The concept that design is the first signal of human intention is one which I have never before considered. I found it interesting that the speaker proposed that design should be don in humility and with a plan, for without a plan, the de facto plan is destruction. The law of physics that every action has an equal but opposite reaction demonstrates that we do not live in a vacuum. Every action has a consequence and if we do not consider what those consequences may be before we act, the result may be something unintended. What we put in is what will come out and what we take down is what will be lost. We have to think outside the box and consider the long term consequences of our short term ideas.
I agree completely with Natasha's comments on McDonough's way of thinking about design- that by no way do we live in a vacuum where us humans can create things that have no impact on the rest of the earth. I think that designers typically don't necessarily not think about consequences of their designs but I think they often minimize the idea of these consequences as they will occur to something that they designate as lesser importance, such as the effect of paint on aquatic ecosystems, etc. In order to create a sustainable world we must assign equal importance to the consequences on all parts of the earth, because just as nature has shaped humans, altering nature negatively in any way will ultimately affect us as well.
As discussed in class, a picture's subject, be it a coyote or a simple set of bushes, is infinitely connected to its surroundings. Da Vinci, for example, understood the perfection of the human form through his Vitruvian man. However, this form is not inherently highlighted by a simple picture of a human, being lost as an incoherent message. Instead, the surrounding environment must strengthen and sharpen the intended purpose of the artist. Da Vinci accomplishes this in his Vitruvian man through a simple series of shapes, but how can this performed in more open interpretations, such as photography? What McDonough and passive solar design seem to argue for is the use of natural environments, such as sunlight, vegetation, and construction materials, to enhance the significance and intended purpose of one's portrayal. This could be done to increase the heat captured by a house or to diminish human influence in the adjacent land. Holistic use of the environment is necessary to highlight the intention of an artist. This use of the environment has been performed for centuries by artists, architects, and designers. The Pantheon used sunlight and its relative spatial position to highlight the grandiosity of Augustus. In fact, the use of this environmental conditions was so strong that Augustus's likeness did not even have to be present for the common Athenian to both admire and fear his perfect form, like that of the Vitruvian man. - Pedro Ribeiro
I think that this speaker had some interesting ideas although it seemed like he jumped around a lot. I had never before thought about the fact that we don't really have an "endgame." I don't know what to think about this because on one hand we want to be constantly improving things but we also need to have something to strive for. This can be a very slippery slope though; it would be easy to strive for something akin to the situation in "A Brave New World." I also thought that the ideas about moving the landscape up on top of the city was a very cool idea. This would obviously only work in some places but I think that it is what is necessary in order for humans to get anywhere near a sustainable existence.
During this TED talk, William talked about how when he went to the White House, he didn't notice a plan really seeming to be in place. This can easily be translated to our world today. Our government has shut down and many people are in a sort of panic. Despite the warnings we all got, it couldn't prepare our country for the turmoil that followed. In this case, having a plan probably would have been good in politics. However, this is not always the case in art. Linda taught us that much of our best work can come from accidents. It is often the unplanned that you can count on as being original and more profound.
Grace, I completely disagree. No one is in a state of panic because of the government shut down. If anything, people are jumping for joy over the fact that due to restrictions, business regulations cannot be enforced. If people could have it their way, the country would be a state of anarchy. That's just how hypocritical Americans are. We say that we want equality of opportunity, but we rarely show it. No one cares about the public school system. The rich want to stay rich. I completely support an inheritance cap. Straight up.
Also, just wanted to update my post after having done some government work. In the TED talk, William's notice of lack planning in the White House could easily be attributed to divided government. The fact that there are so many moving parts working against each other make sit hard for any work to get done. This is in contrast to light, which seems to complement everything in the universe.
I found this TED talk to be interesting in the sense that the presenter covered a lot of ground in 20 minutes. His emphasis on designing objects that keep safety of people in mind is something that seems obvious but commerce plays such a huge role. I also thought he was good humored, unlike a lot of TED talk presenters who are humorless.
