Politics, Baroque, and Rococo

In the seventeenth century, financial stability opened the door to the luxuries of Baroque. The end of the Thirty Years War that devastated the German states, furthermore, the end of the Turkish Siege of Vienna brought stability to Central Europe (Grant 54). It is these series of events that opened the doors for a new plan. A plan to build great cities and relaxing country sides – Baroque seemed fit to fulfill this vision. Magnificent thinking spread throughout Europe reaching Italy, Spain and Portugal (Grant 57). It was a political need that was interpreted with design that sparked the movement of a new look. What made this style all the more memorable was the colossal size of the building and the high intensity of decoration in the rooms. The exterior was just as decorated as the interior and every artistic detail was symmetrical (Grant54). Every room within the building flowed in contrast and color. The grand staircase and hallways incited a sense of anticipation and expectation. The walls were no longer identified as a structural tool rather as a decorative canvas. Wealth was the theme in Europe. Even in England where they did not experience much prosperity as did Central Europe, they still shared in the glory by adopting the style of Baroque (Grant 57). There homes were filled with artwork and represented a life of luxury.

France revolutionized the design of interiors at the eighteenth century. Extensions and alteration were made to the palaces of the king – Louis XIV (Levy 265). A need for change and a fresh new look is what sparked this change. The ornamental figures on walls became lighter and asymmetrical, naturalistic motifs began to appear, the legs on chairs and other furniture pieces became more rounded, feminine themes began to appear such as the caryatids, intimate living became a need, ornaments and paintings became more picturesque, motifs in swirls and shells began to appear (Levy 267). This French taste in style spread throughout Europe. By 1750, the majority of Europe had adopted this particular style which became known as the Rococo Revival (Levy 266).

Furniture Designer John Henry Belter

John Henry Belter was not the only furniture maker in New York City nor was he the only one utilizing Rococo Revival to create his furniture. However, there are certain techniques and motifs that he used that separated him from the rest and made him what he has become to be known to be today—one of the best Rococo Revival furniture producers of his time. First, John Henry Belter used a technique called laminating in making his furniture. He referred to it as “pressed wood”. This process is utilized to achieve ornaments. Second, Belter’s work was more elaborate compared to other cabinet makers (“History Wired” 1). The inspiration for Belters ornamentation came from the floral designers Jean Baptiste Monnayer (1634-1699) and architect Jean Lepautre (1618-1682). They were both important figures during the seventeenth century. Another source of inspiration for Belters ornamentation is the concept of realism introduced during the reign of Louis XIV which is why Louis XIV is so closely related to the Rococo Revival (Shwartz 2). The concept of realism introduced images of birds, flowers, naturalistic elements as motifs to Rococo Revival furniture—a big feature on the furniture of Belter. These naturalistic forms are details that distinguish Belter from the rest of the furniture makers in New York City.

Design Is Dangerous

The use of sustainable materials lacks in this society. The issue of environmental responsibility was not present in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. Although production of designed furniture, jewelry, buildings, etc. began before the Industrial Revolution, production was not as fast and massive. It was at a slower pace and at a smaller scale making materials available to only a small portion of people. Now, due to the introduction of machines and factories during the Industrial Revolution, these products are available to everyone. Although this is a positive outcome, it came with a problem—the emission of pollution in the air and the exhaustion of natural resources. In addition, the availability of resources and the massive production of goods have made it easier for humans to waste. In other words, more products mean more waste.

Thankfully, recyclying of materials has been introduced in this century, but how much of the recycled materials that the average person recycles is actually recycled? According to the news article, Recycled material being ‘dumped as landfill’ by Andy Bloxham, “around 240,000 tons of paper, glass and plastic is either dumped or burned after being collected in green bins and bags by local council staff…”. Therefore, designers must not only be educated in the use of materials, but also public policy. It is a shame that there are instances like these that make the effort to turn towards sustainability difficult.

