OUGD401: STUDIO TASK 3 - Politics, Society, Culture & History.

Task

Using the lists, statements and points of discussion introduced in the studio workshop as a starting point, write 4 short statements that summarise your individual positioning / opinions in relation to the following contexts: Politics Society Culture History You should aime to write a clear statement (50 - 100 words) that explains what you believe and why in response to each of the four words. The statements should be positive rather than negative affirmations. If you don't like something or are against a certain viewpoint, you should aim to communicate the positive response to it as discussed in the session.

Along with sourcing our opinions on politics, society, culture and history in the earlier session, we also looked at two different manifestos 'The incomplete manifesto for growth' written by Bruce Mau design and the 'First things first' written in 1964 by British designer Ken Garland and then updated in 2000.

Definition of a Manifesto.

man·i·fes·to

 [man-uh-fes-toh] 

noun, plural man·i·fes·toes.

a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, as one issued by a government,sovereign, or organization.

I found the Incomplete manifesto for growth not only inspiring but, also reassuring as often, being quite unexperienced in graphic design, I question whether my outcomes can be deemed 'good'. Bruce Mau design exaggerate the idea that it is the process that is more important than the outcome, as it is the process guides us and allows us to grow. 

      'Forget about good. 

1. Good is a known quantity. Good is what we all agree on. Growth is not necessarily good. Growth is an exploration of unlit recesses that may or may not yield to our research. As long as you stick to good you’ll never have real growth.'

1. 
   

1. 'Process is more important than outcome.
   When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we’ve already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there.'

I was quite surprised that Bruce Mau design warns people to avoid entering competitions, as these offer another dimension of experience, not only in response to a brief, but also being able to view what ideas others have come up with and how they think differently towards design. Although I think I would not be able to enter competitions yet, It is something I would have liked to consider doing in the future. 

1. 'Don’t enter awards competitions.
   Just don’t. It’s not good for you.'

Another point that Bruce Mau design makes is that designers should stay up late. However I think this depends on the person, some people work better during the day, and others at night time. I often find that from working from 9am in the  morning, I am often too tired to produce anything of use, and find that my concentration levels are often lagging past the 10pm mark, and so I work within a time frame that lets me have at least a couple of hours to wind down and put work aside before sleep. 

1. 'Stay up late.
   Strange things happen when you’ve gone too far, been up too long, worked too hard, and you’re separated from the rest of the world.'

I then went on to read the first things first manifesto. This manifesto encourages designers to re associate themselves with functions of graphic design that have become lost between the wavelengths. We are told to move away from the commercial aspects of graphic design, as these jobs, advertising, designing to sell a range of miscellaneous products has now started to define what a graphic designer does. We are told to get back in touch with the roots of design and step into a movement of culture and social renewal, designing for education, film, campaigns, exhibitions and charitable causes. And from this manifesto we are asked to reconsider the values of design, and approach anything, with a more original sense than adapt to this new growing commercial downfall. It is our commitment to this manifesto that will shape Graphic design and make sure this problem is no longer over looked.  

During the session we were asked to write a list of 10 words, which first entered our heads in response to the words Politics, Society, culture history. We made these lists in pairs, in which we had 2 minutes to think of 10 words each. 

My Lists:

-Politics 
MP
David Cameron
Barak Obama
Conservative
Labour
Lib Dem
Government
Gordon Brown
Vote
UKIP

-Society
Community
Culture
Fast
Broken
Peaceful
People
Recession
Friends
Enemies
Together

-Culture 
Languages
Race
Food
Travel
World
Different
Experience
Country
Abroad
Fashion

-History
Archeology
Ruins
Timeline
Romans
Vikings
Past
War
Loss
Celebration
Proud

Sophies Lists:

-Politics
World
Public
Speaking
Choices
Beliefs
Confusing
House of Parliment
London
Prime Minister
Government
Decisions

-Society
People
Friends
Public
Modern
Community
Youth
Technology
Disrupt
Polluted
Segregation
Expensive

-Culture
Beliefs
Differences
Individuality
Religion
Human Rights
Upbringing
Family
Community
Travel
Tradition

-History
Henry 8th
War
Tragedy
Rules
Past Time
Victorians
Grandparents
Dinosaur
Change
David Attenborough

We were then asked to combine our lists and separate them by what we as a pair thought were negative or positive associations with each of the four categories  Many of the words appeared in both divisions due to them being both positive and negative. 

-Politics positives
Mp
Barak Obama
Conservative
Labour
Lib Dem
Governemt
World
Gordon Brown
Public
Speaking
Choice
Beliefs
House of Parliment
London
Priminister
Desicions

-Politics negatives
David Cameron
Conservative
Labour
Lib Dem
Government
World
Gordon Brown
Public
Confusing
Beliefs
House of Parliment
London
Decisions

-Society positives

Community
Culture
Fast
Peaceful
People
Friends
Together
Public
Modern
Youth
Technology

-Society negatives
Fast
Broken
People
Recession
Enemies
Public
Modern
Technology
Disrupt
Polluted
Segregation
Expensive

-Culture Positives
Languages
Race
Food
Travel
World
Different
Experience
Country
Abroad
Fashion
Beliefs
Differences
Individuality
Religion
Human rights
Up Bringing
Family
Community
Tradition

-Culture negatives
Country
Beliefs

-History positives
Archeology
Ruins
Timeline
Romans
Viking
Rules
Past time
Celebration
Proud
Victorians
Grandparents
Dinosaurs
Change
David Attenborough

-History negatives
Henry 8th
War
Tragedy

We were then asked to each write 5 positive opinions about the four categories on separate pieces of paper, which we then switched and wrote 5 negatives about each category on our partners paper. Here are mine and Sophie's lists:

My Lists:

-Positive politics.

