Nobody puts Baby in the corner

A critical response to apartments & furniture designed based on modernistic ideals.

AN ARTISTIC INTERVENTION TO THE BOX

My study challenges the status quo that seems to exist in the design of modern apartments, which is heavily influenced by the modernistic movement that flourished in early 20th century. Modernists strived to create a just and equal society, by challenging the social order and the traditional hierarchical system.

The architecture of the time tried to reflect these ideals and ultimately resulted in simplistic and repetitive designs that often formed box like interiors with standardised furniture. Consequently, these designs are detached from the individualism of the inhabitants, forcing people to sit, sleep, dine, socialise in a predefined space in a prescribed manner.

My project is an artistic intervention to the BOX - the soulless interior of modern apartments. My aim is to create, with furniture/objects, a symbiotic relationship between the interior and the human body, to explore alternative ways of existing within the box.

Process

I used my body extensively as an organic template in the design process, to create a synergy between the interior and the human body. Though this project intends to challenge modernism, I employed strategies, methods and tools related to modernism; the intention is to demonstrate that the same methods can possibly be utilised to achieve a result that is more ‘in harmony with the human being’.

By doing this work, I hope I have contributed to the tradition of challenging the oversimplified designs heavily influenced by modernism. Also, through this project, I aim to highlight the importance of viewing the interior as a reflection of the individual inhabitants rather than a ‘fit for all’ box.

In my work, I wish to provoke thought on this subject and stimulate people’s imagination to explore creative new ways to exist within the interior space.