October 16, 2005 - January 2, 2006

SAFE: Design Takes On Risk features a carefully selected array of more than 300 contemporary design objects and prototypes from all over the world designed for a variety of reasons: to protect body and mind from dangerous or stressful circumstances; respond to emergency situations; ensure clarity of information; and provide a sense of comfort and security. The objects displayed in the exhibition address the spectrum of human fears and worries, from the most exceptional to the most mundane, from the dread of earthquakes and terrorist attacks to fear of darkness and loneliness.  The exhibition is organized by Paola Antonelli, Curator, and Patricia Juncosa Vecchierini, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art.

IDEO is represented by four separate works in the exhibit:

LifePort Kidney Transporter
This high-tech medical device from Organ Recovery Systems greatly increases the stability and quantity of kidneys available for transplants. This Flash-driven website explores the project in greater depth.

Identity Cards
Sixteen IDEO designers explored issues of identity, trust, security, and community as expressed in the exchange of business cards. These conceptual cards explore previously unspoken issues raised in this everyday act of social communication. The original project comprised over twenty concepts, of which four—Hair Card, Blood Card, Tree Ring, and Seed Card—were selected for the MoMA exhibition.

Crave Aid
Originally created for the Design Bienale in France, the Crave Aid food patches were an ironic take on our addiction to unhealthy foods, inspired by nicotine patches that enable people to wean themselves of tobacco without enduring the withdrawal symptoms.

Ha-Ori Shelter
This ingenious and elegant temporary shelter was designed and constructed by IDEOer Joerg Student as a project for the Industrial Design Engineering program at the Royal College of Art in London. Stemming from Student’s exploration of a folding technique inspired by the leaves of a hornbeam tree, the Ha-Ori (Japanese for “folding leaf”) shelter is constructed from corrugated polypropylene that has been folded in a series of trapezoidal shapes to create a rigid structure. When open, the shelter has a diameter of 12.5 ft and a height of 8.5 ft. When folded, the Ha-Ori measures 8.8 ft x 1.5 ft for easy transport.

You can learn more about the SAFE exhibit through the MoMA website and from this article in Metropolis Magazine.