Hibrid design: Művészet és/vagy Design: az interior design pszichológiája/művészet, mint katalizátor design, mint közvetítő elem
Abstract
Is design an autonomous discipline, or is it essentially a form of applied art? Since design emerged from the arts during the Bauhaus period, to what extent can the psychological mechanisms of interior spaces be traced back to artistic dimensions? How to design interior environments in such a way that diverse elements are consciously integrated into space in order to intentionally catalyse human mental states, productivity, creativity, and communal functioning? What forces act upon us through the design environments that surround us, and from where do these forces originate? The following scientific article explores possible answers to these questions. Through my international professional activities conducted between 2011 and 2026, as well as through a research series carried out between 2024 and 2025 within the framework of Budapest Metropolitan University and supported by the Hungarian Ministry of Culture and Innovation, I investigated the role of art and design, alongside the relationships between science, technology, and society through the perspective of network science. The first phase of the research, conducted for the Ministry of Culture and Innovation through Metropolitan University, examined the institutional ecosystem of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. One of its principal conclusions was that art can function as a catalyst within scientific processes, while design operates as a mediator – a form of „connector” (brokerage) linking research, innovation, and society [1]. The second research focus, conducted in collaboration with Udayana University and the Bring Back the Light research laboratory in the far East Indonesia, analysed the interdisciplinary practices of bioluminescence research. The findings suggested that art may actively participate as „catalysator” in scientific processes even outside institutional frameworks, particularly within the holistic conceptual framework of Tri Hita Karana [2]. The third research focus, ongoing from 2024 to the present in Hungary, investigates the possibilities of hybrid (dual-polar) design thinking in the technological sphere through collaboration with APFM-Systems, where, as an official researcher of the company, I contribute to the development of artificial intelligence systems. In this context, creative design methodologies are complemented by network-based thinking, generating new human–AI ecosystems and collaborative structures [3]. Building upon the synthesis of these research projects, the present study redirects attention towards the classical domain of design – interior design – and investigates how the psychology and neuoraesthetics of space may be consciously shaped through aesthetic structures, including forms, colours, proportions, and visual rhythms. The central hypothesis proposes that space is not merely a functional framework or decorative background, but rather a perceptual and cognitive environment that subtly, and often imperceptibly, shapes human attention, emotional states, and behavioural patterns [1][2]. Within this context, interior design may be interpreted at the intersection of environmental psychology and neuroaesthetics, where visual and material elements carry not only aesthetic qualities but also become structural agents of spatial experience. One of the study’s principal arguments is that these effects are frequently rooted in a deeper formal logic originating from the arts. Historically, the modern discipline of design differentiated itself from the broader field of the arts, particularly during the Bauhaus era, when the conscious examination of visual elements – colour, form, and composition – became foundational to design thinking [3]. In this sense, art may be regarded as the primary intellectual source and creative catalyst of design, from which design evolved as a mediating practice: the sensitivity and formal experimentation of art intersect with the structuring and applicative logic of design. By connecting psychology, neuroaesthetics, and interior design, the present investigation therefore seeks to explore how the mental and emotional effects of space may be consciously designed through aesthetic tools. If interior space is interpreted not as a static environment but as a perceptual ecosystem or network, and if the colours, forms, and spatial elements within it are understood as interconnected components, then art-based formal structures may organise human experience in much the same way that invisible mycelial root networks regulate the flow of energy and information within a living forest system.
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