Contemporary Design Issue - DCC 3084

Introduction

Contemporary Design Issue uses studio's approach; based on the belief that design is a form of persuasion for ideas about how the world should change for the better. A good design is a good idea for change. It recognizes latent potential and makes it visible. Through this module, I gained understanding that "Change may be individual or societal."

Background Information:

Design is a form of innoviation. Innovation is the introduction of a new idea or method of doing something or the application of an existing idea in a new way. Implicit in this proposition is the idea that in order to understand what would be a good design; we must also attempt to understand how a design could possibly be realized. Therefore a form of strategic research that articulates and advances a hypothesis (a design), a philosophical position (a reason), while uncovering facts and issues related to the situation the design is intended to address which revealing how and most importantly why it should be done.

Scenario

The main focus of this module is to develop the critical skills that are required for me as a designer to engage in a creative career that will respond to current practices and theories. Design is often mistaken in its purpose, and decoration is often perceived as desired outcome. This module will introduce the designer to a greater understanding of the creative processes required to compete on a local and global stage, and to be confident in offering your own academically critical perspectives on design processes and theories.

In this module, I will explore the role of the designer, as an agent of distruption and change in society's perception of design, and the role of design in forming our relationship to products and issues that shape the contemporary world.

Task 1: In the Name of Design (Week 1)

In this task I explored the following:

The meaning of the term "Contemporary Design."



What constitutes design?


How does design impact on society?


Identify a recent design solution, analyze on how it communicates, what is being communicated and whether it could be argued that it has worked.

Task 2: The role of Design (Week 2)

In this task I explored the following:

The role of a designer in the 21st Century.

Concept of user-centered design

Task 3: The Project (Week 3 - 5)

Born out of Necessity: Contemporary Design and the Myth of Problem Solving

In this task I am required to explore how designers are engaging in practices as varied as Brand, Design Solutions, Architecture, Filmmaking and Social Activism. Conduct research and propose an idea to be designed into Contemporary Design.

20 Century Design: Topic - Post-modernism - Task 5

Post-modernism

Postmodernist Art
Definition, Characteristics, History


Contents

• Definition
• Characteristics of Postmodernist Art
• Movements
• Postmodernist Art: Aesthetics & Public Response
• The Future


Definition of Postmodernist Art:
An avant-garde form of contemporary art, postmodernism has been described as "A late 20th Century style and conceptual theory in the arts and architecture, characterized by a general distrust of ideologies as well as a rather 'difficult' relationship with what constitutes art."

It sounds pretty simple. It's only when you start digging and uncover tricky concepts like "modernity" (not the same as modernism) and "post-modernity" (different to postmodernism) that your head starts to spin. So let's skip the complex stuff and focus on a few essentials. Art critics, historians, curators and PhD students of contemporary aesthetics, can stop here. 

Fig 1. Nationale Nederlanden Building, Prague (1992-97)By architect Frank Gehry, the founder of deconstructivism,the most distinctive form of postmodernist architecture. 

Fig 2. Postmodernist Body Painting (2008) Breathing new life into a traditionalart form.

Fig 3. Sleeper, by Mark Wallinger, Winner Of Turner Prize (2007).

Characteristics of Postmodernist Art
Before explaining postmodernist art, let's talk about modern art - the style it replaced.

Modern Artists Believe Life and/or Art Has Meaning

Modern art is usually associated with the era 1860-1960s - basically from Impressionism to half-way through the Pop-Art movement. Modern artists (like all practitioners of modernism) believed in the fundamental scientific laws of reason and rational thought. They also believed that life had meaning - at least until the senseless butchery of World War I. (See: Dada.) Even after the war, they still believed that sufficient meaning could be rediscovered by a combination of unprejudiced rational thought and art. (Example: Surrealism.) The existential character of Jackson Pollock's paintings may be seen as heralding a major shift in painting conventions, which was further developed by Neo-Dada, Pop and Minimalist artists.



Disillusionment Sets In
Unfortunately, by the mid-1960s, this confidence had wilted under the successive hammer blows of the Nazi Holocaust, post-colonial rigidity, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War, causing people to become progressively more disillusioned about the inherent meaning and value of life (and art). Of course not everyone, and not all artists, became disillusioned. One group who maintained their faith were those in the upper reaches of the organizational hierarchies of society, including the arts. This naturally led to tension between them and others lower down.

In architecture, the situation was slightly different. Modernist building design was characterized by a desire to create a brand new style for "modern man". Modernist architects wanted to eliminate all historical references and create something entirely fresh. (So no Greek columns, Gothic style arches, or any other reminders of 'past' styles.) Unfortunately, this led to a universal style of minimalist regularity (think Twin Towers, New York; or the National Theatre London), leavened with some truly awful Brutalism - the concrete apartment blocks with tiny windows. Mercifully, around 1970, Postmodernist architects began to re-humanize late 20th century architecture by designing structures with interestingfeatures, taken from popular culture and from more traditional styles. See American Architecture, for more details of both modernism and postmodernism.


