Codarts mediatheque desk design
In 2013 Codarts University of the Arts Rotterdam redesigned its mediatheque and commissioned me to add a desk design.
My solution to the design was an abstract drawing, greatly enlarged in super high resolution (29630×16000 pixels) to be applied to the semi-round desk corner. The abstract objects in the drawing refer both to mediatheque items, such as books, cd’s and dvd’s, as well as to the perspective of developing knowledge, leaving open places to be filled individually. Next to these abstract items, the suggestion of music notation was used as well, after all, Codarts is a (Classical, Jazz and World music) conservatory, as well as a dance, circus and music theatre university. The shiny black background in combination with the perspective, all on a round corner, contribute to an anamorphotic perception.1
Design intentions and realization
This work of art intends to visualize the following things:
- To add a colorful accent to the otherwise gray desk by means of a black or indigo background on which forms in brighter colors appear;
- To indicate a deeper inner world, the world of knowledge and imagination by means of a changed perspective;
- To symbolize sources of knowledge and information by means of simple, quasi transparent colored shapes, consisting of simple lines, referring to the objects in the library as well as to a more digital reality, in which space has been left open intentionally between the symbols, indicating room for interpretation and development, as well as that knowledge and information can never be complete;2
- In general, by means of the colors, to realize giving and enlarging rather than taking space.
The Codarts Mediatheek team chose my design by consensus, so I would like to take the opportunity to also thank them here, thanks again Erik Zwiep, Luuk Hoekstra, Timea Molnár and Jeltje Kingma!
©Oscar van Dillen
Gallery
- the 1:10 model, front view
- the 1:10 model, viewed more from above, stressing the anamorphosis
- application of the digital print
- application of the digital print
- finished desk
- finished desk
- signature
- mediatheque desk with design – front view
- mediatheque desk with design – side view
- mediatheque desk with design – top view
- mediatheque desk with design – detail
- mediatheque desk with design – with the artist
- mediatheque desk with design – with the artist
- mediatheque desk with design – with the artist and the mediathequarians Jeltje and Timea
- low frontal view
- very low frontal view
- normal view
- normal view
- top view
- side view
- Anamorphosis – a 1975 book and exhibition (“Anamorfose” in Dutch) by Joost Elffers I visited at the time popularized the concept, going back into historical uses; see also Wikipedia on Anamorphosis ↩
- Remember, I was one of Wikipedia’s original board members and founder of Wikimedia Nederland ↩