Art out of bounds

Cindy Allen -- Interior Design, 8/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

To capture, interpret, and codify art into a tame set of slots is a pipe dream nowadays, no matter how hard some ambitious, Sisyphean academic types keep hoping. We at Interior Design take our mythology straight—not on the rocks—and you'll never, ever catch us trying to pass off our annual art issue as a cohesive thesis, with the irregular bedding arrangements of art and design all tidied away.

We do, however, present irrefutable proof that creative endeavors don't need a passport anymore. How would you characterize a sculpture collection whose organic themes and materials tie into the Japanese-inspired architecture of the house that shelters them? Or two museums whose buildings are themselves works of art, whether of glowing Zen subtlety or punchy rainbow wackiness? This month's sampling of artworks and installations demonstrates how completely our photographers' lenses dissolve the barriers between art and design. And anything else, for that matter.