Why are contemporary artists interested in engaging in the design world?

I have to admit I asked this question because I do not know the answer. Most architects are stuck in the mode of fitting any artwork in their projects with the same attitude as a neoclassic architect. “Put it in a niche”! It seems that artists are much more engaged in expanding the scope of their interests and commentary. Is this the natural extension of the “modernist project?”

Monday, January 23 at 12:40pm

One way I sought to extend my painting practice was to look to the “back stories” lurking in and about the archive itself to overcome the ever diminishing returns of formal painting. Almost anything became fodder-written texts, photographs, diagrams and maps, not to mention whispers and gossip. When lucky what is gleaned is funny and unexpected and, to my mind, goes a long way to throw skepticism into the usual narrative that is the canon.

The old saw of architecture as the mother of the arts aside why wouldn’t anyone, artists included, not be effected by architecture and design as they so envelops us ? At some point stories behind architecture had to make their appearance in my work.

While at the Glass House I overheard the estate manager explain that there is always a clean white rug to replace the one on the floor should it become soiled. He also let drop that in cleaning, the rug shrinks. Johnson has detailed drawings of the placement of his beloved Mies furniture down to the inch. If the rug shrinks but the furniture has to be a specific distance from the carpet edge and each other, at some point, if the rug continues to shrink, either the furniture is on top of one another or they sit beyond the rug. A light bulb moment, I decided to picture the disconnect in a series of paintings.

Thursday, January 26 at 12:15pm

The New York Times just posted that Moss, “the SoHo design mecca” is closing its doors: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/garden/moss-the-soho-design-emporium-is-closing.html?_r=1&src=tp

As an aspiring young designer I used to frequently visit Moss, experiencing it as many did – a museum and event space – or as Paul Goldberger mentioned this morning – “…a better place for dates than shopping.”

I’m going to look at this question from my own opposite perspective as a designer – Moss is where the contemporary design world had their work presented as if it was art, straddling a hard to define line between gallery and store. When I first came to New York as a student in the early 2000s this was absolutely the most amazing, glamorous and innovative place I had ever seen. It was fast – you could see new design and designers there first – it was about access and a level of excitement, immediacy and newness that I had never experienced before, it was wonderful.

Perhaps in the mixing of art and design there is an element of glamor that neither can posses on their own?

Thursday, January 26 at 2:04pm

Emily
I agree, when I first arrived in New York I loved to
drop in at the Moss store and scream out “Yes, someone
understands me!”
Interesting for our topic is that many of the great
Scandinavian and Italian Industrial designers had training first in
Architectural schools or offices.
For this conversation some the most recent avant guardy Dutch product
designers who manipulates Louis XIV style for deconstructionist
chairs or use patterns of Victorian Lace for ceramic work come closest
To the idea of appropriation of one design culture by another.

Thursday, January 26 at 10:31pm