About Jasper Morrison and boundaries

Jasper Morrison not only graduated in design in an engineering school (Kingston polytechnic design School) but also at the Royal College of Art.
But does he consider himself as an artist or a designer? In fact, Jasper Morrison is someone rather inconspicuous. Rather than considering his work as an art as such, he prefers emphasizing the importance of design as a way of enhancing the utilitarian functions of an object.

However, if he does not blur the boundary between the designer and the artist, he really blurs a lot of other boundaries.

His two diplomas rather help him blurring the difference between the designer and the engineer, which makes the fact that he puts a stress on utilitarian aspects all the more true. With the Basel Chair, he wants to create a comfortable chair and he adapts the classic wooden chair with synthetic elements to reach this aim.

He also blurs the boundary between the analyst and the designer. With the “Take a chair” and the “Supernormal” exhibitions, he manages to establish a reflection on design, still based on the utilitarian and everywhere-fitting characteristic of design. The real artistic value of a well designed objects stems not from ornaments or luxury but rather from its daily-use suitability.

Time considerations are also blurred by Jasper Morrison, notably with the Basel Chair which is a renewed, modern version of a classic archetype: the wooden chair. Jasper Morrison likes to create objects that will be timeless.

Finally, Jasper Morrison blurs boundaries of culture. His objects are so pure, so sheer and simple that they transcend culture; they can be and are used everywhere in the world, whatever the culture. His exhibition “Supernormal” with Naoto Fukasawa is a good example of that vision. Objects that are displayed on the long table are used everywhere in the world and we do not even notice them because of a design we consider universal and which is first characterized by its utilitarian qualities.