.lleill depend oracle is caloric grin/l tonal? By Henry Holmes Functionalism isn‘t just a theme at the Institute of Design; it’s an obsession. For four years functionalism is hammered into students, then they’re thoroughly fitted to pro— duce such phenomenally func- tional items as a piece of wood shaped to please the hand . . . or a chair built of paper. Making and understanding the problems concerned is a key part of the study process. All the engineering problems of the chair built of papcr are conquered, but the fashion problem remains. It develops that current styles—» particularly in women’s clothes-— will lead to extreme discomfort for persons sitting in these chairs. The Institute is now working on clothes that can be worn while sitting in the paper chair. However, there have been no blatant suggestions that the birthday suit may yet be the most appropriate. Some people claim that the In- stitute of Design is up in the air about things. Certainly members of the Institute can't deny that- and it’s all because of functional- ism. Nothing that can be hung from the ceilings is placed on the floor. The Institute is noted for a conspicuous lack of trash and use- ness furniture. Ethereal items strongly remi- niscent of linker toys, crector sets, torn hair nets, and tooth- pichs dangle from the ceiling and massage the students” scalps in classrooms. According to the devious thinking of the inhabi— tants, lhesc ornaments are not only logical, ihcy’re functional. After four years of intensive study inhabitants emerge with a quality they feel is extremely rare in other men—an appreciation of form. Their chief target is developing an understanding of all of one’s senses, particularly those of touch and sight. Graduates should be capable of pin—pointing an out— standing design at distances which would discourage any normal mor» tal. Oncé’ the iorm is sighted, the sense of touch plays a key part. “When this understanding is ac- complished," observed one member of the Institute, “it must be linked with the knowledge of the material with which a person is working. This gives him a basis of approach for his designs and he arrives at the lorm.” In this respect embryo designers are given an opportunity to create from two dimensional line work an object that is not only pleasing to the sight but also to the touch. Beginners usually concern them selves With a small piece of wood and the finished product is so work— ed and pmished that the inherent beauty of the wood is not only brought out but also fits the form for which it was intended. Thus a handle for a drill press would not only be pleasing to the eye but would also fit the palm of the hand. This same handle also func- tions under a psychological as- pect. if, for instance, it was involved with a dangerous opera— tion on the machine the design would he so as to more-or—less warn the operator of the hazardous features. This approach is used in the design of operating throttles and lovers in aircraft. Thus a lever which lets the landing wheels down would move downward for this operation and would be shaped like a landing wheel. in their exhibit the Instituute demonstrates some very elemen— tary household mechanisms. An eggbeater with a handle shaped to fit, the palm of the hand, is actual- ly less tiresome to use than the more standard forms. A screw driver with what resembles a pota» lilinols “~23 quality they feel is extremely rare" “——accompl ishcd product designers" Infill-rare all Technology, thcucyo re, llllnuis “Ethereal items—“dangle from the ceiling" “wit's all because of functionalism” “-ar: appreciation of form” “mprohlcms or the chair are conquered" to masher top operates more easily and with less force than the straighbhandled type. This atti— tude applies to a hacksaw, and, of course, to the paper—pressed chair. la the problem of design con- cerning the chair, there are also certain economy features. The chair is cheaper than traditional forms, it is eas ler to clean be— cause it has no unobtrusive comers, and it can be massmrm duced with very few indusfirial operations. The more blasé personality views: the aims of the Institute with an upraised eyebrow claiming its inhabitants are too arty for the everyday approach to living. Some even go so far as to claim that it was here the polka dot shirt was invented. Nevertheless, the in» stitute continues to turn out ac- complished product designers whose innovations in the field are being more and more widely accepted. Such prominent architects as Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der hom- me .. l v n m cord with the aims of the, Institute. For those who are not familiar, w 1' gm may be remembered as the lesioner of the imperial Hotel in Tokyo, the only structure that re maincd intac‘: during a disas’rrom carih'iuake in Japan. Mies van der Rohe’s architectural genius is readily apparent on {he ll’r campus. in keepinor with the onvvmv‘h: n” Wright and Mies van der Rohe, the institute flaunts tradition in almost every elementary aspect. in cer- tain cases the approach is para- doxical. Thus, in developing the proverbial mousetrap, the question may be of an historical nature and the designer may find himself ask— ing the reason for killing mice in this manner. Rather than im~ provement there is a complete breaking down and the end result may be a ccntraption which