At Sense we practice what we preach. We strongly believe in designing office spaces that increase productivity, team morale, and overall enjoyment. Recently, we engaged Sydney artist, Elliott Numskull Routledge to animate our space in Darlinghurst with his work. The end product brings so much life to the space. It inspired us and Sense Junior Creative, Brigitte Gottlieb to talk to Elliott about his creative process and strategy behind what he does best.
Brigitte: When you received Sense’s interest in having your art on our walls, where did you turn for inspiration for the commission?
Elliott: I take into account a few things. Mostly the wall and its immediate environment and use of space. The office space seemed to have a neutral black and white feel to it, so I decided to make the wall really colourful and bold. Sense creates big, fun, colourful projects so it felt natural to replicate this in my own way via large upstanding shapes and forms in various patterns.
Brigitte: When speaking on the difference of creating art for indoor versus outdoor, you’ve previously shared in an interview, “essentially it’s the same, but often outdoor work is influenced by different factors like the bends or bumps in the architecture, or the way the light hits the wall, or even the immediate environment around the wall can influence the end result. The gallery work and paintings are usually more concentrated and influenced by the theme or ideas of the show.”
When it comes to creating something for an office space, how does this approach change?
Elliot: It’s always different depending on the space and its use. I tend to think about the impact a lot more in an office space, as people live with it every single day.
Brigitte: You’ve spent quite a bit of time studying the psychology around colour. How do you bring this into your design?
Elliot: I use colour as the main ingredient and often the starting point for my paintings. I have a very particular taste in certain colours, which can change based on mood, space, environments, people. I choose the colours in various ways. Often it can be to compliment a space, or sometimes I choose to contrast and use colour combinations that combat the environment.
Brigitte: What do you think murals or wall art can do for an office / corporate space?
Elliot: A lot of office spaces I see are just large open rooms with white walls. There’s obviously lots of things you could do to make these spaces more enhanced and enjoyable, a mural being one of them. Imagine a house without some kind of artwork on the wall, whether its a mural or just a painting. I feel like mental wellbeing should be an important part of any office, and maybe having artists create mood enhancing works is one way to help this.
Brigitte: Through the briefs you receive from corporate clients, what do you find businesses are most commonly looking for?
Elliot: For me, I am usually approached for my own work and to create something fun and colourful. My designs work well over corners and objects so I really get excited when a client offers me a space which can see my work wrap or cover complex architecture.
Brigitte: What do you think more traditional corporate environments could learn from an artist?
Elliot: My vision or outside view of these spaces can sometimes offer them a perspective they hadn’t thought of. It works both ways. I always learn something via these collaborations too. I just think it’s interesting to let an artist come and interpret the space in a different way.
A big thanks to Elliot for taking the time to share insight on his creative process. Our team is incredibly happy with the vibrant addition in our space. The colour and patterns bring so much life and energy to the office.
Want to work with Sense on your space design? Reach out!
Images by Sam Venn.