The Whatnot Studio is a progressive educational platform in the Designed Objects department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) that is focused on creative inquiry and iteration. This year-long course enables students to hone their voice as individual designers while working as a team to execute a thematic collection of highly refined and relevant work for public exhibition.

Led by Pete Oyler and Jonah Takagi, the 2019-20 Whatnot Studio addresses the concept of utopia. Published in 1516, Thomas More’s book, Utopia, set creative precedent for imagining a perfect place. The word utopia is derived from two Greek words–Outopos, meaning ‘not a place’ and Eutopia meaning ‘good place.’ In coining the term that would be fodder for cult leaders and designers alike, More was astute in his estimation that a perfect place was also an impossible place.

Students in the course have explored a range of topics–from utopian ideals of order exemplified in the development of post-war American suburbs and also in Renaissance gardens to the idea that utopia is fast comfort food, a tidy workspace, a handmade tool, and access to clean water. Materials in the collection range from wood, metal, and clay to silicone, acrylic, vinyl, and resin. Aptly titled Eighteen Perspectives on Utopia, this diverse collection of work explores the blurred lines between utopia, dystopia, and reality.

A note from Pete Oyler and Jonah Takagi:

On March 16, 2020 in-person classes were suspended at SAIC. Our studio course, like everything else, came to an abrupt halt. The following Friday, March 20th, we were granted access to our studio and brought along Chicago-based photographer Jonathan Allen. We decided to document the work and space just as we had left it–an in-process array of ambition, intention, and imagination. As we find ourselves recalibrating our lives and renegotiating the ordinary in the face of Covid-19, it is fair to say that we had no idea just how timely the topic of utopia would be.

When the reality of the pandemic came into sharper focus–Stay-At-Home Orders, the shuttering of non-essential businesses and of course the cancellation of our intended physical exhibition at Wanted Design–we decided to pursue a digital presentation of the collection. We enlisted Jon Lucas to design our website, which foregrounds the Swiss Grid–a utopic graphic organizational system that was developed after World War II–and solicitied written contributions from Herman Miller’s archivist Amy Ausherman and design writer Luke Baker. The result of these contributions in combination with the student work is a vibrant mesh of ideas that amplifies the creative pursuit for imagining and contextualizing what could be–a worthwhile pursuit, especially right now.

Contact
General, aiado@saic.edu
Pete Oyler, poyler@saic.edu
Jonah Takagi, jtakagi@saic.edu

Credits
Graphic and Web Design, Jon Lucas
In-Situ Photography, Jonathan Allen