The Postmodern EraThe post-60s period in visual art and design has been characterized by a number of factors:

• A widespread disillusionment with life, as well as the power of existing value-systems and/or technology to effect beneficial change. As a result, authority, expertise, knowledge and eminence of achievement has become discredited. Artists have become more and more wary about "big ideas." New styles of art have failed to attract them in the way that Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism or Surrealism captured the imagination of earlier generations. Small is now good, so postmodernist schools have tended to be more local.

• New educational priorities, which began to emphasize the pursuit of skills rather than knowledge-for-its own sake. As a result, artists and art students became less interested in absorbing the traditions and craft of their subject, and instead focused on mastering production techniques. Individual creativity and interpretation have become as (or more) important than the gradual acquisition of painterly skills.

• The emergence of new image-based technologies (eg. Television, video, screenprinting, computers, the Internet, LEDs), which generated a huge wave of film and photographic imagery - of places, events and international celebrities - and lessened reliance on draughtsmanship, in the process. By manipulating this new technology, artists (inc. painters, printmakers, sculptors and others involved in newer forms like installation) have been able to short-cut the traditional processes involved in "making art," but still create something new. An interesting example is the photography of Diane Arbus, which focuses on freaks and members of minorities in New York City.

• The growth of consumerism and instant gratification over the last few decades of the 20th century has also had a huge impact on the visual arts. Modern consumers want novelty. They also want entertainment. In response, many top contemporary artists, curators and other professionals have taken the opportunity to turn art into a "product." For example, installation and video have allowed consumers to experience art in a much more pro-active way. The public's desire to be shocked and stimulated has been met, if not satisfied, by new artistic subject-matter, like dead tiger sharks, huge ice-sculptures, crowds of of nude bodies, demonstrations of dying flies, islands wrapped in pink polypropylene fabric,sand art, and so on. Whether these new so-called artforms actually constitute "art" remains a hotly-contested issue. The avant-garde conceptualists say "Yes", the traditionists say "No".


Collections of Postmodernist Art

For two excellent displays of postmodernist art, visit the Saatchi Gallery, in London, or the Guggenheim, New York.


Postmodernism In a Nutshell
To paraphrase Andy Warhol, "anyone can be famous for 15 minutes". This idea, more than any other, sums up the postmodernist age. Faced with a new non-sensical world, the postmodernist response has been:


Okay, let's play around with this nonsense. We accept that life and art no longer have any obvious intrinsic meaning, but so what? Let's experiment, make art more interesting, and see where it leads. Who knows, maybe we can be famous for 15 minutes!

Impact of Postmodernism
The postmodern approach has proved extremely popular with many students of fine art. Suddenly, instead of having to work tirelessly at honing their painterly skills in draughtsmanship, perspective, composition, colour theory and all the other things required by traditional artists, they could dream up a nifty idea, issue a suitably "meaningful" manifesto and Bingo! They were famous. Or at least that's how it seemed.

Meanwhile those painters and sculptors who had acquired those painstaking traits, were iced by an arts establishment who embraced postmodernism with Stalinesque rigour. Thus for example in Britain, in 2002, when the prestigious Turner Prize was won by Keith Tyson for his creation of a large black monolithic block filled with discarded computers, not a single painter had been considered as a possible recipient of the prize.

This cocktail of experimentation, focus on instant process, and enhanced communication facilities, has led inexorably to a huge shift in the way art is perceived, produced and promoted. Conceptualism is now a dominant force, and its advocates within the arts establishment are now in a position to determine what constitutes such important things as "innovation", or "outstanding art". One can't help feeling that the "meaning" of an artwork has now overtaken its aesthetic qualities, thus relegating the notion of craftsmanship to a second division form of art. This has significant implications, not just for art students seeking to acquire skills, but also for professional artists competing for public commissions and exhibition space.

Postmodern Art Movements
So far, there have been no great international art movements during the postmodernist period. Instead, the era has been characterized by a number of national movements along with several brand new artforms. In addition, there have been dozens of artistic splinter groups, as well as one or two anti-postmodernist schools whose members have endeavoured to produce the sort of art that Michelangelo or Picasso would have been proud of. Here is a brief list of the main post-modern movements, with explanatory comments.

• Pop Art (1960s onward)
Championed by Andy Warhol (1928-87) who made fine art from banal, mass-produced imagery. For more, seeAndy Warhol's Pop Art of the sixties and seventies.

• Conceptual Art (1960s onward)
Original objects of art are boring: it's the idea that counts. See Yves Klein.

• Performance Art and Happenings (Early 1960s onwards)
Pioneered by such figures as John Cage (1912-92), this genre became a new way to make art accessible to the masses. See also Gilbert & George.

