Talented two's divisions of labour

Designer Aaron and painter Hannah Beehre at Vavasour Godkin Gallery. Picture / Getty Images

For many people, the distinction between designers and artists is designers make functional objects and artists create things that have no function other than as a piece of art. It could also be said that graphic design especially is primarily involved with the way things are packaged or presented, whereas art is more concerned with concepts and content.

It is exactly this argument that motivates the collaborative work of Christchurch couple Hannah and Aaron Beehre. Although Hannah is a painter and Aaron is a designer, any presumptions over the orderliness of their respective work ethics are unlikely to match any stereotypes.

"I tend to plan things from start to the finish and do tests all the way so I know it's going to work when I get to the end," says Hannah.

"You're way more structured than I could ever be," confirms Aaron. "I find your process is more like a design process ... mine is a little bit more like I want to be a painter but I'm not.

"I think most designers want to be painters because I think painting has that playful nature about it, whereas designers don't."

For the final execution of their work, the division of labour may be as simple as Aaron driving the computer and Hannah wielding the paint brushes, but they say there is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between them before they reach that point.

"The best thing about working together is coming up with something at the end that you wouldn't have done by yourself," says Hannah. "The works are a surprise when they're made, which is really exciting."

Aaron: "It feels like it has created itself somehow, because we just had all these ingredients and it's giving something back - the artefact kind of takes over."

Both also play in the pop group Pine with a third collaborator, Stephen McCarthy, who brings a different personality to the mix. They are unsure whether McCarthy gets a double-vote in band decisions to avoid always being outnumbered, but Hannah clarifies that Pine began as a collaboration between the two guys. Perhaps she needs the extra vote?

"We don't really see them as being joined in any way - we're not making art music," says Hannah of the possible associations between the two projects.

"It is different," confirms Aaron, although he can also see similarities. "We come about compositions in the way that these [paintings] are compositions and the Pine stuff is really simple compositions as well, so there seems to be a link there between the two. And they're glossy and not too deep and heavy - they are very light."

With its slick, graphic look the Beehres' work has been accused of being too image-conscious but Hannah says this only spurs her to continue challenging what is acceptable in art and design.

"If we are critiqued for being too hip or too decorative, then it makes me go further in that direction, just because it's interesting.

"It's sort of dangerous territory for artists to be in because it can be quite dodgy, so that fascinates me. That is part of the reason we're working together and the way paintings have evolved as well."

Aaron finds it more fun being able to design things that are focused on functionality. "I think art gives you permission to pull the design away from being practical and useful. We like that those are the associations with these things and then we like playing with that."

The world of design can also be more focused on fashion, updating websites and letterheads with the latest fonts and colour schemes. This constant revamping, which causes images to age and become dated, is another aspect that fascinates the Beehres, who are constantly sifting glossy magazines for imagery.

Although the images in their show are sourced from found images, most have been painstakingly hand-painted in reverse, layer by layer on to the back of plastic sheets, sometimes with screen-printed patterns. When the paint is peeled from the plastic and placed in tiles, the result is a glossy, commercial finish.

It's a sophisticated technique but Hannah admits its origins were accidental.

"Actually, I was cleaning my paint pots," she says with a laugh. "When you wash them in hot water, they come off in this beautiful shiny smooth surface. And I thought, that's the kind of surface I want and I don't have to do all that sanding."

One of the works in the Beehres' exhibition is an interactive video projection, which resembles a computer screensaver - a device now redundant because modern screens no longer need to be constantly refreshed.

This, therefore, must be art rather than design. Like a screensaver, the animation (triggered by sound) changes more when there is less activity in the gallery - perfect eye-candy for the unproductive worker.

EXHIBITION

* Who: Hannah and Aaron Beehre

* Where and when: Vavasour Godkin Gallery, 2nd floor 35 High St, to May 20