SD2080 tutorial V 07.10.05 (2005/06)

Gillian Naylor, “The Survival of the Craft Ideal”, in Joycelyn de Noblet ed., Industrial Design: Reflection of a Century, Paris: Flammarion, 1993, pp.110-118.

John Ruskin & William Morris- art & craft:

- as agents of social, moral, aesthetic reform (110)

- humanism & standard”- work, product & life (113)

- sanction experiment of both: individualism & the collective; tradition & avant-grade; promote regional & national identity > democratic process, i.e. proto-modernists (113-left)

- contribution of Morris: i. designer & artisan become a occupation; ii. Aesthetics of design: from pure commodity to symbolic production, democracy of caft-base design

~ disadvantages: expensive and exclusive without aims of machine (113-mid)

Viennna Model: Werkstatte (exclusivity):

- Josef Hoffmann & Koloman Mose: “ establish intimate contact btw public, designer and craftsman- without aid of the machine” ; bourgeoisie, cosmopolitan, urbane; stylistic innovators: wealthy, fashion-conscious avant-garde (114-left)

~ war time reflection: Adolf Loos brought the issue to a nationalistic level: “modern spirit is a social spirit, …not just for upper crust but for everybody.”

~ Christopher Dressen, W.A.S. Benson- machine & electricity

Scandinavia Model (beauty for all):

- standardization & interchangeable: Typeomobel (type finiture)(114)- domestic order & unity: Karl Schmidt, Richard Riemerschmid (Germany); Gustav Stickley (US)
- in Europe: machinery has to be concealed (117)

Bauhaus:

- Walter Gropius: difference btw industry & handicraft: subdivision of labor & through control by one-hand

- Introduction of industrial production, Fordism in production: standardization of components; standard maintained by standardization; functional but aesthetic assembly line, disposal less (117)

- Herbert Read (Art & Industry 1934): artist give form to material; involve in city planning; artist orders materials which they combine the highest degree of practical economy and spiritual freedom

- Universal aesthetics (118)

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Swedish Grace:

- democratic

- utility & beauty; local & vernacular craftsmanship renewal; industrial machinery with craft-man prototype

Dieter Rams, “Omit the Unimportant” in Victor Margolin ed., Design Discourse: History, Theory, Criticism, University of Chicago Press, 1989, pp.111-113.

- omit the unimportant in order to emphasize the important

- good design as little design as possible; harmonious form by employing simple means

- functions as self-expression instead of expressing the product’s functions (111)

- long-living; discipline

- 1. function and attributes are directly understood, i.e. self-explanatory; 2. the fewer the opportunities used to create informative design, the more design serves to evoke emotion

- fashion: new, strong, exciting, aggressive signals

Assignment I:

- from particularity to generality

- choose a “real” object that you process, study in particular: how is its outlook (material, style…); how does it come to your home? What is its cultural dimension?

- return the object to a type: e.g. telephone- communication tool to personal accessories; find out the history of the type

- self-reflection: can you take any key ideas you learn in class to articulate the above?

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Bibliography

References:

Abbas, Ackbar, Hong Kong: Culture and the Politics of Disappearance, (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1998). (first published in 1997)

Abbas, Ackbar, “The Last Emporium: Verse and Cultural Space”, in Introduction by

Periodicals and Newspapers:

Art Currents, (Hong Kong), no.12/13 (October 1987). (magazine in Chinese: 《外邊》(香港)，第12/13期，1987年10月。)

Chinese General Chamber of Commence ed., Journal of the Chinese General Chamber of Commence 1933, Hong Kong 1933. (original text in Chinese: 《香港華商總會年鑑》(1932)。)

Clarke, David, ‘Between East and West: Negotiations with Tradition and Modernity in Hong Kong Art’, in Third Text, no. 28/29 (1994), pp.71-86.

Clarke, David, ‘The Culture of a Border Within: Hong Kong Art and China’ in Art Journal, vol.59 no.2, Summer 2000, pp.89-101.