• Installation Art (1960s onwards)
A new way to draw spectators INTO the artwork. Made extensive use of "found objects" - as exemplified by Tracey Emin's My Bed (1999).

• Video (1960s onwards). See also: Animation.
Art becomes dynamic, more absorbing, more exciting. Both video and animation are becoming dependent on the use of computer art to manipulate and control images.

• Minimalism (1960s onwards)
A refuge of intellectual painters and sculptors anxious about "purity" in art.

• Photorealism (1960s, 1970s)
Copying photographs is easier and more fun than learning how to pain portraits. See Chuck Close.

• Land Art (mid-1960s)
No greedy commercial galleries involved (supposedly). Championed by the experimental artist Robert Smithson(1938-73). See also the 'wrapping' interventions in nature, by Christo and Jeanne-Claude (both b.1935).

• Supports-Surfaces (c.1966-72)
Experimental shock tactics to gain fame.

• Post-Minimalism (1971 onwards)
A fun way to create objective art that deteriorates.

• New Subjectivity (1970s)
A halfway-house between classical art and postmodern anarchy. Fabulous works!

• Graffiti Art (Late 1960s/early 1970s onwards)
Ultimate postmodernist movement: instant painting, instant fame. See the biography of graffiti terrorist and street artist Banksy (b.1973-4). For the most successful graffiti painter, see: Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-88), the New York stencil artist who went mainstream.

• Neo-Expressionism (1979 onwards)
Renaissance art strikes back! An anti-post-modernist movement.

• Young British Artists/ Britart (Late 1980s/1990s)
Combination of breathtaking business-savvy opportunism and shocking ideas. An explosion of extreme bad taste dressed up as art. The public loved it. Three of the most famous YBAs are Damien Hirst (b.1965), Tracey Emin(b.1963) and Jenny Saville (b.1970). The group's main sponsor was the art collector Charles Saatchi.

• Art Photography
The YBAs were just one of several postmodernist groups to champion the use of camera art. In fact, works by thegreatest photographers soon passed the $1 million mark at auction. But see also: Is Photography Art?

• Neo-Pop Art (late 1980s onwards)
Huge plastic sculptures of children's toys and lots more in the same vein, exemplified by the works of Jeff Koons (b.1955).

• Postmodernist Sculpture (1970s onwards) 

Postmodernist plastic art has been heavily influenced by the following artists: Jean Tinguely (1925-1991), the Swiss kinetic artist; the superrealist sculptors Duane Hanson (1925-96) and John De Andrea (b.1941); the Frenchman Arman (1928-2005), known for his "accumulations"; the minimalists Donald Judd (1928-94),Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) and Robert Morris (b.1931); the pop-art sculptor Claes Oldenburg (b.1929); Richard Serra (b.1939) and Anish Kapoor (b.1954), both known for their large-scale public works; Bruce Naumann (b.1941), the innovative postmodernist artist best known for his neon sculptures.

• Deconstructivism (1980s-2000)

Postmodernist style of architecture, exemplified by the work of Los Angeles architect Frank O. Gehry (b.1929), as well as Daniel Libeskind, Peter Eisenman, Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, Bernard Tschumi and the Co-op Himmelblau group. Gravity-defying Deconstructivist architecture often involves computer-assisted designwork using high-tech software, as well as the resources of cutting-edge firms of architects like Skidmore Owings and Merrill.



Postmodernist Splinter Art Groups
In keeping with the contemporary post-modern idea that most 20th century ideological systems are flawed, if not actually bankrupt, and that salvation (if it exists at all) lies in "local" rather "global" schools of painting, sculpture and other artforms, contemporary artists have tended to associate in small groups. Information on the individual styles of these mini-postmodernist movements can be hard to come by, but if you want to research them here is short list, in approximate chronological order:


Copy Art, Eat Art, Neo-Geo, Mail Art, Equipo Cronica, Mec Art, Groupe Zebra, BMPT, Cooperative des Malassis, Lowbrow, East Village, Panique Szafran, Appropriation Simulation, Bad Painting, Demoscene, Pittura Colta (Anacronismo), Massurrealism, Pluralism, Relational Art, Figuration Savante, OuPeinPo, Sound Art, Superflat, Massurrealism, Artefactoria, Toyism, Lowbrow, Tiki Art, Bitterism, Thinkism, Funism.

