A Mutually Beneficial Relationship
What defines art? This is a question that can be interpreted in so many ways and has a multitude of viable responses. It’s one that we can only truly answer through creating or recognizing art ourselves. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say, except art is arguably not just about beauty. Art can conjure feelings and emotions, be a creative display of technical abilities or the representation of a conceptual idea. One thing we can perhaps all agree upon is that art is a subjective form of human expression.
Design on the other hand is much more definable. It is objective in its practicality and doesn’t necessarily always focus on aesthetics. Design, by nature, has a functional purpose and is found in all aspects of our life from interiors, architecture, fashion to the objects we use in our daily lives. Design solves problems, while art stimulates the mind.
The place where art and design overlap can be so much more impactful than one or the other on their own. Design is the environment of a space and art adds the personality to the surroundings. When you bring art and design together, they both become elevated.
When art and design successfully collide, they become one. Perhaps the best demonstrations of this relationship are when there is no visible line where one ends and the other begins. In interior design, for example, every part of the space serves both a design function and embodies an element of art; using line, shape, colour, contrast, space, and more to form a thoughtful composition that augments the overall enjoyment of the space. Some winning interior examples of art and design overlap are the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam designed by Marcel Wanders which reflects on the rich history and culture of the Dutch Masters and our very own hip Art Hotel The Drake and it’s recently opened The Modern Wing
From fashion, to furniture, to lighting and even sound, art and design can coexist anywhere that can be observed by the senses and both bring so much richness to our life.