Sometimes we cannot predict the outcome of our actions (in the case of the Industrial Revolution). Thus, it is fair to say that this was an unintentional consequence. On the other hand, we are given the opportunity to learn from our actions and avoid producing the same negative outcome. As designers we are responsible for what we produce in this world and for the sake of our environment and our health we must think green.  

Design In Society 2

The design of the toilet is a utopian one because it aims to improve the cleanliness and sanitation of society.
This mechanism works to dispose human waste through a pipe that transports it to another location. Besides the usefulness of this product, the design of the product is an interesting concept. It is composed of a bowl and a tank.


In the tank sits liters of waters. When the toilet is flushed, water is released and more water is let back in. In other words, it is a system of exchange. Although the tank system may vary, there is usually a a valve that allows for water flow. For instance,  you flush, the valve is pulled up by a chain, and water is exchanged. The bowl is most commonly made of ceramic, but can be made out of other materials such as metal. The toilet is usually mounted on the wall (wall mounted) and resides in the bathroom.


There exists cultural variations in the use of the toilet. In India, the toilet may be used in a squatting position. This squatting position is also used on Russian trains. In Japan, there is a variation of toilets, the oldest being the squat toilet. The squat toilet has a tank, but no bowl. Therefore, the waste is received in a hole that is implanted into the ground and transported through the tank. After World War II, western style toilets became more popular. Although this is the case, there are many more advantages in using a squat toilet. For example, it is easier to clean, less expensive, and there is no occurence of splashing from water in a toilet bowl. In addtion, it contributes to your health. Squatting can reduce possible hemorrhoids, it can prepare a preganant women for natural delivery, and it is beneficial for your puborectalis muscle and ileocecal valve.


The western toilet and squatting toilet are both beneficial in that they reduce waste, but the squatting toilet is better in ergonomic design.

Color Transforms

The book Interaction of Color by Josef Albers talks about the perception of color. Albers is one of the most influential people of the 20th century. He belonged to the Germany's Bauhaus Group from 1925 until its closing in 1933. He then came to the United States to teach at Black Mountain College until 1950. In 1950, he transfered to Yale to work as a Chairman for the Design department. Albers has won many awards during his lifetime, one of them being the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1968. Albers states, "In visual perception, a color is almost never seen as it really is- as it physically is. This fact makes color the most relative medium in art."

Albers book was published in 1963 for the first time. Albers recorded his experiments in this book and explains the visual illusions of color. This makes color an unstable medium. This book also serves as a teaching guide fo teachers and students. The book provides color plates which make it easier to visualize the instability and visual illusions that color portrays.

Color puts a design into perspective. Since, color is very malleable it becomes very useful in indicating depth, strength, etc. in a design. I believe this is what Albers means when he says that color is decieveing. It potrays illusions that are not physically there. For example, a painting is a physical entity, but the images in a painting are not. They are just representations of physical objects. Color becomes a tool in depicting the images within a painting. Color, if used in the appropriate way, can signify depth and light. This makes color a tool in visual illusions.

Boroque

Baroque design began in the 16^th century in Italy. It began in the light of the Renaissance and grew popularity mainly amongst the Roman Churches. This design consisted of new techniques of shadow and light and displayed a high intensity in detail and depth. Since this design called for embellishments, it became an expensive type of design. Seeing that the Roman Catholic Church adopted this style was an expression of their wealth and superiority. This was important especially since the Protestant church was an entity that was created after they separated themselves from the Catholic Church. Thus, Baroque was a religious and social movement as well as a movement in design.

The main characteristics of this design are oval shaped or wider naves, architectural elements that were purposely incomplete, dramatic lighting also known to be strong contrasts in light, a wide use of color and ornaments usually made of wood, marble, stucco, etc., frescoes in large measures, a centralized and external façade, and paintings and sculptures in the interior. Many of the famous building that project this style are Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Electors Palace in Trier in Germany, Santa Susana in Spain, and San Benedetto in Cantania in Italy. This style was later interpreted, or if you will, “revived” in the later century that became known as Rococo revival.