-Ability to vote opinions
-Voting for a leader you want
-Being able to Make a choice about your next leader
-Collision governments-Dual Leader
-Different Leader every 4 years

-Society positives

-Feel part of something; with people similar to you
-Different cultures coming together
-Building a community within society
-Creating a peaceful society
-Society working at a faster pace with constant improvements in the infrastructure

-Culture positives

Integration- Experiencing another culture through food
Learning another language- becoming emmersed in another culture
The ability to travel to other places and experience corners of the world
Become more knowledgable and mroe well rounded
Learning about a world that is different to your own- Escapism

Good about History

-Learning about your ancestors- Finding relatives
-Winning the world cup
-Hosting the olympics-Being proud of your country
-Being proud of all the people who fought in war against thier wishes
-Appreciation to your country- What has been achieved- Especially advancements in technology and treatments etc.

Sophie's lists:

-Politics negative

-It is quite confusing. I dont know or understand the majority of it
-People voting or being able to vote without a good knowledge of what they are voting for
-Broken promises, things not being done when they said they would be fixed
-Everything is about money- People who even the most money have to pay more tax. People who earn none or not much pay little. Should be the same rules and amount that apply
-Benefit system. People cheating the system. Taking advantage when others work hard to get there


-Society negatives

-People in the society because of political issues wont get a job would much rather have benefits. Lazy Society
-Students being punished with redicoulous fees for wanting to get an education
-The recession we are living in, making it hard for todays society to live without worries. Everything is so expensive
-Technology being run by the way people live. Becoming too over developed in certain things
-Pollution- Not enough people in society care about the social climate that we live in. Global Warming

-Culture negatives
-Some people pressurising others too much into trying to get others to believe in what they believe in
Racism, because we live in a society in which we come in to contact with people from all sorts of backgrounds, opens up for discrimination and racism

-History negatives

-The war was bad, Affected so many lives to this day. When it probably didnt have too. So many people died innocently
-Remembrance and grief towards the lives that were lost
-Could what have happened in the past affected the way we live now. Hollocaust etc.

Sophie's positives: 

-Politics Positive


-Can choose and pick who you would like to run the country. Vote!
-The choice of being able to vote for a new leader every 4 years
-Can watch the debates occassionly on the TV

-Society positives

-Technology is becoming an everyday neccesity which is good for a designer. Modern
-Society working together. Charities and people trying to help each other
-Different people are becoming more appreciaive of others beliefs, religion, cultures etc
-Peaceful at this time
-Freedom of speech

-Culture positives

-Being given a chance to try and experience new things
-Learning the ways of others. Language, living etc.
-Travelling the world, having that opportunity, planes etc
-Can make you feel more appreciative of the culture you have been brought up having in comparison to others.

-History positives

-Learning about the past
-How much the world has changed in every aspect
-Making you appreciate the year you live in
-Made to feel proud for your grandparents for living at such a difficult time. War. Ancestors
-Just the knowledge that maybe 20 years from now, every aspect of life may change. So live for today and appreciate the good in your life

My negatives:

-Politics negatives

-Benefit system- Paying tax
-When the person you voted for is not chosen for prime minister
-Broken promises- Raise in uni fees
-Letting people get away with not having jobs
-There isnt a system for unemployed- Instead of putting them on jobseekers, find a job for them, whether they like it or not.

-Society negatives

-People can not agree and society is always at conflict
-People who take advantage of the freedom they are given and use for personal gain
-Obsession with the material aspect of life and not actually living
-People will stop at nothing to get what they want even if it means hurting someone else
-A society that is suffering due to the recession- Lack of resources to live

-Culture negatives

-Gang culture and gang crime- training people in certain ways so they believe what they are doing is right
-Cults- Groups who force pain upon others due to their beliefs
-Racism- not allowing others to live peacefully with their choices/ religion/ belief
-People who discriminate against those who are different because of their culture. 
-People who are disrespectful of other peoples beliefs/traditions

-History negatives

-Using war for power- Greed and the loss of innocent people
-Remembrance and grief that comes with tradgedies that have happened around the world.

Using the structure of the manifestos in which we have studied, and the information that we have culled about the 4 categories, we have been asked to write a small manifesto (50-100 words) for each, Politics, society, history and culture.

Politics:

The strongest and thing that I like most about the political system in the U.K is the ability to vote and voice your opinion on who should be in power as prime minister. What is also beneficial about this system is the ability to change the person of power every four years, allowing followers of different parties the ability to put their chosen leader into power, allowing for change and improvement that could further redeem the country. Particularly this year I have found that having a collision government between the conservatives and Liberal democrats has proved beneficial for the country as we are more largely represented, and policys are further looked into and given a more accurate solution, due to two entirely different parties having to compromise and shedding a different light on the situation. However I do think that the politician does need to work more towards the trust of its people, as what is the use of power, without the people who got you there? The collision government is an example of this, whom broke their promise, when the Liberal democrats failed to keep the price of its higher education system consistent to the previous prices, Higher education is something we should be making more easily available encouraging the youth of Britain to strive for a career and pride to rejuvenate the county, yet instead we are erasing their every chance and encouraging to seek help from the benefits system as this itself is more attractive and for some the only option to earn a living. 

