“Reflecting Culture: The Francis E. Fowler, Jr. Collection of Silver

The “Reflecting Culture: The Francis E. Fowler, Jr. Collection of Silver has objects such as dinner sets, ships, horses and sculptures made from silver and at different times. The objects are from the 16^th century to the 19^th century. As I look through the objects and read about when they were made, I noticed that different cultures had very different style and there was a certain degree of ornamentation in each culture or region. At first, I hypothesized that in the 16^th century, dinner utensils such as plates, spoons, cups and teapots would have a high amount of ornamentation and that as time passes and moving toward the present, there would be less decorations because society was moving to a modern design. However, I was wrong; this exhibition does not show a correlation between time and level of ornamentation. Instead, ornamentation is correlated with region and culture. For example, I compared the Irish, Russian, and American dinner sets and focused on the level of ornamentation of these dinner sets. I observed that the American style was very simple relative to the Russian and Irish because it lacked patterns on the silverware. Irish style had more patterns and carvings on the silverware and the shapes and forms of the objects were very unique. The Russian, I thought valued ornamentation because there was a lot of it around the plate. Much detail was on the teapot and what I believe to be a goblet on the bottom right corner. In Russian style, there is even color such as the teapot and the pitcher that are blue and also have designs and patterns on them.

I think that comparing these three cultures, this collection related to design culture which is that design culture “contains things of the mind: plans, dreams, utopias, fears…” (Lecture 1). Design culture displays what the designer values. Applying this to silverware, the Russians seemed to value ornamentation more than the Irish and the Americans because they obviously put a lot of effort into making the dinner sets, which means that they found ornamentation worth that much time and effort.

In Extremis: Death and Life in 21st Century Haitian Art Exhibition

In Extremis: Death and Life in 21^st Century Haitian Art Exhibition

I went to the “The Extremis: Death and Life in 21^st Century Haitian Art” gallery. I looked closely at Pierrot Barra’s art work and design on “Cross with fork and spoon, 1995”. This artwork consist of many materials all clumped up together. The description writes that it is made up of wood, fabric, metal and plastic. It has a very wild and abstract background. What mainly struck out to me was the cross, fork and spoon. The cross represents God and because it looks as though the cross is holding onto the fork one end and the spoon on another, it looks like or represents a person getting ready for dinner. When I thought about relating the cross with a human, the concept of anthropomorphism came into mind. This is the “tendency to…see likenesses to living beings in inanimate things…” (Lecture 1). When I looked at these cross, I immediately thought about a person sitting at the dinner table, holding a fork and a spoon and ready to dig into their meal. I think Barra thought the same way on anthropomorphizing because the description writes “But he’s always there, waiting to dig into you with his fork” (Cross with fork and spoon, 1995).  Barra names the cross as a “he,” thus meaning that he is relating the cross a human like creature.

This work also reminds me of bricolages, which are “compositions designed by combing pre- existing designs. They express their creator’s identity and worldview” (Lecture 1). I think that the cross is famous for representing God, the very powerful being, the fork and spoon are eating utensils which can mean that they are tools for inflicting pain because humans use it to eat meat which kills animals. The arms and body parts on the artwork represent the dead because in general, if a body is not whole, it is either in pain or the person is dead. These objects are very familiar to everyone, and they are put together to send a message. This message is that if a person has sinned in their life, God will inflict pain on you when the sinner is dead by picking at him. Thus, these objects are combined to form a bricolage and it displays how Barra views sinners and the things that will happen to them in the afterlife.

Hammer Museum

I mainly focused on the before and after logos wall when I visited the Hammer Museum, the Graphic Design: Now in Production exhibition. This wall showed twelve companies’ or organizations’ logo before they changed it to after they changed it. Below these logos, there is a clear plastic tube that viewers can stack chips in to show which logo they liked more. I feel that in general, logos became more simplified or give a technological vibe to it. For instance, as you can see from the before and after logos, Starbuck’s Coffee changed their logo from having the brand name on the logo to just having the mermaid.

   

For technological vibe, I mean the design looks more uniform and resembles technology brands. For example, Popeyes used to use a font that did not consist of uniform letters, meaning the letters spelling “Popeyes” did not look the same. The two “P”s were not identical, whereas, in the new logo, the “P”s and the “E”s look exacting the same. I believe that in the before logo, the “E”s were the same font, but because the word “Popeyes” was curved, the “E”s did not look the same. Thus, a uniform font makes this logo look more computerized and simplified. It has become more simplified also by making the logo one color, straight, and leaving out the “Chicken and Biscuits” part.

