Part C blog review

Crit blog is a site critiquing various design ideas and products as well as providing information regarding new design. It primarily offers the author’s personal perspective. The blog falls into King and Kitchener’s stage four where “knowledge claims are idiosyncratic to the individual”. The continual use of “I” gives the impression that the author is basing his material upon his own ideology or belief system (as stated in King and Kitchener). Whilst Crit blog does cit evidence for claims, the author’s ideas are not readily supported. There is not a lot of room for critique and whilst the author does encourage questions, there is no invitation to assess their ideas. This alludes to King and Kitchener’s notion of the audience being uncertain about the source of information, which makes it somewhat unreliable and questionable. Attoe categorises this type of blog as interpretative, as the author is not looking for views to challenge their somewhat subjective stance.

Design*Notes is similar in its personal and reflective style. The author however invites interaction from the reader on various postings involving design and culture. The author doesn’t appear to be critiquing or evaluating ideas but merely recording his own. Attoe refers to this as descriptive criticism whereby the purpose of the author is not to judge or interpret but to help “people see what is there”. Design*Notes falls into Stage 6 of King and Kitchener’s reflective model as the author’s “interpretations are subject to critique”. Likewise the author’s “knowledge is personally constructed from a variety of sources”, combining conversational style remarks with series interjections about elements and stimulus around him.

self review

In the secon review I took into consideration the comments of others and specificaly change the review to have a more satrical and toungue-in-cheak tone. this I felt was a very hard but rewarding exercise as it pushed me to write outside my usual genre. I think the writing style aided in keeping the reader engaged and thererfore is a significant improvment on the first entry.

Ox Hearts and Orchids

Ox Hearts and Orchids
Porcelain and ceramics, considered until recently the last bastion of conservatism and design mediocrity – is suddenly the new creative frontier for the avant guard, and leading the charge is six foot four Dutch design marvel Marcel Wanders. His famous 'Egg' vase derives its lumpy bulbous shape from a condom stuffed with hard-boiled eggs; the resultant bulging shape is then cast out of ceramic forming an o-so elegant tumourous vessel to adorn fresh cut flowers. This vase is testament that we have surpassed postmodernism and usurped every convention, and for that it must be commended, as it notably hallmarks the changing tide of cultural disposition towards the question of what is art and more importantly what is beauty. But at the same time it raises the question of, what is good design, and I wonder about Wanders, is this really good design at all, or just cheep tricks to dazzle the punters. I mean does this systematic casting of all things banal, taboo, and macabre really warrant the trophy of celebrity design marvel that seems all too quickly handed out like an unwanted parking ticket. If it’s that easy I’m thinking I might just give it a go. How about casting an ox heart in porcelain and sticking a rose in the aorta, step aside Marcel I'm coming through.

In hindsight it looks all too simple but this aesthetic sabotage requires a cultural sensitivity that only a highly attuned cultural critic could pull off and this amalgamating of images from both high and low culture is a signature Wanders approach to design. In doing so he thereby surreptitiously loads intelligent witty humour into his work like a devious charlatan. This overturning of traditional conventions is a central facet of the vase’s design, evoking the idea of an aesthetic terrorist, holding hostage usual preconceptions while challenging the sacrosanct and exalting the ignoble.

It was the summer of 97 that the dry wit of Wanders reared its ugly head under the auspices of Droog design in the form of these bizarre vases. This witty and ironic inversion of archetypal domestic products has spelt an aesthetic changing of the guard which has brought about a free-for-all among designers turning banal everyday objects or rare historical artefacts into satire commentaries on modern design. Wanders vase is created from base, everyday products that in and of themselves have no exceptional value. He leaves these ‘found’ objects in a recognisable state, he doesn’t ‘deny their origins’ or conceal the fact that his piece is made of the commonplace and the ordinary. On one hand the design must be applauded because it truly redraws the lines of value in contemporary culture, as it takes the high end of art and the utilitarianism of a vessel and unites them in the clashing juxtaposition of an egg and a condom in the form of a vase, leaving us spinning with confusion as to how we should react.

On the other hand though while this piece exemplifies iconoclastic wit to the highest degree, the lack of effort and the sheer randomness and simplicity of stuffing a condom full of eggs, gets me thinking the old boy is just plain lazy . . . and spare a thought for the poor flower given over to see out its dyeing days in this loathsome codpiece of a vessel. As illustrated by my 10 brain cells and 2 minutes worth of thought in the soon to be famous ‘Ox Vase’, laziness might truly be what’s at the heart of Wanders work. Further more Wanders himself holds up a mantra saying that there is a deep craving in the world for more quality, and that designers need to ‘sweat’ more. Are we at this point viewing a monument to hypocrisy? Lazy or not the ‘Egg’ vase, born from the lions of misfortune, is a clever commentary and a reflection on our society; it marks the end of Cartesian thinking rules and formula. Art and design are no longer defined by beauty; beauty and kitsch now walk hand in hand as good design.

