Last weekend I went to the Hayward Gallery to see two exhibitions, The New Decor and Ernesto Neto, both of which promised to challenge the conventions of interior design.
There were two pieces at The New Decor that really stood out as examples of how an artist’s mindset applied to design can create something truly magical.
The first piece that I liked was Spencer Finch’s Night Sky (Over the Painted Desert, Arizona, January 11, 2004)
Firstly, it was a beautiful light installation that would be equally at home in a public or commercial space, or even a large home.
Secondly, the back story about the design inspiration was really clever. The bulbs are positioned according to the molecular structure of the four pigments that made up the colour of the night sky that night in Arizona; each bulb representing a single atom. I like a bit of chemistry geekiness, and loved the contraction of the lights representing darkness.
The second was Los Carpinteros’ Cama:
How much fun?! Despite being an art installation, you can actually imagine this bed being used – maybe for a kids’ sleepover. I absolutely loved it.
I happened to be doing a bit of work-related research in Google today and discovered your blog. I have to admit that I’ve gotten a tad sidetracked going through and reading some of your posts… I ought to probably be working. You have some very nice observations here, so I’m going to add you to my Google Reader for the future. Take care!