“Design in Our Lives”

       Whether we realize it or not design art is very influential in our everyday lives. For this field trip we were to go to the MoMa and study the topic of design, but because no design is perfect, people’s opinions range in whether; if there’s any use for a design. So while in the MoMa I saw various galleries of artists and designers whose designs range from highly functional and can be used in society to; objects that are less practical and really have no place for people to use it.

       Well one may consider the question what is a highly functional design? To fact is that there is no right or wrong answer, but in my opinion a highly functional design is a design where it’s comfortable to use and it fulfills its job at maximum capacity. While at the MoMA is found 2 different artistic designs that I found fit the criteria of a highly functional design. The 1st one that I found was a work called “Puma Bike from the Puma Tribranded Collection”. By Jens Martin. this bike folded up in 3 different places and based on it was made from solid  aluminum making it a light weight and  compact bike. The fact that this bike can fold also makes it a bike in which is easy to travel with thus making it consumer friendly and “ highly functional”. A other design that I thought as highly functional was a piece created by Joe Colombo named "MiniKitchen" this piece created in 1963 was made so that people could create more space by replacing a standardized kitchen with this mini one. This would be highly effective if you go with the assumption that some people don’t use their kitchen as much so they really wouldn’t need a big one, and this design can be a good alternative.

       While these examples are there for highly functional objects; while at the MoMa there were also low functional pieces mean I personally thought they were ridiculous. Personally I consider low functional designs to be something where it wouldn’t make common sense to created something like that or in other words it would be very difficult to use for example if a person made a remote for a tv the size of your bed, it would be a low functioning object. For example of low functioning objects were seen throughout the MoMa. Like the piece named "Paimio Chair" by Alvar Aalto's this chair looks very uncomfortable being that it has no padding and it’s just made from wood. A piece like this will make you consider, why set there when there are other more comfortable places. Another piece that I found to be a low functional one “Carna Folding Wheelchair.” This wheelchair which looks like it has red bubbles on it doesn’t seem as something people would good out of their way to attain. Can you imagine if for any reason you were given a wheel chair and that’s the only you could have. In my opinion it doesn’t look very comfortable. Taking into consideration how much people in today’s day value comfort I don’t see this wheel chair as being functional.

        In conclusion whether a person finds something  highly functional or low functional all comes down to preference. I believe that art and design goes hand and hand since every design is made to seem appealing to people, but one should remember that theres no such thing as a perfect design  

 Alvar Aalto
"Paimio Chair"
1931-1932

 Joe Colombo
"MiniKitchen"
1963

 "Carna Folding Wheelchair."

   Kazuo Kawasaki

 “Puma Bike from the Puma Tribranded Collection.

   Jens Martin

project #3 "Illustrate a Story"“I learned from her, and that's why I can pass it on to you guys.”

This short story describes how a son, now father, credits his mother with the way he ended up being. the story says how when ever he goes into the kitchen she would always be drinking coffee, so now as an adult every time he makes a visit to his mom he always shares a cup a coffee with her. My photo shop art tried to depict just that. the dark man figure is meant to represent the son while the womanly figure is meant to be his mother. since there both looking at each other. this is suppose to demonstrate a conversation, and the coffee obviously shows the drink they have when they"re together.       

Art:21 Power Reaction

Power is defined in modern society as the ability to do or act; or show strength; might; force. The artist Cai Guo-Qiang demonstrates the strength/destructive side of art by using an array of fireworks and many sharp objects. In his works he uses fireworks to create imagines that can depict force while as he says “still maintaining its beauty”.  He also has many are pieces where he uses many sharp objects coming in and out of his art, for instance in the art work where there are many tigers where they looked to be stabbed shows us the negative /destructive side of power. For me that piece personally shows how humans use their power in the hunting of animals. Cai Guo-Qiang also uses modern fears in his art to display power. In his other piece he creates a plane out of confiscated sharp airport objects to show us how the destructive power of terror now influences the public’s views in flying.  Although Cai Guo-Qiang art can be viewed as something that shows us beauty it is still centered in the characteristics of power.

MoMa ps1 good art vs bad art

       After a second trip, this time to MoMa Ps1, I was assigned to continue the pasted topic of good art vs. bad art. While witnessing many different pieces of art; there was 3different works that inspired different emotions within me.
First starting with art that I didn’t understand was one created by Darren Bader the name of this piece escapes me but looking at the art in an analytical point of view I don’t understand how what looks like burn old pizza in a dish wash can be considered art. Considering that I don’t understand what the artist is trying to convey it makes it really difficult to appreciate his work.
From an art that I didn’t understand to an art work that I didn’t like; the art piece name "Chicken Burrito, Beef Burrito" by Darren Bader was an art where in my opinion there was no point. As a said in my 1st post of “Good art vs. Bad art” I consider bad art something that doesn’t give me any sense of emotion whether that being good or bad. This art work did just that I consider this piece to be something that a person doesn’t really look twice at since there really nothing to captivate you in. In other words this piece is missing a “wow” factor.
Despite there being art work that I didn’t like, there was some that really intrigued me and that caught my attention. An example of this is the art piece named “The Long Jump” by Carl Lewis. This painting depicting what seems to be a man representing the United States in the Olympics in the middle of a jump. This paint stood out to me because of my relationship to athletics. Since I myself have play sports throughout my life it is easy for me to see a painting like this can appreciate its meaning. In many cases “Good” art is something that people can relate to, as it is for me in this case.
Whether I understood the art work or not o whether I liked the art work or not, I had a pleasant experience visiting MoMa ps1 and I would recommend anybody to go and witness their many different are works and exhibits.

“The Long Jump”

 by Carl Lewis.

2010

Darren Bader

"Chicken Burrito, Beef Burrito"

Darren Bader

Art and Identity: The Museum of Modern Art

            While visiting the MoMa in class there was 3 works of art that stood out the most and each in their own different perspectives. The 1st piece of art work that intrigued me was a painting in the “Contemporary Galleries: 1980-Now” exhibit called “Japanese culture of the post war years” by Tadanori Yokoo. This painting expresses the sorrow that the nation of japan may have experience after the Second World War. Looking at this painting from a historical stand point, in my opinion this shows the grief the japan people had after the atomic bombing of their cites of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The tears that are shown in this painting may be to depict the people morning the loss of innocent people that died on the day of the bombing.
            While this painting may use history to portray a feeling, when looking at a painting in a perspective where you are looking for personal identity, the art work from Cindy Sherman titled “untitled *479” fits such a criteria. In this art work she takes a series of photographs where she slows makes a change in her. In this series of pictures she starts off with a more enclosed dull look and slows progresses to a more outgoing style. In this case her work may be an example in showing the changes that people can experience during his/her lifetime.
            While looking at art in historical and personal perspectives one can’t ignore the cultural significance in art. In work like Mark Bardford’s “Giant” in my opinion gives up a sense of a more American modern art. His abstract works looks like those done in the pass by other artist but with a more of a modern spin to it. Modern being this piece doesn’t give you the feeling of pasted work.
            Whether cultural , personal or historical there is many ways this works can be viewed, in many cases you can view a work of art in more than one perspective, for instance in the mentioned before art work named called “Japanese culture of the post war years” you can consider this a cultural piece while also being historical. In conclusion art has many ways you can view it and everyone is entitled to their own opinion it’s just a matter showing it.

“Japanese culture of the post war years” by Tadanori Yokoo.

Cindy Sherman titled “untitled *479”

  Mark Bardford’s “Giant”