Society:

The great thing about society is a big thing called integration, living your day to day life, and embracing other peoples lives as well as our own. The idea of creating a community, fighting for one another, as, as the human race we are one, and should put all our efforts into helping one another, one society, for when we are fighting one another, we are fighting ourselves. We should seize the freedom we are given within our society, and not use it wrongly to our advantage, but use this freedom to our advantage, to prove our selves, and to show that we deserve the freedoms in which we have, compared to other countries. As a modern society, we should not expect, we should not think that we are owed things, and think we should constantly be given what we want, but we should give to others, and earn the things that we want to pursue, for at times we tend to be a sorry society. We should not obsess over the material aspects of life, so much so we forget the life we are all ready living, inside we should enjoy what we already have, as their are other society's so much less privileged than ours, whom would be so thankful to be in our position. 


History:

Not only does history mark great events such as the world wars, looking back at the creation of the Egyptian pyramids and Stone Henge. From documentation of these previous events we are able to learn of the world that was living, before we were even born. We can see, in some cases how the world has changed, as if we were actually living through the times, due to the documentation of history. From these experiences and understanding our ancestral world, we can learn to appreciate the year that we live in, and also what our elders have been through. From such Historical events where we have mourned instead of celebrating we can learn from, We should emulate those historical events that caused us to celebrate and improve the situations of those that were not successful. We must move forward to a future our further generations can take pride in telling the story of, and we must not give them the chance to say we have been unsuccessful.   

Culture: 

Culture is one of the best things as humans we are able to experience, culture is the colour of the world, it is what makes us different, and as a society this is what we should welcome with open arms. Culture is one of the things we, and I myself are very curious about. I have travelled to many different countries across the earth, embraced a spectrum of cultures, and as I go I try to blend with them all, learning to speak spanish, trying the foods and joining in with the celebrations, and as I have travelled I have learnt how to also appreciate my own culture. People should not discriminate against each other because of their cultural differences or cause hurt to those who are different. We should not be disrespectful of other peoples traditions, but help them to celebrate. 

0UGD401: Lecture- The photograph as a document.

Documentary photography:

Images of the working classes and poverty. 

Reporting and war. 

There is a power balance in documentary photographer and the subject - one always has more power than the other, this is usually the photographer. 

Recording an important historical event, documenting the people power. 

William Edward Killburn. 'The great chartist meeting at the common' 1848.

The photographer is an invisible observer. His presence is not acknowledged by the people in the image. 

Grahame Clarke:

in many contexts the notion of a literal and objective record of 'history' is a limited illusion. It ignores the entire cultural and social background against which the image was taken.

Russel Lee
'Interior of a black farmers house' 1939.

No human being in the photo. 

source

Dorothea Lange
'Migrant mother' 1936.

No conversation with the subject, not asking the woman in the photo her name, or anything about her, The woman is merely an object in a photograph. The cull of images matters more than the poverty in which it is to represent. 

-Images seen in magazine.

Other images provide context, we are given more information about the ife of the woman and her children. The images taken from afar better describe the social situation and reveal the real conditions however the closest was chosen for publication because it was the best photograph. 

source

Walker Evans photography. 

Modernist aesthetic, pure and straight photography which was valued in documentary photography at the time. Showing the white lines etc around the edge, images are left un cropped without manipulation.

American documentary photography, obsessed with things and not people. 

For example Walker Evans coca cola shack. 

Source

'Graveyard, houses and steel mill, Bethlehem Pennsylvania.'

Source

Robert Frank goes on a road trip through America. He redefines documentary photography in the 1950's. Unusual approach to documentary, not showing the faces of his subjects, 'parade- Hoboken, New Jersey'

Source

William Klein 'Dance in Brooklyn' 1955.

Goes away from the idea that everything has to be informational, uses blur and grain to create a dark condition. 

Captures the movement of the city. 

Source

Magnum group founded in 1947 by Cartier-Bresson and capa.

A group of people that want to document the world. 

'The decisive moment' - Bresson. 

Source

Photography achieves its highest distinction- reflecting the university of the human condition in s never- to- be retrieved fraction of a second. -Cartier-Bresson.

France. Paris. Place de l'Europe. Gare saint Lazare. 1932.

No manipulation of the image, modernist aesthetic. 

Robert Capa 'The falling soldier' 1936.

Photographed at a location where there was no fighting. Gone back and tried to reconstruct the photo. The location implied in the photograph is not the location where war took place.

Source

'Normandy, France' 1945.

Implies that he is in the water, and is a soldier. The camera and a gun become one in the same. 

Source

George Rodger 

'Bergen-Belson concentration camp' 1945.

stays away from the horror of photography. Could take close up documentary photos. However takes them with a sense of respect and distance.

Source

Robert Haeberle 'People about to be shot' 1969.

Photographer shouts 'hold it' before people are about to be shot.
so that he the photography can 'shoot' the people first, thus creating a harrowing image. 

Source

William Neidich. 

