Saturday, March 15, 2008

Lecture 1

Luke talked about the modernist movement. He started talking about the people, the movements and the social changes which happened in the lead-up to the modernist movement.
  • frustration as to know what type of ornament – the dilemma of style and people reactions to this issue,
  • William Morris’s approach that utility is as important as beauty,
  • Louis Sullivan- form ever follows function,
  • a movement towards standardization,
  • Russian constructivism,
  • he industrial revolution,
  • world war 1.

These moments and ideas brought to light new ways of approaching design and new aesthetics; the industrial revolution and the war introduced new technology and materials. The war also created an opening for social change. He then went on to talk about what modernism is; a few points being

  • A rational approach
  • a revealing of structure as opposed to hiding it
  • beauty is for everyone, taking good design to the masses
  • mass productions of items
  • a scientific approach to design
  • social revolution through design etc.

These points were all made in the context of different organizations or people e.g. the Bauhaus. The thing I found most interesting in the lecture was the design of the kitchen where the designers looked at all the movements that were needed and then minimized them. This probably stuck with me because I have been in a kitchen designed in the same way and it was amazing to use – you never had to take more than one step to get what you needed. Also I really like the scientific approach to the design.

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