Connor Novac
Slow Down Art
How can furniture be used to influence the way that people experience the viewing of artworks at the AGO? What can furniture do to slow people down, and challenge the way that they experience art?
Art is typically viewed in fairly standardized ways; standing directly in front of it, sitting directly in front of it, or, more passively, glancing whilst walking past it. My aim is to slow people down and create a deeper engagement with the viewing experience by encouraging them to physically change the way they look at the artworks. I do this with furniture by altering the space that the artworks exist within into something more interactive, something that interrupts a more passive viewing experience and makes the viewer consider how they’re interacting with the space. By doing this I hope to provide a new lens for patrons to view art through. To make them consider how art changes depending on how you view it, and by providing them the infrastructure to do so at their own leisure.
Insight
The slow movement has been encouraging people to take a step back from their busy lives and consider the connections we have to each other, and our experiences since the 80’s. Today it is becoming increasingly important for people with work-heavy schedules to take that step back and put a greater focus on connecting with the experiences of everyday life. As a furniture designer, I want to intervene by providing the public with infrastructure that encourages taking your time, while engaging with a given experience. In this instance that experience is viewing artworks at the AGO.
Idea
To use a modular seating system with curves and bends across multiple planes that provides a myriad of vantage points from which to view the artworks in the AGO. This should change the physical interaction patrons have with the space, in the hopes of getting them to Slow down and really take in the experience. To make them consider how art changes depending on how you view it, and providing them the infrastructure to do so at their own leisure.
Impact
By interrupting the way people go about viewing art and encouraging them to consider how it changes based on how much time you spend taking it in, I hope to inspire the same kind of consideration for other daily experiences. The more people think about slowing down and taking the world in, the more they’ll appreciate the connections they make and the experiences they have. In this fast-paced, efficiency-driven society we live in I believe it’s more important than ever to appreciate the things that really matter to us.
Biography
Connor Novac is a designer craftsman with a keen interest in traditional methods and sustainable practices. Connor’s work tends to reflect his personal values of quality, sustainability, and materiality. With a highly developed form-based skill set, he works largely by hand and mostly in wood, however, he has experience with many different materials, including metals and plastics.
Connor’s work is a medley of traditional techniques with more modern consumer considerations and a focus on products beyond the realm of the physical, such as the emotional interaction between the user and the product.