ash bench by Howard Werner
from the [dis]functional: Products of Contemporary Design exhibit
A work of art exists as itself; a chair exists as a chair itself. The idea of a chair isn't a chair. Donald Judd, It's Hard to Find a Good Lamp, 1993.
Much of contemporary culture is less concerned with the Modern adage of "form follows function", attributed to architect Louis Sullivan, and more interested in exploring the boundaries of functionality. Today, ornamentation can be seen as a way to re-humanize design, and functional sufficiency alone is no guarantee for success. The selection of objects on view encourage visitors to think beyond use and to consider how nature, the human form, and the machine complicate our notions of purpose. Here, conceptual design refers to artworks that integrate the design principles of use, materiality, and accessibility. While society has encouraged us to acknowledge distinctions between artists and designers, there is a shared language difficult to deny. Can the dysfunctional quality of an object hold a value equal to the beauty in materials.
According to artist Donald Judd, there is a clear difference between the concepts of art and the responsibility of design. Yet the exhibition [dis]functional: Products of Conceptual Design presents artworks that play with elements of design in unexpected and innovative ways. The framework questions the historical significance of functionality and authenticity by spotlighting works that expose a more porous border between these fields. Perhaps we can embrace ambiguity and uncertainty while relying less on the need for truthfulness in objects.
From the sign at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
ash bench by Howard Werner
from the [dis]functional: Products of Contemporary Design exhibit
A work of art exists as itself; a chair exists as a chair itself. The idea of a chair isn't a chair. Donald Judd, It's Hard to Find a Good Lamp, 1993.
Much of contemporary culture is less concerned with the Modern adage of "form follows function", attributed to architect Louis Sullivan, and more interested in exploring the boundaries of functionality. Today, ornamentation can be seen as a way to re-humanize design, and functional sufficiency alone is no guarantee for success. The selection of objects on view encourage visitors to think beyond use and to consider how nature, the human form, and the machine complicate our notions of purpose. Here, conceptual design refers to artworks that integrate the design principles of use, materiality, and accessibility. While society has encouraged us to acknowledge distinctions between artists and designers, there is a shared language difficult to deny. Can the dysfunctional quality of an object hold a value equal to the beauty in materials.
According to artist Donald Judd, there is a clear difference between the concepts of art and the responsibility of design. Yet the exhibition [dis]functional: Products of Conceptual Design presents artworks that play with elements of design in unexpected and innovative ways. The framework questions the historical significance of functionality and authenticity by spotlighting works that expose a more porous border between these fields. Perhaps we can embrace ambiguity and uncertainty while relying less on the need for truthfulness in objects.
From the sign at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art