is also a formed anodized
aluminum structure with an acylic lens. Production by Tik-Tek
Engineering, Los Angeles, 1985-1986.
15cm height (Digit)
9cm height (Alarm)
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
DISKIN FOR KOVACS
Clocks: Chopsticks, Good Heavens!, ClockLamp, A Head of
Time. Production by Kovacs Design Group, New York, 1984-
1986.
30cm (Chopsticks table, wall), 100cm (floor)
30cm diameter (Good Heavens!)
40cm (ClockLamp) with compact fluorescent bulb
28cm and 20cm (A Head of Time)
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
PARALLELS AND 607 DESK LAMP
Twin-tube compact fluorescent light source permitted a very
thin profile for Parallels. 607 is a prototype. Production by
George Kovacs Lighting, New Y2ork, 1985.
30 cm height (Parallels Table and Wall), 90cm (floor)
Adjustable height (607)
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
MICROSYSTEM OFFICE
Prototype for a blow-molded plastic office furniture system
with extruded, snap-together modules. Preliminary license to
Project Office, Ltd., London, 1989
53cm x 53cm, 53cm x 87cm, 53cm x 106cm panel modules
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
MACTABERNACLE
Prototype for a mobile enclosure/workstation for the original
Macintosh. Mega/Erg, Beverly Hills, 1987.
136cm height
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
BICUBIC DODECAHEDRON
Full-scale prototype of a modular habitation structure using
complex 3d stacking and repetition geometry. Plywood. Built
on the campus of Art Center College of Design, Pasadena,
1994
125cm x 250cm panel module, 6.5m 2 floor area, 32m 3 volume
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
THE BIRTH OF TEXTILES
Sculpture for the atrium of the newly renovated City
Museum of Ljubljana, showing historical and modern textile
techniques (with Prof. Marija Jenko and ten students, Faculty
of Textiles and Fashion, University of Ljubljana), Ljubljana,
Slovenia, 2004
250cm x 700cm
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
LOS ANGELES AT 25MPH
A photographic survey of some of LA’s lesser-known
examples of residential architecture (with Joseph Giovannini,
co-author). Publication by Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York,
1993
22cm x 28cm, 219 pages
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
STRUNE OD ZEMLJE DO LUNE
“What a Totally Crazy Orchestra”, illustration and short text,
book for children about musical instruments. Nominated
as one of three ‘best books for children’ by the jury at the
2004 Ljubljana Book Fair. Publication by Vale Novak, Ljubljana,
Slovenia, 2004
21cm x 30cm, 32 pages
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
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S T E V E D I S K I N
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
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education professional experience
B.A. in Visual Studies (Architectural Sciences), Magna
cum Laude, Harvard College, 1970
M.Arch. (Architecture), Harvard University Graduate
School of Design, 1974
M.F.A. (Film) partial
Art Center College of Design, 1997-1999
Ph.D. (Candidate in Architecture)
Ecole Polytechnique Fédéral de Lausanne
Switzerland, 2004-2007
Architectural License, California, 1985-present
S T E V E D I S K I N
Kenzo Tange + URTEC, Tokyo, Japan 1974 - 1976 Staff Architect: Urban and architectural
scale projects in Tokyo, Baltimore, Kuala Lumpur, Dusseldorf, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Syria
Los Angeles, CA, 1977-1978 R & D, Helix clock; patents
Environetics Architects, Los Angeles, 1979 - 1980 Architect
Tik-Tek Engineering, Los Angeles, 1981 - 1986 (Owner/Director) Design and production:
clocks and accessories
Mega/Erg, Beverly Hills 1986 - 1989 (Exec. V.P.)