Wanders vase actively participates in culture shaping and its intrinsic value cannot be defined by a singular vernacular of individual meaning or taste the piece redefines the notion of design being precious, high class and classic. It can be funny, base and even grotesque. If people like it, they will buy it, and this is the ultimate active judge. Therefore design is no longer to be appreciated only by those who can afford it but by those who can laugh at it. So whether by laziness or brilliance Wanders success has taught us would be design critics how to suck eggs.

Condoms and Carnations

Condoms and Carnations
Porcelain and ceramics, considered until recently the last bastion of conservatism and design mediocrity – is suddenly the new creative frontier for the avant guard, and leading the charge is six foot four Dutch design marvel Marcel Wanders. He is a product of his time and his creation attests this. This vase is testament that we have surpassed postmodernism and usurped every convention. Wanders’ famous 'Egg' vase derives its lumpy bulbous shape from a condom stuffed with hard-boiled eggs; the resultant bulging shape is then cast out of ceramic forming an o-so elegant tumourous vessel to adorn fresh cut flowers. This aesthetic sabotage is a signature Wanders approach to design as he amalgamates images from both high and low culture and thereby surreptitiously loads intelligent witty humour into his work like a devious charlatan. The vase is significant in that it hallmarks the changing tide of cultural disposition towards the question of what is design and more importantly what is beauty. This overturning of traditional conventions is a central facet of the vase’s design, evoking the idea of an aesthetic terrorist, holding hostage usual preconceptions while challenging the sacrosanct and exalting the ignoble.

It was under the auspices of Droog (meaning 'dry', as in dry wit) design in 1997 that Wanders first turned his attention to ceramics evoking these bizarre vases. It is this vase along with a small number of other designs which stand as a precursor to the present hyper neo baroque ornamentation that we are now a part of, but along with this aesthetic changing of the guard it has given licence to a free-for-all among designers to turn banal everyday objects or rare historical artefacts into satire commentaries on modern design. The vase is created from base, everyday products that in and of themselves have no exceptional value. Wanders leaves these ‘found’ objects in a recognisable state, he doesn’t ‘deny their origans’ and conceal the fact that his piece is made of the commonplace and the ordinary. It is at this point that the design must be applauded because it truly redraws the lines of design in contemporary culture, and further more it takes the high end of art and the utilitarianism of a vessel and unites them in the clashing juxtaposition of an egg and condom in a vase, leaving us spinning with confusion as to how we should react. This witty and ironic inversion of archetypal domestic products has meant the recasting of countless other objects previously defined as non art. This piece redefines the notion of design being precious, high class and classic. It can be funny, base and even grotesque. Design is not only to be appreciated by those who can afford it but by those who can laugh at it.

Whilst this piece exemplifies iconoclastic wit to the highest degree, the lack of effort and the sheer randomness and simplicity of stuffing a condom full of eggs raises the question as to whether this is actually good design or just laziness, and whether Wanders himself is staying true to his own mantra that there is a deep craving in the world for more quality, and that designers need to ‘sweat’ more. Lazy or not the ‘Egg’ vase is a comment and a reflection on our society, it marks the end of Cartesian thinking rules and formula, art and design are no longer defined by beauty, beauty and kitsch now walk hand in hand as good design. Wanders vase actively participates in culture shaping and its intrinsic value cannot be defined by a singular vernacular of individual meaning or taste. If people like it, they will buy it, this is the active judge.

'Bag People'- Mladen Stilinovic

EVALUTATION
Mladen Stilinovic´ “Bag People”
Mladen Stilinovic´’s installation depicts people going along a path by themselves in a disconnected and spiritless manner, this installation in consistent with his other work which repeatedly addresses the theme of poverty under changing political conditions. The work it seems is intended to function as a sociopolitical statement showing the bankruptcy of socialism and the disinterestedness of western capitalism. While it does take you into the lives of these people via its cleaver installation, the social political juxtaposition seen in the ‘voice’ of the newspapers and the ‘silence’ of the ‘Bag People’ is not at all clear and neither is it clear if this attempted subversion is the author’s intention. The photographic structure lacks any real composition and the lack of contrast in the images having no strong blacks or whites and at times even blurred may at first reading give an amateurish tone to the work however it is this blandness and lack of beauty which is the very substance that builds a convincing and engaging dialogue with the viewer. The images and their arrangement choreographs the viewer into the daily lives of these people, this immersive quality is pure brilliance on the part of the installation. However the banal monotonous quality of this picture shows neither real poverty nor grave injustice. It is at this point that the projected laziness of the artist actually dilutes the political message that it seems to be projecting leaving the viewer with neither pity nor anger . . . is he now scripting our lethargy?