Ergonomics

The purpose of design is to serve the population particularly for a useful purpose. Ergonomics is an element in design that emphasis the concept of serving the population for a useful purpose. The main goal of ergonomics design is to prevent injuries from happening to the user of a particular design. According to Wikipedia Ergonomic is “the scientific discipline concerned with understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principle, data, and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.”   In this case, I will use athletic shoes as an example. Safety, comfort, ease to use, performance or productivity, and aesthetics of design are five elements that characterize ergonomic study. This object must fit the characteristics of ergonomic study in order to fulfill its role.

As a person who has been a tri athlete in high school, I can say that specialized shoes for particular sports are very important. For instance, you use soccer cleats to play soccer and it is unsafe to do otherwise. There could be a risk of injury if you do not use the appropriate shoes for a sport because shoes are designed to fit the biological construction of your foot and designed to fit the purpose of the sport. Therefore, shoes fulfill the safety characteristic of ergonomics.

In addition to being safe, the comfort of shoes is also important. Comfort also reduces injury to the player. If you are not comfortable in shoes while you are playing a sport, the pain may distract the player making them loose their concentration, and incraesing their chances of injury. Comfort can reduce injury. In addition, it is very pleasing to the athlete.

Ease to use is convenient. In this day and age it seems as though convenience is important. With so much going on the last thing someone wants to worry about is putting on their shoes or putting in extra work while using their shoes. Therefore, athletic shoes were designed like regular tennis shoes in their dimensions and characteristics. They can be put on easily like every other normal shoe, but their purpose is different, to serve the needs of an athlete.

Performance is crucial. Recently, sketchers has come out with athletic shoes that tone your legs and butt. It is what makes the product appealing to the customers or in this case athlete. Performance is important to an athlete because it means productivity. Productivity means accomplishing things during a game.

Aesthetics of design is pleasing. Just because something is safe doesn’t mean it has to be boring. People like to buy nice things even if beauty is not the purpose of the product is. In addition, sometimes the aesthetics of a design can be beautiful as well as useful.

Ergonomics has five elements safety, comfort, and ease to use, performance, and aesthetics of design. Athletic shoes, as explained, fits the characteristics of ergonomics. Ergonomics is important to the consumer because it prevents injury which will eventually reduce the cost of medical expenses and this idea is pleasing to all.

Roco Revival

Recently, I have had a fascination with Rococo design. The swift curves of Rococo design replaced Baroque design in the late 18^th century. The artists became extremely more ornate in their designs compared to that of Baroque. In addition, symmetry was become less important in this design. Some of the design objects used for architectural and interior purposes were mirrors, furniture, sculptures, tapestries, and wall paintings.

The word rococo came from the French term rocaille which means stone and the French word coquilles which means shell. These terms were used in naming the Rococo design because the artists relied heavily on these motifs in order to achieve an elegant, ornate style. 

Rococo first made its appearance in interior work and is closely associated with Louis XIV reign in France. He is the one who brought a change in style and thus the artists adapted. The height of the Rococo revival was in the 1730’s—it was visible everywhere and it began to spread throughout other parts of Europe such as Germany and Austria. 

I think its highly ornate motifs and delicate style gave it such an attractive appearance making it very popular in France. It represents over the top, exquisite, and expensive taste I believe this is what the French had in mind (or at least Louis XIV’s mind) when Rococo style was established and utilized. The French wanted to be known for their exquisite taste.

Word + Image

Too many words. Not enough words. More image. Less Image. Too busy. Not enough. It is hard to come to a balance when designing a shirt for an organization. Word and Image is very crucial in the design of a shirt. In order for a shirt design to be successful, word and image must be at equilibrium.

