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.

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? is an educational media featuring a villain named Carmen Sandiego. Carmen Sandiego appears in computer games, television shows, and books. The purpose of Carmen Sandiego is to educate the young audience in an array of topics such as geography, mathematics, grammar, etc.  But most importantly it was designed to keep kids interested and learning.Contributing to the idea that education does not have to be limited to textbooks, it can also be entertainment.

I came across this idea as I was reading "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud. I was so hooked on the book that I did not want to put it down. "Understanding Comics" is an educational, historical account on comics in the form of a comic book. As I was learning I was entertained. I thought, what if science books, history books, english books, you name it, were written in comic book format? Would grades among college students increase? Would we actually finish reading a textbook that we purchased for class, rather than just reading the first 20 pages then setting it aside? I think so.

This is the idea of design. We design for usefulness and the benefit of society whatever that may be! In this case, the concept is education and we must think outside of the box, I mean the hexagon. And design that which will reap positive outcomes.

Design In Society

Everything we see around us is a product of design-- an inifinite pool of ideas and imagination. Unsure of what to make of my surroundings, I label them in ways that emphasize the role of the designer so that they exceed the bland images as they appear to us.  For example, marriage betweeen a man and a woman may seem like a fulfillment of a societal role, but it just so happens that there is a historical underlying this design that has evolved the defintion of this bond. Indeed there are social forces that construct such an activity, but nontheless it is a design. As a young girl, I began to see objects from this basic premise.
As a little girl I watched my Mexican grandmother weave colorful bags. I felt hypnotized by her hand interlacing the thread in a repetitive manner and the vibrant colors made it hard for my eyes to stray away. Could it be the pattern that captivated me? Or perhaps it was the allure of the electrifying mood that the colors infused into me? But it was indeed greather than that. It was the hardworking woman that created these bags in order to make a living. It was the representation of my Mexican roots that inhabited the fabric. It was the energetic colors that screamed "cultura". All of these are factors of society that molded me, but nonetheless a design.