One of the true highlights of the 2015 HD Expo this year was the time we spent and the very enlightening conversation we had with artist Ted Morrison. A visit to his website will be worth your time. Ted introduced us to the concept of biophilia, defined by Wikipedia as:
“means "love of life or living systems." It was first used by Erich Fromm to describe a psychological orientation of being attracted to all that is alive and vital.[3] Wilson uses the term in the same sense when he suggests that biophilia describes "the connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life.” He proposed the possibility that the deep affiliations humans have with other life forms and nature as a whole are rooted in our biology. Unlike phobias, which are the aversions and fears that people have of things in the natural world, philias are the attractions and positive feelings that people have toward organisms, species, habitats, processes and objects in their natural surroundings.
This is such an interesting concept especially in the way it pertains to the arts. This idea can certainly guide and inspire future designs as we begin to better understand the way our clients are drawn to the "things" that appear in their natural surroundings including plants, creatures, animal and insect habitats etc. In truth, Martin has always been interested in studying the habitats of the subjects of some of his designs and we have shared some of our trips to the local mountains to locate these habitats with you.
During the Expo Ted attended a round table seminar where designers and show attendees discussed how, on its simplest level, biophilia offers an explanation as to why curved and fluid shapes are more pleasing to people and more relaxing, if you will, than straight- edged pieces. He returned to our booth after the lecture and commented that we must be “ahead of the curve” as the Morphic and Ergo designs were inherently “biophiliac designs”. While the compliment was well received, both Martin and I pay tribute to the Art Nouveau movement for much of our design inspiration and think this period was perhaps the most biophiliac movement we have seen in centuries.
One of our new designs attracted a lot of attention at the HD Expo, our new Dragon Egg sconce, and with its membrane like cutout pattern certainly falls into the biophiliac category.
To view these items as well as our entire collection of architectural hardware, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.
Designers can visit the showroom located at:
5433 W. Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016
323 939 5929