Vancouver designers challenge accepted notions of ‘fine art’ One Off: An Exhibition Of Singular Furniture Design at the Scott Gallery, Emily Carr College of Art, 1399 Johnston St., Granville Island. Mon-Wed, Fri-Sun: 12-5, Thurs: 12-8. HEN OSCAR Wilde uttered the provocative statement ‘‘all art is useless’’ more than a hun- dred years ago, he was attempting to carve out the territory of the esthetic in an age that sanctified func- tional objects, practical concerns, and industrial produc- tion. In his effort to preserve the status of the arts, however, Wilde ironically contributed to their fragmentation: ‘‘fine art” and the avant garde separated themseives off from the ‘‘decorative arts.’’ This prejudice generated a destructive elitism in the art world and grist for the mill of pretentious critics who became its parasites. As the show at the Scott Gallery indicates, however, art theory cannot dictate reality. Curator Greg Bellerby asked 10 local Vancouver designers each to produce a single work that “poses a question about the rela- tionship between fine art, design, and functionality.” In all cases, the designers, Ellen Box, Brooke Hannah, David Hepworth, R. Todd inouye, James Koester, Mike Lee, Mark Ostry, Bill Pechet, Stephanie Robb, and Kieth Spivak, boldly challenge the tradi- tional distinction between art work and utilitarian design, doing so with more than a little tongue-in- cheek. This is functional art with a sense of humor. One of several particularly competent pieces is The Changing Table, by Stephanie Robb. Ingeniously designed to meet different uses over time, this work begins life as storage space for the clothes of a yet-to-be-born baby, then becomes a diaper table, child’s dresser, side-board, and computer table. But it is composed of materials whimsically transformed into emblems of femininity and mascu- linity: A rose-stained, wooden cabinet with fold-down top, all housed in a steel frame, precisely separated by a %’ gap bridged only by four brass connections. Archie Graham ART REVIEW The steel frame extended up- wards behind the piece takes on the shape of the male chromosome, while the grains on the blood-colored surface of the cabinet itself possess the liquid qualities of the female’s amniotic fluid. Robb’s achievement cannot be underestimated, because she eminently demonstrates why the traditional boundary between art and design is untenable. She takes a utilitarian object and transforms its functional character into a metaphor for the metamor- phosis of the family triad, man, woman, and child. It is precisely because this object performs diverse household functions that it can serve so effectively as a meta- phor for such developmental change. All of the works in this show are vigorously effective in showing how furniture can be made to embody visual metaphors. This should hardly surprise us, since, as Mike Lee reminds us, ‘furniture, as part of our most intimate en- vironment, contributes to the memories that make us who we are.” GEORGE SCHMERHOLZ “Whale Song” A sculptural celebration of the grace and haunting beauty of these endangered and mysterious mammals. Tuesday, January 21 through Sunday. February 2 in The Ferry Building at Ambleside Landing 1414 Argyle Avenue Hours: Tues.-Sun. 11-5 p.m. (closed Mon.) Wednesday, January 22, 1992 - North Shore News - 24 NEWS photo Neil Lucente CURATOR GREG Bellerby asked 10 Vancouver designers to praduce a single work that ‘‘poses a question about the relationship between fine art, design, and functionality.”” Their responses are now on view at the Scott Gallery. NORTH VANCOUVER 98: OG A Proud member of The Northshore | Kingsway Auto Fe zrS or equivalent discount '5-speed where applicab! Exclusively from North Shore ‘Mazda: > * * Some restrictions apply ~ cali business © - office for details. $395 P.D.1. & FREIGHT EACH