{"id":6776,"date":"2014-12-16T12:15:06","date_gmt":"2014-12-16T12:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dessol.com\/blog\/?p=6776"},"modified":"2014-12-16T13:39:09","modified_gmt":"2014-12-16T13:39:09","slug":"past-present-future-design-key-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dessol.com\/blog\/past-present-future-design-key-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Past, Present and Future Design Is the Key to Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Everything<\/a>\n

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Past, Present and Future Design Is the Key to a Successful Working, Living Environment<\/strong>
\nThoughts on the future, status and impact of design<\/em><\/p>\n

Design is not only a way of life, it is an industry with a future always up for discussion. Every week there are exhibitions, trade fairs, conferences and get-togethers from every industry sector around. Some are ground-breaking and make a valuable contribution to progressing their field.<\/p>\n

Others are little more than a commercial exercise, often wrapped up in overt publicity and gratuitous self-congratulation.<\/p>\n

One of the more progressive concept<\/em>s is PAD – Pavilion of Art and design. The latest Pad Fair<\/a> – London was this autumn. Here, past design meets future design.<\/p>\n

The PAD Ethos<\/h2>\n

The site says: \u2018Set in the vibrant heart of Mayfair, PAD is London\u2019s leading fair for art, design and decorative arts. Inspiring a unique spirit of collecting, PAD epitomises how modern art, photography, design, decorative and tribal arts interact to reveal astonishing combinations and create the most individual and staggering interiors. Prominent international galleries from major cities across Europe, North America and Asia come together to offer an exceptional panorama of the most coveted and iconic works available on the market today.<\/p>\n

PAD is evidently a place to discover and acquire pieces of museum quality with a distinct history. PAD cultivates eclecticism, authenticity and connoisseurship with passion and flair. Its boutique setting is designed to inspire collectors, art consultants, museum experts, interiors specialists, design practitioners and the public alike, making PAD the only event of its kind.\u2019<\/p>\n

The 2014 catalogue<\/a> gives an insight into the way design, art and cultural history work together to create new pieces but also to integrate with our daily lives. It includes tribal art and artifacts of all generations.<\/p>\n

What it says about design in general is that it is everywhere through all ages and without it, we would have a chaotic, ramshackle world. To collect the past is to decorate the present and the future.<\/em><\/p>\n

Glowing Reports<\/h2>\n

House & Garden<\/em> (Nov 2014) carried a report by Emma Crichton-Miller who got the views of some of the exhibitors.<\/p>\n

Gordian Weber, Greek and Roman antiquities specialist said he tries to focus on the timeless quality of pieces, so the past comes to the fore in contemporary design.<\/em><\/p>\n

Gregory Gatserelia shows limited design pieces related to function<\/em> and raved about some of the galleries within PAD such as Modernity and Carpenters\u2019 Workshop.<\/p>\n

Michael Hoppen specialises in 20th and 21st century photographic art<\/em> and said, \u2018specialism has a value.\u2019 When asked \u2018Why PAD?\u2019 replied, \u2018it\u2019s intimate, it\u2019s private, like a village. You have the sense of going down a little side street in a strange city where you will find something you have not seen anywhere else.\u2019<\/p>\n

For Robin Katz (20th Century British art), PAD is a \u2018nuclear fire of energy for the London art market\u2019 and Japanese art specialist Jean-Christophe Charbonnier said of collecting trends, that \u2018today\u2019s tendency is very obvious : buy less, but better.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

For Adrian Sassoon, who presents \u2018an interesting range of living artists\u2019 work in glass, ceramics and steel\u2019 claimed that people want luxurious objects of their own generation – \u2018not Granny\u2019s things.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Artlyst<\/em><\/a> described it as \u2018inspiring a unique spirit of collecting.\u2019<\/p>\n

Design Is Without Boundaries<\/h2>\n

So, it\u2019s fair to argue that design has no boxes<\/em> to place it in. It\u2019s the ultimate ubiquitous element in our daily lives. It should have higher recognition.<\/p>\n

An interesting and thoughtful piece about the status of design was published in August 2013 on Creative Blog<\/em><\/a> where Adrian Shaughnessy argued that –<\/p>\n

\u2018Something interesting has happened in design education. There\u2019s been a revolution, and the old order has been reversed. In many instances students are now smarter than the employers.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

He said that recent design graduates are \u2018effortlessly absorbed\u2019 into the new digital media landscape.\u2019 They are the first generation to be raised as \u2018digital natives.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Many are at the forefront not just of making money but of \u2018the notion of design as a tool for social improvement.\u2019 This design is not just for fuelling consumption. It’s not even for aesthetics and culture, though it may be that incidentally.<\/p>\n

Shaughnessy said that the only thing that bright new grads don\u2019t have that is greater than previous generations is experience. Time will put that right.<\/p>\n

Acknowledging there are self-indulgent (design) students and those with only \u2018a shallow view of what it means to be a designer\u2019 in a networker age, the fact is that \u2018the design industry is not ready for many of these new design students.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

He asks three questions of anyone contemplating a design education:<\/p>\n