How do we reach this equilibrium on a shirt design? The purpose of the shirt design is it to catch the eyes attention by coming up with a creative, unique design, but making the message clear. Here the self-organization principle of Gestalt Theory comes into play. You must be able to organize the image and words on a shirt in a way that makes it easy for a person to detect its purpose and message. I believe the way to do that is ask yourself if the design is clear enough for you to read and asking those around you the same question. Be open for constructive criticism.

Why and how is word and image important? There is a message that needs to be expressed. It is necessary to have both word and image because sometimes an illustration is not enough and sometimes just words are too boring. Therefore, word and image work hand in hand to relay a message visually.

Word and Image on a World Map

Today, while I was working, a foreign exchange student came up to the counter and asked if we carry world maps. I directed him to the aisle in which it was located and he grabbed two. I helped him at the check counter and when I was done checking him out, I began to think about the concept of word and image related to a world map.  I am pretty sure I do not only speak for myself when I say I love looking at world maps.

 What is it about maps that intrigue us? I think it is the layout—all the countries in the world are illustrated on one page. It is interesting to see countries in relation to each other; their size, shape, and characteristics. It also incites our thoughts of the mystery occupied by each country and our desire to discover each and every one.

How does word and image work on a world map? Not only are the countries illustrated, but most of the time these maps are accompanied by words. The countries and their cities and sometimes regions are labeled. I believe this is constructed to deliver clarity. It is a holistic approach that makes it easier for our senses to recognize form and function (Gestalt Theory). For example, texture and boundaries are recognized by lines and the name of the countries is recognized by words. The combination of word and image work on a map to provide accurate and visible information. 

Coco Chanel

I not too long ago began thinking about the success of my future. The thought of stepping into the big world and starting a career frightened me. What must I do in the design industry in order to be successful? I craved some sense of security, thus, I began to read quotes by famous designer. The one that stood out to me the most was one recited by Coco Chanel, "In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different." Coco Chanel was a French fashion designer. She was a very important person in design who introduced a modernist philosophy to fashion. How did she get that way?

Coco Chanel was born in Samur , France. As a young child both of her parents died. Thus, she was sent to an orphanage where she spent six years of her life. At the orphanage she learned the skills of a seamstress. In addition, her vacations from the orphanage to her relative’s houses contributed to her skills as a seamstress as well. Her relatives would teach her other skills as a seamstress besides those taught at the orphanage. Later in life when Chanel was an aspiring cabaret singer, she met Etienne Balsan, a textile heir who she began working for at his tailor shop. Through him she met one of his friends Captain Edward Arthur “Boy” Capel who financed one of her first shops.

Of course one would imagine there would be more to her life than just the account given above, but I would like to grab just some important lessons from her successful life. The first is to use the skills you learn as much as you can, just as Chanel did. Second, sometimes the people you know is more beneficial than what you know. Therefore, make connections.

Black and Orange

I went to San Francisco on Halloween weekend for the first time. In my opinion, I feel this was the best time to go. I felt both the Halloween and Giants spirit.  The city was filled with orange and black, such a funny coincidence that those colors just so happen to represent Halloween as well as the Giants. I felt a great deal of pride coming from the people residing in the city. This gave the city an even greater appeal; they looked united because of a baseball team and their display of the Halloween spirit. What does this have to do with design you may ask? Plenty. The design of city is very important not just for its functionality, but also for its appeal. You feel something more than just visual pleasure; you feel joy from your surrroundings. In this case, the tradition was Halloween and the personal meaning was a baseball team representing the city of San Francisco. Stepping into the city this past weekend I felt the tradition and the pride. The streets and shops were filled with orange and black. Halloween decorations were everywhere. The majority of people were wearing Giants jerseys. The phrase “Go Giants” appeared in the Bart Station, cable cars, shop windows, even a statue by the Tiffany’s shop in downtown San Francisco was wearing a Giants jersey and a beard. People’s impression of a city is very much dependent on its design. At least I was when I went to San Francisco this weekend. I enjoyed the city even more because of the spirit it portrayed through design.

