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Then Now INSPIRE on our radar
I’ve been busy preparing for my IWCE seminar “Modern Embellishment: The History, Making and Revival of Trimmings.” The more research I do, the more fascinated I am by how design has historically been a product of function. It then often evolves to a decorated version of itself, and this process ends in a post-modern interpretation, which is purely aesthetic. My seminar will be a virtual journey visiting the aristocracy, tradesmen, and factories, exploring the evolution of design trends through the Industrial Revolution, landing in the current day where creativity is boundless. I hope you’ll join me! But in the meantime, I thought I’d share some examples illustrating the crossover of these three levels I’ve observed—functionality, to decorated functionality, to pure decoration. The next time you’re in a client meeting, perhaps you can make an impression with some of this decorative arts trivia. zz by Jana Platina Phipps 76 | wf-vision.com | Mar + Apr 2017