Postmodernist Art
The Challenging Aesthetics of Postmodernism
Equivalent 1 (1966, Kunstmuseum, Basel) by Carl Andre (b.1935) is one of those works of art that need to be explained by an expert before it can be appreciated. It's apostmodernist minimalist sculpture consisting of 120 regular building bricks. The bricks are laid on top of each other on the floor in two layers of 60 bricks, set out in a precise rectangular configuration of three units by twenty units. At first glance, this masterpiece of contemporary art looks like something you might see on a super-tidy building site. Fortunately, your art gallery catalogue tells you that Andre took his radical decision to make art flat on the floor in 1965, when canoeing on a lake in New Hampshire. What's more, this majestic pile of minimalist bricks exemplifies his artistic creed that "form = structure = place." As it happens, the original Equivalent 1 was "destroyed" in 1966 and "remade" in 1969. (Maybe they needed the bricks for something).

Another exciting work, this time of postmodernist performance art, ocurred in December last year, when Rita Marcalo (b.1962), an award-winning choreographer and long-time epilepsy sufferer induced a fit at the Bradford Playhouse in England, in order to educate people about epilepsy. Marcalo received a British Arts Council grant of almost £14,000 for his creative efforts.

However this postmodernist happening is nothing in comparison to the antics of the American postmodernist performance artist Chris Burden (b.1946). He became famous during the 1970s for burning, shooting and impaling himself, and afterwards selling "relics" of his self-destructive acts in art galleries in Los Angeles. Who said art was boring?

Postmodernist Art Liked By Public
Lest you get the impression that (eg) all art since the mid-1960s has been a load of rubbish, or that all Britart is complete nonsense, I should emphasize that a good deal of avant-garde art has been well-received by the general public - as interesting, stimulating and innovative - and bears comparison with a lot of stuff produced by earlier masters, including Picasso. This is especially true in the field of video, animation and installation, and in the fine arts of painting and sculpture. Also, one should not forget that the earlier modern era produced its fair share of flakes and fruitcakes, as well as such gobsmacking masterpieces as "Fountain" (1917) - a relica of a public urinal - by the legendary avant-garde French artist Marcel Duchamp.


The Ultimate in Postmodernism

In March 2009, the French National Museum of Contemporary Art at the Pompidou Centre in Paris staged the ultimate exhibition of postmodernist art. Entitled The Specialisation of Sensibility in the Raw Material State into Stabilised Pictorial Sensibility, it consisted of nine completely empty rooms. Echoes of Le Void, Yves Klein's ground-breaking show held at the Galerie Iris Clert, in Paris, in 1958!

The Future of Postmodernist Art
In its present "conceptualist" form, post-modern art will no doubt continue to produce arresting works to satisfy the public. After all, we live in an age dominated by TV programs like Big Brother, endless TV Soaps, and a host of foods that are injurious to our health. Against this background, I'm sure that contemporary artworks featuring cute nail art, diamond-encrusted skulls, dead sharks, and crowds of naked subjects, will do very nicely. Whether these creative gems constitute art: whether they can be legitimately regarded as "aesthetic": whether they are capable of maintaining the varied traditions of previous artists like John Singer Sargent, Ansell Adams, or Jackson Pollock - let alone Rembrandt or Vermeer: and whether they are capable of inspiring younger generations - these are all very different questions, which require answers from someone much cleverer than myself.



Task 5:

Study on the art work Michael Jackson and Bubbles by Jeff Koons and give an interpretation of the art work.

Fig 4. Jeff Koons, Michael Jackson and Bubbles, (1988) © Jeff Koons

Art work Analysis

Analysis on Post-modern Art

By Mark Oseyi E Ibhade

12/19/2014

(Michael Jackson and Bubbles) (1988) by Jeff Koons sculpture | ceramic, glaze, and paint Viewed online at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Collection Works of Jeff Koons (December 19, 2014)

Michael Jackson and Bubbles

   Jeff Koons sculptured piece titled Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988) represents a depiction of popular American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson a.k.a (The King of Pop) and his domesticated pet monkey named Bubbles. The piece is life-sized porcelain sculpture created in 1988 within the framework of Koons Banality series and shows the superstar reclining with his arm around the monkey. Only three of the Michael Jackson and Bubbles sculpture were made. One of the piece’s present location is displayed in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the two other versions are in Athens and in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. 

The piece is a sculpture made from porcelain (42 x 70.5 x 32.5 inches), and it can be seen from all side because Koons made a slight change in the variation of the posture and adjusted therefore direction of view composition to fit sculptural work requirements which makes it possible for many different viewing angles.

The work is a colourful depiction of Michael Jackson and Bubbles as released earlier in press publicity photograph of Michael Jackson and Bubble. However, Koons made use of homogeneously bright colours in his work. Michael Jackson's face and that of Bubble's are painted in similar colours white and gold and a touch of red. In contrast, the base background is a solid flower bed painted in white and gold colour.

In Michael Jackson and Bubble sculpture, both faces and hair are emphasized and the dominant elements are their hair because of the homogeneous colours and their gaze. Koons uses implied lines to attract viewers’ eyes around the artwork thereby creating a nice circular 'current' that keeps the viewer's eyes flowing around the artwork repeatedly, holding their attention. 

