Lecture notes Feb 11 2026, New School, New York.
1. The Ethos of Making vs. Owning
Sachs argues that ownership is passive, while making is an active spiritual state.
“Drive for making, not for owning”: A critique of consumerism. The value of an object isn’t in its MSRP, but in the labor, repair, and understanding of how it functions.
Broadway Boogie Woogie: This refers to Piet Mondrian’s 1942-43 painting, which he replicated with gaffer’s tape. Sachs views it as a blueprint for organized chaos. It represents the “grid” of the city—pulsating, rhythmic, and strictly structured yet vibrating with energy. He uses it as a metaphor for his studio’s organization.
2. Bricolage & Gesamtkunstwerk
These are the two bookends of his technical and conceptual approach.
Bricolage (“Everything kind of works”): The art of using whatever is at hand. In a Sachsian world, “perfect” is the enemy of “done.” If a zip-tie and plywood solve the problem, that is the most honest solution. It highlights the “scars” of construction.
Gesamtkunstwerk: A “total work of art.” This is why he doesn’t just make a sculpture; he makes the zine, the film, the uniform, and the ritual ceremony to go with it. Every detail of the environment is considered part of the piece.
3. Layers of Experience & Sympathetic Magic
Space Suit Details: Sachs focuses on things like LCGs (Liquid Cooling Garments). Even if the cooling tubes don’t “work” to NASA standards, the act of sewing them creates a “layer of experience” for the maker and the viewer.
Sympathetic Magic: This is a key Sachs concept. It’s the idea that by building a 1:1 scale model of a Saturn V rocket out of plywood, you are actually “summoning” the power and prestige of the space program. If you build it with enough devotion, it becomes the thing it represents.
The Shoe: His Nike collaborations (like the Mars Yard) are extensions of this. They aren’t “fashion”; they are tools for the “sport” of making.
4. The Studio as a System
“I’m not James Bond, I’m Q”: Bond is the consumer of gadgets; Q is the creator. Sachs identifies with the tinkerer in the basement who enables the mission.
The Sports Team: The studio (131 Varick St) operates under “Ten Bullets” (his code of conduct). Like a team, everyone has a role, a uniform, and a shared goal of excellence through discipline.
5. ISRU & The Daily Ritual
ISRU (In-Situ Resource Utilization): A NASA term for “living off the land” (e.g., making fuel from Martian soil). Sachs applies this to the studio: use what you have, don’t buy new stuff if you can build it.
Output before Input: This is his productivity mantra. Do not check your phone or “consume” (input) in the morning until you have “produced” (output) something—writing, drawing, or building.
Avoid the Phone: The phone is a portal to “other people’s agendas.” Sachs advocates for keeping the morning sacred for your own creative labor.
6. The Archive (Zines and Books)
A Book for Every Project: Documentation is as important as the object. A project isn’t finished until it is “codified” in a zine. This traces back to his high school days—the DIY ethos of punk rock and skate culture where if you didn’t print it, it didn’t happen.
