First Impressions of the blog Wähälä
Today I want to give you a first impression of what Wähälä, your new art, interior and design blog, is about. First impressions are important, aren’t they? Be it a launch, a pitch or simply an introduction to a new contact, both sides of the conversation will form an opinion of each other within the first 30 seconds. In fact, there’s lots of science behind first impressions, but as we are already about 15 seconds in to ours…I’d rather continue by telling you why I set up Wähälä, your new art and design blog from Berlin.
This blog will be my way of being more engaged with my own passion for all things aesthetic; design, art, interiors or crafts in short, relatable and hopefully shareable thoughts. The themes will vary from interviews, listicles and shoutouts to young talents. Having said all that, I thought the neatest way to a good first impression is to illustrate with a few concise and personal quotes what currently inspire me.
Embracing design, interiors and Ilse
I’ll be exploring everything from product- to interior design on Wähälä, but although topics will vary they will all be curated through a personal and emotional lens. Watch the episode on Ilse Crawford from the Netflix series “Abstract“, and you’ll see what’s up. So many quotes to pick from but I liked the essence of this one as it sums up what she stands for rather well:
“We’re physical beings and ultimately buildings are a frame for life… It’s not an intellectual activity. You experience interiors through your body” – Ilse Crawford
I am certainly not the only one to claim she’s one of the top interior architects since decades out there, and a hugely inspirational figure to me personally, hence her work will have a special role on Wähälä too. I think it’s amazing to see how Crawford has dedicated her career to shifting focus from outside of buildings to how people feel inside them. In doing so, she’s one of the key figures to bring the field of interior design parallel to architecture – quite the achievement!
Dips into the art world
Works by Malte Zenses from solo exhibition “Aber” at Salon Kennedy, Frankfurt.
Unlike industrial product design which has a set objective, I am fascinated by what kind of stories can be told through an artwork. For me and for now the stories that interest me are usually emotional ones, something I’ll attempt to convey on this blog too.
“Artists don’t make objects, artists make mythologies, and it’s through the mythologies that we read the object” – Anish Kapoor
This quote, by Anish Kapoor, a British sculptor and one might add a bit of a social media darling for the the black-pink tug of war between artist Stuart Semple, and for supposedly wanting to trademark the blue of Stella Tennant‘s eyes (and other rumours…)), I think encapsulates what I love and understand about the creative process involved in making an object or artwork.
I truly admire the capacity of a designer as well as an artist to think in an entirely new language, to put together concepts that provoke feelings and thoughts. I hope to share some of my favourite creators out there and inspire you with the same awe that I have for them when engaging with their work.
Connecting the dots
“I’m not inventing, just reinterpreting” – Gabriel Orozco
Although that refers to his artistic process, that is pretty much what I think anyone is doing when creating something seemingly new. Sometimes the link between what inspires you is very abstract, sometimes blank copying. But I like to think design and art become all the more interesting when you start understanding the interconnectivity, that nothing is created in vacuum. Ambitious as it is, I’ll be chasing those interconnecting links and sharing them with you on Wähälä to the best of my abilities!
After this first impression of your new art and design blog, I hope to see you on Wähälä very soon!
xo