New Perspective

By LuAnne Silvia
When you happen to come across something that sparks a different perspective, a fresh approach or a new way of thinking it can lead to your next great idea.  It could come in the form of a conversation, something you read, or something you heard.  I enjoy these moments that allow you to think about something in a totally new way. In our office we collaborate on design solutions.  Sharing our perspectives with one another results in the best solutions. The creative process is a collaborative effort even when you are not aware of it.  What has inspired you?
I attended a lecture through the Minneapolis Library last year about an architectural photographer, Balthazar Korab. There was a series of photographs he had taken of the St Louis Arch that struck me.  The first photograph was the picture perfect post card image.  There was beautiful landscaping in the foreground that led your eye to the Arch surrounded by a clear blue sky.  The image was in black and white, but you just knew the sky was blue.  The second photograph was the artistic abstract interpretation.  The photograph was taken from a different angle that really played with your sense of scale and perception because there was no recognizable foreground or background to give the Arch any context. It left you wondering how the Arch truly reads in person, what does it really look like?  The third image took the viewer to yet another perspective.  This one had so much context and in an extremely different way - a completely urban shot with all of it's real surroundings, a gritty  urban context.  Three photographs of the same structure, evoking three different emotions.  A new perspective.
Part of our role as an interior designer is to establish what the perspective is, discover what perspective we are coming from.  Are we designing the post card, the artistic abstract or the real nitty gritty?  That's the best part of collaboration.  You can build off of someone else's vantage point.  And the final result after all, is all in the eye of the beholder.

For more of Balthazar Korab's photos and unique perspectives visit www.balthazarkorab.com