Art and Art History

What is it to 'be" an inanimate object? A true answer to this question is unknowable to us. Yet, as a kid, I remember thinking about how trees probably wished they had legs and the jealousy they must have felt seeing us walk. Or how I gravely cared for a pen during school that wrote smoothly and grieved when I had lost it. We share a mutual darkness with objects, but through my project I wanted to instill curiosity into why we may sometimes extend human empathy towards objects and what that reveals about us and the world he inhabit.

From the perspective of architectural phenomenology, our built environments have a greater influence on us than we realize. They have an impact on our physical, emotional, and psychological well-being, particularly now as we spend the majority of our time indoors. These spaces inform our habits, moods, and behaviors, as well as our perspectives on everyday life. The meanings and experiences we gain from this interaction strengthen not only our relationships with others, but also our relationships with our surroundings.

Design is present around us. From our automobiles, to furniture and consumer electronics, design has drastically changed and improved our way of living. However, we are not aware of its influence because we have been programmed not to. The value of an arts education has declined over the years due to the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act (2002) which directed the focus of the education system to science, mathematics, and reading to measure the levels of students with standardized testing.