Constructs photography of events that are missing in photographic history. Reconstructs events and photographs them, when they would be impossible to have shot at the time. Reconstructs American history- American cover ups. 

Edward Curtis Native North. 

Sepia and Softness. Documenting the disappearance of this tribal existence. However it does not show why or who is responsible for this fading culture. William Neidich then goes back and constructs the missing links and photographs them. Therefore photographing the Americans killing the Native Americans in reference to the native American genocide and The Native American removal act. 

Source

OUGD401: Essay Component.

Sarah Goldthorpe
Graphic Design Level 4.
Context of Practice OUGD401 Essay Component.

Focusing on specific examples, describe the way that modernist art and design was a response to the forces of modernity.

Focusing on specific examples, describe the way that modernist art and design was a response to the forces of modernity.

'Intellectuals across Europe engaged in a revolutionary project to set western civilisation upon a new foundation: Modernism. Rejecting classical and traditional ideas of aesthetics, Modernists insisted that the arts should be founded upon new forms, practice's and values derived entirely from the contemporary moment and orientated towards the future.' ( Walz, R: 2008: p3)

Modernism, born out of the late 19th century prescribed a better and more improved life for its society, propelling the world from crisis to a place of social reform and political progress. Offering the chance of a better life, to be modern was to improve upon its predecessors, it offered no illusions, but the reality of the utopia of which artists and designers had been long striving for. The forces of modernity were the backbone to this great revolution of which impelled these designers, thus accelerating the person’s domain into Modern life. An anti-historicism movement, Modernists endeavoured to leave all breath of precedents behind and looked forward with optimism to design and build.

Those who lived in the country moved forth into the city, the habitat of where industrialisation took place. Industrialisation and Urbanisation radically changed and developed the Western world introducing new materials such as reinforced concrete, steel and glass. These would soon provide the structures of the future. With cities attracting a higher concentration of population, new housing solutions were required to resolve the overpopulation of what could not be housed in these now seemingly small areas. Life became more regulated for those who were pulled in by the magnet of the city; their lives were no longer commanded by night and day but by factory shifts. Advanced modes of transport became available, the first mechanised rail transport became accessible in the 1820’s followed by the invention of the first modern automobile in the 1880’s, These new forms of rapid transport spurred the demand for more space. What were once walking promenades were adjusted to make access for cars in this constant development for a better life.

Modernism was adopted as a religion that followed a set of beliefs/principles in which when people began to follow these, they believed they were living in a new age. Humanity believed the key to improvement was to reject all religious systems that once ruled and replace them with the notion of the civilised state. It exhaled a truth, kept a distance from illusionary design that would create false impressions. Design was foremost to fulfil its function, and then followed by form which would be dictated by its concern and objectives and not by its manifestation. Modernists embraced the new technologies and designed for all, abolishing class boundaries, and offering standardised alternatives, made cheaper and more efficiently than the individual handy-craft through mass production. Design was stripped of any historical and cultural references in order communicate with people of any culture, to reach a wider, international audience. Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus proclaimed, 'Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life, necessary for everyone in a civilized society.' (O'Dwyer, D. 2011: p54)

Gropius too believed that ornamentation should be ruled out from design and to commit to such detail is superficial, that design should not disguise its function with decoration but promote the materials and process in which it was created. The Bauhaus (Fig.1) lay at the very heart of Modernism, as a machine in which pumped these principles through its veins, obvious in the design process taught at the Bauhaus and the outcomes that emerged from these.

‘The legacy of the Bauhaus has been shaped by the tides of the twentieth century itself.’ (Bergdoll,B. and Dickerman,L. 2009: p12)

It was the very advancements brought on by the forces of modernity that provoked artists to design in these new exciting ways. The Bauhaus would leave a legacy, not only inspiring the designers of its day but leaving behind footprints in which designers of the future would soon follow.

The fall of the German economy after Germany’s defeat in WW1 left the country in devastation. The war had hit Germany’s economy hard which left an extensive dent in both money and food supplies. However the most evident transition took place in the country’s political system. People began to commit to communist views and the Kaiser was forced to step down from rule. The Weimar republic stepped up to rule and occupied this space which Kaiser Wilhelm II had left behind. The country was liberated of the oppression which the previous government had overcast over Germany leaving behind new opportunities for design where radical ideas could soon be tested and experiments could take place. Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus (house for building) in Weimar, a cultural nerve centre, in 1919 which combined previous institutions Weimar academy of fine arts and Weimar school of arts and crafts under one roof, In thought the school would be used to help repair the desolation of the first world war and help reform the social structure.

‘Aiming to rethink the very form of modern life, the Bauhaus became the site for a dazzling array of experiments in the visual arts that have profoundly shaped the world today.’ (Bergdoll,B. and Dickerman, L. 2009: Inside sleeve)

Gropius’ aim for the Bauhaus was to impart his students with a progressive education that did not look back on the past but produced forward thinking students that would learn, develop and leave with a new school of thought, readily equipped for modern life.

