Ornament and pattern design – love it or hate it, the style debate rages on. Whether you dig decorative flourishes or vote anti-adornment on all things design, one thing is clear – the fanciful aesthetic has developed a bad rep. Name-called everything from “fussy distractions” to “overly girly” to “old-fashioned,” more than a few nerdy design brawls have broken out over the subject. Well, whichever side of the frilly fence you sit, lately (as in the last fifteen years) the expressive art has been making a comeback. And Denise Gonzales Crisp and Susan Yelavich, co-curators of CAM Raleigh’s upcoming exhibit Deep Surface: Contemporary Ornament and Pattern,have taken note of the re-emergence.
Opening September 24th, the exhibition (in conjunction with North Carolina State University’s College of Design) explores how ornament and pattern have resurfaced with a decidedly modern twist – and as more than just a pretty-making facade. Celebrating the expressive style as a relevant means of communication and storytelling, expect wow-worthy works spanning all fields of design including a slew of top-notch graphic and type designers such as 2×4, Marian Bantjes, Rudy Vanderlans and Zuzana Licko, Jeffery Keedy, and Hansje van Halem.
The exhibit is organized around six themes: Amplification, Everyday, Kit-of-Parts, Inheritances, Elaboration, and Fantasy – each revealing a different purpose behind patterns and ornaments. From the constructing of everyday objects like chain link fences to creating new meaning in the everyday, to evoking past traditions through patterned furnishings or the future through endless digital variations – the exhibit delves into “the many ways that ornament and pattern engage both the eye and the mind,” says Yelavich.
The exhibit runs through January 2nd, 2012, so whichever “less is more,” “form follows function,” side you take – you still have plenty of time to snag a view at this awe-inspiring show.