Time for an art attack

Planning the decor of your home with art needs to begin primarily with the finer schematics and design of the place.  Art, comprising conventional and experimental paintings and sculptures, are ‘mood enhancers’ and absolute de-stressors from a connoisseur’s perspective. One needs to connect with the creative process at any level, abstract or otherwise, and it could elevate the mood to a more fulfilling experience.
Opines Kiran Bagade, Owner & Gallerist, Gallerie Pablo and art curator, “I, for one, believe in minimalism and a tasteful oil on canvas or acrylic on walls, where there would be play of light, without being in your face - not being obtrusive and merging with the flow.” It is usually considered a wise idea to invest in originals (rather than reproductions) of young upcoming artists.

Established names come with a hefty price tag. Again, the point to note is that while you consult with curators and gallery owners and perhaps artists themselves, it is important that you buy a piece that appeals to your sensibilities. The mantra is simple. It is a decor item that you will use in your home and will look at every day – make sure it’s what you like.

“Let your home speak for you. What works for you may not work for someone else. Often, people tend to let their architects / interior designers decide on the artwork that goes on their walls. The artworks you select must be what your inner self relates to – be they masters or upcoming artists. Take the opinion of your interior designer while selecting the painting, but let the final choice be yours,” says Pheroza Godrej, Owner, Cymroza Art Gallery. Before you start collecting art, get your basics right. “Ask yourself, ‘what is the mood of the space and what types of activity will take place in the space’?
“Once you have decided what you want to use the room for, you can choose a colour theme to suit the function of the room. This gives you the basis for choosing the right art for the space,” advises Jayant Vaitha, Director (Design), Synergy. He further goes on to suggest that the next step would be to choose a style: traditional/classic, mod­ern/contemporary or fun/entertaining.

Just like wall colour, artwork can immediately change the mood and ambience of a room.
“Choosing a style depends on your taste. This allows you to inject your signature style into the interiors through artwork. Make a checklist of the artwork you already have that can be used to decorate your interior space,” he adds.

“You can give existing framed artwork a facelift by changing the frame and re-matting to give them a fresh new look.

“Take note that size and colour are the main aspects to consider when choosing art for your interior space. Work that is too large will overpower the space, while paintings that are too small will be devoured up in the space. You can also stay within your budget by shopping at resale stores for decorative pieces or scan clearance isles at discount stores, furniture stores, and superstores,” Vaitha explains

SEMA Announces Speakers for Its 1st Technical Conference and Exhibition

The event will include training courses as well as a technical conference and exhibition. The technical conference will review the reliability issues associated with PV modules based on a new SEMA reliability report written by Robert Schwenke of SciTech Consultants, Kurt Scott of Atlas, and Dr. Dasgupta Das and Professor Patrick McCluskie of the University of CALCE inMaryland. The conference also will feature input from the SEMA membership and various industry research and development groups. The report will be available for free to conference attendees and SEMA members.

Speakers, including Allen Zielnik of Atlas, will review industry programs that  address long-term module reliability implications with a discussion on understanding and determining the reliability of PV modules over their 25-year lifetime.

David Torp of IPC, along with other respected industry experts, will discuss existing and emerging solar standards during the standards  session of the conference. This session also will include a review of gaps in standards as well as the challenges and development of international quality standards. Inverter and microinverter reliability issues and roadmaps/future trends, as well as the INEMI roadmap for PV will be presented by the session's speakers, one of these being Wayne Chang from Pivotry Consultancy. Additionally, PV module manufacturing leaders from Flextronics and Celestica will present module and manufacturing issues.

The outlook for the global solar industry will be discussed by industry experts Paula Mints from Navigant, Philip Heinz from Prismark and Jon Custer-Topai from Custer Consulting. Finally, speakers including Matthew Holzmann from Christopher Assocates will review hazards for modules, including fire, warranty, theft and traceability.
  
In addition to the training courses and technical conferences, there will be an exhibition consisting of many leading companies in the solar industry.