Szenasy, Design Advocate _ Writing and Talks by Metropolis Magazine

The first published collection of writings by writer and educator Susan S. Szenasy

For more than 30 years, Susan S. Szenasy’s voice has resonated as an editor-in-chief, writer, teacher, moderator, filmmaker and lecturer. In all of these roles, her advocacy for ethical, sustainable, human-centered design has been her guiding light. Known for decades as the editor-in-chief (and now publisher) of Metropolis magazine, one of the most influential design magazines in the world, Szenasy has led the charge on issues ranging from universal design to emerging trends of consumer excess, from design for disassembly to the recovery of Lower Manhattan’s communities after 9/11, from design education to the social and environmental impacts of the buildings and products we manufacture. This volume--the first published collection of Szenasy’s writings--brings together editorials, reviews, stories, profiles, industry event presentations, classroom lectures, commencement addresses and more. Szenasy’s honest, thought-provoking and often challenging opinions are present in all of these pieces. So, too, is her ongoing commitment to informed dialogue, which has influenced and guided generations of design professionals, architects, journalists, retailers, manufacturers, legislators, educators and the next generation of designers.

The book is a series of essays derived from Szenasy’s career. It is peppered with testimonials from peers that are often puffy self-testimonials of the writers’ contributions to Szenasy’s work. The resulting tone is strange. Too often, I felt the essays were perhaps too truncated or edited, particularly those derived from Szenasy’s editor’s letters in Metropolis. I enjoyed the photo essays and the collection of favorite Metropolis covers. These lend a balance to the text and establish that we are talking about the culture that Metropolis magazine has created through decades of powerful impact on the built environment. Hockenberry’s and Akiko Busch’s essays carry the poetic yet practical tone of the book, and when Szenasy speaks her mind, the level of clarity is breathtaking. The book is a celebration and homage to Szenasy’s life work at Metropolis and advocacy for design. I wondered if it was a signal of the closing of a chapter for her. The impression that I got from Szenasy’s feisty stance at the talk (Frank Gehry’s titanium façades: “He should know better”), her opinion that a client needs to be responsible for the social contract with the public when building, and her emotional plea for the public to demand design for end-of-life issues all lead me to believe that we will have much more of our “mother of the city” in Szenasy, which, conveniently, is the definition of “metropolis. (Annie Coggan Oculus)

Unlike some collections of major design figures' work, SZENASY DESIGN ADVOCATE is neither a self-aggrandizing ramble into the minutiae of what often turns out to be a fairly ordinary life, nor is it a lavish portfolio review that serves to remind us that the person in question soars far above us in the star system that is contemporary design. Susan Szenasy does not make design. You'll rarely see a picture of her in the design press. But she has affected you in ways you may not realise. (Natalia Illyn Communication Arts)