The crisis of the object resulting from the industrial revolution

• one-off hand-crafted objects to industrialized mass-production

The modern synthesis (form and function) begins to crumble in the 1970’s

• complexity and contradiction based on the richness and ambiguity of modern day life. Messy vitality o
• The vision of the modern city
• Paris, 1925 “A machine for living” – LeCorbusier,  highly functional, clearly designed
• 1950’s – architect Yamasaki (also designed NYC World Trade Towers). Built the Pruit Ego Housing Complex. 
• Complex became crime-ridden, high unemployment rates
• Why didn’t the Modernist dream work? (clean, rational, straight-lined design)
• St. Louis, 1972 “A machine for dying” – City blew up … Continue Reading
  

Nationalism and Globalism in Design

• Nazi Germany Design
• Collected signature artworks from around the country that represented the “degeneracy” of German culture. Exhibition was called “Entartete Kunst”
• “Coordination” – ideology of totalitarianism ~ everything keyed to the ideological objectives of the state. What design language do you use?
• Volkswagen – the people’s car. 1936 Porsche develops the beetle – not put into production until after war
• Table Radio created by Kirsting. Device assisted in the proliferation/reinforcement of Nazi ideals. Messages from the Fuhrer.
• 1936 – World’s Fair in Paris – Russian pavilion. Massive monolithic pavilion with statue of man/woman with hammer and sickle … Continue Reading
  

Manufactured Artifact vs. Designed Artifact

• Harley Earl introduced styling to the automotive industry – colours and interiors (worked for GM)
• 1903 – Fords starts company with 28K startup cash. Model-T using mostly all preexisting parts – created the “horseless carriage”.
• 1903 – the Wright Flyer, the flying machine built off knowledge from bicycle making // precursor to entirely new industry.
• Horseless carrier/flying machine becomes automobile/airplane through process of industrial design. A new category of object – a coherent design artifact
• Wireless telegraph (manufactured artifact) – 10 years to become a designed artifact – with … Continue Reading
  

Manufactured Artifact vs. Designed Artifact

• Harley Earl introduced styling to the automotive industry – colours and interiors (worked for GM) 
• 1903 – Fords starts company with 28K startup cash. Model-T using mostly all preexisting parts – created the “horseless carriage”.
• 1903 – the Wright Flyer, the flying machine built off knowledge from bicycle making // precursor to entirely new industry.
• Horseless carrier/flying machine becomes automobile/airplane through process of industrial design. A new category of object – a coherent design artifact
• Wireless telegraph (manufactured artifact) – 10 years to become a designed artifact – with its own design language.
• Typewriter + … Continue Reading