Tuesday 29 November 2011

YEAR 1 ESSAY QUESTIONS

I personally am really interested in the Russian Soviet Resolution and the rise of Constructivist design and the topic of Vkhutemas, but I need to really study it and get to grips with it. Which is a good thing as I'll gain a lot more from it, rather than writing and debating about things I already currently know about. I want to learn new stuff - Knowledge is power!

To help me decide I'll write a few notes on each question and what I could talk about/mention and see what I feel the most comfortable with.

Focusing on specific examples, describe the way that Modernist art & design was a response to the forces of modernity?

  • Industrialisation in modernity
  • Lack of personal feel to buildings, much more about the city than the people itself, e,g the painting of the guys on the balcony, looking out to Paris
  • Similar to modernism, with the function before form aspect. Lack of 'personality' and quirkiness to the work. It does the job.
  • Modernism house design, you don't control the house - the house controls you.
  • Modernity was people getting tired of the norm and making new radical stuff, same as modernism.



Choosing a particular period from 1800 to present in what way has art of design responded to the social and cultural forces of that period?

  • Effect of modernity and social changes and industrialisation in modernity and the response being modernism
  • Effects of russian soviet resolution and Lenins decree for art and design to be raised in importance and the rise of constructivism and vkhutemas
  • Changing gender equality and the difference in design, popova, stepanova etc. - the lack of female and male inspired sports and work uniforms
  • Popova (stepanova?) being the lecturer at vkhutemas for textiles (i think) research into whether there was lots of positions of importance for females or if this was a changing trend at the time.
  • The response of Russia to the eastern world, Tatlins mad sculptural shit and his sky bike. Showing russian ingenuity and forward thinking ness to modernity and modernism in Europe at the time, like in Paris.
  • The similarities yet differences between vkhutemas and bauhaus, both were shut down by a political agenda. Bauhaus by Nazi Regime and vkhutemas in Stalin regime. Both movement also stopped,



Is it possible to describe any aspect of graphic design today as post-modern(ist)?

  • Form before function
  • quirkiness and individuality
  • look at architecture and design shown in lectures that reference modernism but at the same time go against it
  • post-modernism basically meaning a reacting to modernism



Could it be argued that fine art ought to be assigned more 'value' than graphic design?

  • More money in fine-art
  • Fine art is more elitist
  • Graphic design has a bigger audience, designed to be interpreted and have a reaction from pretty much everyone, whereas FA( Fine Art) is more oersonal.
  • Fine Art can give each different person some kind of reaction or remind them of something. But then again so can my fridge. To me, it could remind me of milk for a cup of tea. To other people they might have dropped one on their toe when they were carrying it so they're reminded of that.
  • The little description things next to a work of fine art, kind of tells you what you think and you find yourself going "oh yeahhh, guess it does". GD shouldn't need a description, should be self explanatory, because of type etc.
  • Refer to the Fine Art v Graphic Design seminar notes from (29/11)
  • Allen Hori - Typography As Discourse
  • Fine Art being pretentious, one person being called the "artist" yet loads of different people make it apart from the 'artist' e.g. the Damien Hirst shark. GD is probably made by a group of people, all usually clearly acknowledged. So although it doesn't look as 'personal' it's made by each persons hands. Should it not be worth more then?
  • Pollock's paintings, if he spilt milk on it, would he be pissed off? Funded by CIA, did you know.





'Advertising doesn't sell things; all advertising does is change the way people think or feel' (Jeremy Bullmore). Evaluate this statement with reference to selected critical theories (past and present)

  • Materialistic nature of people
  • Bruce Mau quote about advertising.
  • Social pressure, peer pressure, desire to 'better' yourself
  • Society tells you as you are right now, is not adequate, you need the said product to be adequate
  • E.g. CK adverts for perfume, buying a perfume subconsciously means you need the perfume to be a social person at parties etc.
  • the aesthetic innovation, again making people feel inadequate and making them spend money. I think it's a mixture of both maybe? 
  • Changes the way people feel IN ORDER TO sell a product. What's the point of just changing the way people feel like some sort of mystic - for the jokes?
  • In media, T.I. (rapper) lyrics in What You Know "I'm fast as lightning bruhhh, better get yo' nike's bruhhhh" Implies that Nike makes you run faster, the advertising obviously worked on him.

This has been quite helpful, I still can't really decide which one to do. I think I have alot to say for the Fine Art v Graphic Design essay and the advertising essay but personally, as Richard advised us to, I don't feel it's really an issue I feel strongly about or one that may shape me as a designer in some way aesthetically. Russian constructivist design is something I find really interesting and the whole revolutionary and social history side of it is really interesting, I used to quite enjoy history at school! Whereas, in my Fine Art v GD essay I'd probably say GD should be assigned the same amount of value and continually knock Fine Art but I don't really have a lot against it and really enjoy it but I think there's a lot of loopholes there.

I think speaking to Richard in a tutorial would be really useful to set me on my way, but I need to have adequate knowledge and direction with what I want to stay and narrow it down to atleast 2 questions and arguments by the tutorial. So I can discuss with Richard before I pick one and crack on with it.




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