DIFFA’ Night@TheMuseum. Photography by Paul Aphisit.
In the design world, there is a term called Gesamtkunstwerk. Originally coined by Karl Friedrich Eusebius Trachendorf and popularized by composer Richard Wagner, the concept describes a total work of art that brings together elements of various artistic disciplines in order to create a harmonious and unified whole. The Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS or DIFFA for short– brings a spin off of Getsankunstwerk with an evening that unifies Philanthropy, Art, Design, Architecture, and revelry into a symphonic soiree atop the Civilian hotel. DIFFA’s, aptly called ‘Night@theMuseum’ Auction, tasked some of the finest design firms in New York City to curate pieces and experiences inspired by New York City museums for attendees to bid on. As I turn onto the auction floor, I am immediately taken by a bushel of blue roses peeking from a blue vase; it isn’t long before I am reminded of Yves Klein’s MOMA Mainstay Blue Monochrome, where Interior Designer Marianna Fiorin unearthed a wellspring of inspiration: “With its striking blue color, it symbolizes freedom by transcending form and material space of infinite possibilities. I like it for its simplicity but profound meaning.” Fiorin says.
Marianna Fiorin for MOMA at DIFFA’s Night@theMuseum.
The auction as a whole acts as a pseudo study in inspiration. It asks, ‘what do we take from our experiences in these hallowed edifices of culture?’ Granted that these museums have so much to offer, it’s hard to narrow down the answers on the first visit– which is perhaps why nearly all of these auction pieces come with passes and annual memberships to the museums from which they take inspiration. As if to say, the museum experience is a constant refreshing journey; visiting one is as constant and dissimilar as stepping into the same river twice. However, these designers seem to have answers in snapshots of their feelings that have been translated into a unique organization of objects within space. I’m caught by a book on another auction table called Frank Lloyd Wright and Ralph Waldo Emerson: Transforming the American Mind, that explores the intersecting influences of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Frank Lloyd Wright. I am reminded of Emerson’s fundamental belief that one can answer spiritual questions by turning to nature– ‘to dress nature in your favor’, he says. A sentiment that Frank Lloyd Wright took quite literally in his construction of the many architectural marvels which still capture our imaginations today. DIFFA’s pairing of Interior Design with Museums represents a profound theme; both are the ultimate expression of how we have lived and how we want to live. Marrying these factions to philanthropy with a unique flair might help us understand how we ought to care.