ART IN LIFE
Artist: Denis Clavreul, Farm Kitchen
A story, lesson, meditation, or spirituality is assigned to each accommodation and public space. The Commission Lab generates assignments to the artistic community who utilize a Creative Lab process to execute their work through experimentation and innovation.
To attain the important inspirational and healing role of Art in Life, a body of work — visual, audial (and performing), fine art, aroma, and illumination — is commissioned unique to each space as a body of work.
The process is decidedly unlike interior decoration & design derived from art gallery, furniture catalogue, and motif specifications. Instead, aborigine artists are provided a creative realm (Creative Lab) within which to express far-reaching interpretation according to the commission brief and venue. The outcome is not hyper-control, rather a refreshing outcome of artistic expression and provocation.
Art In Life: When art has the power to rewire one’s senses and in effect become a new set of glasses, art in one’s life becomes a vehicle for inspiration and wellbeing. Its function is no longer limited to decor.
Art In Life occurs in three ways — beauty & inspiration, difference and creativity:
■ Beauty and Inspiration Beauty in and of itself serves as testament to the importance of art. A beautiful painting, photograph, video, song or dance triggers a sense of emotion in the viewer, filling his or her soul with wonder, contentment, or inspiration.
■ Difference Art acts to illuminate the wondrous variety of flora, fauna, human life, their struggles, emotions, and to look at the world in ways we may not have otherwise considered — typically leading to inspiration, meditation and awakening.
A tribal mask portrays the attributes of its facsimile or representation and the carver's values; the casual observer remains removed while the indigenous viewer is thoroughly engaged. Modern and post-modern art is typically motivated by absolute artistic originality demanding a fresh opinion or emotion of the viewer. In each case, the art piece can help the viewer to see things from another person's point of view, stressing our common human bonds as well as the ways in which experiences differ from one person to the next and from one culture to another.
■ Creativity Art is fueled by imagination, which allows us to grow and stretch beyond our boundaries.
Without new artistic movements and new means of creative expression, society can stagnate: trapped in established notions and unable to think in ways which can evoke new-found emotions.
With art commissioned accordingly the established environment can be set at levels far exceeding decor, design, and beauty.
Henrik & Reidar Hagtvedt and Vanessa Patrick set out to assess and quantify emotional and cognitive components involved in the perception of visual art. They created a Perception Scale measuring 4 emotion factors (positive or negative with high or low arousal) and 5 cognitive factors (curiosity appeal, aesthetic appeal, creativity, and skill).
To attain the inspirational and healing role of Art in Life, a curated body of fine art — visual, audial (& performing) — is commissioned unique to each accommodation & space for a cumulative and prescribed effect. When curating or commissioning a body of work for a particular space, the Perception Scale can guide the intended emotional outcome.
This power is exampled in Guest Room as Medicine.
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Unlike most art collections assembled by one or more curators targeting existing works, the Dynamic Collection is comprised of a fluid set of new work commissioned by a team of curators guided by the Five Principle Motives below.
The sale of a single art piece within the Dynamic Collection establishes a new (and higher) value. In addition to the Gallery, art is installed in all public areas and guest rooms — enabling the entire estate to become a virtual retail venue (while avoiding the dedicated capital investment in space of equal dimension). The artist benefits with the new value established by the sale and follow-on commission of its replacement at a higher price; and, inclusion of perhaps their best work in the Gallery. Both occurrences rising the stature, confidence and artistic value of the indigenous fine artist.
Creative in-resident artisans are invited for Five Principle Motives:
To produce commissioned works that provokes both the artist and viewer;
tell a story and share art-invoked emotions for an assigned space, seizing the opportunity to replace a Dynamic Collection piece with an even stronger commission to advance the power of the installation venue’s message-experience ;
to execute a body of work that is truly original and appreciates the aggregated collection’s value;
visual, performing and gastronomic art are infused together to entertain and embrace (stimulate) dialogue and introspection; and,
to generate a new Modern Art movement that integrates wellbeing with Modernist Culinary Art for healing.
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The Harmony Project’s Art In Life model is a superior to the Art Museum Hotel genre which is based on a static collection of curated art with the primary motive of establishing a stylish decor sometimes associated with an actual art museum, or is located within an urban artistic district. Two recent articles survey (click on NYT article, right) the Art Museum Hotel concept to illustrate the powerful difference.
VIDEO: Example of Art In Life at Gibb’s Farm, Tanzania
