"Hopping Fences: Influences in Modern Living"

art

Shows like Trading Spaces and MTV Cribs have made private homes no longer so private. Whether it's a see-how-the-other-half-lives voyeurism or a DIY motivation, people are finding home and interior design makeovers just as fascinating as traditional ones -- in the process making recessed lighting, chair rails and textured paint household terms. The Philadelphia Art Alliance and The Design Center are teaming up to present "Hopping Fences: Influences in Modern Living," an exhibition of the work of five local design firms based on the idea that good (and bad) design affects the way we live now, especially in urban environments. Co-curator and Design Center Director Hilary Jay says the participating firms have a company mission, but the individuals behind the firms obviously have interests outside of their work; one of the happy results is seeing "how that informs their work process, with topical issues like living, working and playing in contemporary life." All five firms are also interdisciplinary, says Jay, working in all elements of design: products, graphics, interior design and commercial installations. It's not as esoteric as it could be, either. Each group -- odg/Otto Design Group, FLOAT, Amuneal Manufacturing, Qb3 and Veyko Design --tried to make their site-specific installations as interactive as possible. Whether it's Otto Design Group's playing with the ideas of boundaries and thresholds or Veyko's furniture literally being pushed through plastic walls, the viewers are encouraged to make contact with the work as they would in a normal living situation. In other words, make yourself at (or a) home.

"Hopping Fences: Influences in Modern Living," Jan. 16-May 2, opening reception Feb. 13, 7-9 p.m., Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St., 215-545-4302.

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