if art can predict culture, then design foreshadows technology – the ingo maurer retrospective at the cooper-hewitt is an astonishing exhibit. time and time again the genius better know for winged bulbs impresses with his use of technology for design. he was among the first to use low-voltage halogens hung from uninsulated cables suspended wall-to-wall (1984’s YaYaHo is pictured top), and a pioneer in the use of LEDs long before they became trendy flashlight bulbs (2001’s licht.enstein above). 2002’s LED benches featured white lights sandwiched in a tempered glass bench powered with transparent conductive sheet (below) while 2007’s LED wallpaper is a flexible adhesive printed circuit board with colored patterns that change gradually (bottom):