The concept that design is the first signal of human intention is one which I have never before considered. I found it interesting that the speaker proposed that design should be don in humility and with a plan, for without a plan, the de facto plan is destruction.
ReplyDeleteThe law of physics that every action has an equal but opposite reaction demonstrates that we do not live in a vacuum. Every action has a consequence and if we do not consider what those consequences may be before we act, the result may be something unintended. What we put in is what will come out and what we take down is what will be lost. We have to think outside the box and consider the long term consequences of our short term ideas.
I agree completely with Natasha's comments on McDonough's way of thinking about design- that by no way do we live in a vacuum where us humans can create things that have no impact on the rest of the earth. I think that designers typically don't necessarily not think about consequences of their designs but I think they often minimize the idea of these consequences as they will occur to something that they designate as lesser importance, such as the effect of paint on aquatic ecosystems, etc. In order to create a sustainable world we must assign equal importance to the consequences on all parts of the earth, because just as nature has shaped humans, altering nature negatively in any way will ultimately affect us as well.
DeleteAs discussed in class, a picture's subject, be it a coyote or a simple set of bushes, is infinitely connected to its surroundings. Da Vinci, for example, understood the perfection of the human form through his Vitruvian man. However, this form is not inherently highlighted by a simple picture of a human, being lost as an incoherent message. Instead, the surrounding environment must strengthen and sharpen the intended purpose of the artist. Da Vinci accomplishes this in his Vitruvian man through a simple series of shapes, but how can this performed in more open interpretations, such as photography? What McDonough and passive solar design seem to argue for is the use of natural environments, such as sunlight, vegetation, and construction materials, to enhance the significance and intended purpose of one's portrayal. This could be done to increase the heat captured by a house or to diminish human influence in the adjacent land. Holistic use of the environment is necessary to highlight the intention of an artist. This use of the environment has been performed for centuries by artists, architects, and designers. The Pantheon used sunlight and its relative spatial position to highlight the grandiosity of Augustus. In fact, the use of this environmental conditions was so strong that Augustus's likeness did not even have to be present for the common Athenian to both admire and fear his perfect form, like that of the Vitruvian man.
ReplyDelete- Pedro Ribeiro
I think that this speaker had some interesting ideas although it seemed like he jumped around a lot. I had never before thought about the fact that we don't really have an "endgame." I don't know what to think about this because on one hand we want to be constantly improving things but we also need to have something to strive for. This can be a very slippery slope though; it would be easy to strive for something akin to the situation in "A Brave New World." I also thought that the ideas about moving the landscape up on top of the city was a very cool idea. This would obviously only work in some places but I think that it is what is necessary in order for humans to get anywhere near a sustainable existence.
ReplyDeleteDuring this TED talk, William talked about how when he went to the White House, he didn't notice a plan really seeming to be in place. This can easily be translated to our world today. Our government has shut down and many people are in a sort of panic. Despite the warnings we all got, it couldn't prepare our country for the turmoil that followed. In this case, having a plan probably would have been good in politics. However, this is not always the case in art. Linda taught us that much of our best work can come from accidents. It is often the unplanned that you can count on as being original and more profound.
ReplyDeleteGrace, I completely disagree. No one is in a state of panic because of the government shut down. If anything, people are jumping for joy over the fact that due to restrictions, business regulations cannot be enforced. If people could have it their way, the country would be a state of anarchy. That's just how hypocritical Americans are. We say that we want equality of opportunity, but we rarely show it. No one cares about the public school system. The rich want to stay rich. I completely support an inheritance cap. Straight up.
ReplyDeleteAlso, just wanted to update my post after having done some government work. In the TED talk, William's notice of lack planning in the White House could easily be attributed to divided government. The fact that there are so many moving parts working against each other make sit hard for any work to get done. This is in contrast to light, which seems to complement everything in the universe.
DeleteI found this TED talk to be interesting in the sense that the presenter covered a lot of ground in 20 minutes. His emphasis on designing objects that keep safety of people in mind is something that seems obvious but commerce plays such a huge role. I also thought he was good humored, unlike a lot of TED talk presenters who are humorless.
ReplyDelete