.Objectified

 Objectified is a documentary film by Gary Hustwit. It is filled with designer’s names, images, and ideas. Not just names and ideas, but it also explores our relationship to the outcome of their ideas—products. Designers are documented during their quest to improve the world around them through design. Designers look at consumerism and sustainability as their motivation for inspiration. During the process of their work they add their own expression unique to them as a designer and individual. For example, if two designers were to be assigned the same project to create a sustainable hair brush then that product would have a similar function and focus, but it would look differently because two different designers with dissimilar backgrounds and experiences created it.

What we learn from this film is how and why a designer works. They work to improve the world through design because they are passionate about it. In addition, the impact they have on who we are as individual people and as a country. For instance, the products that we have available to us contribute to our functionality in this country. Is this what we want or do we want to strive to be different? Jonathan Ive, a Senior VP Industrial Designer for Apple recounts his first impact with design. He speaks about the first time he laid eyes on a computer. He said he got an idea of the people who built it and the world around us. This computer is available to us because it contributes to something we need as a society and a designer saw that a white, square shaped mechanism will serve the purpose well. All these are concepts explored throughout the film.

Comparison and Contrast

Originals and Revivals. I would like to explore the formation of these concepts. According to dictionary.com, revival is “a restoration to use, acceptance, activity, or vigor after a period of obscurity or quiescence”.  Original is “not derived from something else; fresh and unusual”. We see restoration of original ideas in design all the time. Gothic Revival, Greek Revival, and Egyptian Revival just to name a few. In contrast, originals and revival differ in their definition – one is not derived from anything else and the other is a restoration of an idea or style that came before. The similarity is the characteristic of the design, both the original and the revival occupy characteristics of a particular design. The only difference is that the revival occupies a twist in modernity. An example is Frank Lloyd Wright, a well-known American architect, interior architect, and author. His uses of Mayan motifs in his architectural designs were a revival, but also a twist in modernity. For example, Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Hollyhock House” on Olive Hill in Los Angeles, California has used Mayan Revival. Where does it stay modern? The uses of materials in building the house are different from the original Mayan architecture. Considering the time difference we had materials available in 1922 that were not available in the Pre-Classic period. Wright’s style of introverted buildings and use of small windows give it features unique to his style. This is the idea of revival, features borrowed from an original style, but additions added that are unique to the designer.

Design as Conversation

On the first day of Design 1 class we were asked to write down terms that describe a conversation. I wrote down laughter. What I realize now, that I did not before, is that one would want laughter in their conversation, but it is not necessarily the main requirement for one. I think it is a system of inputs and outputs. As a student of interior design, I've come to find out that if and when I enter the profession, I must be open to the needs of the customer. Of course, my job entails the ability to contribute to their ideas, but it is a malleable idea that can be manipulated in a way that must and always please the client. This can be compared to the performance by Lady Gaga and Yoko Ono performing “The Sun is Down”. It is a song in a form of a conversation and each line recited by Yoko Ono and Lady Gaga contribute to the fluidity of the conversation—they are both on the same page. We find this in other areas of music. Popularly, R Kelly, an R&B artist has done a series of songs in the form of a conversation called “Trapped in the Closet”. We find conversations everywhere. In design, a conversation must be about complementarity of ideas. It should be as Lady Gaga and Yoko One—is on the same page. It should lack repetition, negativity, and a plethora of unrelated ideas. As designers, we must learn to work within the limits that the clients give us. If we are able to create that and more, then we are golden.

Music and Design

How important are album covers? Not just for the purpose of selling albums by attracting the consumer, but also for the message it conveys. The design is crucial and I would like to explore the melody of art and music make when displayed on an album cover. The one album that I would like to explore is Santigold's self titled album.