Design think tank for the Office of the Future
The Office of Erik Lerner and Steve Diskin, Beverly Hills 1989 - 1992 Architecture,
Planning
Guest Critic: UCLA, Sci-Arc, Cal Poly Pomona, Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok), Rhode
Island School of Design (RISD), Wentworth Institute (Boston), Institute for Product Design
(Academy of Arts Architecture and Design, Prague, Zlin campus), Ecole Cantonale d'Art de
Lausanne (ECAL)
Art Center College of Design, Pasadena
Professor, Advanced Product Design, 1989 - 2002
Founder/Co-director, Graduate Program in Industrial Design, 1998-2002
Co-instructor, Masters Film Workshop
Faculty, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, 1995 - 2001 Executive Education
Summer Program
Consultant, Samsung, Ltd., Seoul, 1995 Curriculum development team for founding of the
Samsung IDS academy for product design
Video Production
Extensive experience in foreign universities and institutions (see list of lectures and
workshops)
Free-lance Editor, Amidas, d.o.o., Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2003-present
Visiting Professor, Academy of Fine Art and Design (ALUO), University of Ljubljana,
Slovenia, 2002-2003; Department of Textiles, Faculty of Natural Science and Engineering,
spring semester 2003;
Seminar in Multidisciplinary Design Process, Academy of Art and Design, fall semester 2003;
Seminar in Sculpture, spring semester 2004
Visiting Professor, Academy of Art Architecture and Design, Prague, Czech Republic
October 2004 - present
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
lectures/workshops
Academy of Fine Arts, Warsaw, 1992
Instanbul Technical University
1995, 1997, 2003
Marmara University, Istanbul, 1997
Art Center College of Design,
Vevey, Switzerland, 1995
Institute for Industrial Design, Oslo,
NorskForm Conference
Institute for Product Design, Trondheim,
Norway, 1996
Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design
Vancouver, BC, Canada, 1997
LEGO Advanced Concepts Group
Bilund, Denmark, 1998
Acer Computer
Taipei, 1999
Urban Development Workshop
Maribor, Slovenia, 2003
IMD School of Business
Lausanne, 2003
Interaction Design Institute Ivrea
Ivrea, Italy 2003
HGKZ, Zurich, 2003, 2004
Estonian Academy of Art
Tallinn, 2004
Bezalel Academy, Jerusalem, 2004
Strate College of Design, Paris, 2004
Oslo, 2004 (“That Crazy Spiral”)
Utrecht, 2004 (“An Argument Against Cheap”)
Ecole de Design, Nantes Atlantique
France, 2004
writing articles
Los Angeles @ 25 MPH (with Joseph Giovannini), Van
Nostrand Reinhold, NY, 1993
What a Totally Crazy Orchestra, illustrations and text
Vale Novak, Ljubljana, September 2004
“The Fly on the Ceiling” Proceedings of Design
Educators Conference, Pasadena, 1990; Design
Management Journal, 1992
"Africa on My Mind", Procedings of Design Educators
Conference, Detroit, 1994
"Sentimental Mass Production" Dom & Wnetrze,
Warsaw, 1992, Innovation Magazine, 1995
”Notes on the Future of the Office" Dom & Wnetrze,
Warsaw, 1992
"In the End, there was the Word...", newsletter of the
Industrial Designers Society, Nov 1992; in extended
form in Dom & Wnetrze, Warsaw,1993
"...And What About Industrial Design?" Harvard Design
Magazine, 1998
"On Art and Technology" Hsiung Shih Art Books, Taipei,
1999
"Hotel Lobby" adaptation of stage play into script for
video and live performance, 1999
"An Evident Kiss" screenplay 2000 (Digital Artists Grant,
Art Center College of Design)
"Two Loves at First Sight: Slovenia and the Audi A2"
Adria Airways Magazine, 2003
"Avtodom", Ambient Magazine
Ljubljana 2003
"2.5 dimensions", text for exhibition of experimental
textile design, Ambient Magazine
Ljubljana, 2003
"A Message in a Bottle" Delo newspaper, Saturday
Supplement, 27 Sep, Ljubljana, 2003
"In the New Clocks, Design, Not Time, is
of the Essence" New York Times, 1983
Helix Clock, in "Art Plastic:Designed for
Living", Abbeville Press, NY, 1984
"The Tik-Tek Man..." Los Angeles Times,
29 Aug 1985
"Designers Crafting New Office...." Los
Angeles Times, 4 Jul 1988
"Views..." Progressive Architecture,
"Temporary Shelters", Aug 1993
