"If Art Were..." with Sean Brian McDonald

I met artist, Sean Brian McDonald, at his "Important Packages" art show at Specific Merchandise last month. If you're familiar with Brooks Hudson Thomas of Specific, you know what a fresh perspective he has and a keen eye to curate truly unusual yet inspiring things. Sean Brian McDonald's show was just that, emerging talent at its best...truly out-of-the-box, if you will.

A former musician turned painter, turned sculpture, Sean's "Important Packages" is based in utilitarian philosophy. He focused on each piece as a cultivated object with it's own compositional needs. As he gathers materials, such as beautifully flawed pieces of scrap wood, he's able to implicate this sense of process and use it as a point of departure, allowing new ideas and narratives to surface. As he states, "my goal is to extract the hidden elegance and sense of magic out of every material I'm drawn to."

I sat down with Sean last week for a twist on my favorite conversational game, "If Design Were..."

Here you have it, "If Art Were... with Sean Brian McDonald:

SY: If art were an object?
SBM: Junk drawer

SY: ...a food?
SBM: Caviar on wonder bread.

SY: ...a moment?
SBM: The beginning of the universe.

SY: ...a memory?
SBM: A moment of excitement followed with a yawn.

SY: ...a place?
SBM: Sewage plant.

SY: ...a song?
SBM: "Free Jazz," By Ornette Coleman.

SY: ...an era?
SBM: Pre-Historic: The hunter's and gatherer's would spontaneously break into chants and start dancing.

SY: ...a person?
SBM: Andy Kaufman

SY: ...an animal?
SBM: Flying squirrel or humpback whale.

SY: ...a city
SBM: Even though I've never been there I'll go with Berlin. It just sounds right.