Santigold is a singer, songwriter, and producer. She has been compared to artists such as Lykke Li and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but likes to think of herself as individually formed and expressed. She loves to detach herself from the typical stereotype of being a black artist and being classified as a hip hop or R&B artist. She is far from that and I believe that she exemplifies that on her self titled album cover. The album cover is a picture of herself in a black and white tone and coming out of her mouth is gold glitter. What does this display exemplify beside the obvious? In my perspective, the use of black and white tone represents the stereotypes and the gold represent the breaking of those stereotypes as well as the "gold" in her name. Everything is either black or white, but people fail to see the gray or gold in between.  Her face expression, the way that her name is written represents individuality. On no other album cover have I seen distinctive characteristics as this one and it is no mistake. This shows how design is very important in the expression of feelings and ideas. Album covers being a prime example.

Creativity From Without

There are many artists that find inspiration from without rather than from within. Some of the many examples are fashion designers and one instance in particular are designers featured on the show Project Runway. In season one episode 8 titled "Inspiration" one of the assignments on the show was to come up with an outfit that was directly inspired by their environment. They were to go out into the streets of New York and take pictures of items in their surrounding and ultimately choose the picture which most inspired them. This is creativity from without because rather than having a personal influence upon an item, the designers were influenced by their environment.

 

Why is influence so important? Because we have to be stimulated in some way in order to create. If we are not influenced by one thing or another there is no direction. Although we were told to complete a project in Design 1 in which we designed something without any influence, the products in themselves were an influence. Also, the way in which they were able to be shaped was very important in the final construction of the product. Some may bring of improvisation as not being linked to influence, but that too carries influence. Improvisation in itself grabs from ideas that are available at the moment and depends on the mood and flow of the universe that the individual detects. Therefore, your surrounding are very important and should be utilized for influence.

Stone Soup

This past Wednesday the students of Design 1 were asked to bring arts and crafts items to class and with those items we were to create an artistic display. Our group created a web of color and texture.

 We came about this project by laying out all of our materials on the grass. Second, we choose a structure as our foundation in which we would exhibit our project. This foundation was a tree outside of Haring Hall. Next, some of our group members intertwined ribbon and string around the trunks of the trees while the rest of us began to construct items that we would set in between the ribbon. In the entire process we did not use inspiration from our lives or nature around us. We did what felt right at the moment and thus the outcome of our project was a web of color and texture.

The Stone Soup project was inspired by the book Stone Soup by Marcia Brown. This is an old folk tale in which three hungry soldiers trick a village into feeding them. They did this by asking for small food items such as spices to add to their stone soup. A villager agreed to bring them what they asked and as more and more villagers became curious about their concoction they too began to bring them food items for their soup. Eventually, the soup was complete and the soldiers as well as the villagers enjoyed a feast. This is similar to our stone soup project, we all brought things to add to our project and created a wonderful array of color and texture that we all enjoyed looking at.

Design and Controversy

        A proposed plan by Feisal Abdul Rauf to build an Islamic community ceter two blocks
from ground zero has stirred up a commotion in New York City. Many of those who have expressed
their likes and dislikes of the project have been Christian. One of them being the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg. He is in favor for the Park51 project. He states "My job is not to vet clergy in this city...Everybody has a right to their opinions. You dont have to worship there...the country is not built around ...only those ...clergy people that we agree with. Its built around freedom. Thats the wonderful thing about the First Amendment -- you can say anything you want" (Wikipedia) Bloomberg favors Park51 on grounds of property rights and religious freedom and if these rights are not practiced in our own country, then we must not preach it abroad. We are hypocrites if we do so.

What does this have to do with design? First and foremost, we find design in every aspect of life, regardless on how unrelated it may seem. Furthermore, the First Amendment was designed to instill freedom in the American society.  And the mosque that has been the topic of much debate is designed to serve the Muslim population in Lower Manhattan. But most of all, the artistic beauty of a mosque and the pleasure it gives to the eyes is design.