'Bag People'- Mladen Stilinovic

INTERPRETATION
Mladen Stilinovic´ ‘Bag People’
The pervading numbness of empirical disregard and futility shown in Mladen Stilinovic´’s installation ‘Bag People’ is what makes this work so opaque and yet eerily penetrating. Detached and disconnected people find themselves linked by a shared life situation of senseless poverty and gray tedium. Stilinovic´ portrays an atmosphere of disillusionment and resignation through the impoverished ‘bag people’ of Eastern Europe. He, through this photographic work addresses the social and political bankruptcy of socialism. The installation is part of an exhibition titled ‘Zones of Contact’ showing at the Sydney Biennale where the collective works cause us to reflect on the many levels of human experience, the sense of culture, the sense of dislocation and living within foreign societies. Stilinovic´’s installation powerfully articulates an awareness of melancholic repetition and familiarity as it causes the viewer to ‘walk along side’ the images and journey with these people. This scripted interaction is contrasted by the static recurrence of the path with the only change being the nameless, faceless people with their backs to you. The perpetual sameness of everyday survival is illustrated by the carrying of bags, this along with the number of people give you a sense vacuous abandonment. In this installation there seems to be a juxtaposition of meaning and meaninglessness, change and resignation, as the photographs are backed with the daily news giving a voice to all things relevant but ironically the ‘Bag People’s’ poverty is not ‘given’ one, The fact that this artwork is shown in black and white only serves to emphasize the distancing, numbness and lack of connection between the viewer and these people.

Nearlly There

In light of the comments that Jemma and Christina gave it seemed evident that their observations in some cases analysised and brought into play many of the different personal taste idiosyncrasy that I had disclose in order to make their conclusions for example I liked how they arrived at my presumed music taste, but as far as the question of where I would like to travel their answers came directly from my comments on travel. I did like Jemma’s insight into the amount of tv I watch and the Denton show.

I purposely left out the list your favourite/ least favourite types of music question because this is for many people an intimate and strongly character revealing question and I wanted to see how well people were able to perceive my tastes and therefore character…really though it was a test bed to find out what types of music I might like because music doesn’t factor highly in my life at all (strange I know, but I do like silence). When Jemma postulated that I would like Radiohead, Nick Drake and more mellow music she was pretty right on the genre but I don’t listen to those bands. I’m not sure how she arrived at these conclusions, I am guessing that she was picking up on the activities I did like visiting galleries museums and lecturers and maybe the radio station I listen to. Jemma and Christina both said that I would go for quirky and unusual music that had some depth and meaning maybe this is derived this from the response I gave to the cameras I have and the way I use them, I’m not sure and the intolerance to shallow music is spot on, where you citing the films at that point???

Taste Regime

2. I have a fuji finepix digital slr, its a nice camera with good features but a little to big to take everywhere so I sometimes find myself missing out on good shots. I usually take photos of everyday things that I find interesting or quirky and I often photograph to visually document and reference things that I will use for design so not always concerned about the composition. I also have a lomo which i love its a fixed lense traditional one.

3. Im not into cars per-se but to answer a random hypothetical question, I would like to drive a contemporary take on the 1959 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia (my design). and no I wouldn't get under the bonnet or under any other part of it.

6. I would defiantly visit galleries museums and public lecturers (usually relating to design) often; but as for demonstrations and political meetings- no time, no interest.

7. Garden State, Adaptation, Summersault, Buffalo 66.

8. Favorite sport is snowboarding; sport most often found participating in- drinking good coffee.

10. Primary source of news would be 702 and radio national (car stereo will only get AM, but now I am a devotee).

11. The government should be spending more money on the arts and entertainment and less on sport.

12. I am from Australia, and yes I would happily get of this island and live in Europe, probably Denmark or Sweden.

13. I meet my friends mostly at each others house, the pub/ cafe or at church.

ANALOGANIC

Analoganic->/ A design philosophy in the making- the end of digital is analoganic. Can Digital be more than a maladroit prosthetic on our otherwise analogue-organic life? Analoganic or Anaganic design is building on the platform of the contemporary digital culture that we are a part of yet at the same time rebels against it… Bla bla bla. Philip Glass in my reading is an example of this digital formula being broken down.