#dsdn171.task5.handin

[kylantaylor]

Price and Education

“Let us therefore create a new guild of craftsmen without the class distinctions.” (Gropius, 1919) This was Walter Gropius goal when he created the Bauhaus school of design. However even after the Bauhaus’s great success this “new guild” is still not reality. Class distinction is still very present in today’s capitalistic society and it is preventing the education of students. This distinction comes in the form of a price tag, as good pieces of design are almost impossible to get a hold of for under $150. With many in tertiary education living payday to payday almost every article of good design is out of their reach. An example of this is a small art nouveau letter holder found on the New Zealand site trade me. The piece is a good article of design and one that any student could learn a lot from, if they had a chance to examine it. However due to its high price tag it has been put out of reach for all students and can only be accessed by the upper class. This prevents the national raising of standards in design as students are unable to experience hands on approach to examining good articles of industrial design, which as many people in the arts and crafts movement deemed the best way to learn. (Crawford, 1997)

Works Cited

Crawford, A. (1997). Ideas and Objects: The Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain. Design Issues, 13(1), 19.

Gropius, W. (1919). Bauhaus Manifesto and Program. 1.

[melaniedesign]

Is Rococo relevant to 21st century design?

The essence of Rococo design is bound to make a comeback, in a simplified manner, deeming Rococo still relevant to the 21st century.

18th Century Rococo was a rebellion of the ceremonial classism.  So what's not to say that the minimalistic style of today's era will spark another type of design revolution. We live in a geometrical design era, but we can't deny that "the seductive lure of the curve is irresistible". (The Lure of the Curve from 1730 to Today.) "The sinuous S-curve" of Rococo is the essence in which we can start to see in new designs. This is rebellion against "regimented order" and as Penelope Hunter-Stiebel said in 'The Continuing Curve', it's the human desire to appeal to the senses. 

In retrospect, Rococo is relevant to 21st century designs as an influential counterpart to modern-day designs. A complete rococo item however, would not fit into our society, as figure 1 shows, the ornament has taken over the design. According to Adolf Loos, ornament made today, bears no relation to us. The designer of figure 2 has this same approach to design, though portraying the s-curve in a simple elegant way.

When the Rococo influence is seen again, it will be a contemporary interpretation of the original style.

Figure 1.

Figure 2. 

Reference:

Loos, A. (1910). Ornament and Crime. In C. R. Gorman (Ed.), The Industrial Design Reader. (pp. 74 – 81). [PDF document]. Retrieved from:http://schoolofdesign.ac.nz/pluginfile.php/8781/mod_resource/content/2/Loos-ornament%20and%20crime.pdf

Hunter-Stiebel, P. The Continuing Curve [PDF document]. Retrieved from School of Designhttp://schoolofdesign.ac.nz/pluginfile.php/8440/mod_resource/content/3/Wk_3_%20Hunter-Stibel_The_Continuing_Curve.pdf

Huxtable, A. L. (2008, Jun 04). The lure of the curve from 1730 to today. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/399035014?accountid=14782

Arad, R. (1994). Loop Loop Chair [Photograph]. Retrieved from Kollerauktionen database.

Armchair (1765). [Photograph]. Germany. Retrieved from http://schoolofdesign.ac.nz/pluginfile.php/8720/mod_resource/content/2/171%20lecture%20baroque.pdf

[schachdame-dsdn171]

Assigmemt 5 | Bauhaus furniture has lost its spirit.

So called “Original Replicas” of famous Bauhaus furniture, like for example the BRNO armchair designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, can be acquired from a variety of online and offline shops and imitate the Bauhaus’ level of craft an aesthetics perfectly.  But these objects are unable to reflect the Bauhaus style in a way that really reflects the Bauhaus’ intentions.

Furniture, like the BRNO armchair, are sold inappropriately more expensive than their costs for material and production and are sometimes decorated with impregnated signatures of their designers (Knoll International, 2013). This contradicts the idea of a “production [that] reflects the needs of all people, not the profit motive of the individual” that Ludwig Hilberseimer, instructor in town planning at the Bauhaus, explained (Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin, 2009, p. 299).

