(Artistic Direction)
The Bedroom
The Bedroom
“When I saw my canvases again after my illness… what seemed to me the best was The Bedroom.” - A letter from Van Gogh to his Brother Theo in 1888.
(Design Statement)
The decision to respond to Vincent's The Bedroom and most notably the colour blue was but a resolution to look at both the painting and the current concern of mental health side by side. The yellow house juxtaposed his emotions and revealed in a way an irony in the context of its painting and its setting, as well as the state of mind of Van Gogh at the time of creation of the art. The reimagined bedroom, juxtaposed with the use of blue fabric in the construction of the installation, is thus an impression and reimagination of the state of mind that Van Gogh was going through.
(Design Background)
In the modern-day 21st Century, mental illness is something that is increasingly surfacing in the public eye - an epidemic afflicting one in four throughout the world. With our increasingly hectic and stressful lives, mental illness looms in the distance and is an overwhelming battle to overcome, and can only be check by the immediacy and attentiveness of one's loved ones and family.
There is even great relevance in the context of Singapore, where only recently President Halimah has urged youths not to be afraid about active discussions in mental health issues as it affects out of 1 in 8 Singaporeans. Quoting her, President Halimah said, "Art therapy, group therapy and sports help in the healing process. We need such programmes to be more accessible and affordable to the youth."
The bedroom in which Van Gogh painted while he was in the yellow house juxtaposed his emotions and revealed in a way an irony in the context of its painting and its setting, as well as the state of mind of Van Gogh at the time of creation of the art. As such, we would see the context of the bedroom being primarily blue as opposed to its original colour.
Blue is also a colour seen as associated with mental health. It is typically associated with illness, sadness or ‘feeling blue,’ and an emotion, state of mind or muteness. Blue is also calming and provides for a sense of security; just like a bedroom, where one feels the most secure and able to express oneself.
(Transitional Spaces)
The bedroom can be seen as a transitional space. Transitional spaces in design and architecture are connections between two destinations exterior and interior, nature to building through a form of conduit or passage for travel, e.g. bridges and corridors.
Transitional spaces in Art are the in-betweens, a term used to denote the relationships between physical and virtual world spaces. Transitional area, such as the bedroom, thus represents the current state of mind; for instance, a messy bedroom could reflect a state of confusion and noise that the owner is facing. The Bedroom is an also personal space where most people seek refuge, perhaps at the end of the day, or when under the sheets in a panic attack.
The group decided thus decided to create a response to Van Gogh’s painting, The Bedroom, as it serves as a tongue-in-cheek response to making a commentary of the importance of mental health issues in the modern day society. To start, the team drafted floor plans and 3D sketches of what would the bedroom look like if reinterpreted solely in the colour blue, which resulted in its final rendition mockup of the exhibition piece.
Team credits to Toyo (Interior Design), Khairi (Fine Arts) and Nadia (Fashion).
(Design Statement)
The decision to respond to Vincent's The Bedroom and most notably the colour blue was but a resolution to look at both the painting and the current concern of mental health side by side. The yellow house juxtaposed his emotions and revealed in a way an irony in the context of its painting and its setting, as well as the state of mind of Van Gogh at the time of creation of the art. The reimagined bedroom, juxtaposed with the use of blue fabric in the construction of the installation, is thus an impression and reimagination of the state of mind that Van Gogh was going through.
(Design Background)
In the modern-day 21st Century, mental illness is something that is increasingly surfacing in the public eye - an epidemic afflicting one in four throughout the world. With our increasingly hectic and stressful lives, mental illness looms in the distance and is an overwhelming battle to overcome, and can only be check by the immediacy and attentiveness of one's loved ones and family.
There is even great relevance in the context of Singapore, where only recently President Halimah has urged youths not to be afraid about active discussions in mental health issues as it affects out of 1 in 8 Singaporeans. Quoting her, President Halimah said, "Art therapy, group therapy and sports help in the healing process. We need such programmes to be more accessible and affordable to the youth."
The bedroom in which Van Gogh painted while he was in the yellow house juxtaposed his emotions and revealed in a way an irony in the context of its painting and its setting, as well as the state of mind of Van Gogh at the time of creation of the art. As such, we would see the context of the bedroom being primarily blue as opposed to its original colour.
Blue is also a colour seen as associated with mental health. It is typically associated with illness, sadness or ‘feeling blue,’ and an emotion, state of mind or muteness. Blue is also calming and provides for a sense of security; just like a bedroom, where one feels the most secure and able to express oneself.
(Transitional Spaces)
The bedroom can be seen as a transitional space. Transitional spaces in design and architecture are connections between two destinations exterior and interior, nature to building through a form of conduit or passage for travel, e.g. bridges and corridors.
Transitional spaces in Art are the in-betweens, a term used to denote the relationships between physical and virtual world spaces. Transitional area, such as the bedroom, thus represents the current state of mind; for instance, a messy bedroom could reflect a state of confusion and noise that the owner is facing. The Bedroom is an also personal space where most people seek refuge, perhaps at the end of the day, or when under the sheets in a panic attack.
The group decided thus decided to create a response to Van Gogh’s painting, The Bedroom, as it serves as a tongue-in-cheek response to making a commentary of the importance of mental health issues in the modern day society. To start, the team drafted floor plans and 3D sketches of what would the bedroom look like if reinterpreted solely in the colour blue, which resulted in its final rendition mockup of the exhibition piece.
Team credits to Toyo (Interior Design), Khairi (Fine Arts) and Nadia (Fashion).
