Making a Map to a New World

Back in 2002, when Bruce Mau was less in demand than he is now, the Canadian designer was entertaining some two dozen prospective projects. Mau couldn't seem to resist the lure of a new challenge. At the same time, his interdisciplinary design practice, Bruce Mau Design Inc., was reeling from a series of projects that were critically acclaimed but largely unprofitable. The studio's manager, Jim Shedden, was losing patience. Feeling the sagging economy's squeeze, and pressure for the place to grow up, Shedden wasn't amused by Mau's unflagging juggling act. Shedden jotted down each project's name on a separate piece of paper and laid each page face-up on a table. He then told Mau to turn over every single page, except one-the project that he most wanted to take on. Before long, Mau turned all but five pages over. At Shedden's insistence, he eventually made his choice. Today, those five ideas form the foundation of the 45-year-old designer's biggest project to date: "Massive Change" - a traveling multimedia exhibition that amounts to a global catalog of many of the world's most innovative projects as seen through the lens of design.