- 1600 Holloway Ave, FA 121
San Francisco, CA 94112
USA - 415 338 2211
Hsiao-Yun Chu 曲 晓云
San Francisco State University, School of Design, Faculty Member
- San Francisco State University, Design and Industry, Faculty Memberadd
- PhD, University of Brighton MsEng in Product Design, Stanford University Design Program AB cum laude, Harvard Univers... morePhD, University of Brighton
MsEng in Product Design, Stanford University Design Program
AB cum laude, Harvard University
Current: Full Professor, Product Design and Development, San Francisco State University
Graduate Program Coordinator, Master's Program in Design
Former: Assistant Curator, Stanford University Libraries Fuller Collection, Stanford Universityedit - Jonathan Woodham (Brighton), Jyri Kermik (Brighton), Susannah Hagan (Brighton), David Kelley (Stanford)edit
"Noguchi and Greece, Greece and Noguchi examines the relationship between one of the 20th century’s most celebrated artists, Isamu Noguchi, and the Mediterranean country he regularly visited for decades through the lens of Objects of... more
"Noguchi and Greece, Greece and Noguchi examines the relationship between one of the 20th century’s most celebrated artists, Isamu Noguchi, and the Mediterranean country he regularly visited for decades through the lens of Objects of Common Interest (OoCI). This two-volume set considers the influence of Greek culture on Noguchi’s work, and the metamorphosing identity he established from engaging with multiple cultures, diverse practitioners, and a variety of mediums.
Letters, photographs, sketches, and words from the artist himself—some never seen before now— reveal the intimate relationship Noguchi had with Greece. New writings explore the Japanese–American interdisciplinarian’s creative community, including futurist Buckminster Fuller and choreographer Martha Graham; while contemporary visual essays reinterpret Noguchi’s enduring legacy across today’s design and art practices." (Atélier Editions)
Letters, photographs, sketches, and words from the artist himself—some never seen before now— reveal the intimate relationship Noguchi had with Greece. New writings explore the Japanese–American interdisciplinarian’s creative community, including futurist Buckminster Fuller and choreographer Martha Graham; while contemporary visual essays reinterpret Noguchi’s enduring legacy across today’s design and art practices." (Atélier Editions)
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Fuller's work has often suffered from lopsided treatment. Some laud him as a planetary prophet whose design science work foretold sustainable architecture and nanotechnology; others dismiss him as a "delirious technician" with a talent... more
Fuller's work has often suffered from lopsided treatment. Some laud him as a planetary prophet whose design science work foretold sustainable architecture and nanotechnology; others dismiss him as a "delirious technician" with a talent for linguistic obfuscation. Between adulation and disdain must lie a balanced picture of Fuller's life and his work.
This volume paints that picture by taking a broader historical view, discussing Fuller and his work in the context of larger social and cultural patterns. Fuller is a common thread in a critical cultural history that will show him to be both a participant in and a product of his times. By placing Fuller and his work in a historical framework, we will arrive at a much richer understanding of both this self-made polymath and his times. This fresh, contextual look at Fuller's work from leading scholars in different fields is an important step toward filling the void of serious scholarship on Fuller. (Hsiao-Yun Chu, on sup.org)
This volume paints that picture by taking a broader historical view, discussing Fuller and his work in the context of larger social and cultural patterns. Fuller is a common thread in a critical cultural history that will show him to be both a participant in and a product of his times. By placing Fuller and his work in a historical framework, we will arrive at a much richer understanding of both this self-made polymath and his times. This fresh, contextual look at Fuller's work from leading scholars in different fields is an important step toward filling the void of serious scholarship on Fuller. (Hsiao-Yun Chu, on sup.org)
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This monograph reconstructs the history of Fuller's first three models for the Dymaxion Car through detailed plans and archival photographs, and relates the production process of Dymaxion #4, a new prototype produced by Norman Foster,... more
This monograph reconstructs the history of Fuller's first three models for the Dymaxion Car through detailed plans and archival photographs, and relates the production process of Dymaxion #4, a new prototype produced by Norman Foster, which was launched on the street in 2010. (IvoryPress.com)
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Contributions to monograph on Fuller, Arquitectura Viva No. 143
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I contributed 3 encyclopedia entries to Material Culture in America: Understanding Everyday Life.
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The Women’s Pavilion at the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, held in Philadelphia, was a first of its kind: an entire building dedicated to the arts and industry of women around the world. It was noteworthy particularly... more
The Women’s Pavilion at the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, held in Philadelphia, was a first of its kind: an entire building dedicated to the arts and industry of women around the world. It was noteworthy particularly because it illuminated the many conflicts that were present during this unique period of transition. It functioned as a prominent stage, upon which the intricate debates of women’s political, artistic, and economic advancement were being played out in real time.