catches mice by the tail. Above a‘l the average student al the institute is in love wiih his work and undergraduates may be found in the many design labora- tories working long into the night. (Continued imam page .l‘Wv-il) be awarded to the winners of each tournament. dill, ii'illlbl‘l’ icing}? The opportunity which all our. culinary minded engineers have eagerly awaited is about to arrive. A new feature of Junior Week this year will be a cake baking contest open to all male students and faculty members. Those students who do not have adquate facilities of their own will be able to use the Home Economics department’s mixing utensils and ovens in the Home EC kitchens, 18 South Michigan, from 8 until 10 p.m on Friday. Students will be requested to bring their own in- gredients plus a baking tin. Judging will be held in the NU cafeteria on Saturday, at 2:30 pm duilrnpg, sorlrrrgy llT’s ocean»going Techawks, more commonly called the Sea- hawks, will have a fully-rigged sailing dinghy, together with pic— tures of its members’ sailing activi» ties, in the Psychology building. Charts of the Great Lakes will be posted and information will be available concerning the champion— ship regatta to be held the week- end of Junior Week at the Colum~ bia Yacht club, The other schools participating will be Northwestern, University of Chicago, Notre Dame, Washington, University of Washington and the University of Minnesota. :0 Midyear cheomchoos Model “Viheels A'Rollin” is the title chosen by the HT 'Model Railroaders for the exhibit this year in 600M. Visitors will see long freight “drags,” sleek passenger trains, and stubby switr‘hers shunting“ in the yards. Those who are electri» cally inclined will find interest in the method by which signals from towers are automatically repro— duced on the mainline cabs. (Commas-cl lrom page .anfll) mcnt’s exhibit will be a brain~ teasing peep show that promises to arouse the interest of all. A dis~ play of machinery used for draw— ing and reproduction will enable visitors to see the latest in draft- ing’s mechanization. Drafting ma— chines that will be shown include the “ellipsograph,” the “picto- graph," a sensational tracing table and a “variagraph” machine that will letter any type style. h’lecrrun microscope Ever—popular demonstrations of colorful polarized light compete with high voltage phenomena for the attention of viewers of the physics exhibit. These thrills are followed by chills in the display of low temperature effects induced by liquid air. A little looks like a lot when viewed through the department’s electron microscope, a part of the exhibit for the first time this year. Hear gees been The Fire Protection Engineering Department will have as one of its many exhibits a colossal display from the Cardox Company. A, small railway car, filled with alco~ hol will be set afire and towed into a miniature room protected with a low pressure C02 system. Heat actuating devices will set off this efficient system and smother the fire. A short demonstration of fire extinguishers includes the use of a self quizzing machine. A third phase of this exhibition will show the use of “wet” water in fire ex. tinguishment. lilo? roan problems? A swift and breezy course which carries the visitor through the various phases of the business world, and one which is guaran— teed to make the exasperating problem of income tax crystal clear will be featured by the business and economics department. in ad— dition, the BE majors have rigged up a brain teasing electrical apparatus which entertains and educates the casual observer with a series of questions and answers on pertinent economic topics. Wore by” machine An actual voting machine is shown to visitors of the Political Science department along with a program illustrating the tactics of persuasion. This program includes a recorded dramatization and am alysis of propaganda methods. dire» you breaching? A main feature of the Biology de— partment show will be the demon- stration of a true—life but colony showing" the worker ants, nurse arts (honest), and all the other varied professions of ants contrib- uting their share to the ant life. A pneumograph (part of a lie detector) will be on hand to help you find out where your best girl actually was the night she said she was sittling up with a sick aunt. Also included in the display will be plants flown in from Guatemala to illustrate hormonal activity of plant life; germination of seeds on nutrient agar ( ? ‘l ‘3); butyl alcohol fermented from corn, with samnles for the strong—stomached Tech~ awk; and the latest; competitor of the electric light—luminous bac- teria. Mow The sec or ramble Those of the Open House visit- ors who are in the “if I knew you were coming; l’d have baked a cake” category find this year’s Home Economics display an oasis; of re‘ lief from the mass of technical engineering exhibits seen almost everywhere else on the campus. One of the main points of inter— est is the demonstration of ac- cepted table setting techniques. in- teiflded among otbei reasons, for those who sometimes have difficulty in iemembcringz whethei the salad is p ‘aced on the i glut, is ‘t, or d d center. Housewives who con dc): their families under or over-nour— ished find comfort in the schedule of well—balanced meals carefully prepared by Torh's increasingly importanr home economics school.