Saturday 21 February 2009

Favorite things

Tonight I was just thinking about favorite things. I have often been one to say that I can have so many favorites that it is difficult to choose. The problem, is that is easy to be inspired by things in life, that it can be difficult to choose. However, I think I define something becomes a favorite, as opposed to an inspiration is when it continues to inspire me in a long term. That every time I revisit the work of a specific artist or designer or musician, that it gives me a renewed sense of pleasure, that it makes me want to find out more, to learn about who inspires them and who they inspire.

Tonight I was looking back through my personal library of designers and artists. And was able to remind myself of Erwin Wurm.

I simply love his work. I discovered him a few years ago, when I came across his book The artist who Swallowed the world in the school library and since then I have been hooked. I love the simplicity of the idea in alot of his work, yet I find so much of it to be extremely compelling. And it often makes me smile. which is the most important of all.

I love the series - 1 minute sculptures, which are based on a simple interactions between the model and their surroundings. They are interactions which are unusual, that cause you to stop and take a second look, then often to have a chuckle, as it is if for a single moment the person has been caught in the act of doing something that is normally "not done". It is almost like a photographic diary of catching people in these strange positions, in a multitude of locations...in the street, in a house...in a gallery...anywhere. and yet although these pieces seem so quick, so brief in their creation, they also seem to have many deeper messages that can be read within them.
















I also like, is that you can notice traces of his work in others. So it is noticeable that his work not only creates an impact, it inspires people. I see it as a possible inspiration to design work, mostly in the sense of the idea of not taking products and spaces at face value...and searching for all possible ways that something may be used or interpreted.

A group that took inspiration from his work is the Red Hot Chili Peppers, also an old favorite of mine in their video Can't stop, as seen below.




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