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This project combined historical enquiry and analysis with graphic design fundamentals of page layout and typography in an undergraduate student project. The goal of the project was design a contemporary cover for, and to typeset the full... more
This project combined historical enquiry and analysis with graphic design fundamentals of page layout and typography in an undergraduate student project. The goal of the project was design a contemporary cover for, and to typeset the full text of, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth, a short book first published in 1968 by futurist and designer/architect R. Buckminster Fuller.
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Over the course of his life, R. Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983) amassed an enormous collection of personal and professional correspondence, manuscripts, architectural models, newspaper clippings, and audiovisual recordings. By the time of... more
Over the course of his life, R. Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983) amassed an enormous collection of personal and professional correspondence, manuscripts, architectural models, newspaper clippings, and audiovisual recordings. By the time of his death in 1983, Fuller's archive contained over 1400 linear feet of papers and 1700 hours of recordings, and weighed an estimated 45 tons. Fuller thought of this collection as a detailed “laboratory notebook,” in which his every project and encounter would be faithfully and accurately recorded. This article describes the collection itself, discusses some of the unique organizational strategies that Fuller devised, and describes how the collection was acquired and subsequently processed. This article also comments on the value of the archive as a research collection. Because of its comprehensivity, the archive not only illuminates the work of R. Buckminster Fuller, but also affords sweeping views of the twentieth century at large through his eyes.
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Research Interests: History and Collections
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R. Buckminster Fuller is well-known as an author, design scientist, architect, and polymath renowned for his geodesic domes. Yet few people know that Fuller himself actually lived in a geodesic dome from 1960 to 1971, while he was a... more
R. Buckminster Fuller is well-known as an author, design scientist, architect, and polymath renowned for his geodesic domes. Yet few people know that Fuller himself actually lived in a geodesic dome from 1960 to 1971, while he was a research professor at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. This article describes the Carbondale dome and assesses the degree to which Fuller’s eleven-year residence in a dome of his own design affected his long-standing assertion that domes provided a natural, efficient, and ideal form of shelter.
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Conventional views of R. Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes suggest that domes were a naturally occurring form that was made usable through Fuller’s unique intuition and engineering know-how. However, geodesic domes were actually the... more
Conventional views of R. Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes suggest that domes were a naturally occurring form that was made usable through Fuller’s unique intuition and engineering know-how. However, geodesic domes were actually the outcome of a long-standing fascination with spherical geometry and multiple collaborations with individuals, universities, and military partners. This paper traces the evolution of R. Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes from the late 1940s to the 1970s with specific reference to collaborative projects. In addition, this article also comments upon why geodesic domes proved to be such a flexible architectural form, housing everything from radar equipment to radical back-to-landers.
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Geodesic domes were developed by R. Buckminster Fuller during the 1940s and 1950s as an efficient form for single family dwellings as well as a lightweight structure for military shelter and other applications. During the 1960s, geodesics... more
Geodesic domes were developed by R. Buckminster Fuller during the 1940s and 1950s as an efficient form for single family dwellings as well as a lightweight structure for military shelter and other applications. During the 1960s, geodesics found an entirely new audience in the counterculture generation and more specifically with the rural commune movement. This paper explores how and why the geodesic dome resonated with the rural commune movement.
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Page 1. ~ \ E§.<.=2!9_i§' 'I "'-Eesays on the 'Neture of Desi " '-r|sa T_|}..c-:ier * -__ and Beth Blosteig editors Page 2. ... First,... more
Page 1. ~ \ E§.<.=2!9_i§' 'I "'-Eesays on the 'Neture of Desi " '-r|sa T_|}..c-:ier * -__ and Beth Blosteig editors Page 2. ... First, they knew we were about to embark on a journey of unknowns—unknown destinations, unknown protagonists, and unknown outcomes. ...
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Review of "Archives and Archivists in Twentieth Century England"
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A book review of Design History: Understanding Theory and Method, by Kjetil Fallan (London: Berg, 2010)
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A review of the "New Views" Book, written by Barbara Opar which appeared on the ARLIS website, 2010.
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This paper documents the collaborative project between Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo, Japan and the Design and Industry Department (DAI) at San Francisco State University (SFSU). The aim of this project was to localize educational materials for a... more
This paper documents the collaborative project between Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo, Japan and the Design and Industry Department (DAI) at San Francisco State University (SFSU). The aim of this project was to localize educational materials for a workshop in Universal Design (UD) that Hitachi had originally developed for school children in Japan so that it would be appropriate for middle school children in the United States. The project underscores and summarizes the significance of such academic and corporate collaborative ventures. Such collaborative ventures enhance the dynamic linkages between corporate social responsibility programs and academic community service-learning experiences. This paper outlines the mutual goals that were the framework of the partnership between Hitachi and SFSU. This project led to the presentation, on April 2009, of a successful UD workshop given by Hitachi America Ltd. and SFSU at the Clarendon Elementary School in San Francisco.
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An article that appeared in the school paper about our faculty learning committee to improve undergraduate retention and graduation rates.