DMU Summer Project: Inspiration and Role Models

In the summer the Interior Design department in De Montfort University, the department in which I will be studying, set my course a summer project based on inspiration and role models. It has been suggested that we make a short presentation in a format of our choice based on which role models and inspiration have contributed to our passion for the field of interior design and beyond. Therefore, the format in which I have chosen to do this project is my blog which I have been writing for about two years.

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Damien Hirst

My first role model and artist from whom I have taken inspiration is the sculptor Damien Hirst.  I visited one of his open air exhibitions at Houghton Hall in Norfolk on holiday in the summer and since then I have been inspired by his work as an artist. I find the great designs that Hirst produces inspirational, as well as his style of art, and how his pieces produce a startled yet humorous response from his audience.

Damien Hirst is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. On researching some of his past, I found Hirst appeared to be a rebellious child, which could be seen through his quirky style of work and showed him potentially rebelling against a conformist society during his childhood in the
1960s and 1970s. Even though he achieved a surprising grade E in Art, the fact that his work is now acclaimed world wide has inspired me since it shows how his abstract style and individuality has been accepted into the modern world regardless of changing views in Art and Design.

The exhibition that I visited consisted of grand sculptures with obscure meanings, some of the pieces being over 10 metres tall. The exhibition appears to concentrate on portraying a more conventional image to the human eye, but through dissecting the layers in the objects shows the true form, meaning and art of the pieces. Death and human anatomy appears to be a central theme in Hirst's work. In this exhibition, he seems to prefer to concentrate on the vibrant art of the organs inside human and animal bodies and how they work in contrast to the plain and muted colours of the exterior.

"Myth"

Outside the magnificent building of Houghton Hall were placed the sculptures called "Myth and Legend". They are horses that have had features added to them - a unicorn horn and wings - in order to portray these unusual images coming together from fantasy into real life. However, the representation of the horn and wings seems to come second place to the striking artwork of the musculature inside the creatures.

"Legend"

Hirst inspires me in the field of interior design in the way that he concentrates on the inside of human/animal bodies, almost an indication that the superior art of an object is on the inside instead of the outside, a bit like interior design. Yes, you can have the wonderful building on the outside; however, it is the interior that contains the art and the attraction, plus the functionality, and draws the observer in to have a further look.

"The Virgin Mother"

This piece also concentrates on the art of the internal organs of the human body and the beauty of a mother creating a child. This sculpture was one of the largest pieces and is very striking. Again the colours of the organs contrast with the pale skin tones of the external body showing the conflicting nature between interiors and exteriors. 

From this exhibition I feel inspired by the work of Damien Hirst due to his unusual interest in art and human/animal bodies. His work has made me realise that the beauty of art can be on the inside of objects and thus not always immediately apparent along with a greater appreciation of the different ways this beauty can be produced.

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Jonathan Adams

Jonathan Adams is a Welsh architect who designed the iconic building called the Millennium Centre in my home city of Cardiff. Adams' work particularly interests and inspires me because of his use of materials and shape to create the outside and inside of the building. The building, affectionately known as "The Armadillo", is one of Cardiff's major attractions, appealing to many people like myself due to its magnificent dome structure made out of local Welsh materials such as: slate, metal, wood and glass.


The contrast between the copper oxide coated sheet steel cladding used to make the dome in the centre and the Welsh slate for the rest of the structure highlights the uniqueness of this building. The use of these boldly contrasting materials is another way that Adams inspires me as a designer because this demonstrates that he has thought of how to make the building look intriguing to the public and thus draw them in so that they can then appreciate its use for public entertainment, such as musical performances.

The overwhelming design of the Millennium Centre does not stop at the exterior. Adams continues his unique design of blending and contrasting materials together within the interior of the building. The interior is illuminated by individual small spot lights, almost foreshadowing the use of the stage in the building, but also the combination of wood, glass and copper oxide coated sheet cladding along with unusual forms and shapes continues the awe-inspiring feeling one experiences when walking into and through the centre itself.

I also really like the way that Adams has incorporated large open spaces and light into the interior of the centre. The use of a large entrance, even though it may initially seem overwhelming,  and the use of light and big glass windows  allows one to take in the large expanse of the centre without feeling trapped inside. This element of Adams' design in my opinion is well thought out because the use of large windows also acts as a barrier from the busy Cardiff scene outside and therefore brings an element of tranquility into the building. 

I also really like the design work of the stairs and how they curve and make almost a maze pattern through the layers of wood, creating the stair cases leading up to the seats of the main theatre.

Another way that Adams has inspired me as a designer is how he designed the Millennium Centre with the people of Wales in mind. When the centre was being built, a section of the building where the slate design was taking place was open to the public to "Adopt a Slate". This meant that a piece of the building, even though tiny, belonged to each individual who part took in the project. My parents, back in 2000 just after I was born, adopted a piece of slate for me so technically I am a part of the Millennium Centre as well. This whole concept I find inspirational, since it makes the people of Wales feel like a part of such an important building within its capital.

My slate dedication made by my parents

The inscription of the bronze dome has both the Welsh and English language written on it. In Welsh it says "CREU GWIR FEL GWYDR O FFWRNAIS AWEN" meaning, "Creating truth like glass from inspiration's furnace", and in English it says; "IN THESE STONES HORIZONS SING". These words add a literary as well as further artistic dimension to the building. They are lit up throughout the day and are particularly prominent at night, showing another element of Adams' design in terms of how the use of light and angles are important to the outside and inside composition of a building.

Adams, after building the Millennium Centre, has now become a set designer and taken his experience of architecture to help develop his knowledge of stage production. This shows how he has been able to channel the knowledge and skills acquired in creating one fantastic piece into further developing the importance of interiors in the form of set design in theatre.

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In conclusion, these two artists/designers are role models who have inspired me in the field of interior design and beyond and will therefore help to motivate me throughout my studies on this course.

Damien Hirst image: https://www.theartstory.org/artist-hirst-damien.htm
Jonathan Adams image: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/clear-valleys-im-saying-nothing-8909165