The team at Ashcraft Design took an afternoon to visit the Frank Gehry exhibit at the Los Angeles County of Art Museum. Some of the greatest sources of inspiration come from observing industries other than what you are most familiar with. Frank Gehry has become a visionary architect that has the ability to transcend architecture into “livable” sculpture.
The opportunity to see works from the beginning of his career to modern day, allowed us to see his growth as an architect, his philosophy and how that applies to each project. From the early days, where his work appeared stiff and constrained, to today where his confidence became visible in much more expressive sketches and dynamic buildings. The ability to see beyond what the initial read of what a sketch is, is the ability to envision. Too many people see sketches as the final result when in reality it is a door to new possibilities. Gehry’s sketches laid the seed through which new ideas could take root and grow.
Art & Design are organic industries. Meaning, there is no final destination. It is about growth and pushing boundaries, the moment you put a limit to your craft is the moment the art, creativity, culture and innovation dies. Sometimes technology enables new paths to develop, other times it hinders. Both the arts and technology live together in harmony and also at odds. But both can be used to compliment and push the other when utilized by someone with vision. With Gehry, he goes on to explain how technology allowed him to develop a much more fluid, dynamic approach to architecture that previously was unknown, blurring the boundaries between livable spaces and livable art. Gehry is a reminder that art is the truest expression of self. And it is that emotional connection the viewer has to the building/product that bonds the viewer to the architect/brand.