Curious Boym: Design Works

by Constantin Boym, Peter Hall, Steven Skov Holt

This whimsical book presents the whimsical designs of Constantin Boym and his partner Laurene Leon Boym in all their good humor and raw fun. Like Curious George, Boym finds the extraordinary in the ordinary and makes the mundane into something magical. Though best known for his "monuments to disasters" series (tiny metal souvenirs of buildings like Three Mile Island and the Watergate), Boym has been designing a broad range of products, furniture, and installations for the last 20 years. All of it-from sofas made out of parts from Sears catalogs to dishes modeled after frozen food trays-reveals his delight in design. Curious Boym explores all the varied mediums that Boym explores. His products for an all-star cast of clients-including Alessi, Droog, Swatch, and Vitra-have won popular and critical acclaim. His Strap Furniture, constructed of wood and strapping tape, was a hit at the 2000 National Design Triennial at the Cooper-Hewitt. And his installation designs include everything from washing machines to chain-link fences. Here Boym creates a playful, interactive book filled with pop-ups, pull-outs, and other delightful surprises. Peter Hall, editor of Tibor Kalman , offers an insight into Boym's unique world, one that will inspire as much as it entertains.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2002

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curious Boym is the monograph of Boym Studio, a husband-and-wife product design firm in New York. The title presents a running theme found in the book and in the couple's work itself: how art and design are significantly aided by a willingness to explore one's own curiosity. Boym's work is often wonderfully clever, reminding me of the late Tibor Kalman's M&Co. or the cheeky Dutch designers Droog.

The book had a few drawbacks that took away from the mostly-great work. It seemed like the Boyms have a chip on their shoulder in regard to their mixed commercial and critical success. The writing came across as negative, focusing on critical feedback to the work rather than just appreciating the work for what it is.

There were several parts which effectively said, "This product flopped commerically and this client stupidly never worked with us again, but this is now in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York so obviously everyone was mistaken." Admittedly, that's an exaggeration, but sadly not a huge one.

The book also seemed a little thrown together, stretching the couple's minimal portfolio of work with a few semi-related essays by the Boyms and a few others. Oddly, the book finishes with an essay by Constantine Boym about McDonalds republished from a food magazine. So weird.

[Iamreddave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun book. A quick read with great ideas. I heard about it in Shaping Things
by Bruce Sterling.