design

There are 3 posts tagged design (this is page 1 of 1).

Written Report: Postmodernism

 

Originating in post World-War ll Italy, Postmodernism was a counter-movement against Modernism which rose to popularity in the late 20th century (1980-90s).

It rejected the industrial process and favoured going out of the box rather than go along with cultural trends and changes. It questioned the emphasis modernists placed on logic, simplicity and order. Postmodernism held an attitude of scepticism and irony, criticising the concepts of universal truths and objective reality which formed the philosophical basis of the ideologies of modernism.

This translated into artworks that broke down the boundaries between high culture and mass/popular culture. They promoted diversity and contradiction, introducing a new era of freedom and a sense that ‘anything goes’. Though often playful or funny, they could also be confrontational and controversial, challenging the boundaries of taste. In addition, they attempt to create more multiplicity of medium and message with the use of layered imagery, collage, photomontage and mixing of words with art.

Besides calling into question the ideas associated with modernism, postmodernism often references and/or combined other art styles, embracing many different approaches to art making and drawing its symbolic forms and motifs from Art Deco, Constructivism, De Stijl, Surrealism, Pop Art and Kitsch. They celebrate the overall fragmentation of the supposed established rules, often using visual ideas out of their normal context and incorporating elements that can be counter to or irrelevant to the apparent function of the object. However this merging of multiple styles also make postmodern works stylistically diverse and hence often hard to define.

The Memphis movement specifically had a crucial influence on postmodernism. Dominating the design scene in early 1980s, the Memphis Group helped to popularise Anti-Design, and consequently contributed significantly to the acceptance of Post-Modernism as an International Style in the 1980s. Memphis also inspired many developments in the New Design of the 1980s.

Surface decoration with signs and symbols is another key feature of postmodernist art. This can be attributed to the belief that they would speak to the observer who would more likely to relate to them on a psychological level. Postmodernists wanted to overturn the idea that there was one inherent meaning to a work of art or that this meaning was determined by the artist at the time of creation. They sought greater connection with broader audiences.

Postmodernism extended into the field of architecture as well. Contrary to the cleanliness, functionalism and utopianism of Modernism, Postmodernist architecture held a critical atmosphere of skepticism. It viewed perfection and minimalism as subjective, and personal interpretative preferences were preferred over the objective or ultimate principles. This translated aesthetically into buildings that had interesting features like imbalance and asymmetry. An example of such buildings includes the Vanna Venturi House by Robert Venturi.

Regarded as the first postmodern building, the Vanna Venturi House features a gable roof with an oversized chimney as well as an assortment of mismatched windows. It applied the traditional elements of architecture in unconventional ways, subverting the forms of the modern classics and making it playful and bold in comparison to what came before.

There were several key figures who helped shaped postmodernism as well, some through their theories and others through their work.

One such figure is Roland Barthes (1915-1980), a French literary theorist and philosopher. Known for his writings on semiotics (the formal study of symbols and signs), he believed that art should be critical and should interrogate the world. More importantly, he found semiotics useful in these interrogations. His book Mythologies (published in 1957) was highly influential to the evolution of Anti-Design against Modernism’s lack of ornamental signs and symbols, and by 1980s the formation of Postmodernism urged for the return of symbolism to architecture and design.

Another figure would be Italian designer and architect Alessandro Mendini. A member of two notable groups of radical designers – Global Tools (1974) and Studio Alchimia (1979), Mendini led design theories in Anti-Design debates that contributed to the propagation of Postmodernism. Under Global Tools, he was able to lay the theoretical foundations for the evolution of Postmodernism and renovated design in the 80s. Strongly opposed to tradition, the group sought to subvert the original forms and surface decorations of the modern classics, forging symbolic meanings onto what they perceived as bland and functional. In Studio Alchimia, he designed objects for sheer artistic pleasure rather than function with references to popular culture and kitsch, disregarding the norms of industrial production and practicality.

All in all, postmodernism had great impacts on the art and design world, radicalising the way people experienced and made art. Their contributions can be seen today to varying degrees in multiple different aspects and continue to inspire creators to play with their boundaries.