The new logo for Comedy Central really looked a lot different from its original logo. Before, it looked very bouncy and wild from the design of the buildings going from narrow at the bottom to wide at the top. Also, the buildings were not identical either; thus, the style looked more casual and carefree. Now the logo completely changed into just the letter “C” and a circle surround it. The font of this logo is a very regular and quite boring font. I would say this logo is a clear example of simplicity.

            This logo also reminds me a lot of computers and technology because it resembles the style for the power button on a computer. The colors white and black also remind me of Apple products which is known for its advanced technology.

Overall, I think these new logos displays the modern idea of design of making things more simplified. This is in support of what Sparke says about modern design and that it is a “justification for simple, undecorated style favoured by most modernist designers” (Sparke “Design and Culture,” 90). Just glancing at all the changes in logos in this gallery, I would say for the most part, the new logos are much simpler than the old ones and by reading comments and opinions that were also on the wall, I conclude that they prefer a more simple image because it means more sophisticated and it also shows how they find this simplicity very pleasing to look at, rather than finding detailed designs attractive. One comment about the “Popeyes” logo was that “this new look feels more sophisticated…than the overly- excited identity they previously used. Kudos on a job well done” (Roby Fitzhenry from the wall). Another comment that related simplicity with sophistication was one about “Comedy Central,” and that there is now a “level of sophistication that permeates throughout the network” (Evan Stremke from the wall). From this, people feel that simplicity is associated with sophistication which gives simple designs a positive connotation, thus, it would make sense that it’s popular. 

Rita Blaik- On Campus Art and Science Exhibition

            Rita Blaik holds the on campus Art and Science Exhibition at the California Nano systems Institute (CNSI). At this gallery, she puts about four sets of photos together. All the photos in one set are of the same object, however, the photos are all very different because she mixes them, or resizes them, or takes them in different perspectives. By doing this, her goal is to take common things and make them abstract to give meaning and make others think more about these objects to put more thought in general. This helps to convey her idea that many things, depending on how you look at it can serve a purpose or give meaning which is one of many definitions of design (lecture 1).

            For example, Blaik has many pictures of a cross or crosses. It all looks different because the arrangements and sizes are very different. In my opinion, the photo on the left looks like a wind mill because the cross rotated. Another person said it looked like the letter “X” but this picture only reminds me of a wind mill. The person I was talking to later asked me what my major was. I told him it was environmental science and he concluded that because I probably pay attention to renewable energy sources, I would think of wind power and thus, wind mills. I thought his idea was very interesting because I did not connect that photo to environmental science, but maybe this abstract photo reminds me of a wind mill because I support them for their renewable energy.

Left: Cross that reminds me of a wind mill or wing; Center: Cross that looks like Jesus' cross and reminds me of Him; Right: This photo seems like it was aimed at the floor of a kitchen because it looks like kitchen floor tiles

            The center photo is the only photo that looks like a cross, and I’m thinking Jesus’ cross, so maybe this was the cross Blaik was taking and changing it to hold other meanings. The photo on the right reminds me of a kitchen at night because it looks like kitchen tiles. When I think of these things, they are nothing like a simple cross, thus, Blaik can be right because I, the viewer put thought into what I see and relate it to things I like or past experiences. In this way design here serves the purpose of remembering things like how I remember how the kitchen floor looks or it reflects my values, such as sustainable energy.

Question 4

Art and design play a great influence on politics because politics try to convince the country to do whatever the country wants or the country aims to put a certain image to be persuasive. In order to achieve their goals, they needed to somehow convey their messages to the citizens and a way to do that is through art and design. The country would have to try to change other’s lifestyle and beliefs to match their own and because design is everywhere (it is the planning and creating of things for a purpose), one way to convince people of certain thoughts is through art and design.

For example, modernism is said as displaying new cultural motives: speed, scientific discoveries, electric technology, full mechanization, surveillance, urbanization, communication media, new social formations and gender roles (Lecture Notes). Because they are focused on these, modernism tried to make objects go with the “form follows function” (Louis Sullivan) and “sought the essence of material reality” and “addressed the basic functional and structural elements of items” (Penny Sparke). Therefore, the focuses were focused. When the country was high on technology, speed, and mechanization, which is society’s culture at one time, even design encouraged everyone to think that the focus was on that culture of making technology ad speed a big deal.

Also, design and art can also help convey particular political message too. For instance, modernism, which was basically eliminating ornamentation and making everything simple, was used to convey social equality. “Modernists’ rejection of conspicuous consumption…resulted in simplified geometry and minimal colours” which conveyed the political message that people should “commit to eroding distinctions between classes and providing environments that encouraged a lifestyle which could be shared across classes” (Penny Sparke). Here, designing everything to be made by less materials and simple aims to make everyone equal, which does connect to social and political issues and topics.

