Assignment - 10 - My approach as Designer through Design in Context

Yes, Design in Context course has helped me to synthesize various themes and issues relevant to history/theory/practice of design, because before starting this course I use to think that all furniture designs, buildings designs (architect designs) and other object designs as different types of design and found it really complicated confusing to understand, but after studying Design in Context, it’s really easy to understand all the design forms and how they are related to history and to each other. Through this course I came to know that all designs are inter-related to each other.

            Yes this course has influenced my own approach or position as a designer, because if designer himself/herself wouldn’t know about history background of design or about designer’s background, how he/she can be a good designer in future. Through this course I am able to know design from past, present and future. I am able to tell what design is actually and its history, from where it actually begins.

            Yes, I found Design in Context really helpful. In the beginning I found it difficult and boring but after few weeks I started enjoying it and found it really useful as well as interesting. Especially the history of design is very important and useful for design degree. Moreover the types of design and how things related to each other through design, which a layman can’t even think of it, is the best part of this course. For example: - The Rococo Design- relation between building in New York with curve design on top and furniture with similar curve designs, use to be in Rococo period of time. I liked this example because through this I came to know that even building designs could be driven from furniture. Another example is study of different aspects of wallpapers.

            Even if I go outside in world anywhere and I saw anything, I use to think back about this course study and history of design and relate it with design. I am able to tell the type of it, its features and its history and all that.

This course- Design in Context is really great.  

Assignment - 9 Postmodern

Postmodernism + Remix

This image is the 2-D and 3-D image at the same time, as it is the transformation of 2-D image to 3-D image so, basically it is 2-D as well as 3-D at the same time. The main difference between 2-D and 3-D image is, to understand the images, as for 3-D to understand the image is natural, means anyone can identify image as 3-D by just looking to it whereas for 2-D there is a need of special training to see the image as 2-D. 3-D is the true presentation of real image. When anyone sees 3-D image on the plane paper or on the computer screen, the brain automatically compares it with the storage of 3-D real objects in the memory of the brain.



3-D technology is the part of Post-Modern world, it provides the design world with, like representation of a design, from structural composition and the way parts fits and move together, to the performance impact of characteristics such as size, thickness and weight. 3-D mode of image lets the flow of product design information and communication throughout it.


This image is the reconstruction of 2-D geometrical image into 3-D model image which involves use of basic extrude feature and this is accomplished if projected views are aligned on orthogonal planes. Other features like hole, gap, chamfer and fillet are created by Boolean operations which includes cut and intersect options. The algorithm that works in achieving this technology is generally based on Boolean Operation. This image was constructed on June 12, 2009

Reference:-

Image- http://labs.blogs.com/its_alive_in_the_lab/2009/06/cad-professor-transforming-a-2d-drawing-to-3d-cad-data-.html

Assignment - 8

Political, Cultural and Ideological Beliefs

Today Politicaly and culturally messages inform design very efficiently. Almost all advertisemnets and some brands promotes or advertises with Political and Cultural concept. In their Brands or advertisements they pretty much use their Cultural design patterns or something regarding concerned to their culture and politically concerned. To support this, below i have given a supporting example to this.

The example for this assignment, I choose, which express cultural, political and ideological beliefs, is "Maori TV". I choose this because it efficiently expresses all these beliefs in one.

Culturally 'Maori TV' is expressing "Maori" culture through TV, showing programs everything in Maori language and under the respect to Maori culture, all over the country.

Politically 'Maori TV' expresses politics about Maori people's rights in New Zealand. As Maori people thinks that they are natives of N.Z and they should stand on top first for anything in N.Z. Moreover there were quite large amount of people who thought there shouldn't be 'Maori TV'. Maori is the basic first culture of N.Z and they even did a court case about having Rugby World Cup live forecast only on 'Maori TV' but they lose it. They decided so because Rugby is N.Z's national game, as Maori's game and should be just shown on Maori TV so that through this they could even promote 'Maori TV' all over in N.Z and plus the publicity of Maori Culture.

Ideologically "Maori TV" wants to bring back the status of Maori Culture which is pretty much vanishing away these days. So there main key point is to emphasis and promote Maori culture all over the country and bring it back on its top position. There main ideology is to encourage and connect people with Maori culture and to bring back Maori culture's status on top, in their own country as it use to be earlier in N.Z as they are the natives of N.Z.

Reference:-

Image - http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?imgurl=http://hui.hrc.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Shayne-add/_resampled/SetWidth400-Full-logo-Maori-Television-Preferred-for-TVWeb.jpg&imgrefurl=http://hui.hrc.govt.nz/sponsors/&usg=__d4PkCidxC27FyGmHO5OwZLDSaro=&h=188&w=400&sz=14&hl=en&start=99&zoom=1&tbnid=aC7p3hI8aSb76M:&tbnh=96&tbnw=205&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmaori%2Btv%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D677%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10,2929&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=466&ei=Z76eTIuzIYyWsgPyltHVAQ&oei=XL6eTPeuBI_CsAPg_4zWAQ&esq=6&page=6&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:99&tx=132&ty=69&biw=1366&bih=677

Assignment - 7 Culture Insensitive and Culture Sensitive

Culture Insensitive

I took photo of Tiki on a poster used as for the publicity of next level Maori website on wall of a shop in Cuba Street. I took this photo as an example for culturally insensitive because Tiki is religious and sacred in Maoris and in this picture the Tiki face is shown coloured and modern version which is completely dishonoured because it’s religious, people have sacred feelings for it. More over it is used for publicity of Maori website so for this they should have used original Tiki instead of making changes in Tiki according to their poster. It shouldn’t be used as in modifying and putting some colours into it to make it look more efficient. It’s like making joke of some one’s religious feelings, which is completely insensitive.

