Cars, sleek design and futuristic innovation blend together in an unusual exhibit at the
artisan gallery.
Industrial Desire: Detroit Concept Cars presents an example of the automotive design being carried out in the US city of Detroit, Michigan. Long synonymous with automotive manufacturing, Detroit first gained international recognition when Henry Ford founded the Ford Motoring Company in a converted factory on Bagley Street. Other major manufacturers like Walter Chrysler and the Dodge brothers soon followed and it wasn't long before Detroit became the place for serious car companies to set up shop.
Not surprisingly, the town's
College for Creative Studies quickly incorporated automotive design in to its curriculum. The College claims to place more graduates in design jobs than any other school in the world and in 2009,
BusinessWeek named CCS on its list of the best design schools in the world.
Industrial Desire is a collaborative effort between artisan and the College for Creative Studies, showcasing the design efforts of CCS students. The multi-media exhibit displays the entire process, from initial sketches to finished product (in the form of quarter scale models.) There's dazzling chrome, metallic paint and ultramodern instruments as far as the eye can see, as sleek sports cars and well known favourites (like the classic American pick-up truck) are re-created into something fluid and ultramodern.
This is a must see for wannabe car designers and rev heads, but even the least car-savvy patron can appreciate this rare glimpse of the skill and innovation being carried out in the car capital of the world.
