171 Assignment 3

"Construction should be decorated. Decoration should never be purposely constructed." - The Grammar of Ornament, 1856, Owen Jones

Mini Light Trees
Sourced from; http://www.cgmdirect.com.au

 A key figure in the 19th Century Design reform, Owen Jones believed that ornamentation had to relate to the utility and purpose of the object that it was decorating. With his quote from The Grammar of Ornamentation, "Construction should be decorated. Decoration should never be purposely constructed." he is implying that ornamentation on objects and designs should be appropriate to them, through their use and utility, rather than decoration being the sole purpose of the design and having no relation to its use. Inappropriate decoration for function or ornament construction, was part of the design reform theory in the 19th Century along with other "false principles" including; imitation of nature, illusionism and imitation of architecture. "true principles" included; nature as models for ornamentation, appropriate decoration/ornamentation for use and abstraction in representation. The "true principles" evolved around the idea of honest and true design, not representation of something that the object is not. I have chosen both a historical and modern example of "decoration constructed". Both are very similar in the ways they are results of "decoration constructed" as they are both lights, imitating nature. The "mini light trees" and the "flower gas lamp" are examples of decoration that does not relate to the function of the design. The decoration and design of these two lights do not aid or improve the functionality, and are merely for decoration purposes, therefore are examples of "decoration constructed". Not only this, they also have a "false principle" of imitating nature.

Flower Gas Lamp
Sourced from; Week 3 Lecture "Beauty + Utility"

I agree and disagree with this thinking, because I feel that decoration and ornamentation should relate to the function of a design to an extent but particularly in modern and contemporary designs, there is a bit of fun to be had when juxtaposing objects with their functions. An example of this is the "mini light trees" shown above, I think they are playful and exciting in a modern design sense, as well as aesthetically pleasing. This is just my personal opinion however, and does not relate to the beliefs of Owen Jones and the ideas of the design reform in the 19th century.

171 Assignment 2

Joris Laarman, Heatwave Radiator, The Netherlands, 2003

Joris Laarman's heatwave radiator is an example of the "continuing curve" in modern times. The decorative curvature in the design of the panels are similar to those seen in the Rococo style and is a reason to believe that it is influenced by "sensual impulse". However, this point can be argued as the Rococo style elements are designed to emit more heat through the larger surface area, so there is more to this heater than just aesthetics. Originally, Rococo style was about embracing feminine, organic, asymmetrical, curving aesthetics to designs which were focused on beauty rather than functionality. This heatwave radiator is a modern example of the Rococo style, yet has been combined with functionality. With this in mind, it is fair to say that at first glance this design looks to have aspects of sensual impulse, but in fact is more about function, and unlike earlier Rococo styled pieces, this object is shaped and decorated the way it is, for a purpose that is tactile, not merely decorative. This leads me to believe that Joris Laarman's heatwave radiator is not a result of "sensual impulse".

171 Assignment 1

Archeology discoveries suggest that the wheel was first invented around 8,000BC in Asia. The wheel was the first major revolutionary design discovered by human and this is why it is important. Even thousands of years ago, design evolutions were taking place and development with design was initiated.