The implied lines are the strands of Michael Jackson’s hair that direct viewers’ eyes to focus on the hair down to the face. Some bundle of hair goes down to rest on the left side shoulder. Which brings the viewers eye direction to the left shoulder down to the left arm. However, this implied lines is balanced asymmetrically by the hair toward the bottom of the Bubble's face and the light contour lines used in both arm of Bubble. This implied lines on Michael Jackson and Bubble is strong enough to balance the solid flower bed base.

In this piece, the light source is very visible because Koons uses a white colour on top of the gold colour that is already present on the clothes of Michael Jackson and Bubble which makes it seem like a glow is cast upon their face, chest and hands. Koons's use of homogeneous colours for Michael Jackson's hair, and the hair of Bubble make them stand out from the base background. Also, the homogeneous colours against a calming white base background give Michael Jackson and Bubble an ethereal quality. Koons's use of gold and white also creates royalty, freedom and harmony. 

 His use of gold and white colours throughout the piece and his use of red colour for the their lips create unity in the artwork. The flower in the base background also creates royalty and variety because it is not a part of Michael Jackson and Bubble, who is the focus. The flower is the only other thing in the artwork besides Michael Jackson and Bubble which makes the viewer question its purpose. The placement of Micheal Jackson’s hair and the curves of the dress of his left arm create a sense of motion.

Koons’s use of gold colours gives Michael Jackson and Bubble a modern look. Through his use of colour, Koon created a different symbol of greatness and freedom for Michael Jackson instead of the traditional symbol of a music artist. This greatness and freedom coincides with the role of humanity in modern society because humans today are taught that they can accomplish anything and everything by self-discovery.

References

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. 2014. SFMOMA | Explore Modern Art | Our Collection | Jeff Koons | Michael Jackson and Bubbles. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.sfmoma.org/explore/collection/artwork/187. [Accessed 19 December 14].

visual-arts-cork.com. 2014. Postmodernist Art: Definition, Characteristics, History. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/postmodernism.htm. [Accessed 19 December 14].

Critical Thinking - TASK 4 - Navigate me!

In this task, I need to create a Directional Map based on typographic elements showing the direction of the said / planned destination. In the process of navigation, and using type characters as elements of communication  I am to depict/ translate the sounds (vehicles, foot-steps, animals, etc.) and visual images (trees, architecture, petrol station, mosque, etc.) within the environment that I experienced while reaching towards the stated destination. Incorporation of visual images beside typographic elements is strictly prohibited.



My planned destination was from my school hostel at Jalan Utl 4, Kampung Gebok Batu 12, Mantin, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia to Batang Berna Train Station, Kampung Sungai Mahang, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

In order to complete this task, these are the following tools I used for data collection.

Map
Camera - (I used my smart phone)
Sound Recorder (I used my smart phone)
Observation

Fig 1. Distance Map

Fig 2. Picture of Batang BenarTrain Station

Fig 3. Picture of Batang Benar Train Station Sign Post

Fig 4. (From Center) Picture me at the Bus Stop at Batang Benar Train Station

Fig 5. Picture of Counter at Batang Benar Train Station

Final work

Fig 6. Completed Directional Map based on typographic elements

References

SoftUsvista Inc, (2014), Untitled (8 Km - Distance from Jalan Utl 4 to Batang Benar) [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.distancesfrom.com/distance-from-Jalan-Utl-4-to-Batang-Benar-71800-Nilai/DistanceHistory/18432152.aspx?IsHistory=1&GMapHistoryID=18432152 [Accessed 21 December 14].

20th Century Design - Conceptualism

CONCEPTUALISM

"Ideas alone can be works of art; they are in a chain of development that may eventually find some form. All ideas need not be made physical."

Figure 1. Conceptual Art Timeline
Image via www.theartstory.org

Conceptual art is a movement that prizes ideas over the formal or visual components of art works. An amalgam of various tendencies rather than a tightly cohesive movement, Conceptualism took myriad forms, such as performances, happenings, and ephemera. From the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s Conceptual artists produced works and writings that completely rejected standard ideas of art. Their chief claim - that the articulation of an artistic idea suffices as a work of art - implied that concerns such as aesthetics, expression, skill and marketability were all irrelevant standards by which art was usually judged. So drastically simplified, it might seem to many people that what passes for Conceptual art is not in fact "art" at all, much as Jackson Pollock's "drip" paintings, or Andy Warhol's Brillo Boxes (1964), seemed to contradict what previously had passed for art. But it is important to understand Conceptual art in a succession of avant-garde movements (Cubism, Dada, Abstract Expressionism, Pop, etc.) that succeeded in self-consciously expanding the boundaries of art. Conceptualists put themselves at the extreme end of this avant-garde tradition. In truth, it is irrelevant whether this extremely intellectual kind of art matches one's personal views of what art should be, because the fact remains that Conceptual artists successfully redefine the concept of a work of art to the extent that their efforts are widely accepted as art by collectors, gallerists, and museum curators.