Culture Sensitive

I took photos of floor in park on Cuba Street having Maori design patterns made of iron in the floor. Its culturally sensitive because in it Maori design patterns are used very precisely and moreover laid down in park where usually everyone goes in a while. It’s perfect place to present Maori culture in design form as using in patterns on floor. This leads to rich spreading of culturally feelings.

This photo is another example of CULTURE SENSITIVE. This photo is also taken from Cuba Street, a poster on top of some shop. This photo attracted me towards itself because in this also there’s use of Maori Design Patterns for publicity of a T.V show presenting Native Affairs- stories made for New Zealand, which is almost about Native New Zealand means about Maori Culture. The design Patterns used in this poster is perfect for such an advertisement. The patterns on the poster making it more presentable for Maori Culture, moreover the man on the poster is also looks Maori which makes poster looks more related to Culture.

Both these photos of Culture Sensitive express Maori culture more respectfully, sensitive in feelings and are perfect use of culture in floor patterns or in poster. Whereas, in the Photo of Culture Insensitive the use of Tiki in such poster like this is disrespectful and insensitive in feelings.

Assignment - 6

Bauhaus

Bauhaus is very important history for Design studies. It is a part of design culture. There are heaps of similarities between the Design education in earlier Bauhaus and today's modern education in first year of Design. Mostly the teaching methods are same but the subjects, courses and options are changed and are different as compared to that time.

The ideas of new technologies and Mechanical industrial production were expressions found in Bauhaus school of design located in Weimar in Germany. The first director of the school was Walter Groupis (1883-1969).
At first in Bauhaus the art classes begins in the teacher’s classrooms and while the craft classes took place in the workshops including other courses such as metal work, bookbinding, weaving, printmaking and painting. The main courses and subjects were art, painting, craft, metal work, weaving and print making.
Where as in our first year design classes mostly every class whether its for art, craft, painting or other metal works is done in studio’s or workshops. Only the lectures are given in classes, and for rest practical work studios and workshops are made for this. But the working workshops is similar to as was done early in Bauhaus. Also there was a slight difference between subjects and courses, now courses are media-design, industrial-design and cultural-design, which enables students to learn from other fields as well.
Moreover earlier in Bauhaus, Vorkurs couldn’t seek solely familiarise students with objective analysis elements of art as visual language construction and interior design. In first year we are taught to visually analyse and feel the object before making it practical as drawing or craft.
The major similarity is that Walter always taught that they don’t want to design buildings or make them instead he wants students to work upon objects. Similarly in first year design we are taught to experiment and critically look and work upon objects.

Assignment 5

‘Authentic’ in the ‘Digital Design’

I agree with Benjamin’s argument because it’s true that Art reproduced, is not similar to the original art work. There would be reproduce art designs which can’t match original one or become original. The original art has its own value and that should be respected and preserved. More over reproduction of art is a long ancient process which is increasing more with new technological developments, which means it is not a fresh occurrence. This process has begin in prehistoric Greece with the invention of cutting wood into designs, which could reproduce different patterns using ink on fabric, wood or paper. The initiation of art reproduction represents a revolutionary type of technology in many different ways, still being part of historical process. The digital reproduction of anything is not dependent on any materiality in the process but it is distinct from the quantification of an image of a material object. As the technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the traditional domain, by making many reproductions of art it substitutes a plurality of copies for a sole existence.
Even if you do perfect reproduction of a work of art, it lacks in element of presence of time and same space. In today’s technological world, the digital art work can be imitated a thousand times, each copy being flawlessly indistinguishable. With this not only Authenticity became meaningless but also the time and space became vagueness. In the digital age there could be an “original” somewhere in the world that was scanned, sampled or digitized but the digital art form takes on a life of its own.

Assignment 4- Craft vs Design.

Craft + Design

Glenn Adamson has described craft as, “opposite of modern art- a state into which an individual artwork, or even the entire category of art itself, might inadvertently collapse and thus lose its integrity and purpose”. Due to the large increase of technology in the entertainment industry there has been a substantial decrease in crafts such as puppetry. In the 18th century puppets were the main source of entertainment. Now there are movies, T.V programs and live shows which have replaced the entertainment of live puppet shows. The image above is of hand made puppets made in Rajasthan which is the largest dessert in India. Rajasthan is famous for the castles, forts and ancient arts, so puppetry is extremely popular. I choose this image because it allows us to see the hard work that is put into making the puppets and the intricate detail. The facial expressions and colourful clothing help to express the happiness and playfulness of the puppets. Televisions are the main source which have replaced the need for puppet shows. It has increased choice of viewers to pick and choose what they wish to see and therefore has taken over. Craft has lost its integrity and purpose because of other sources of modern entertainment.

Image Reference:-

1st Image-
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2314/3650334124_244caba53c_o.jpg

2nd image-

http://www.ddheritageworld.com/Images/puppet_big.jpg

Adamson, G. (2007). Thinking through Craft. Oxford, London.