Weekly assignment 8

In this week’s reading, “The First Machine Age in Europe” by David Raizman, Hannes Meyer argued that ‘design is a product of “function x economic”’.

I disagree with Meyer’s idea as his idea narrows down the meaning of ‘Design’. To me design is something that embodies designers’ personality,style, and creativity while achieving its purpose and function. I believe that both aesthetics and function are important and should remain equal; Design cannot be determined as either art nor science, but a collaboration of both. However, Meyer's idea was based solely on the fact that design should only serve function, not aesthetics, and that they should only be built by the means of technology and science. I believe his idea marginalizes the value of fine art and separates art from design.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=dysans+fans&hl=ko&sa=X&noj=1&biw=1366&bih=700&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=-53nmOuTgK92OM:&imgrefurl=http://inhabitat.com/dyson-aims-to-replace-air-conditioning-with-new-bladeless-fans/&docid=fwVS_1KUklbsOM&w=537&h=421&ei=DIp7TpeTA-HomAXB5bXOAQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=2893&page=1&tbnh=156&tbnw=183&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0&tx=20&ty=67

The above images are of Dyson fans and fan heaters. These are designed to have no blades or heating elements and are created using modern science and technology. Their modern and simple minimalistic designs attract many consumers, especially minimalist supporters. Dyson fans serve what other normal fans currently do, but go a step further by taking into consideration of thier users’ safety while still being aesthetically pleasing. 

Meyer is right where he pointed out that technologies should be applied to design. Technologies now-days have developed to the stage where they allow us achieve far more advanced and complex designs which handmade crafts cannot reach. However, I disagree with his point of function and economy over aesthetics, as it limits the potential of how far design can reach. Aesthetics take a major role in design and is important as function itself. To me, a good design should show how well function and aesthetics reflect one another and are collaborated together. 

 Reference

David Raizman (2003). Chapter 9: The "first Machine Age" in Europe. In History of Modern design (pp. 166-191). Laurence King Publishing.

Weekly Assignment 7 - Symbolic Universe

In recent days, “symbolic universe” is displayed in a variety of media. Particularly in movies, symbolic universe is used to show and display the lives of fantasy. The film, Avatar, is a great example of a film where symbolic universe is shown.

The symbolic universe in Avatar displays the harmony created between Navi and nature, and their respect towards it. This is quite a different concept of symbolic universe to what was displayed in the World’s fairs of the early 1900s. They presented symbolic universe and believed that the fantasy came from advancements in technology and science, and beliefs for a better life tomorrow. However,  the beliefs of Navi in symbolic universe are portrayed through nature where Eywa; their mother of nature, helps them to get through every day and provide them with a belief in times of sorrow. The film concludes by leaving a moral message suggesting men should not take control of nature. However, this contrasts with Buffalo World’s fair 1901, where man is seen to have gained power over nature through generating electricity from Nigara Falls. Not only that, the film also concludes by showing viewers with importance of cultural unity and harmony. Again contrasting with Buffalo World’s fair where colours were used in architectural plans to show cultural hierarchy.




Reference
The social Construction of Reality, Society as Subjective Reality. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Social_Construction_of_Reality
Kihlstedt, F. T. (1986). Utopia Realized: The World’s Fairs of the 1930s. In Imagining Tomorrow: History Technology, and the American Future (pp. 97-119). Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America: MIT Press.

Weekly Assignment - 6

In “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” by Benjamin Walters, he argues that “To an ever 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.”

What is Authenticity in photographs? I believe authenticities in photographs rely, not on the photographs themselves, but on the moment at which photographer takes the shot. The moment when the photograph was taken will remain an authentic image only to the photographers themselves as they hold the firsthand experience.

Therefore I agree to Walter’s argument and believe authenticity do take role in an age of digital design and manufacture. It does not matter which photograph is original or not, but personal connection and emotional meaning of their own work which remain in the image of individual’s mind are what defines the true meaning of authenticity.