KEY IDEAS OF CONCEPTUAL ART 

• Conceptual artists link their work to a tradition of Marcel Duchamp, whose Readymades had rattled the very definition of the work of art. Like Duchamp before them, they abandoned beauty, rarity, and skill as measures of art.

• Conceptual artists recognize that all art is essentially conceptual. In order to emphasize this, many Conceptual artists reduced the material presence of the work to an absolute minimum - a tendency that some have referred to as the "dematerialization" of art.

• Conceptual artists were influenced by the brut simplicity of Minimalism, but they rejected Minimalism's embrace of the conventions of sculpture and painting as mainstays of artistic production. For Conceptual artists, art need not look like a traditional work of art, or even take any physical form at all.

• The analysis of art that was pursued by many Conceptual artists encouraged them to believe that if the artist began the artwork, the museum or gallery and the audience in some way completed it. This category of Conceptual art is known as 'institutional critique,' which can be understood as part of an even greater shift away from emphasizing the object-based work of art to pointedly expressing cultural values of society at large.

• Much Conceptual art is self-conscious or self-referential. Like Duchamp and other modernists, they created art that is about art, and pushed its limits by using minimal materials and even text.

Sentences on Conceptual Art - by Sol Lewitt 

First published in 0-9 (New York), 1969, and Art-Language (England), May 1969

1. Conceptual artists are mystics rather than rationalists. They leap to conclusions that logic cannot reach.

2. Rational judgements repeat rational judgements.

3. Irrational judgements lead to new experience.

4. Formal art is essentially rational.

5. Irrational thoughts should be followed absolutely and logically.

6. If the artist changes his mind midway through the execution of the piece he compromises the result and repeats past results.

7. The artist's will is secondary to the process he initiates from idea to completion. His wilfulness may only be ego.

8. When words such as painting and sculpture are used, they connote a whole tradition and imply a consequent acceptance of this tradition, thus placing limitations on the artist who would be reluctant to make art that goes beyond the limitations.

9. The concept and idea are different. The former implies a general direction while the latter is the component. Ideas implement the concept.

10. Ideas can be works of art; they are in a chain of development that may eventually find some form. All ideas need not be made physical.

11. Ideas do not necessarily proceed in logical order. They may set one off in unexpected directions, but an idea must necessarily be completed in the mind before the next one is formed.

12. For each work of art that becomes physical there are many variations that do not.

13. A work of art may be understood as a conductor from the artist's mind to the viewer's. But it may never reach the viewer, or it may never leave the artist's mind.

14. The words of one artist to another may induce an idea chain, if they share the same concept.

15. Since no form is intrinsically superior to another, the artist may use any form, from an expression of words (written or spoken) to physical reality, equally.

16. If words are used, and they proceed from ideas about art, then they are art and not literature; numbers are not mathematics.

17. All ideas are art if they are concerned with art and fall within the conventions of art.

18. One usually understands the art of the past by applying the convention of the present, thus misunderstanding the art of the past.

19. The conventions of art are altered by works of art.

20. Successful art changes our understanding of the conventions by altering our perceptions.

21. Perception of ideas leads to new ideas.

22. The artist cannot imagine his art, and cannot perceive it until it is complete.

23. The artist may misperceive (understand it differently from the artist) a work of art but still be set off in his own chain of thought by that misconstrual.

24. Perception is subjective.

25. The artist may not necessarily understand his own art. His perception is neither better nor worse than that of others.

26. An artist may perceive the art of others better than his own.

27. The concept of a work of art may involve the matter of the piece or the process in which it is made.

28. Once the idea of the piece is established in the artist's mind and the final form is decided, the process is carried out blindly. There are many side effects that the artist cannot imagine. These may be used as ideas for new works.

29. The process is mechanical and should not be tampered with. It should run its course.

30. There are many elements involved in a work of art. The most important are the most obvious.

31. If an artist uses the same form in a group of works, and changes the material, one would assume the artist's concept involved the material.

32. Banal ideas cannot be rescued by beautiful execution.33. It is difficult to bungle a good idea.

34. When an artist learns his craft too well he makes slick art.

35. These sentences comment on art, but are not art.

Task 4: On Conceptualism

Using key developments of art and design that have been discussed during this module, I am required to develop images or video or sculptures etc. That explore one of the three of the five themes. The work to be produced needs to be based on the practical work you are exploring in my other modules. It is important that what is made of this module is independent of the work of the other modules, as the same work cannot be assessed twice.