‘The student, architect or designer should be offered no refuge in the past but should be equipped for the modern world in its various aspects... So that he may function in society not as a decorator but as a vital participant.’ (Bayer,H. 1938: p6)

Gropius along with his tutors at the institute including, Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, Kandinsky and Paul Klee directed disciplines, not individually like traditional and prior schools had previously taught, but scoped all of these practice’s together to produce a more well-rounded student. The Bauhaus, ‘brought together artists, architects, and designers in an extraordinary conversation about the nature of modern art’. (Bergdoll,B. and Dickerman,L. 2009: Inside sleeve)

They professed that owning an individual craft would be no use for the modern society in which they would design for; they needed to be unified, to own skill in several disciplines. They would be taught to produce design that combined both art and craftsmanship with an eye for the machine aesthetic and the ability for mass production.

‘Most students should face the fact that their future should be involved primarily with industry and mass production rather than with individual craftsmanship.’ (Bayer,H. 1938: p6)

'Proponents of the Bauhaus movement believed that form follows function, and perhaps even more revolutionary was their cannon that art, craft, design, photography, sculpture, architecture and other facets of fine art should be grouped as one. In fact they maintained that craft was the basis for all art and that functionality was the means by which to judge it.' (Ryan, W. and Conover, T. 2004: p52)

The Bauhaus proclaimed that function should not be disguised by decoration but stand prominent in design, glorified by the process in which it was produced and not creating illusions that are dishonest to the materials that have been used. In architecture the materials that came out of industrialisation were celebrated and it was imminent that form would illuminate the function. The Bauhaus wanted to start an ideology that did not define art from craft but unified them in design. The Bauhaus in Weimer was put under political stress and was closed by the far right in 1925. Gropius pursued a search for a new location in which he could rebuild the Bauhaus; he sought this area in Dessau, a significant industrial hub of the time, a considerable disparity to the old home of the Bauhaus in Weimer. Gropius had no limits when designing the new institute, he needed to gain no permission for any construction work, and the land he was building upon was detached from the rest of the city by a railway line. He could design a school in which was compliant and advocated the new modern and machine aesthetic (fig.2) , sincere to the needs of his students and workshops. The building cut ties with any historical architectural references, this is obvious in the choices that Gropius made when considering each element to the school. The entrance to the Bauhaus did not stand out from the facade, but stood subtle within the walls craving no attention, showing no correlation to classic architecture, in which the entrances transcended opulence and breathed grandeur, most of these recognized as the focal point of a building. The Bauhaus in fact has no main focal points, only visual elements.

‘The Bauhaus building at Dessau was architecturally the most important structure of its decade.’ (Bayer,H: 1938: p6)

When the Bauhaus first emerged upon the Dessau landscape it stood as a heroic statement and was recognized for its radical forms. The building itself compromises three wings that are combined by a reinforced concrete skeleton, paying homage to technological advancement brought on by the forces of modernity. The concrete is left unpainted, to further commend harvesting these new materials.

‘The glass curtain wall suspended in front of the load-bearing framework defines the exterior of the workshop wing and openly shows the constructive elements.’ (Bauhaus-dessau, N.D.)

The building of the Bauhaus would not have been successful without Gropius, his co-architects and his students and can be considered a reflection of the learning process that students would experience and adapt to at the institute. The curriculum that Gropius had written himself and then taught at the Bauhaus along with the assembly of tutors was considered a‘Revolution in art education’. (DxExNxNxIxS, Bauhaus Documentary (1), 02:44) He felt that students needed to be taught via certain methods and wanted to bridge the gap between, ‘The machine and the artistic individual.’ (DxExNxNxIxS, Bauhaus Documentary (1), 03:16)

In order to put this concept into practice he allotted workshops where his students would learn and develop both as an artist and a craftsman, employing both artists such as Kandinsky and Klee and a technical team whom were employed to teach craft. Kandinsky composed paintings with an abstract essence, a style which he had developed before the war, he had abandoned the facets of previous movements such as art noveau which made heavy references to organic forms and often nature, and replaced these with a new simplistic artistic language of geometric forms, pushing any strains of previous movements into the shadows. There was no mention of culture or history in his paintings, the new language that Kandinsky had developed meant that his art was accessible and understandable by any class; he designed for everyone, an aspiration of Modernity. Gropius argued that the institute was not only the core of learning, but a pivot in which would prepare those who attended for the modern world and industry. Students were encouraged to make flexible and work within their individual abilities, the Bauhaus had evolved from traditional schools where middle class people would congregate and in sessions would paint the same observation in one media, of a certain building. Josef Albers another artist who was part of the faculty at the Bauhaus trained his students to work more so like apprentices and engineers rather than the artist. He employed an exercise where students were given a yard of paper, with it they were to fabricate a space, they could manipulate the paper with any technique or apparatus, this was an example of the formulae of the Bauhaus, students were to discover and develop design possibilities not by writing and drawing but by making. Through these activities students cultivated awareness for the material and found they could ‘Make folds that man could stand on’. (DxExNxNxIxS, Bauhaus Documentary (2), 05:00)

An ideology of the Bauhaus was that students should produce everyday items for everyday people, products designed under consumerism should be low cost reflecting the use of cheaper materials, functional, not distracted by form and easily replicated through mass production. No class was to be assumable from the object or its price; it was to be afforded by everyone. Due to the rule of mass production items often had an appearance that was commanded by the use of the machine. Designs were not based upon native, organic forms and so the work produced throughout the era of the Bauhaus and decades afterwards were considered radical when compared. The ideologies of the Bauhaus as a response to the forces of modernity can be seen in the work brought into existence by the tutors and students who were able to experience the institute.

