Sunday, August 1, 2010

New post, hopefully one of many to come…

I have been hearing this song, and it is relatively new, by Eminem, featuring Rihanna. You may have heard this song, or Eminem. (If you have teenagers around the house, then you probably have heard his music, or at least heard of him). He is a rapper and in my opinion (albeit not very informed) one of the most authentic to his genre of music. And therefore the song is 'explicit'. This is the tag given to specific songs on itunes. His vocals and lyrics are harsh, rough and crude.

Rihanna, who is considered ‘pop’ in the music world, has this incredibly beautiful voice. It is soft and strong, sexy, well defined and nothing like the raw sound of Eminem. This song 'love the way you lie', (even the title implies a certain uncensored thought), has a complexity to it that I don’t hear in too many songs. Their 2 contrasting sounds somehow meld together in a way, not unlike voices in harmony do. Though this sound is not as much about symmetry as it is about synergy.

Hearing the hostility in Eminem’s voice and lyrics, brings up a certain negative feeling, I almost don’t hear the words of the song. Then Rihanna takes over with her chorus and the sounds are rhythmic, elegant, passionate, and I realize that the song about a love-story.

The result from this contrast between their voices, and the synergy that is created from the inconsistency of styles can sometimes be known as juxtapose.

How this relates to interior design and my world of three.home is swirling around in the juxtaposing of elements. Be it voices, vases, spaces or styles. Simply put, the more committed to any one style (of anything), the more likely to recognize and appreciate another style; with in a close proximity.

For example; a room with dark colors on the walls and fewer windows, small, may feel cozy, safe and quiet if the next room over is bright and spacious. Compare that with a house that has many rooms the same size, has little or no trees around and is therefore bright feeling throughout. The walls in all the rooms are painted some variation of beige, and the ceiling height is consistent all over. It would be challenging to remember specific qualities of each room, moreover, experience each room differently.

Similar to the sounds of two artists singing together within one song, who alone might not be appealing, popular, even acceptable, but together, or in close proximity to one another and abstract in their style, present a completely different result.

This theory speaks to having rooms in your home that all feel distinct from one another. This doesn’t mean that your home shouldn’t flow from room to room. This means that each room in your home being different offers a dichotomy of feeling, purpose, sensation, and awareness.

How committed or defined one element is, makes for a more clear appreciation of the whole. Eminem’s voice and style is very well defined in the world of rappers. So when I hear Rihanna’s voice with his, the contrast is unmistakable.

The attainability of this juxtapose is where the challenge is. And I suppose I it was a challenge to find a song of Eminem’s appealing.

To summarize, I would say that to be committed to something, to be strong in your style, clear and defined will, in the end take you to the places you are supposed to be.