"Niger Hospital May Benefit from Design"
Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct 1993
"At the Heart of a House", Utility core
for high-tech "microhouses", Home
Technology, Popular Science, Dec 1993
" Home Sweet Home" editorial
Los Angeles Times, 13 Jul, 1994
"Non-Traditional Careers" profile in
GSD News, Harvard University Graduate
School of Design Journal, Fall 1994
"A Clock for a Window" interview,
1995 / "Form Follows Idea", interview,
Art+Decor, Istanbul, 1997
"Interview with Steve Diskin", YAPI
journal, Istanbul, 1995
"Inside a Helix" interview, NID journal,
Oslo, Norway, 1996
"A Robot for Design", interview, KLIK
magazine, Ljubljana, Slovenia, July 2003
Review of “What a Totally Crazy
Orchestra” (Strune do zemlje do lune),
Delo newspaper, Ljubljana, 29 Sep 2004
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exhibitions/screenings
"Made in LA: Design Trends for the Eighties" Square
One Gallery, Los Angeles, 1983
"Sidecar: The Process of Design in Contemporary
Lighting" Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum, 1986
IDSA Exhibition, Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles,
1990 (Microsystem Modular Office Furniture)
"101/New Blood", Exhibition, Pacific Design Center, Los
Angeles, 1998
"Africa on My Mind", video, Industrial Designers Society
National Conference
Detroit, 1994
"Four Friends: How Designers Think They Work", video,
Industrial Designers Society National Conference, Santa
Fe, 1995 / Festival Internazionale per l'Architettura in
Video, Firenze, 1998
"For Forty Years I Have Tried to Understand the
Moon..." video, Industrial Designers Society National
Conference
Orlando, 1996
"An Evident Kiss", video,
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, 2001
"Kdo uci?"
Group show of the faculty of the Academy of Fine Art
and Design, poster, Galerija Kresija, Ljubljana, 2003
"Two Films: An Artist in the Clouds and
An Evident Kiss"
Klub Gajo, Ljubljana, 2003
"2.5 D", exhibition of student work, Faculty of Textile
Design, Ljubljana, 2003
BIO-Bienale of Industrial Design, “2.5-D”
student work received “Good Project” award, Ljubljana,
2004
“The Birth of Textiles”, sculpture in atrium of City
Museum of Ljubljana, 2004 (with students from the
Faculty of Textiles)
architecture/industrial design
S T E V E D I S K I N
Rodeo Collection, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, 1980 (Environetics Architects, Inc.)
design development + preliminary construction drawings
Dubow Residence Addition, Beverly Hills, 1989
Lipsman Residence, Tarzana, 1989
Kitchen Design Studio, showroom expansion master plan, W. Hollywood, 1989
Rosson Residence Addition, Bel Air, 1990
Wilstein Residence, Malibu, 1990
Ratner-Stauber Residence, Van Nuys, 1991
Windstone Editions, 60,000 SF Factory, Corvallis, Oregon, 1991 (Proposal)
Fouce Residence Remodel, Sherman Oaks, 1991
Master Plan, shading structures and renovation, Tamou Hospital, Niger, 1994 (proposal)
Bicubic Dodecahedron, experimental prototype, modular habitation, 1996
Helix Clock, 1980 (licensed to Kirsch-Hamilton, Boston) (design patent issued)
Octo + Tetra Clocks, 1981(Tik-Tek Engineering) (design patent issued)
Nova Clock, 1982 (Tik-Tek Engineering)
Time Capsule, 1982 (Tik-Tek Engineering)
Discus Clock, 1983 (Tik-Tek Engineering)
Orb Clock, 1984 (Tik-Tek Engineering)
Digit Clock, 1984 (Tik-Tek Engineering)
Alarm Clock, 1985 (Tik-Tek Engineering)
Calendar #1, 1985 (Tik-Tek Engineering)
Calendar #2, 1985 (Tik-Tek Engineering)
Entry Vestibule Chandelier, Norfolk Virginia, Airport Hilton Hotel, 1985
Rainbow halogen wall sconce, 1986 (contract w/Artemide) (not produced)
Parallels PL-13 lamp series, 1984 (George Kovacs Lighting, New York)
Chopsticks Clock, 1984 (Kovacs Design Group, New York)
Magneticks Clock, 1984 (Kovacs Design Group, New York)
Time Warp Clock, 1985 (Kovacs Design Group, New York)
ClockLamp, 1985 (Kovacs Design Group, New York)
Clocks 816-817, 1985 (Kovacs Design Group, New York)
BrainClock (“A Head of Time”), 1986 (Kovacs Design Group, New York)
Cable Tower wire manager, 1987 (Mega/Erg)
(licensed to MicroComputer Accessories, Inc.)