 

 

 

 

 

References

© Tate, London. (2018). Postmodernism. Retrieved from https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/postmodernism

Wikipedia. (2018, November 8). Postmodern art. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodern_art

The Art Story. (2018). Postmodern Art. Retrieved from https://www.theartstory.org/definition-postmodernism.htm

MoMa. (2018). Postmodernism. Retrieved from https://www.moma.org/collection/terms/84

Wikipedia. (2018, September 12). Manifestations of postmodernism. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifestations_of_postmodernism#Art

Frearson, A.F. (2015, August 12). Postmodern architecture: Vanna Venturi House, Philadelphia by Robert Venturi. Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com/2015/08/12/postmodernism-architecture-vanna-venturi-house-philadelphia-robert-venturi-denise-scott-brown/

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2018, November 8).  Roland Barthes. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roland-Gerard-Barthes

Wikipedia. (2018, October 1). Roland Barthes. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Barthes

Alessi. (2018). Alessandro Mendini. Retrieved from https://www.alessi.com/us_en/designers/from-l-to-o/alessandro-mendini.html

Magis. (2018). Alessandro Mendini. Retrieved from http://www.magisdesign.com/elenco_designers/alessandro-mendini/

Industrial Revolution: Favourite Art Movement

 

After reviewing all the links I’d like you to choose your favourite art movement and upload an example of your favourite piece with a short rationale to you OSS site.

 

Of the 5 different movements that we learnt about, my favourite is the Arts & Crafts movement.

An example of one of my favourite pieces from the movement is this furnishing fabric designed by William Morris. What struck me about this piece was its traditional beauty as well as the concept behind the complex design. Entitled Marigold, this monochromatic textile is likely to have been the first printed by Morris’ collaborator Thomas Wardle and was one of the few designs originally produced as both a wallpaper and fabric. The dense naturalistic pattern focuses on the marigold flower which was commonly found in the British countryside. Through the use of a cream colour, the humble marigold is elevated from an ordinary garden flower and given a sense of sophistication and understated elegance.

 

Marigold, furnishing fabric, designed by William Morris, made by Sir Thomas and Arthur Wardle Ltd., 1875, England. Museum no. CIRC.496-1965. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

 

 

References

V&A. (2018). William Morris textiles. Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved from https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/willam-morris-textiles

Charles Rupert Designs. (2018). William Morris. Historic Wallpaper. Retrieved from http://historicwallpaper.com/index.php/collections/show/william_morris/marigold

3D: 間 MA’s Obscure City of Voids – Individual Mood Box

MODULAR STRUCTURES (RESEARCH)

Modular design is a design approach that creates works out of independent parts with standard interfaces called modules or skids. This allows designs to be customized, upgraded, repaired and for parts to be reused.

In architecture

  • Charles De Gaulle International Airport

  • Kasita Model One house

In product design

  • Tetris Table by People’s Industrial Design Office

  • Qove Lounge by OFS

 

 

SOUND ANALYSIS

  • Red (D) – Tone Bars
  • Green (SD) – Sand Blocks & Rhythm Sticks
  • Yellow (SO) – Egg Shaker

Visual Representation

 

 

SKETCH MODEL

top + side view

For my model, I chose to use art card in a curved plane to represent the tone bars. The curvature of the art card represents the changes in pitch of the notes played; the art card starts from the bottom, going up and then coming back down like how the notes increase then decrease in pitch. Similarly for the varying width of the art card, it becomes more tapered at the higher notes (near the tip of the arc).

As for the sand blocks and rhythm sticks, I used metal wire because they produce a clear and dull sound. The long strip represents the sand blocks while the two balls represent the two short beats of the rhythm sticks. I placed them together since they come in at the same count in the tune we created. In hindsight the strip should have been made smaller so there won’t be so much contrast between the balls and the strip, but I wanted to distinct the metal elements as the SD of the model.

Finally, I used cotton wool to represent the egg shaker because I felt that the soft wispy texture of the cotton wool was able to mimic how the sound of the egg shaker faded out into the background.