For war, art and design play a huge role, especially during the World Wars because there were big posters hung on the streets for everyone to see and there is propaganda. Propaganda really promoted men to fight for their country and women and children to help out while the men were at war. Propaganda was used also to antagonize the enemies. Here are a few examples:

Figure 1 on the left; Figure 2 center, Figure 3 on the right

 Figure 1 shows Uncle Sam recruiting soldiers for the war. The design and art of his facial expression and finger pointing hand gesture serve the purpose of convincing men to enlist because it is supposedly the right and brave choice to make.

Figure 2’s design serves the purpose to persuade women to become a nurse for the army. The glow and smile on a pretty woman combined with the choice of words is the art and design of this propaganda.

Figure 3 is designed to antagonize the Japanese after the attack on Pearl Harbor. His red dotted cap, uniform, skin tone and the font of the words make it clear that he is Japanese. His facial expression and hand gesture make him look evil, deceiving and cunning. This deception is intensified by the phrase on the poster “Go ahead, please- take the day off.” This is to convey that the Japanese are very deceiving and harmful.  

Design10 Week 2 Blog

Week 2 Blog

I go to my bedroom every day and even when I have a very small amount of belongings, I believe I can still find both visible and invisible designs because design is everywhere and on all objects and things. One visible design I have in my room is my Winnie the Pooh mug that I drink out of. I would consider this a visible design because of its Winnie the Pooh print that surrounds the outside of the mug. I bought this mug from a Christmas collection. This collection was meant to make this mug be used during the holidays for hot chocolate because the print has characters engaged in Christmas activities and have Christmas colors. Also, when I first bought the whole set, the set had hot chocolate packets and another identical mug. This print and the collection as a whole is the visible design. This is so because visible design is when the intention is to give attention to the object. This print draws attention that this mug is for Winnie the Pooh fans and gives an image of comfort and joyfulness during the holidays. It also reflects Christmas traditions of the excitement of opening presents, and also that the colors green and red are associated with this holiday. 

Another visible design in my room is my reusable shopping bag. Most of these shopping bags today have a small pocket located in the upper center of the inside of the bag. When the shopping bag is in use, this pocket can be a place to put one’s wallet or tiny sized items. This pocket is there so that these small items can be easily accessible. When the bag is not in use, this small pocket serves as a little bag to hold the shopping bag so the shopping bag is compressed and more convenient to carry. There is also a clip attached to the pocket so that when the shopping bag is compressed, it can be hung or attached to something else, such as a hook on your kitchen wall or on the outside of a student’s backpack. This is a visible design because people often buy this type of shopping bag with the design of compressing the bag from itself. This design of a method of compaction and the option to hang and attach the bag to something gives attention to the bag itself. The bag isn't just any bag anymore and it isn't just something to put your groceries and books in anymore, it also has a brilliant and creative way to carry it around.

An invisible design in my room and on my desk is my lamp. My lamp has a built in pencil and office supply holder on the bottom end. This is an invisible design because the holder is to give attention to the easy accessibility of writing utensils and office supplies or the holder gives attention of office supplies so that they can be ready to use. When people see the lamp and the holder, they probably will think of pencils, pens, highlighters, sticky notes, staples, etc. rather than thinking about the holder itself. It is also invisible design because the holder is made to serve a certain function and make life easier, that is, by making things that we do use more reachable so we can save time when finding them.

Furthermore, I must give credit to my clothes’ hangers that I use every day for its design helps me in more than one way. First, by twisting the head in a half circle, it makes removing clothes from and hanging clothes on the bar of my closet very easy. Because the twist of my hangers is not less half a circle, my hangers will not fall off the bar, and because the twist is not more than a circle, my hangers will not be hard to remove from the bars. Another feature of my hangers is the ting hookers attached to the inside of my hangers. This allows me to hang clothes that are more prone to slipping out or clothes that are too big for the hanger to hold. In addition, my hangers have a bottom stick attached so that it can hang bottoms as well as tops. All I need to do is fold that bottoms and place them on the stick, making the center of the bottom on the stick. This is an invisible design because people use hangers so commonly that they do not need instructions to be able to use hangers properly. Even though the hanger serves so many functions, it is still so simple to use and it is obvious on how to use it. When I use my inexpensive and plain hangers, I do not think about my hangers; I think about my clothes on them. These hangers serve the function to organize my clothes and make my clothes visible so I can easily pick which garment to wear.