Whitney Polcyn Architects Win San Jose Museum Of Art "Hidden Heroes" Design Competition

Online, October 6, 2013 (Newswire.com) - WHITNEY POLCYN ARCHITECTS WIN SAN JOSE MUSEUM OF ART "HIDDEN HEROES" DESIGN COMPETITION

The everyday paperclip gets star treatment in winning pop-up installation on display in conjunction with internationally traveling Vitra Design Museum exhibit

SAN JOSE, CALIF. - Whitney Polcyn Architects (WPA), a Silicon Valley-based interior architecture and design firm has been named winner of the San Jose Museum of Art's inaugural pop-up design competition. The winning WPA design will be displayed until December 2013, in conjunction with Hidden Heroes, an exhibition on loan from the Vitra Design Museum that spotlights thirty-six common objects of simple design that most of us take for granted.

"As we know through our architecture and design work, the global brands located here in Silicon Valley highly value the power of innovation showcased in this exhibit," said Polcyn. "Thus, we are extremely honored for our design to be selected to herald the Vitra Design Museum's Exhibit here in San Jose."
Designed to be efficient as well as economical, most of the objects highlighted in the Hidden Heroes exhibit are a testament to the accomplishments of the industrial designers, engineers and inventors who approached the most ubiquitous tools of modern life with a keen sense of simple design elegance. Hidden Heroes tells the story of their invention through patent drawings, historical information, and vintage advertisements.

The winning WPA design celebrates the iconic paperclip, known as the Middlebrook Gem clip and originally mass-produced in 1899 by William D. Middlebrook in England. The installation features a giant photo montage of the Gem clip surrounded by images of earlier paperclip designs as well as a paperclip sculpture made up of 70,000 paperclips. The installation provides an animated interactive experience of movement, sound and light.

"In our research of the paperclip, our designers discovered a world of creativity surrounding the everyday paperclip by a variety of artists and hobbyists who use the paperclip as a medium to make engaging art. We have included images of these creations in the installation-proving that art can be created from common objects-thus highlighting modern day creative heroes as well," said Polycn.

Jurors for the competition included David Asari, president of AIGA San Francisco, Sarah Hluchan, senior strategist at Google Inc, Cathy Ho, architecture critic and contributing editor at Architect magazine and Kat Koh, curatorial assistant at the San Jose Museum of Art. The jury committee cited the WPA entry for its strength of design, creative use of everyday objects, effective use of space and visual impact.

"During the jurying process, we agreed that WPA submission was the strongest based on our judging rubric. We all loved the multi-dimensionality of their submission and how it engages with the senses: the light sparkling off of the undulating paper clip strands, clinking sound made when the strands hit each other, cool metal to the touch. The wall installation also implores you to take a closer look, since the paperclip is made up of pixels of other creative spins on the original, classic form," said Koh.

The WPA-created Hidden Heroes pop-up installation will be on display in the San Jose Museum of Art's, Cafe Too and can be viewed free 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday, and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. More information may be found at www.sjmusart.org and see http://www.hidden-heroes.net/.

About WPA
Located in the Silicon Valley, WPA provides interior architecture and design solutions to help companies thrive and deliver innovations that change the world. Helping to define environments for a 21st Century workforce, WPA's award-winning designs and project management expertise create breakthrough solutions to challenging design issues to maximize client benefit. The company's design abilities, coupled with extensive knowledge of architecture, materials and products, code and construction methods ensure clients receive a full spectrum of services for most any project. Known as valued partners, creative problem-solvers and environmentally-responsible designers, WPA has collaborated with a variety of companies to help move them to the next phase of growth and success, including Apple, Ariba, Bosch, Tibco and Volkswagen. With the active ongoing direct supervision of WPA founders Steve Polcyn and David Whitney providing creative vision and senior project oversight, all work is strategic in nature and thoughtfully executed. For more information, please visit, www.whitneypolcyn.com.

About the San Jose Museum of Art
The San Jose Museum of Art celebrates new ideas, stimulates creativity, and inspires connection with every visit. Welcoming and thought-provoking, the Museum rejects stuffiness and delights visitors with its surprising and playful perspective on the art and artists of our time. The San Jose Museum of Art is located at 110 South Market Street in downtown San Jose, California. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 PM to 5 PM and until 8 PM or later on the third Thursday of each month. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens, and free to members and children under 6. For more information, call 408-271-6840 or visit www.SanJoseMuseumofArt.org.

For more information:
Please contact Stephen Polcyn, (408) 627-9123 or [email protected].