DESIGN AS FICTION: Referencing the idea of honesty in design

“…In modern times scientifically objective things conceal their constitution out of mimetic desire. In a dialogic situation a thing can turn out to be a place where human intentions collide. Otherwise a thing is a magical construction...” Franz Helm

Last year I was reading a book captioned “The Shape of Things: a Philosophy of Design”, written by Vilém Flusser (1920-91), one of the most interesting European thinkers of the second half of the twentieth century.

He was a German-Jewish philosopher arguing that modern societies are in flux and that traditional linear epistemologies are being challenged by global circulatory networks and a growth in visual stimulation, and he posited that these changes would radically alter the ways cultures define themselves and deal with each other. In his words Flusser prevised not just theories of globalization but also about communication and identity, remaining linked to the Judeo-Christian concept of self-determination and self-realization through the recognition of the other.

It is particularly interesting how he writes about design, and the natural connection to its “artificial” meaning.

He writes: “…as verb (to design) means “to plan something”, “to simulate”, “to conceive”, “to draft”, “to organize”, “to act in a strategic way”. The term derives from the Latin word signum, which means “sign” conserving the old rood word. So according to the etymology, design means “drawing”…”

In his opinion a designer is a loaded plotter that waylays his traps, for example in the same context we can see other important terms for example: mechanics and machinery intended as instruments used to lie; a lever, for example, lead on gravity force, and “mechanics” represents the strategy to “cheat” heavy corps.

Another word that, in Flusser’s opinion, appears in the same context is “technic”. The Greek tèchne signifies “art” and is related to tekton, “carpenter”. The idea in this case is that the wood is a formless material, and the artist as technician gives it a shape, giving to the wood the chance to “appear” visible as a form.

In Plato’s objection about art and technique, he says that they lie distorting the “intelligible shapes” (The Ideas) when they try to transfer them in a material world. In his opinion artists and technicians are renegades of ideas and slickers, because they induct in a loaded way people to perceive distorted ideas. He connect the word “ars” to the mining of “ agility”, “dexterity”, “skill”; and the artifex, the artist ( intending artist as someone that creates something) is a kind of “liar”. The true artist (designer) is the illusionist, and we can see this in words such as “artifice”, “artificial”, and even “artillery”.

His intent is to highlight the link (using the etymology and going further on) between words like design, machinery, technique, ars and art and remaining aware that design is an “intent” and in his confession he indicates the goal of is intent (design): “to reveal the undermining and loaded aspects of the word design, that are not generally explicated”.

He admits that if his goal was a different one, he could have insisted on other aspects to which the word design is related.

My “intent” is to connect the word design to the meaning of “honesty”, I am designing a “trap” to show you my intention, but as Flusser suggests I am being honest, and his honesty is related to his answer:

“The answer is this: everything depends to the intent (design)” Flusser

References

Vilèm Flusser Filosofia del design 2003 ,Paravia Bruno mondatori Editori

University of Illinois Press www.press.uillinois.edu/s03/flusser.html

Vilèm Flusser’s theory of communication: the voice of Jacob

The Pinocchio Theory

“If you fake the funk, your nose will grow.” — Bootsy Collins www.shaviro.com

pictures references

www.fotoplus.com

www.malaspina.org

www.gettyimages.com

TREND_data phone: mood board inspiration

I want to try brain storming a series of key words that I link to that kind of contemporary design than better than others aims to hit on people’s desires. I am referring to that kind of design that elegantly takes no risks except the one to result banal to the eyes of others designers or well “design_informed” people.

I do not know if this is a good sign, but I feel comfortable in this kind of approach, even if this is the first time I am trying to concentrate exclusively on it.

Usually I arrive to these kinds of results adding something more personal and less banal, as need to reach a self gratification.

This time I want to try to design in a clear and “banal” way, with one difference: being honest.

MOOD BOARD_ key words

White

Porcelain

Shining

Chrome

Shadows

Neutral

Organic

Light

Silver

Grey

Smooth

Satin

Orange

Minimal

Decoration

Flower

Arial

Clean

Reflection

Original

Classic

Simple

Primitive shape

Gum

Soft

Contrasts:

Black and white VS colour

Transparent VS opaque

Chrome VS brushed

Rounded

Branded

Cool

Clever

ART_data phone: postmodern consumerism and techno pollution

ART_data phone: consideration about minimal shapes and colours

Even pollution can be nice if is white, everything could be nice just do it white, apple computers and other contemporary design are white... what does it mean? This minimalism takes no more risks, it has been the answer to a kind of design pollution, too much information brought us to the need of purity and neutrality, on the other side we need colour, patterns, decorations, customization, and personality. How can a designer be neutral? We are designer, we are costumer. In this moment everything white, could sell well, this means no risks no challenge. The third approach to my design process it is about material experimentations, and they are bringing me to think about the post-modern meaning of techno-pollution. Technology as pure materiality, techno products, their bodies and their death. Not caring about the software, but thinking about how we would consider 'dead' technology in the future. Is every sign on a canvas is just painting? is every object is just material?

In 1913 Kazimir Malevich reached the idea of Suprematism; in Malevich's words, suprematism sought “to liberate art from the ballast of the representational world.” It consisted of geometrical shapes flatly painted on the pure canvas surface. Malevich's white square on a white ground (Mus. of Modern Art, New York City) embodied the movement's principles. Our day, examples of minimalism in design are shown in really primitive geometrical shapes (an example could be the rounded angle square) and neutral colours such as white and grey.

resources
www.answers.com
www.wikipedia.org

ART_data phone: technology as handicrafts

Experimenting with materials and old electronic devices, I started to think to the material aspect of technology, its physical presence in our reality, sometimes even more visible that the service it offers. From this point of view I played with materials, intending technology as sculpture. It would be interesting trying to design a product that seems to be composed from the some material, a shape moulded from a block of material, a handmade design as contradiction of the modernity of technology. It would be interesting comparing the new ‘phone data’ to the neoclassicism of Antonio’s Canova sculpture.

Mid semester critique

The main influence I received in my Middle semester critique has come from a suggestion of Daria Loi :

“If the scope is that of testing whether people will choose on the basis of craft, concept or trend, it is better in my opinion if Antonio designs the same object (or family of objects) with the 3 approaches – this will help him avoid situations where people choose for instance a mobile phone because they need one or are more interested in that type of artefact”

“The final option might be ideal and anyway it’s already on the market: it’s called ‘mobile phone with integrated extras’… i.e. the majority of current mobiles…”

Daria thought that offering as choice three different products, would influence people’s choice. They would prefer, for example, a mobile phone to a watch just because the first one includes the second one.

The goal of my research is to understand if people are interested more in fashionable, conceptual or handicraft products, choosing these three different design processes as the main approaches of my design process.

I accepted her suggestion, and thinking about what she defined ‘mobile phone with integrated extras’, I have called the ‘new’ product: DATA PHONE, as electronic device able to let us access to every kind of data:

Audio, video including information and multimedia.