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design is more than meets the eye…
Well, we made it to December. After the year we’ve had, of lockdown and sickness and loss and civil unrest and explosions, I think we’re all seeing things a little differently. Some are standing in the same place, seeing life from the same perspective, but seeing so much more of it now than they thought possible. Some have been pushed into so much change at such great speed that the life they live now feels foreign enough to be someone else’s. Many of us live somewhere between those extremes or in their overlap, getting from day to day in a nondescript state of being, taking a second to check for the answer every time someone asks how we are because we’re not really sure.
What’s universal is that life is different now. Like any other pocket of existence, that difference has been felt in the world of art and design. In this world, the eye has always symbolised insight, wisdom, protective oversight (surveillance?), and enlightenment. For Lookbook’s inaugural journal, we asked incredible makers, designers and artists from around the country and around the world who have tapped into that symbolism to talk to us about it, and about the year they’ve had. Their answers do what their work often does — show the world its reflection — except this time we made them write it down. What we got was a 2020-shaped understanding of the eye as an emblem, observation as a practice, and perspective as an ever-changing lens.
We’d like you to ask these designers the same sets of questions (perhaps 4 at most?), that delve into the zeitgeist of 2020 and this bizarre yet profound year, and how this has impacted the way they make, see and feel about their work.Answers we’re hoping to get could include how they see the world transforming and changing around them, but perhaps the opposite, and how things have slowed down, and have positively impacted their craft and work. Have a think, and let us know what you think would be the best questions to pose these designers and makers. And of course the most obvious would be the actual eye motif, and why they are drawn to it, or use it as a recurring theme in their work. Some of these makers might not literally use eyes as motifs, but rather play on the idea of looking, watching or seeing (a more lateral way of including a diverse.
We’d like you to ask these designers the same sets of questions (perhaps 4 at most?), that delve into the zeitgeist of 2020 and this bizarre yet profound year, and how this has impacted the way they make, see and feel about their work.Answers we’re hoping to get could include how they see the world transforming and changing around them, but perhaps the opposite, and how things have slowed down, and have positively impacted their craft and work. Have a think, and let us know what you think would be the best questions to pose these designers and makers.
And of course the most obvious would be the actual eye motif, and why they are drawn to it, or use it as a recurring theme in their work. Some of these makers might not literally use eyes as motifs, but rather play on the idea of looking, watching or seeing (a more lateral way of including a diverse.
nd of course the most obvious would be the actual eye motif, and why they are drawn to it, or use it as a recurring theme in their work. Some of these makers might not literally use eyes as motifs, but rather play on the idea of looking, watching or seeing (a more lateral way of including a diverse.
How has 2020 affected your process and how you experience it? Have things sped up, slowed down, gotten better, gotten worse, changed, or stayed the same? We have had some major changes in our life, our daughter was born. So for us things have shifted but it is not only because of covid. From a design point of view we have come up with new products and will be releasing them over the next few months. The first months of lock down allowed for time to reflect and design new things, followed by months of manic scrambling for survival.
What do you believe about the experience of viewing, seeing, witnessing? We are becoming more aware of the importance of observing the world around us before we make decisions, learning from what has been done before and how the world reacted to these actions, but when we design we do go into isolation to come up with ideas before we start looking around at what has been done. This allows us a unique starting point to grow from. Owning one’s own voice in all the noise of the world is very important for us. It is a continuous cyclical process of inner reflection and growth followed by outer observation and consumptions then inner reflection and growth again and so on.
Your moonjelly range has been described as surrealist sculpture. How do you see it? I think that is spot on. It is a three dimensional pattern/graphic with glass orbs melting off it, like one of Dali’s clocks. Conceptually bringing contrasts together of the structured pattern and flowing blob, using glass as a medium opened the door for these light sculptures. Manipulating the molten glass over the structures like deflated balloons was one of the most exciting processes we have done. Things are hot, instant and fragile. You have to be in the moment, observe and make decisions fast. So much fun.
Lighting illuminates space. Good design often makes the light itself something to look at. What justifies that flipped perspective? Life has to be fun. Designing lighting with its endless possibilities, most designers might agree, is fun. This object is present in your space day and night and needs to be well considered even if it is not switched on. Just standing around is part of its functions and justifies putting on some lipstick and making it look good.
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We’d like you to ask these designers the same sets of questions (perhaps 4 at most?), that delve into the zeitgeist of 2020 and this bizarre yet profound year, and how this has impacted the way they make, see and feel about their work.Answers we’re hoping to get could include how they see the world transforming and changing around them, but perhaps the opposite, and how things have slowed down, and have positively impacted their craft and work. Have a think, and let us know what you think would be the best questions to pose these designers and makers. And of course the most obvious would be the actual eye motif, and why they are drawn to it, or use it as a recurring theme in their work. Some of these makers might not literally use , watching or seeing (a more lateral way of including a diverse.
See more
We’d like you to ask these designers the same sets of questions (perhaps 4 at most?), that delve into the zeitgeist of 2020 and this bizarre yet profound year, and how this has impacted the way they make, see and feel about their work.Answers we’re hoping to get could include how they see the world transforming and changing around them, but perhaps the opposite, and how things have slowed down, and have positively impacted their craft and work. Have a think, and let us know what you think would be the best questions to pose these designers and makers. And of course the most obvious would be the actual eye motif, and ore lateral way of including a diverse range of mediums).
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