Blog assignment 13 - Postmodernism and The Remix

The Postmodernist techniques and the remix have caused a large change in design and how we use or perceive it today. Design has become more of a part of everyone and become a strong part of design culture today. Andy Warhol was one of the first to use these contemporary design ideas and bring them to the level of everyday people, rather than Rococo where only the wealthy could appreciate it. For example his pop art which often represented everyday items such as the Campbell’s Soup can (Petty, 2011), which could be understood by everyone. Since then postmodern design has developed and is now part of everything.

An example of contemporary design today is this graffiti image done by Banksy. He has taken someone wearing a bandanna and wearing “rebellious clothing”, while standing in an aggrieve position suggesting he is going to throw a Molotov cocktail. However he has replaced the cocktail with a bouquet of flowers, which juxtaposes the initial stereotype of the person wearing rebellious clothing. The irony he has created makes people reconsider judging people based on the clothing and appearance. Banksy remixes images to create a new meaning to the image and provoking more thought through how he has portrayed the image. Using graffiti art links back to Andy Warhol and creating art for everyone to view and understand.

Woodham, J. (1997). Pop to Post-Modernism: Changing Values in Twentieth-Century Design (pp.182-203) Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.

Dsdn 171 lecture slide week 13

Blog assignment 12 - Cold War, Modernism + Democracy

Although not as prominent as in the past, ideological and political ideas are still present in design today. These messages are particularly present in advertisements, all portraying the idea that their product is the ideal and that buying the product will make you as happy as the people in the advertisement. Such ideological messages were very present in the past, often portraying hope and new begging and a better future. That buying these products will improve your life and lead to this better future for you and everyone else. Such intangible benefits are what supported these ideological messages portrayed in advertisements.  Such as the ideal American suburban family of the fifties. This happiness of the ideal family was shown a lot to convince people of what the ideal family is and should be.

An example of this today is this Heineken advertisement. It focuses on one specific person and how he has a friendship with everyone else, he can do anything. It ends with everyone being happy, a symbolic universe as such. This ideological message portrayed is used to give the idea that Heineken is linked with happiness and if you buy it you will be happy with all your friends, life is a party no worries.  Advertisements today still add something more than just the tangible product showing that there is also an intangible benefit that comes with purchasing the product. Such ideological messages are still present in media and design today.

 Pavitt, J. (2008). Design and the Deomocratic Ideal, Cold War Modern: Design 1945-1970 (pp. 72-91) London: V&A Publishing.

171 Blog assignment 11 - Modernism

In “The first Machine age of Europe” (Raizman) Hannes Meyer argued that design is a product of “function x economy”, aligning design with a scientific model driven by new technologies and manufacturing potential. I respect that this may have been a strong idea and drive for design in that time. As Germany was suffering a depression due to the First World War, this caused the economical situations to have a strong functional and economical influence on design of that time. Therefore I disagree that design is the result of function x economy today. However this does not mean it does not come into design at all today. The economy still has an influence on design today.

 I think that design today cannot be either a science or an art; I believe design is always a combination of the two. It is where science and art meet that something is design. There can be science behind both aesthetic and functional sides of design influencing both to make them a successful design. However design can also be expressive just as art, some designs have no scientific explanation but still benefit people and have a function. Especially today where technology is expanding and we have a much larger understanding of aesthetics and art. Everything successful we see in design today is a balanced combination of both science and art. For example the Ipad has large scientific and technological bases, which makes it functional and serve it purpose. but it that is incorporates such a visually pleasing and artistic aspect to its design, present in its physical design and interface  that is successful. The two aid each other; you could not have a design that is solely scientific based because it would be ugly. While you could also not have something solely art based because art is not functional.

 David Raizman, The First Machine Age in Europe

171 blog assignment 10 - Narratives of Progress

I believe that in today’s society the “Symbolic Universe” is the false idea of beauty presented in the media today. In today’s society there is an unrealistic strive to be as beautiful as the people in magazines and media. A lot of these unrealistic images are due to advertising: sex sells using these false images as a way to sell their products. This false idea is also present in other media such as film and television. Giving people the idea that too be successful one must look like this, and that these people are the one true definition of beauty.                                                                              Folke Kihlstedt’s definition in Utopia Realized (Kihlstedt, 1986) was a good beneficial place. In this case then beneficial place is too look like the people in the media. They are the ideal idea of beauty, the perfect or Utopian idea of beauty. Just as other perfect Utopian ideas, this false beauty is unreachable and false. This “Symbolic Universe” is very present in todays society, and is one that has hard a large effect and influence through the media we use today.

Kihlstedt, F. (1986). Utopia Realized: The World’s Fairs of the 1930s

171 blog assignment 9 - Modern Vision

In response to Walter Benjamin’s statement “To an even greater degree the work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility. From a photographic negative, for example, one can make any number of prints; to ask for the authentic print makes no sense.” (Benjamin, 1936) I disagree as even though some authenticity and specialness may be lost as it’s has been reproduced and is not one of a kind anymore. I believe there is still a certain aura and emotional importance that comes with the original negative. To know that it is the first one and obtains that place in history and time does links a stronger emotion to the piece of art, rather than just its aesthetic importance or beauty.  For example Michelangelo’s David in Florence, Italy has had many replicas made of it, which all share the same physical and artistic traits. However standing in front of the original David, would bring out a certain emotion that the physical beauty of the statue, which all the replicas share; could not. Just knowing that it was the first and thinking about its time and place in history would create such a powerful aura of importance that no replica could imitate through its comparable beauty.

171 blog assignment 5 - colour

Both Isaac Newton and Philip Otto Runge have had a strong influence on the way we use and experience colour today. Beginning with Newton’s introduction of the first colour wheel which consisted of all primary colours from his book “Optiks”, which portrayed his belief that colour should be ordered and something about colour should not be altered. He looked into how colour meets the eye and how we see it. He also introduced the idea of simultaneous contrast, where a colour make is perceived differently depending on what colour surrounds it. For example a blue square within a green circle will be perceived differently to a blue square within a red circle. While Newton had a very mathematical and scientific approach to colour, he did not research how we perceive and feel about colour. While Runge believed that colour could portray emotion and that symbolism could be found within colour. Rung also developed his own idea of the colour wheel in his colour sphere, “which consisted of a set of three primaries: red, yellow and blue arranged in a complimentary scheme, it” (Gage) uses ideas of colours and shades that are still present today.  An example of this experimentation with colour is “The night cafe” which uses an obscure combination of contrasting reds and greens creating a strong symbolism and emotion. These developed theories colour would not be incorporated into art and design as we know it today. There would be no link between the emotion and symbolism and colour that we successfully use today. Paintings would not have the emotion that we see and experience today, designs would use colour with no meaning.

Gage, John. (1993). Colour and Culture – Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction. London: Thames and Hudson