Microsystem total office furniture system, 1989 (Mega/Erg)
(license to Project Office, Ltd. England)
Cable/Stable wire manager, 1987 (Mega/Erg) (not produced)
Air Purifier, 1987 (Mega/Erg) (not produced)
Air Purifier2, 1987 (Mega/Erg) (not produced)
Office Tent, 1988 (Mega/Erg) (not produced)
Acoustivisor, 1988 (Mega/Erg) (not produced)
One Meter Workstation, 1988 (Mega/Erg) (not produced)
Products for the home office, 1989 (contract with Rubbermaid) (not produced)
Propeller Clock 2001, Umbra Ltd., Toronto (license)
D E S I G N W O R K B O O K
videography
"Africa on My Mind" (1994): An electronic "sketch" and lecture combined in a
multi-cultural documentary especially for students of design. Images (and music)
of Niger are set in contrast to images of Europe in the Middle Ages. (24:00)
"4 Friends" (1995) is a film about four designers and their creative process:
Pierre Koenig, one of the most notable of the ‘case-study-house’ architects; Peter
Garrison, columnist for Flying magazine, self-taught aerodynamicist; Michael
Jantzen, conceptual artist, architect, and inventor; and Katherine Bennett, product
designer and teacher. (30:00)
"Michael Jantzen Portfolio" (1996) A prototype for a series about design and
creativity called Desktop Documentaries. Jantzen is a conceptual artist and
architect whose work is guided by his intuition, a love of technology and a drive
to communicate. (29:30)
"For Forty Years I Have Tried to Understand the Moon..." (1996) How can
design exist without memory and emotion, and a sense of time, beauty, love and
death? (30:00)
"The Joe Berg Story" (1997) At the age of 89, Dr. Joe Berg has been
a chiropractor for 52 years and an inventor for 40 of those years. His
Biophysiometer Positioning Chair, has evolved into a future chair design to
change the way people sit. (13:00) Private Client.
"Tokyo Eyes" (1997) The architecture and culture of Japan, particularly Tokyo,
through the eyes of someone who lived there over twenty years ago and is
returning to find the rich layering of ancient ways and high technology. (30:00)
"An Artist in the Clouds: A Portrait of Susumu Shingu" (1999) Susumu Shingu
is one of Japan's most noted artists, a sculptor whose kinetic large-scale works
move by the natural forces of wind and water. Steve Diskin met Shingu in 1970
at Harvard University and they have been friends ever since. (29:00)
"An Evident Kiss" (2001) This is the story about the journey of a man
immobilized by a world of choices. This man thinks he can see it all, from
subatomic particles to the universe. Eleven scenes, representing the
theoretical eleven dimensions of the universe ask the question: Can this man
finally come to terms with his world? (45:00)
"Hotel Lobby" (2002) Adaptation, screenplay/visualization and co-direction by
Steve Diskin. Collaborative project. The story is inspired by the Edward Hopper
painting “Hotel Lobby” and takes the viewer deep into the interior lives and
fantasies of the three main characters who find themselves late at night in the
lobby of a small European hotel. (75:00)
awards
Honorable Mention, Mobile Gateway for Olympic Games, AIA
Competition, 1984 (with Erik Lerner)
Selected as one of 5 designers for PBS series "Futures",
educational videos encouraging the study of math for careers in
design, 1992
"Africa on My Mind", video selected as Best Presentation,
Industrial Designers Society National Conference (Education),
Detroit, 1994
Helix Clock in Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum,
Smithsonian, Permanent Collection, published in “The Look of
the Century”, 1998
Digital Artist Grant
Art Center College of Design
Department of Digital Media, 2000
Great Teacher Award
13-time recipient at Art Center 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996,
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
Patents
Helix Clock (design) 1980
Octo Clock (design) 1981
Acoustivisor (Mega/Erg) 1987
Cable/Stable (Mega/Erg) 1988
AirPurifier1 (Mega/Erg) 1989
AirPurifier2 (Mega/Erg) 1989
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