Herbert Bayer, whom began his career at the Bauhaus first as a student in 1920, was appointed leader of the printing and advertising workshop when the institution moved to Dessau. Bayer with the Support of Moholy- Nagy changed the framework of workshops and began to implement classes and exercises that could be identifiable with the work done in industry. Bayer began to take orders from outside the school in which students were rendered the opportunity to fulfil, devising a breadth of graphic design. He neglected previous methods for incorporating type into design such as the letter press and approached design with a more constructivist attitude using resources like photomechanical reproduction. Moholy- Nagy had complained in 1925 that, ‘We do not even possess a typeface that is correct in size, is clearly legible and lacking in any individual features and that is based on a functional form of visual appearance without distortions and curlicues’. (Jobling,P. and Crowley,D, 1996: p140) In the same year Herbert Bayer started experimenting with designs for his now named typeface, Universal (fig.3). He revolted against the pre-set conventions of typography and the German routine.

‘The letterforms in a classic typeface have subtly varied strokes, curves, and angles that take their cues from renaissance calligraphy or eighteenth century penmanship.’ (Bergdoll,B. and Dickerman,L. 2009: p200)

Bayer began to develop his typeface using pre-existing industrial typography for inspiration. He used only a compass and a triangle to compose each of the characters, replacing the French curve used in ornamental type. Universal conveyed a conversation of geometric forms focusing on vertical lines and curves, an avante-garde extreme compared to previous German typographic systems. Fraktur was the typeface traditionally used in Germany, which then initiated the materialization of several black letter typefaces; they were rich in historical and cultural reference. Designers with a more forward thinking inclination persevered to overthrow Fraktur (fig.4) and create a typographical language that would be used across Europe and the United states, to be understood by an international audience. However the most profound change was not the new visual language, but the avocation of one case.

‘Why should we write and print with two alphabets? Both a large and a small sign are not necessary to indicate one single sound. We do not speak a capital A and a small a.’ (Bayer,H, 1938: p147)

Bayer argued that writing an alphabet in two cases was phonetically valueless; there is no change in sound when moving from a lowercase to an uppercase character. Bayer decided to erase any representation of the uppercase from his Alphabet. This particular decision was considered subversive, due to the system of German writing in which nouns, and unusually proper nouns all began with capital letters. However deleting this case from the alphabet provided the perfect reasoning with the forces of modernity, Typewriting could become more quickly comprehended, the lack of letters would mean a simpler formation, and a cheaper output, as well as the acceleration is a child’s written education.

The Bauhaus moved to Berlin in 1932 where it succeeded for a year until it was closed by Hitler when the country succumbed to Nazi rule. Before the oncoming of WW2 Bauhaus tutors and leaders immigrated to the United States to avoid persecution. When tutors such as Mies Van der Rohe and Gropius had travelled to the US the ethics that once cultivated within the Bauhaus walls travelled with them, helping establish the International style. The maxims of the Bauhaus spread globally, and influenced designers from all over the world. Swiss born, French architect Le Corbusier was deemed the father of the International style. The very force that pulled the citizens into the city became a struggle in which Le Corbusier spent the best part of his architectural life striving to ease. The effect of modernity on the city meant that these industrial cores were overwhelmed by the increased population, thus provoking the housing shortage. Le Corbusier used his designing expertise to solve the problems that arose from the housing deficit; Unite d’habitacion (fig.5) completed in 1952 depicted the high rise living Le Corbusier believed would solve the dispute. Unite built in Marsielle, France, aimed to resolve the lack of residence in result of the effect of WW2.

'Completed in 1952, the 12-storey block was built to house 1,600 people and was famously conceived as a vertical city in the sky, with integral community facilities such as shops, nursery and restaurant.' (Building Design, 2011: p16)

‘Built as a prototype, it was the result of an experimental collective housing solution containing all the facilities required by 1.200 people living in a community.’ (Sbriglio,J, 2004: p40)

The roof of the building compromised a gym, a sick bay and shops, all of which were available for the occupants to use. Corbusier used this spatial arrangement in other architectural structures such as the Villa Savoye, Corbusier wanted to recreate the space upon which he had built his building, on flat roofs, to sustain the fabric in which he had built upon. Whilst the space underneath the elevations of the building meant that this expanse could still be used. Unite was defined as a city within a city. Inside it is clear to see that Le Corbusier spent time in thought about spatial design and the relationship between this space and the human figure, as these apartments were to espouse functionality. Each apartment encumbered two floors and ranged the length of the building, to exercise space; this was then followed by an outside balcony.

Corbusier developed a system which he inputted into many buildings he designed called the Modular (fig.6). The modular was a proportioning system that worked specifically with the human scale, taking into consideration the use of each module by the human and the size in which these were most compatible and practical. The interior design of the building and each apartment was therefore harmonious and sincere to human register, meaning that the space was highly functional and ergonomic. Designing in modules, was less costly, as the arrangement of the apartment was reproducible and was therefore repeated throughout the building. Although Unite did not breathe the luxury of ornamentation found in classic architecture, people found beauty in a more modern sense. Unite, constructed from reinforced concrete, the most economically friendly material of Europe at the time of assembly, was instead praised for its beauty in functionality, the needs of its inhabitants, which it fulfilled, and the harmony in which it bridged these.