Idealization:

In this process, I worked under supervision of the module leader for 20th Century design in order to choose and formulate an idea of the theme and select one of the practical work explored in my other modules to produce my final art work. After a review of all the works produced from other modules, we selected two completed task from “Critical Thinking module.” Two of the task selected are:

1. Task on Typography – created set of alphabets using twine.

2. Task on Words as Visual Expression – created typographic elements/ expression.

Process used:

1. Task on Typography – In this task I was required to create a set of alphabets without using any mark making tools.

In the process of developing my set of alphabets I used twine to create the word "LOVE" on cardboard. This process is another form of creating alphabets without using any mark making (pen, pencils, ink, brush, marker etc).

Fig 2. Typographic Formation of Love by Mark (2014)

2. Task on Words as Visual Expression – This task required me to make typographic elements/ expression a technique of Kinetic typography  — which is the technical name for "moving text.

Fig 3. Different - Typographic Expression by Mark (2014)

In the process of developing this typographic expression I had to relate it to myself as I am left handed which makes me different. In order to express this characteristics using words as visual, I had to make the letter 'T' text different from the rest type font.

Final work:

In the process of producing my final work on conceptual art, I used the concept of typographic formation and typographic expression to create two new conceptual art piece I titled “Love Flow”  and “Different.”

Fig 4. Love Flow - Conceptual Art By Mark (2014)

Fig 5. Different - Conceptual Art by Mark (2014)

Interpretation: (On Love Flow Art work) 

Looking at this piece of art, the reflection on two important questions resounds in mind (1) What do I see in this piece of art? (2) What does the piece of art mean to me?  In conceptual art, “Perception is subjective.”  “The concept and idea are different. The former implies a general direction while the latter is the component. Ideas implement the concept.” The idea of my conceptual art work presents Love as a flow. The two twines represent two entity “It takes two to love.”  The different colours represent the different attributes of love. 

Interpretation: (On Different Art work) 

The idea of my conceptual art work on “Different,” is a medium size picture collage art that embodies seemingly different, even oppositional ideas, such as order of arrangement, shape formation and individuality, irregularity, singularity and conformity. It is composed of different cut and paste pictures. Indeed, although the pictures are placed in different positions, viewers should think of them as holding different opinions and verity of ideas in life, such as race, culture, religion, and food, namely the verity is the spice of life.

References:

The Art Story Foundation, (2014), Conceptual Art Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-conceptual-art.htm [Accessed 26 December 14]. 

Sol Lewitt. 1969. Sentences on Conceptual Art. [ONLINE] Available at: http://viola.informatik.uni- bremen.de/typo/fileadmin/media/lernen/LeWittSentencesConceptual.pdf. [Accessed 26 December 14].

Critical Thinking - TASK 3 - Words as Visual Expression

In this task, we are required as students to demonstrate his or her profile/ characteristics through various means of typographic elements/ expression. We need to choose five different words, using one word each to describe ourselves. In the process, other visual imagery such as, either in the form of photography, illustration, and digital outlet should not be used in the word. Upon completion, students are to compile the result in the form of a booklet, and together will include verbal analysis of the exercises.

Format size: A4
Colour format: Black/ White

Critical Thinking - Task 1 - Think Hard

In this task, we are required as students to investigate the Anatomy of Typography. 

My Investigation:      Anatomy of Typography

Next Task - Develop A Set of Alphabets 

Develop a set of alphabets on a piece of paper or card without using any mark making (pen, pencils, ink, brush, marker etc). We are allowed to cut, die-cut or fold to create full set of alphabets. We may experiment by using light shadow or other colour paper/ card to make the typography more interesting. And include verbal analysis for the exercises.

Idealization:

In the process of developing my set of alphabets I used twine to create the word "LOVE" on cardboard. This process is another form of creating alphabets without using any mark making (pen, pencils, ink, brush, marker etc).

Final Work:

Verbal Analysis:

The word LOVE is derived from the very roots of the English language. Old English lufu is related to Old Frisian luve, Old High German luba, Gothic lubo. The Indo-European root is also behind Latin 'lubet' meaning it is pleasing and 'lubido' meaning desire. The word is recorded from the earliest English writings in the 8th century.

I choose to use the word "LOVE" because of the word significance and value it means to humans.

By my definition, therefore, LOVE is a flow of relativity: it is a continuous progression of something being relative to something else.

People from different times and cultures have referred to LOVE using a range of interpretation. In many tongues the meaning of the word LOVE is an abstract concept; among the others, “LOVE” is metaphorical.

Among the many types of theories that attempt to account for the existence of love are: psychological theories, the vast majority of which consider love to be very healthy behavior; evolutionary theories which hold that love is part of the process of natural selection; spiritual theories which may, for instance consider love to be a gift from a god; and theories that consider love to be an unexplained mystery, very much like a mystical experience.

In my experiment, I used twines to represent flows.

I used white twines to represent "Light" and the black card board as the base background to represent "Darkness." These two entities are relative and in harmony. Harmony is an offspring of "Love."  

