According to the traditional definition of Fine Arts and Design one of the major differences between both practices is the evaluation of responsibility.In this context, the designer is responsible to communicate the commissioned communication goal in an appropriate way to the key audience. The classical designer never designs for the Design itself; the classical designer does not communicate his own message.

On the contrary, the artist's responsibility lies mainly within himself. He creates his artworks for the art as such and uses his body of work as a vessel to communicate his own message to a public audience.

»[…]Finally, designing is not one of the autonomous fine arts. It cannot be reduced to aesthetics, and the impulse for design comes from an outside source, from the client. Designing is a social activity. […]«
Hugues C. Boekraad (Dutch philosopher and design critic)

The other aspect related to responsibility is the matter of skills and crafts. The classical meaning of the term »artist« was very close to craftsmanship, some-body was seen as a real »artist« when he was master of his subject. In recent years the concept was seen the strongest and most important part in Fine Arts education and practice, the skills were seen as less important.
The opposite is true in Design — during the last 80 years the discipline of Design has developed from a rather undefined practice with a mere decorative focus to an academic profession with a precise profile of skills and theoretical knowledge.

»[…] The designers make their own content, the artists act like designers. Much of the work lies in the cracks between art, design and illustration […]«
John O'Reilly (Editor, lecturer and design critic)

Looking at contemporary Fine Arts and Design, we find both practices moving closer together. In the Design world it is now obligatory for a designer to express himself through self-initiated projects to receive academic and professional attention on a higher level. While at the same time, some contemporary artists find themselves misunderstood because their body of work is evaluated too close to »Design« (e.g. Liam Gillick, Turner prize nominee). Then again, designers who work as authors of their own messages in terms of non-commissioned work, feel mistreated by the fact that their work is still rejected by a Fine arts related audience.

»[…] It's the difference between helping realise a body of work, versus producing a body of work that you are identified with. It's a designers' issue, a dynamic that I play out with every project. […]«
J. Abbot Miller (Designer and design critic)

Looking at academic practice, the disciplines of Fine Arts and Design are generally strictly separated from each other in education and research. But is this method still up to date? Doesn't the curriculum of Fine Arts and Design need to be adjusted or expanded according recent developments?

How do we define each practice in respect of their contemporary evolution?
Where are the benefits of artists and designers going together?
Where lies the main focus of each discipline today?
How much does each practice's traditional significance matter today?
Do we still need boundaries in context of academic education and research?
And what happens to both practices when the boundaries slowly dissolve?

My aim in proposing a conference on the relationship between Fine Arts and Design is to investigate different viewpoints on the two disciplines, with a look on yesterday, today and an outlook into tomorrow. Internally seen for Kunsth¿gskolen i Bergen, the goal is to identify opportunities of collaborations between Fine Arts and Design, as a guideline into a cross-disciplinary environment at Kunsthøgskolen i Bergen. The conference will clarify the profile of each practice and point out advantages that result from cross-disciplinary collaborations.

»[…] We have only just started to have this authorship role whereas it is something that fine artists have been doing naturally since they started. […]«
Peter Miles (Designer, Fuel Design)

Seen from a broader angle, the event should lead into a dialogue between Fine Arts and Design not only at KHiB, but also in Norway and internationally. It can be a starting point for much successful collaboration across the fields of Fine Arts and Design in professional, educational and research-oriented environments.

In addition to that, the conference will attract attention to KHiB as an active institution and underline the schools cross-disciplinary profile in a contemporary international Fine Arts and Design context.

By proposing this idea for a conference, I define my personal role as the leader of a team of curators, whose task is to work on the conference's profile, lead the communication with (potential) speakers and give guidelines to a team of professionals who take on all logistic, organizational and financial tasks related to the event.

///////////////////////////// Bergen, december 2003.