'What we derive from this approach is this: Whenever a specific task or problem is resolved in the most economical, exact and complete way, we achieve without any extraneous aesthetic considerations, the purest modern beauty.' (Teige, K. 2000: p338)

It is clear firstly from the evidence in this text, through the points put forward through the words of Herbert Bayer and Walter Gropius, then followed by the methods in which we communicate, that modernity was the pivot of amendment. The forces of modernity catapulted a once broken Europe, into optimism. Modernity broke the thirst and hunger of a race that craved a better life. Modernity spurred the process which led to such designs that encapsulated the criterion of improvement. The work of such modernist furniture designers could not have been produced, without materials and processes brought on in the modern age such as the evolution of tubular steel. Many formations such as the Bauhaus itself would not have been possible without the availability of sheet glass after the industrial revolution. This was furthered by the employment of steel and concrete that took on the structural loads, meaning that glass could be used more extensively. The new materials introduced by modernity relished in the city, where people began to congregate and so a new more standardized way of living was in demand in order to house the city’s new inhabitants. The Unite d’habitation is a representation of this functional architecture that was needed in the housing shortages that occurred both from the popularity of the city and the Second World War. This rationalized design could not have been built without the avocation of these new materials of which it celebrated in its raw structure. With the oncoming of a modern life, and rapid ways of transport becoming available, easy means of communication were to be heightened. The functionality of modern life, was to be communicated through text, Herbert Bayer’s Universal typeface is a reflection of the more operative and simple written communication that the people of modern life needed. A society who could now travel and communicate more promptly was in need of a visual written structure that would echo this. Universal was the perfect solution. The forces of modernity pushed for a revolution in design and renewed vitality in life all of which would not have been feasible without the opportunities they produced.

Bibliography

Bauhaus-dessau (N.D.) The Bauhaus building by Walter Gropius [Online] (Updated N.D.) Available at: http://www.bauhaus-dessau.de/index.php?The-bauhaus-building-by-walter-gropius [Accessed 22 December 2012]

Bayer, H (1938) Bauhaus 1919-1928, United States of America: The museum of modern art, New York.

Bergdoll, B and Dickerman,L (2009) Bauhaus 1919-1933: Workshops for modernity, New York: The Museum of modern art, New York.

Building Design. (2011) INSPIRATION: UNITE D'HABITATION - Le Corbusier's machine for living in. Tonbridge, United Kingdom: CMP Information Ltd.

Jobling, P and Crowley, D (1996) Graphic Design: Reproduction and Representation since 1800, Preston: Carnegie publishing.

O'Dwyer, D (2011) Walter Gropius 1883-1969. Irish Times, Dublin, Ireland: The Irish Times Ltd.

Ryan, W. and Conover, T. (2004) Graphic communications today. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson/Delmar. Learning.

Sbriglio, J (2004) Le Corbusier: The Unite d’habitation in Marsielles, Germany: Birkhauser – Publishers for Architecture.

Teige, K (2000) Modern Architecture in Czechoslovakia and other writing. Los Angeles, California: Getty research institute.

Walz, R (2008) Modernism, Harlow, England: Pearson Longman.

Youtube (2010) Bauhaus Documentary (1) [Online] (Updated N.D.) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZOqTFtEHAw [Accessed 21 December 2012]

Youtube (2010) Bauhaus Documentary (2) [Online] (Updated N.D.) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyEDZD0rl6U [Accessed 21 December 2012] 

(fig.1) uni-weimar (N.D.) Bauhaus-Universität Weimar [Online] (Updated March 19 2012] Available at: http://www.uni-weimar.de/cms/en/university.html [Accessed January 26 2013]

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(fig.2) thebreman (N.D.) The Weimar Republic [Online] (Updated N.D.) Available at: http://www.thebreman.org/exhibitions/online/1000kids/weimar.html [Accessed January 26 2013]

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(fig.3) type (N.D.) Herbert Bayer, A study of Bauhaus typography [Online] (Updated N.D.) Available at: http://www.type.nu/bayer/univer.html [Accessed January 26 2013]

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(fig.4) identifont (N.D.) Fraktur [Online] (Updated N.D.) Available at: http://www.identifont.com/show?24O [Accessed January 26 2013]

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(fig.5) architecturalmoleskine (N.D.) LE CORBUSIER: UNITÉ D'HABITATION IN BERLIN [Online] (Updated N.D.) Available at: http://architecturalmoleskine.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/le-corbusier-unite-dhabitation-in.html [Accessed January 26 2013]

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(fig.6) wikispaces (N.D.) RSTT [Online] (Updated N.D.) Available at: http://zules.wikispaces.com/RSTT [Accessed January 26 2013]

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0UGD401: Avante-garde Cinema.

Avante-garde cinema sets out to be in opposition to mainstream cinema. 

They do not develop a coherent narrative, without a plot. Deemed 'Unwatchable' by some, however it is only unwatchable due to the conventions in which we have been taught to watch cinema by Hollywood. 

Require watchers to be active spectators. 

'Un Perro Andalou' (1929) Dir. Luis Bunuel.

Plots developed by the occurrence of random events, co created with Salvador Dali. 

One of the starting points of radical cinema. 

Matthew Barney- Cremaster Cycle 3 (2002)

People began to make cinema that had no actors in, they would focus on the film experimenting with the proces of filming. 