The impregnated signatures meanwhile show that these objects are treated like expensive decorations and therefore cannot meet the expectation to enrich someone’s life practically. The reduction of material is treated like a decorative characteristic of the chair and ignores the original intention: to make the production easier and to reduced costs – a principle that has been used for many Bauhaus designs for example the Weissenhof estate in Stuttgart (Kennedy, 2006).

Current “Bauhaus furniture” has therefore lost its social and rational feature. As this is mainly how these designs differ from comparable design movements like the streamline styling, USA, it lost mainly the spirit that made it popular.

(232 words)

Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin/ Museum für Gestaltung, Stiftung Bauhaus Dessau and Klassik Stiftung Weimar (Ed.). (2009). Bauhaus a conceptual model. Ostfildern: Hatje Canty Verlag.

Kennedy, A. (2006). Bauhaus. London: Flame Tree Publishing.

Knoll International (2013, May 15). Description of the BRNO armchair. Retrieved May 15, 2013 from http://www.smow.com/en/manufacturers/knoll-international/flat-bat-brno-chair.html?force_sid=ed6bf158fed6789cf10f542771c70e53

[hinkstadesign]

Telling the differences between an original/replica and a knockoff piece

Looking at places that sell antique or replica pieces such as the internet site TradeMe, it is immediately obvious that one may have trouble distinguishing an object that is truly original or a replica, and one that has been produced cheaply to mimic features of an original, also known as a knockoff.

On first sight of an object, such as the Silver Plated Sardine Fork reviewed in Assignment 4, a seller’s description of the object may be vague or inaccurate.  This is apparent as the seller for this particular object has stated that the design is rococo style, but is unsure of what the specific design name is – which may suggest that the seller is unaware of the value of the object, leading the buyer to believe that the object may be invaluable. As the description also tells us that the object is silver plated, this may lead us to believe that who ever may have produced this object may have used a different material inside, cutting costs to make a profit and to fool the buyer.

As Rococo is a style where curvilinear elements are a major feature and reflect one’s significance and wealth, replicas and knockoffs may have thrived due to the nature of the irregularity and ease to produce the designs.

  TradeMe Auction: http://www.trademe.co.nz/antiques-collectables/silver-metalware-tins/silver/silver-plate/auction-591383564.htm

[annelies-berends-design]

DSDN171 Task 5: Does Art Nouveau remain a relevant style today?

Art Nouveau is an international style incorporating elements from various design eras and cultures which have today have become closely linked. Art Nouveau is an area of design which designers should be incorporating within their modern work.

As the world has developed, so has its design. Art Nouveau is an era that shows this development and as such is an important part of design history. The fact that it also incorporates plenty of aspects from other eras means that it can be integrated into a range of different environments with ease. “...we are living in a storm where a hundred contradictory elements collide; debris from the past, scraps of the present, seeds of the future...” (Rette, 1898). The style itself is extremely flexible allowing plenty of room for self expression and creation. 

Luxury materials often give Art Nouveau pieces a sense of glamour which adds to it’s flexibility as a style and its appeal. Part of this glamour comes from Japanese and Chinese influences and the unique character they imbue within Art Nouveau. “...an appreciation for Eastern art was integral with the history of the movement.” (Lancaster, 1952). Art Nouveau is a style easily appreciated especially within the modern context.

References:

Lancaster, C. (1952.) Oriental Contributions to Art Nouveau. The Art

     Bulletin, 34(4), 297-310. Retrieved from

     http://www.jstor.org.helicon.vuw.ac.nz/stable/3047441?seq=10

Petty, J. (2013). LECTURE FIVE protomodern 10 April 2013.

     [PowerPoint slides]. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University of

     Wellington.

[sophiafalefa-blog]

To what extent is Rococo still relevant to the 21st Century?

The Rococo design era are not as popular as it use to back in its time, due to today's technological era, this is because we have reached a certain generation where all the focus is about getting your hands on the latest technology gadgets. These days Arts, Culture, and design are not as valued as they were in the past (Bray, 2007).

