Complex Order: intrusions in public space, a design monograph recently published by Winnipeg's venerable Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art. The book collates a decade of creative output by Eduardo Aquino and Karen Shanski who operate under the moniker spmb - an acronym acknowledging the duo's divergent connections to São Paulo and Manitoba. Aquino and Shanski, both trained as architects, are active on the street and in the gallery through a practice that is particularly concerned with examining public space. Past projects have inscribed street furniture with information to create "everyday memorials", created perceptual interventions which challenge users and playfully explored graphic design and signage in the urban landscape. What initially drew me to Complex Order was the following statement, that describes the philosophy underlying the monograph:
We were not interested in the traditional monograph, centred in the production of the individual artist, but instead in the relationship of the work within a larger context. We work "in response" to circumstances and challenges presented to us, often in the public realm. Therefore, we wanted Complex Order to create a kind of public space of sorts, made of several constituencies, to stretch the discussion of public space itself, its poetics and politics, its actions and representations.
An anti-monograph monograph? Yes, and an engaging one at that. Aquino and Shanski have not only done an admirable job of presenting their own body of work but situated it within a constellation of other projects by peers and influences. The serial photography of spmb's All the Signs of Pembina Highway (2003) is displayed alongside Ed Ruscha's Every Building on the Sunset Strip (1966) and Gilles Hébert's Town Without Pity (1989) - all grounded by even-handed analysis. The book is a pleasure to move through as the typical hierarchies associated with chronology and inspiration melt away yielding the districts and "constituencies" promised by the mission statement rather than the opaque notions of absolute authorship implicit in most design monographs.
Complex Order organizes content by way of geography. Winnipeg, São Paulo and Montreal become the frames for considering work by spmb and peers - the book brings together approximately two dozen projects. For additional context, the monograph also includes several (refreshingly informal) interviews as well as essays contributed by Adrian Blackwell, Charles Kirschbaum and Theodore Zeldin.
[spmb / Vous Êtes Ici / 2003-06]
While this review has focused on context it goes without say that the work of spmb is diverse and engaging. Some standout projects include the studies of and reactions to Oscar Niemeyer's Copan building and the various Canadian memorial projects. To summarize, this is exciting work presented in a smart catalogue-like format - the collaborative nature of their projects (and thinking) really shines through. You can view a selection of work included in Complex Order here and order the text via the Plug In ICA webstore
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