To bend space and time, interview with Daniel Arsham We spoke to the designer on the occasion of the presentation of his collaboration with IKEA

“One element that is present in dance and performance that is not present in a museum or a gallery is the element of time”

Whether you look at a Pikachu made of volcanic stone or a life-size Porsche, in all of Daniel Arsham's production time - in its various forms and declinations - is the protagonist. It is no coincidence that Arsham has created a moving clock - a clock that drags behind a wall, for the collaboration together for the IKEA Art Event 2021 in which he participated together with four other artists and designers. What makes Arsham special is just that: the ability to explore complexes through mainstream culture - ranging from a collaboration with Dior to IKEA, through Pokémon and KITH. 

You are also the creative director of an NBA franchise. It’s a pivotal move confirming that the sports sector is moving forward with a more cross-sectoral approach. Can you tell us a little bit more about working with the Cleveland Cavs? 

I'm honoured to have a position that is unique because the title of creative director didn’t really exist before this. Part of my thinking was to blend basketball that is such an important part of American culture with art, design and fashion. My feeling with the Cavs was: How can I speak to audiences that don’t necessarily follow basketball but also how can I interpret the team, the logo and the product we produce in cultural objects. You can be in Japan and see a kid walking around with a Lakers jersey and maybe he doesn’t have any idea who’s currently on the team and how the team is doing in that season but he’s wearing the jersey because of identity and what it represents to him. This is a really interesting prospect. 

I've always been fascinated by the fact that we live in a very complex world, that humans are giving up on trying to explain and make a sense out of it. Art and design should play a role in this: what is the artist’s role in regard to reality and how will it change? 

So I would agree with this sentiment, that human nature and the world we live in is impossible to understand with a rational approach. One artist function certainly interprets reality, but another one that artists have done is creating a language system that functions outside the restraints of language. So a work of art could be understood in any language without the need to learn that language. So to me, the artist job is about the creation of a different type of meaning set, that is ultimately a different language for communication to better sense what’s happening in the world.