Design Art & Conceptual Objects

Projects may begin with technology, memory, identity, perception or a material experiment rather than a conventional product brief.

The resulting objects often retain a function while simultaneously operating as conceptual statements — functional sculpture as much as product. Light installations for public buildings, art glass, monuments and experimental prototypes all belong to this side of the practice.

These works are not a detour from the industrial design. They are where new methods and materials are tested first, and several have later become products made in series.

Design art — sometimes called collectible design or functional art — is where a contemporary designer can work with the freedom of an artist while keeping the precision of industry. For Lervik this includes the Krigsseglarmonumentet on Baugen in Norway, light art for Karlstad Central Hospital and Skandia, and the solo exhibition Inside the Head of Alexander Lervik.