Tag Archives: Theo Alexopoulos

Getting Ready for the Superstorm

The ARkStorm scenario, a massive superstorm capable of causing unprecedented damage to California, has gotten a lot of attention following the USGS ARkStorm Summit earlier this month. Art Center and Designmatters served as lead design partner for the summit, and a video made by MDP alumnus Theo Alexopoulos envisioning the event has been circulated far and wide.

From MSNBC’s Cosmic Log: “Experts say such a hurricane-style storm occurred over a 45-day period in 1861-1862, causing severe flooding and turning the Sacramento Valley into an inland sea. Today, that kind of storm could cause $300 billion to $400 billion in damage. The video [by Alexopoulos] paints an apocalyptic picture, made worse because ‘the public at large does not comprehend the extreme danger the storm poses.’”

View the video below, and read more:

Get Ready to Shake, Rattle and Roll

Today at 10:21 a.m., millions of people across California will drop, cover and hold on as part of the 2010 California ShakeOut.

ShakeOut—formerly the Great Southern California ShakeOut—was launched in 2008. The Designmatters project, The Los Angeles Earthquake: Get Ready, was launched in conjunction with the event. An integral part of the acclaimed project was a PSA directed by Art Center alumnus Theo Alexopoulos.

The short film, Preparedness Now, was commissioned by the USGS Multi-Hazard Demonstration Project to depict the physical, social and economic consequences of a massive earthquake. In 2010, Preparedness Now was one of three components of project recognized for groundbreaking design by inclusion in the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum-Smithsonian National Design Triennial exhibition, Why Design Now?

In honor of today’s ShakeOut, enjoy the film below: