“Informed Design” Exhibition at Long View Gallery

“Informed Design”

Reception: Thursday, July 8, 2010 

6:30pm - 8:30pm

@
Long View Gallery

1234 9th St NW

Washington, DC

PLEASE RSVP to infoATlongviewgallery.com if you plan to attend.

Long View Gallery announces the upcoming exhibition “Informed Design,” opening on July 8 and running through August 1. “Informed Design” strives to expound on the role of art objects within the context of interior design and architecture. This exhibition will feature a sampling of the inventory in our newly launched corporate art consulting branch, as well as two architectural design vignettes by leading D.C. architects Ernesto Santalla and David Jameson.

In contrast to typical gallery shows in which pieces hang on blank white walls, “Informed Design” demonstrates how art can influence or interact with an interior. “Informed Design” aims to explore the relationship between art and architecture, and argues that exceptional works of art establish dialogues with their surroundings. The show will encompass a wide variety of abstract paintings and low relief sculptures by artists on our corporate art consulting roster. These artists include: Joan Konkel, Anne Marchand, Victoria Cowles, Steve Griffin, Patricia Burns, Wanda Wainsten, and Susan Finsen.

Local architects Ernesto M. Santalla of Studio Santalla and David Jameson of David Jameson Architect Inc. will install site-specific vignettes to accompany our artwork selections. Santalla and Jameson both consider art as the hub of their respective design processes.

Educated in the Bauhaus style of architecture, Santalla’s vignette adopts the unique curatorial approach of selecting artworks according to which pieces best utilize the space. His vignette incorporates a site-specific installation by Barbara Josephs Liotta, as well as a series of paintings by Ralph Turturro that echo the texture of gallery’s stone pillars. Specifically created for “Informed Design,” Liotta will unveil a 20-foot tall installation composed of white marble stones and matching tie cord that float against a black wall. She describes her work as “stripping away the superfluous and the decorative. I strive for a sort of essence, a clarity that will allow the work grace but not prettiness, rhythm but not contrivance, balance but not inertness. I strive to animate, not merely inhabit a space.” The work should resonate both with the architecture of the space it occupies, and with the materials from which it is constructed.”

Jameson’s vignette similarly allows the physical gallery space to dictate his design. Inspired by the raw feel of the exposed brick and concrete, he has selected work by artists that complement the industrial look of the gallery. According to Jameson, “conceptually, we are attempting to create an installation that stitches together a tectonic experience formed by pressures of the space with an art experience positioned within the added tectonic elements.” Displaying works by celebrated artists Steve Cushner, Mary Early, James Huckenphaler and Jackie Hoysted, Jameson is creating a gallery within the gallery by installing pillars, echoing the existing concrete beams, to act as walls. Not only will the architectural design choices enhance the interior of the gallery, they will also heighten the experience of viewing the artwork that adorns them, further elaborating on the importance of art objects in interiors.

About Ernesto Santalla
Cuban-born architect Ernesto Santalla has contributed to the changing skyline of Washington, D.C. and worked on projects in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Europe. A registered architect and LEED accredited professional, Ernesto practices architecture, interior design, and graphic design at his firm, Studio Santalla, Inc., located in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Ernesto is also a fine art photographer and a regular contributor to Washington Life Magazine and The Washington Blade.

About David Jameson
David Jameson, FAIA founded his eponymous architectural studio in 1998 upon a rigorous commitment to design excellence and client service. Since then, his firm has been recognized nationally and internationally with over 150 design awards and featured in over nearly 200 design publications including Architectural Record, The Architectural Review, and Architectural Digest. London based Wallpaper magazine recognized the firm as one of four US based architecture firms to follow in its 2010 Fabulous 40 issue. This past spring Architectural Digest named David to their AD100 roster, a listing of the top 100 architects and designer’s worldwide. In academia, Jameson is an adjunct faculty at his alma mater Virginia Tech (91’) and is a guest critic at Yale and Columbia.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=133048123389259