_Context

TRIGGER

Taken out of its context, an image with clipping path of a chair, presented in a design magazine, or a chair, presented in an exhibition, is floating in space.  A chair you can’t sit upon has to be judged by other, often irrelevant criteria that it has a hard time living up to.  Due to a lack of relevant criteria, a piece of furniture placed on a podium is often judged as being a sculpture or even a picture.  But design becomes relevant only when placed in a context, it needs a surrounding.  Furniture in a room is much more complex than furniture on a podium.  Furniture in a context is more interesting than furniture taken out of context.


Uglycute [Stokholm, Sweden], in Social Perspectives on Architecture and Design
Published by the Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art

RESPONSE

Taken out of its context, a profession with clipping path of a department, presented in a prospectus, or an design project, presented in an exhibition, is floating in space.  A spatial work you can’t experience has to be judged by other, often irrelevant criteria that it has a hard time living up to.  Due to a lack of relevant criteria, an architectural design project placed in an exhibition is often judged as being a sculpture or even a picture.  But design becomes relevant only when placed in a context, it needs a surrounding.  Architecture in a context is much more complex than architecture on paper.  Architecture in a context is more interesting than architecture taken out of context.