Emily----Art + Design

In my mind, the purist examples of art and design existing as one occur when something is created with the objective of enhancing the experience of a certain physical atmosphere... Something designed for human interaction with an emotional response. Dale Chihuly is an glass artist from the U.S. who has been commissioned to enhance the atmosphere of different physical environments, through his own personal interpretation and expression. These examples are from the Botanical Garden in Atlanta, Georgia. He has taken into consideration specific details or characteristics of the environment and created a piece unique to that environment in order to enhance the emotional experience.


Nepenthese Chandelier (Entry Hall)

Example from Japanese Gardens


Examples from the Desert House


Basket Garden (seating area)


Cox Fountain

Another example of art and design existing together to enhance the emotional experience of a certain atmosphere is the main alter the Catedral in Seville, Spain. It is the largest in the world, designed for that specific Cathedral, and took 40 years to create. It was designed with east/west orientation, because Christ is said to have died facing west. The altar is composed of wood carved scenes(covered in gold leaf) from the new testament. The figures have illusionary sizes, which means that they all look like they are all the same size but are not. Since it is so huge, in order create the illusion, the figures towards the top are bigger than the figures at the bottom. So, a lot of thought went into the design of this altar. In my opinion, this is a very pure example of art (emotional expression) and design( craft), and is successful in enhancing the emotional experience of that atmosphere. For some the experience is horribly disgusting, and others it is positive.