Art and design fuse in museum exhibit

In an exhibit exploring the boundaries between art, architecture and design, visitors to the Institute of Contemporary Art are now able to look at and walk through an oversized vehicle, relax on top of giant beanbags and stare at travel billboards they would normally see on a highway. "Against Design," the new exhibit at the ICA, draws on current trends in modern art, specifically the bringing together of art and design and the artists' use of the external physical environment for artistic purposes. Guest curator Steven Beyer, former assistant director of The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, brought the idea of the exhibit to the ICA. As Beyer chose to bring together artists whose work "rubs up against design," the title came to be called "Against Design" -- the word "against" implying being alongside rather than being in opposition. The exhibit brings together 10 contemporary artists from the United States and Europe whose work is perceived as crossing the boundary between design and art. The artists included Joep van Lieshout, a Dutch artist who creates mobile homes and vehicles, encouraging viewer participation. As visitors walk through Lieshout's "Tampa Skull," a mobile home vehicle, they are forced to consider humans' need for protection as well as efficient living space. The idea for Tampa Skull was based on a sensory-deprivation chamber and is built from the inside out. Cass Green, an employee of the museum, admitted that the Tampa Skull is "where we go to hide out when we want to get away." Other pieces included Angela Bulloch's "Blush and Bean Bag Set," in which she uses a group of oversized bean bags to create an interactive room that challenges the preconceived notions of art museums. Kevin Appel, another featured artist, draws from the innovative and low-cost case-study homes of California in the 1940s in his work. Judith Tannenbaum, the outgoing associate director of the museum, worked closely with Buyer to coordinate the exhibit. "This exhibit makes us conscious of our environment, how we live and the environments we choose to live in," Tannenbaum said. "We are not always so conscious of our surroundings." Claudia Gould, the new director of the museum, said she has long been aware of the movement toward combining design and art. Museums, she said, should embrace this trend. "While the art world has seen much of this type of work separately in the design sections of museums, this is the first time I have seen it combined with artwork in a gallery," Gould said. Gould hopes that Penn students will take advantage of the exhibit, and of the ICA in general. "I think students would be surprised that this artwork looks familiar to them. Just when people think they understand what they see, this understanding can change," Gould said. The exhibit opened on February 3 to an audience that, for the most part, seemed very receptive. "I don't view this art as any different than, let's say, the motorcycle exhibit at the Guggenheim [Museum of Art in New York City]. I think it is a big trend to look at utilitarian objects as pieces of art," said Ellen Rosenhalt, a writer for The Philadelphia Weekly who viewed the exhibit. "Quality is quality and you need to look at new things without preconceived labels," Rosenhalt added. "Against Design" will be on exhibit through April 16 in conjunction with a lecture series.