Blog Assignment 3

Owen Jones' theory that 'construction should be decorated and decoration should never be purposely constructed' was a comment on the prior design movement, Rococo. He was essentially saying that a designer should have the functionality and purpose of the object in mind before they start decorating its design. In essence the Rococo design era was one that pushed embellishment and over the top decoration to the edge. Owen wanted it to change, he wanted design to be less about over-exuberance and more about designing for the masses. Industrialisation had changed the way in which production of furniture, fittings and literally every other house hold item could be made. He wanted designers to worry less about making individual and complex design and more about simplicity and functionality.

The console table above was created in the mid 18th century, at the height of the Rococo era. It is a perfect example of everything Owen Jone's hated about Rococo. It is complete "decoration constructed". The table legs are thin and over fancified, especially when the table itself is made of marble. It can be seen very obviously that the functionality of this table was not taken into account when it was designed. The marble table slab would have weighed a huge amount and to think the designer though it would be fitting to put it on top of four thin gold legs is not a smart construction design. This table speaks of the Rococo essentials, where it is more important to make an object beautiful and senuous then to focus on the functionality and essential requirements of the object.

Owen Jone's theory is not one which can really be agreed to or disagreed to either for some simple reasons. First of all his theory came from the industrial revolution, a time when consumerism and mass production came into fruition. Creating objects that are decorated after construction is another way of asking them to be mass produced easier. The problem with his theory is that design should not be muffled and stunted just to increase profits and production. Although the Rococo period broke many design rules it was still a hugely expressive and natural design sense and expressive, unique and evocative design should never be belittled.

Blog Assignment 2

This Rococo gold cast 18th century lounge sweet encompasses the style aesthetics common to the Rococo design revolution. Note the exaggerated senuous curves present in the ornamental styling and decorative flamboyance of the gold casted embellishments. This design sense is a result of popular aesthetic at the time in which it was created, a time when form-follows-function had not been concieved and beauty and decoration came first.

The design is impulsive of the organic natural focus of the Rococo period, studying the natural curves present in nature was the way in which individuality came through innovation. The design and styling of Rococo design was a fundamental mimesis of the natural. This can be seen in the lounge sweet above, it shows the direct mimesis of the natural 'S' shape found in the leafs of plants. 

Rococo style was very much focused on the natural shapes of common fauna, utilising the shapes and through the media of gold and silver casting the forms of these shapes as exact representations with no abstraction or form or shape, and the example above is a perfect example of Rococo styling.

Blog Assignment 1

Important design is everywhere. The advancements of technology and materials over the last 200 years has given birth to countless innovations in design. Architectural design innovation is one of the most important as it effects everyone, everyday.

Architecture is an incredibly important design for many reasons. Not only does it help create a safe and strong structure for living and working, it has made huge advancements in the boundaries of materials and how we can use them. Architecture has, and always will be, a means of historical studies as a representation of society and the fundamental design aesthetic in which it was made.