Spirals, Oskar Fischinger. (1924)

Plays with optics and the process of seeing. 

'An Optical poem'

James Whitney, Lapis, 1966.

Concentrating on optics and sensory processing. 

Lyrical abstract, perceived as poetic, and hints at the oncoming of romanticism. 

Stan Brakhage- black Ice (1994)

Scratches into film and paints ontop of it, Radical film maker. One of the most important abstract film makers in the 20th century.

Aims to create a hypnogogic vision- the time between being awake and falling asleep.
Black Ice is my favourite piece of abstract cinema that we viewed, I like the way in which the film has undergone a physical process by scratching and painting the film, rather than trying to create these effects digitally. 

Andy Warhol films deemed very unwatchable - Film of the empire state building spans over 10 and a half hours. Filmed from one perspective.

Goes against filming for capitalism and creates film not for making money, therefore this type of film has integrity. 

OUGD401: Creative Advertising and New Media Lecture.

New media needed to break with a past media model. 

Advertising strategy. (Emotive)

Required speaking to the masses.

Global print campaigns.

Imagery of britannia and royalty suited all domestic and imperial markets.

High feeling Strategy.
Becoming part of the story and becoming involved. 

New media based on (ICTS) such as the internet and mobile phones, invite us to think in exciting new ways about advertising as an industry and communication process. (Spurgeon, 2008)

Engaging with an audience as a pose to transmitting ideas - Cybernetic.  Audience becomes more involved.

Kaiser Chiefs bespoke album.

Client gets involved co-creating the campaign. Lead singer of kaiser chiefs wanted to emotionally engage with his audience. 

There has been a shift in the 21st century from mass to my media. Creative advertising has become much more targeted. Characterised by audience involvement. Advertising becomes much more personalised. 

Viral advertising. Peer to Peer unpaid communication of content originating from an identified sponsor using the internet to persuade or influence an audience.

Biggest creative idea since the invention of the wheel is the internet. -Trevor Beattie.
Enables lots of small ideas to circulate. 

Examples such as viral videos prove this to be an exciting prospect. 

Viewer generated content - Case study, coke and mentos.

This famous coke/mentos video currently has 16,368,526 views.

Viewer generated advertising - Advertising worth US$10 million dollars to mentos worth more than half its annual advertising budget.

New media allows the 'brand' to make conversation with the audience. 

OUGD401: Fashion Photography lecture.

19th Century.
Improvements in halftone printing, meaning that photos can be reproduced in magazines, replacing previous illustrations. 

Paul Poiret pioneered a new type of fashion that moved away for corsets and traditional clothing of the previous era and produced clothes that were much looser in fit.

Work such as those by Adolf de Meyer were influenced by previous pictorial effects, models were to take on a character.

In the 1930's photographers moved away from pictorial effects. 

Martin Munkacski, started to take advantage of the technicalities that cameras could take on, using movement and implementing blurs. Influenced by his interest in sports.

1930's Edward Steichen. Using cameras for its own qualities, ability of the camera to have everything sharp and in focus, ability to experiment with lighting, and using shapes to represent the clothing abstract shapes. The photographs produced in modernism also begin to reflect the outside world, events and movements in society.

La Mode Pratique, first photographed fashion magazine cover in 1938. 

hOYNINGEN-hEUNE, 1931, another example of movement, where extra fabric has been added as an extension to communicate movement, also in the style of greek traditional fashion.

Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) photographs those with unattainable lifestyle, popular and fitting with the decadence that ran throughout the 1920/30's. Worked with the most prominent actresses of the day. Reminds viewers that his photography is a glimpse into a glamorous world that others do not have. To be photographed be Cecil Beaton would be a privilege. Photographs models in their element. Environmental setups, moving away from studios to locations that are made to appear as places of opulence. 

Colour photography available from around 1935, however was less used in fashion photography, and was really only put into use from the 60/70's.

1950's street photography becomes very popular.

1960's produced more photography involved with popular culture.

Terenence Donovan spy drama 1962. Creating a story through photography, influenced by film.
Models become more like the 'girl next door' more accessible by the general public, no longer portraying an unattainable life.

Goes down Interstate 40, Uton, Oklahoma, takes pictures of people along the journey, finds a drifter, and works against previous settings. Photographs the drifter in a studio setting, thus accentuating the idea that he is an unatainable or important figure. Giving him character of almost celebrity status and makes him into a fashion model.

Jamel Shabazz, Back in the days, 2002, published retrospectively, this style of street photography starts to come back and is more popular, photo's originally taken in the 80's. People whom he knows, who he lives with.

Straight up photography, Photographers go out on the street, Derek Ridgers for example and take photos of everyday people in the clothes they are wearing. changed from inaccessible fashion to the fashion entirely relatable to the everyday person.

90's were very popular with the abolishment of photoshopping/airbrushing models called 'heroin chic'. Realness to magazines, and which the general public could relate to.

Juergen Teller (1964) photographing Annie Morton, Photography that appears almost as stills from a documentary, again not editing the photos with after effects such as airbrushing.

Beginning of the 2000's we are intoduced to photoshop, moving towards the potential of the ideal body etc. Offers potential to not only remove flaws, which was previously available, but recontour bodies etc.
Rise of fashion blogging. Emphaisise on blogs in current magazine culture. Idea that everyday people can run blogs, not just those who work within the fashion industry.