In today's society we are heavily impacted by the use and forever upgrade of technology. It has come to that effect that everyone wants to get a hold of the new technology released (The Guardian, 2005). Technology has become a way of life rapidly, without these fancy gadgets you will either feel included with the up to date technology or feel left out (Price-Mitchell, 2012). This emphasizes on my point and this is what makes people in society eager to get their hands on the latest gadgets.

Today incongruity is usual (Charles Jencks, 1996). Jencks clearly agrees with my view that Rococo designs are not as relevant as it use to be and that it no longer fits into this new era that we are currently living.

In conclusion, I think Rococo design is not as relevant to the 21st Century as it use to be in the past, due to the technology and the fact that people in society have shifted their focus towards more of the technology era.

References:

Charles Jencks (1996). What is post modernism. 4th. Ed. London Academy.

The Guardian. (2005). Growing up with the wired generation. Retrieved from:http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2005/nov/10/newmedia.media

Bray, B. (2007). Technology and its impact on society and culture. Retrieved from: http://my-ecoach.com/blogs.php?action=view_post&blog=8&post=3922

Price - Mitchell, M. (2012). The moment of youth: Helping teens believe in themselves. Retrieved from: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-moment-youth/201211/generation-tech-the-good-bad-and-scary

Sophia Falefa

[annareesuni]

Does authentic modernist furniture exist?

It is common of artists and designers to applause the qualities of those who are either retired or dead (Dormer, 1990, p. 23) in effect creating a halt in innovative design. One could argue Marcel Breuer’s Wassily Chair “symbolizes all that modern furniture was meant to represent” (ruksliving.com 2013) as the form follows function. Thus furniture that follows the key modernist design elements should be considered as modern as the Wassily Chair. The Oxford dictionary definition of authentic is “of undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine”. Consequently, furniture claiming to be Modernist can only be associated with being a genuine piece if done in the traditional way; Including functionality, use of materials and the methods of manufacture. If such characteristics are embodied in a furniture design I believe it is fair to call it an authentic piece of modernist furniture, although if the design is contaminated with opposing design characteristics it is therefore a non-authentic design.

  The History of Modern Furniture. Available: http://www.ruksliving.com/history-of-modern-furniture.aspx. Last accessed 21st may 2013.)

  Peter Dormer (1990). The Meanings of Modern Design: Towards the Twenty-First Century. london: Thames & Hudson. 20-24.

  oxforddictionaries. (2013). Definition of authentic. Available: http://oxforddictionaries.com/. Last accessed 29.05.2013.

[abernardesign]

DSDN171 Assignment 5: Step Up Your Writing

Baroque and Rococo design is made for the artist, not for an audience. Both eras of design, one informed by the previous, are frivolous expressions led by the artists’ emotions. Everyday people cannot be expected to understand either Baroque or the less restrained Rococo styles of design.

Rococo design seems to often be described in terms such as “sensuous” (Hunter-Steibel, 2008) and “erotic” (Loos, 1910).  The descriptions of these organic designs appear to be describing something more intimate. Perhaps then, Rococo design is more intimate to the artist than the public eye sees at a glance. Loos describes the way in which the intimacy of the human body informs artists’ line making (1910). The natural curvature of the forms in both Rococo and Baroque can be linked to the curves of the body.

However, it is unlikely that the public imagines that design from the Baroque and Rococo eras is based on such private thoughts. Rapp asks “what are the student and the general public to do … if for instance they want to know the purpose of these designs?” (1951). The intricacy of the designs is enough to intrigue people to look at the complex forms, yet these designs may not be so openly welcomed if the audience was aware of their roots.

  Reference:

Loos, A. (1910). Ornament and Crime. Retrieved from http://schoolofdesign.ac.nz/pluginfile.php/8781/mod_resource/content/2/Loos-ornament%20and%20crime.pdf

 Hunter-Steibel, P. (2008). The Continuing Curve. New York, USA: Assouline Publishing.

 Rapp, F. (1951, Dec). [Review of the books Baroque and Romantic Stage Design: The Bibiena Family]. The Art Bulletin, 33(4), 180-188. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.helicon.vuw.ac.nz/stable/3047381?seq=2