Shakespeare and Language

The last hundred odd years have seen the greatest shift in culture, technology and language arguably since the beginning of written language.  With this change, languages have evolved and mutated, sometimes within years ,  the meanings of words shifting with generations. One example of such a word is gay. If we look at its original meaning and associations, for example in Shakespeare's Richard II the usage is obvious in its referencing fun, cheerful, colourful, even exciting clothing, compared with that of a poorer person.
"My gay apparel for an almsman's gown" (1595, 3.3:1791)

By the late 1890's the term had an overall tinge of promiscuity, and in the late 1940's the term began to appear in psychological writing such as the Rorschach Research Exchange and Journal of Projective Techniques, published in 1947.

Since then, the word entered use in mainstream English and has been recognized as having several meanings in dictionaries. Now in the 21st century, with the advent of the internet, overuse of the word gay has shifted its meaning yet again, mostly among the youth, though it still retains its homosexual meaning. The present use, usually used to describe objects or events in slang indicates something rubbish or stupid, as in "that bike is gay".

Reference  

Shakespeare, S. (1595) Richard II. Edited by Wright, W.A. Cambridge: Macmillan and Co.

Modernist Furniture

While the era of modernist design has passed, proponents of its austere principles as well as products designed by them are still readily apparent in today's world. Modernist furniture designs have had a great effect on what is available today for the average consumer, as designs clearly influenced by modernist designs such as Marcel Breuer's Nest of Tables are for sale today.

Marcel Breuer's B9 Nest of Tables designed in 1925/26

Annika Grottell's KLUBBO Nesting Tables

Some companies such as Swedish giant IKEA still follow the modernist idea of form follows function, and emphasize simplicity not only in their furniture design, but throughout the whole enterprise, from packaging to assembly  instruction leaflets. The minimalist design aesthetic is one that still lives on in cities, especially ones that tend to have a limited living area, such as New York or London, as it helps give the impression of space. Modernist architects use of space or materials to create the illusion of space also pushed designers to create "furniture that was visually transparent, minimal in terms of bulk" (Wilk, C )

While modernist design might have been a bit too stark for some, the nature of the materials used had given the objects produced a certain tenacity and longevity, and as such, examples of modernist furniture, like the creations of Ray and Charles Eames are much sought after even today, fetching a pretty penny on the market.

Reference

Breuer, M. (1925/26) B9 Nest of Tables 

Grottell, A. KLUBBO Nesting Tables

Mississauga City Hall, Postmodernist Architecture

Postmodernisms rejection of the serious attitude of modernism can be linked to the end of World War 2 and the culture shift that took place in the following decades. The end of the war saw the rapid expansion of the middle class, thanks to the momentum of the economy and the rise of new buildings to accommodate them. However the modernist approach of one size fits all to urban design meant that when times got worse, they degenerated into slums and had to be torn down in some cases.

While modernist architecture was serious and monolithic, postmodern architects took a more playful outlook, and revived some of the more decorative design choices that had been minimized or even rejected by modernist, such as using columns and decorative facades purely for their beauty. They still used the materials that modernists had celebrated, steel and glass, but used them in such a way as to make buildings more aesthetically pleasing to the everyday man.

Ian Muttoo, 2007

Some building almost seem to poke fun at the seriousness, such as Mississauga City Hall in Ontario, Canada. This melding of European urban civic design and the rural styles of farmhouses stands tall and is a physical manifestation of the postmodernists rejoicing in diversity.

Reference

Muttoo (2007) Mississauga City Hall. Flickr [Online]. Available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/imuttoo/2229840972/ (Accessed 12 May 2013)

Useless Machines by Bruno Munari

Bruno Munari's "useless machines" show off one facet of the designers many talents in design, but they are unique his and are one thing he is remembered for. 

Bruno Munari, Useless Machine (Arrhythmic Carousel), 1953,
Iron structure, gramophone mechanism and aluminium sheets, 113 x 60 x 30 cm.

Freeing geometric shapes from their static role in pictures or on canvas, Munari cut them out, painted them and displayed them using basic materials such as wood and string. Similar to childrens mobiles, and often used as such by his friends, these designs were a celebration of design being a part of life, something active, in motion, and the way Munari designed them makes this clear. Everything was balanced according to geometric rules so that the slightest touch of air would send the objects spinning and create delightful shapes and shadows, that varied with the lighting used as well.

Bruno Munari, Useless Machine , 1947

Whether the machines could be truly called useless is debatable, though Munari admits that the word useless was chosen because the machines didn't produce any goods, eliminate labour or increase capital (Munari, B, 2009).

 On the other hand though, the reactions they produce, while not physically tangible is one of pleasure and enjoyment simply in the ever changing art that they produce out of interaction with their environment.

Reference

Munari, B. (2009) Design as Art, London: Penguin Group UK.

Munari, B. (1947) Useless Machine, Private Collection

Munari, B. (1953) Arrhythmic carousel, Private Collection