Not too long ago, fifty four years to be exact. Mattel introduced ‘Barbie’ and what followed was five decades of variations on pink. Other colorways took center stage from time to time in Barbie’s petite couture lines which hung on tiny pink hangers in her custom plastic wardrobe. Yet despite the color, the bling or the price tag, Barbie product was always adorned in imaginative shrink wrapped marketing which caught the eye of many young children’s dreams and their parent’s wallets at check out. Pink, a color typically associated with:Positivitysuch as: unconditional and romantic love, compassion and understanding, nurturing, romance, warmth, hope, calming, sweetness, naiveté, feminine and intuitive energy can also be associated with Negative connotations such as: being over-emotional and over-cautious, having emotional neediness or unrealistic expectations, being immature and girlish, lack of will power and lack of self worth. But STOP!!!!! because what you thought you once knew or felt about the color pink has all changed, ‘Pink’ has gone through a transformation and what was once associated with everything glossy and sweet is no longer. What you now need to know is that Pink is the new power suit Blue. Pink and its use in design, architecture and industries alike has evolved since 1959, the passion for Pink has certainly matured and has been embraced. Barbie? well she has taken on a new profession Architect Barbie and one thing remains certain despite the new career change, Barbie's pink persuasion is persuading more than five year olds. Perhaps Barbie's next career should be power broker extraordinaire.
A striking contrast in approach yet same color usage is the work of Cy Twombly ( below). While Mattel was launching Barbie in Manhattan stores Cy was launching his pop art painting career. Both art forms in a sense and fans of pink and shades related to. Mattel and Twombly's work in many ways the same pop-expressionism of over exaggerated features and color usage to gain reaction and in turn an instant fan base. New York would never be the same.
Twombly painted the peony as well and when I think of pink and power, I think of the peony. Peonies are the ultimate balance of power, intrigue and femininity. Like any design reveal or marketing debut it all takes teamwork. The pink shaded Peonies are my favorite not only for their abundance of ever-ending glorious pink petals but for the fascinating teamwork behind the flower's grand emergence. Peonies secrete a sugar-like subsistence on the outer tight bud that purposefully entices ants to meander through the bud in order to access the sugar high. In return for the work, the peony offers up the sweet nectar as gratitude resulting in the beginning of the bud's opening-debut. Once the bud is slightly opened, the peony can do the rest. At the recent spring 2013 haute couture fashion show of Alexix Mabille teamwork and the use of pink were represented as fashion forecasting was unveiled down the runway. Each mastery of interpretive pink design more enchanting than the next-in feminine shades of pink and stunning hand lace and bead work to match. Even Audrey Hepburn when wearing pink makes a statement not of submissiveness but of gracing power and achievement. Hepburn's upward reach is far from demeanor and subtle-she is commands the shot and the viewer's attention.
Step off the runway and stroll by Paris' boutique window displays. One will find 'pink' is featured in the windows. Clothes, bags and pumps in NEON pink it's open for interpretation and being interpreted at the same time. Pink is not just women's wear anymore. Images below: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vicky-tiel/pink-paris-is-a-sight-for_b_2761355.html
Jet set to Shanghai and the power of pink and architecture have joined forces in the new Barbie retail space and restaurant. "Mattel wanted a store where “Barbie is hero”; expressing Barbie as a global lifestyle brand by building on the brand’s historical link to fashion. Barbie Shanghai is the first fully realized expression of this broader vision. Mattel worked with BIG, the branding and design division of Ogilvy & Mather, to develop creative concept, identify project location, explore featured activities and identify creative partners...Slade Architecture led the design including the exterior, interior, fixtures, and furnishings. Slade’s design is a sleek, fun, unapologetically feminine interpretation of Barbie: past, present, and future. For the new façade, Slade Architecture combined references to product packaging, decorative arts, fashion and architectural iconography to create a modern identity for the store, expressing Barbie’s cutting-edge fashion sense and history." Images below building,plan & spiral stair: http://www.archdaily.com/21065/barbie-shanghai-store-slade-architecture/
Mesmerizing Barbies washed in pink mini-couture tones wrap the glass spiral stair experience submerging the visitor with history, brand and value in owning the Barbie brand before visiting.
The innovation here goes beyond the usage of pink to the super graphic textile (below) that can be rolled up or down for privacy w/o the permanence of drywall.
Perhaps the greatest expression of freedom is in art installation esp. outdoor. Below is a recent landscape finalist/ winner incorporating pink balls suspended above in a tree canopy creating a sense of whimsy and festivity. The next image was an installation created in Paris France. "The Pink Ghost installation was a sculptural transformation of the center of
the square with a preservation stance. Made of pink epoxy, the installation
enveloped four trees and a streetlight to a height of 2.5 meters, and covered
the entire surface of the small central square...While the covering
work was in progress, the architects cleverly added approximately twenty chairs
and five coffee tables under the resin, to turn this exterior urban space into
an ‘interior’ lounge/salon situated outside. The project was meant to raise
questions about the status of public space in the city. After its removal from
the square, Pink Ghost
was rebuilt in the French pavilion at the Biennale of
Architecture in Venice, as a memory of the
plaza and its new use." Quote/Image below: http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/csla-announces-2013-awards-of-excellence/ http://www.worleygig.com/tag/architecture/
Innovative use of pink painted cardboard and mirrors engages the user in this architectural installation piece by Architects Leong Leong & " recently shared their photographs from Turning Pink at W/ Project Space in New York’s Chinatown. Made from 3inch rigid insulation and mirrored acrylic this temporary and site-specific installation was part of a series that ‘explore the translation of a legible figure into a continuous visual field." http://www.archdaily.com/90210/turning-pink-leong-leong-architecture/
When we think of product, often pink does not come to mind unless furnishing a Barbie dream house yet one does not have to look closely to find the color popping up in & on store shelves and in high-end stores. Pink tinges, tints and tones are the new rage including a Moleskin journal. Pink product ideas were initially created to support breast cancer awareness, yet pink has moved beyond temporary promotions with purchase and cause. Pink variations in all things home & office have become part of the living landscape.
Which brings us back to Barbie. An empire built on a notion of a touch of pink. Now, the design industry has expanded the use of pink to a submergence experience based on the color. Perhaps Barbie had it 'planned' all along as her plans packed neatly in her new shoulder roll would suggest. As the new Architect Barbie takes center stage in a world embracing pink, I only have a few words of advice from one industry colleague to another "pick up some pink work boots ASAP because high heels and high rises don't go together." Fortunate for Barbie, I found pink work boots, protection goggles and a hard hat all in go figure construction pink, now that styling with a customizable LED party dress for 'after hours.' http://feedly.com/k/1hgtmQA Image source:_http://observatory.designobserver.com/feature/a-dream-house-for-architect-barbie/29308/ http://observatory.designobserver.com/feature/architect-barbie/24718/