The 'L ' represents “Life” the "ascending" and "descending" flow of love in life. Only in Life can we experience love.

The 'O' represents “Overall” the love that flows from God to all living things.

The 'V' represents “Virtue” the love that flows from human beings to God

The 'E' represents “Entity” the love of human beings for human beings.

Finally, I coined LOVE as a flow of relativity: a continuous progression of something being relative to something else.

REFERENCES CITED

Ron Dykes. 2001. Introduction to Type. [ONLINE] Available at: http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/tutorials/process/type_basics/default.htm. [Accessed 29 November 14].

Wikimedia Foundation Inc. 2014. Love - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love. [Accessed 23 December 14].

Topic 3 - Surrealism - Task 3

Surrealism

"In a revolution against a society ruled by rational thought, the Surrealists tapped into the “superior reality” of the subconscious."

Surrealism was an artistic, intellectual, and literary movement led by poet André Breton from 1924 through World War II. The Surrealists sought to overthrow the oppressive rules of modern society by demolishing its backbone of rational thought. To do so, they attempted to tap into the “superior reality” of the subconscious mind. “Completely against the tide,” said Breton, “in a violent reaction against the impoverishment and sterility of thought processes that resulted from centuries of rationalism, we turned toward the marvelous and advocated it unconditionally.”1

(Figure 1. Cut-and-pasted gelatin silver prints, cut-and-pasted printed paper, pencil, and pencil frottage on paper, 19 3/4 x 13 1/4″ (50.1 x 33.6 cm). Image via MoMa.org)

 Many of the tenets of Surrealism, including an emphasis on automatism, experimental uses of language, and found objects, had been present to some degree in the Dada movement that preceded it. However, the Surrealists systematized these strategies within the framework of psychologist Sigmund Freud’s theories on dreams and the subconscious mind. In his 1924 Surrealist Manifesto, Breton defined Surrealism as “Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express…the actual functioning of thought…in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern.”2


Dada & Surrealism

While Dada was decentralized in terms of geography and leadership, the center of Surrealism was Paris, with Breton unequivocally at the helm. While Dada was in many ways an anarchic movement, the Surrealists were known for engaging in collective group actions.

(Figure 2. Man Ray. André Breton. 1931. Image via MoMa.org)

The Surrealist circle was relatively cohesive, but the individuals within it hailed from a variety of nations, and their artistic approaches were similarly diverse. They believed that automatic drawings unlocked the contents of the subconscious mind, while hyper-real landscape paintings conjured the uncanny imagery of dreams. Incongruous combinations of found objects combined in Surrealist assemblages revealed the fraught sexual and psychological forces they believed were hidden just beneath the surface of reality.

Related Artists: Jean (Hans) Arp, Hans Bellmer, Cadavre Exquis with Yves Tanguy, Joan Miró, Max Morise, Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky), Joseph Cornell, Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, Marcel Jean, René Magritte, Man Ray, Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky), André Masson, Joan Miró, Joan Miró, Max Morise, Meret Oppenheim, Yves Tanguy

Task 3: Create Surrealist Art work, both 2d and 3d using four words randomly selected by lot. 

These are the four words I picked.

Loud, Green, Death, Triangle

Idealization:

This process requires me to think critically on the idea I wish to produce as my final art work. In my humble opinion I believe all ideas come from imagination. Through my imagination, the words (Loud, Green, Death, Triangle) created an image of a female to depict those words.

This is my sketch.

 

(Figure 3. Sketch work)

Final Production:

(Figure 4. Loud, Green, Death, Triangle)
Surrealist Art by Mark

Reflection:

In bringing the final production of this art work, I experimented by combining various materials to create a surrealist art work.

I developed this art work through a process of using composition of molding clay plasters on a cardboard to form a female body image. And used female beauty accessories to from the breast nipples. The eye lashes are pined on the private part to depict pubic hair.

Interpretation:

Of all work of art, I always reflect on two important questions (1) What do you see? (2) What does it mean?

This personal interpretation is one that I have formulated for myself after careful thought and reflection looking at the surrealist art work I have created. This interpretation has meaning to me and for my life. 

The above surrealist art work often seem to be of nature's Earth represented as a female naked woman. The art work has no head or legs because the Earth has no beginning or end. As a child, I fed from my mother's breast. Which makes using the colour of green and white for the breast and white and red for the nipple to signify energy and life. For the navel, the star shape represents human originating from the Earth. Before I was born into the Earth, I received food from my mother's womb through the navel string. This makes the navel very symbolic and important to human life. Lastly, the private part, represent the Earth soil from where all food originates. As applied to me, when I was born, I came out through my mother's private part. And when I die, I will be put into the private part of the Earth which is the Earth soil.

References:
MoMA Learning. 2014. MoMA | Dada. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/surrealism. [Accessed 24 October 24].