Music 256A, Week 1
Reading Response (Chapter 1)
Artful design exists where form and function collide. As illustrated on page 37 of "Artful Design: Technology in Search of the Sublime," both form and function are necessary facets of design. Without function we would be uselessly tinkering with tools and technologies that serve no purpose. Without form we would be living in boxes, driving the same cars, and staring at white canvases if anyone thought to invent the canvas in the first place. Form has the power to imbue objects that function effectively with character and aesthetics. Function has the power to imbue aesthetics with task and purpose. Together form and function collaborate to yield tools and works of art that not only satisfy practical and social demands, but have the potential to elicit a sense of playfulness, thoughtfulness, curiousity, comfort, inspiration, or other higher-level human sensation in the user or observer. I think this potential - the potential for design to transform an object or experience that meets the practical needs of a user in to one that effects or transforms the user themself - is the focus of "artful design."
The manner in which an artfully designed object effects or transforms its user is of particular interest to me. The first chapter of "Artful Design" suggests that artful design can invoke wonder, curiousity, compassion, a sense of experiencing something beautiful, equal parts fear-inducing and awe-inspiring; something, perhaps, sublime. I am curious about examining the subjectivity of these reactions and sensations. Will everyone react to an experience or object, designed or otherwise, the same way? Does the degree to which more people have similar reactions define or validate the artfulness of a designed object? I think these are important questions to ask, as they relate to matters of audience and accessibility.
Here's an example that may help address these questions: for some, the Ford F-150 represents the pinnacle of the USA consumer motor vehicle technology. They wax and polish their truck as if they were dressing their young child. They also use the truck to carry supplies for their local independent home construction business. Many other people, however, find the Ford F-150 oversized, boxy and aesthetically unpleasing, and are quick to criticize its energy inefficiency. Instead, they hype up their Toyota Prius or Chevy Volt, noting its fuel efficiency, sleek curves, and compact but roomy structure, perfect for commuting through busy traffic on their way to work or taking their dog to the local dog park. The F-150 people and the Prius people have different reactions to different vehicles. I think it is safe to say that both the F-150 and the Prius are in some ways artfully designed. But they are not, perhaps, "artful" to all.
At least at this point in the novel, artfulness in design seems to depend on the disposition of the consumer or the audience. I am curious if as we continue to define and hone what "artfulness" means in design, we will be able to pinpoint ways in which the F-150 and Prius alike are artful in the eyes of any beholder. Is artful design objective and measurable? Can anyone perceive it in a given object or experience? For me, these questions relate to accessibility and inclusiveness more generally. When we "artfully design", who are we designing for? Is artful design the same whether the audience is the whole planet or just a niche group? Who has the privilege of experiencing what we design? Does designing artfully mean designing inclusively?
Design Etude
This is a large SUV parked facing down a hill in San Francisco. I find this image beatiful because of the infrastructural design problem that it simultaneously highlights and hides. Someone had to design streets in to these large hills. And someone had to design buildings that not only stand but look good on a 10 or so degree downgrade. This is perhaps more of a montage of artfully designed things. (1) The street, which serves its function as a place for vehicles to drive and park and whose form is standard despite its steepness. (2) The car, whose function is to drive and park and which, in tandem with the street, stoically defies gravity to remain in place. And the car whose form parallels that of the buildings and skylines that surround it. It at once navigates and is one with the city. And when it leaves town it brings the city with it. (3) The buildings, whose function is to remain standing and whose form is necessarily slanted at the base as a result. The whole picture defies gravity, effortlessly.
Yes, it's an onion. Artfully designed? I think so. Designed by and for the earth. It's function, to us, is to feed and, to it, to live. It's form, in many layers, parallel the processes that formed it. Each layer accretes on the previous during its life cycle, similar to its evolutionary iterations as a species.
This candle has a wooden wick. It crackles as it burns. It sounds not unlike embers crackling in a fireplace. It's function is to provide a nice aroma and to warm. It's form imbues it with the sense of a distant experience: watching christmas movies while a fire burns at a fireplace; sitting besides a bonfire with friends. As a means to an end it performs its duty. As an end in itself it transports the user away from his environment, shedding a different light on their experience.
ChucK Program
<see "noiseland.ck" attached>
File Attachment: