Design in Our Lives

            To me, the artistic part and design of the things in our everyday life, never really played a big role. I never took the time to pay attention to the design of things we use constantly. I realized this after visiting the MoMA. It may have a lot to do with the fact that I am not the most artistic person in the world, and although I may notice the beauty or uniqueness of something, that’s as much depth as I put into the thought of design. In the Architecture and Design Galleries, I saw a couple of pieces of work with such unique design, but their functionality was rather questionable, while others made perfect sense.

            My favorite piece of work was the “Sea Shelter.” This is a piece designed to be an alternative and safer version of a raft. When you are caught in a sea storm a raft is not the easiest and safest place to go, the sea shelter than becomes convenient. I believe the “Sea Shelter” has high functionality because of the simplicity that is using it. The “Sea Shelter” becomes an easy route to safety with handle bars on the side, steps to enter that are below the water surface, and it can be maneuvered to face anybody who is trying to enter. The other piece i believed to have high functionality was the "Nature-City." "Nature-City" is more of a sketch, or blueprint on what a group of artist think the ideal neighborhood would be. I labeled this piece high functionality because of the way it projected such a good environmental space where people are constantly surrounded by nature, it is bound to be a great living environment. They also make everything run on water, rather than any other mean of power. That already makes the neighborhood, an ideal one.

             In the Low functionality category though, I placed "Knork Fork and Spoon." At a first glance I thought this was a different and quite interesting twist to the 'Spork.' After paying closer attention I realized it seemed pretty dangerous to eat with the utility. You would have to turn the utensil sideways and it will most likely become an uncomfortable eating experience. Eating it frontward, like we normally do would be impossible due to the sharpness of it. The other one in the low functionality category is the "Experimental Plywood Recliner." This piece was beautifully designed, something that would be found in an Ikea magazine, yet I labeled it low functionality because i don't see how anyone, by any means would want to sit on something so uncomfortable. With furniture, i know design plays a big role, but i strongly believe comfort plays an even bigger role. Maybe a person who is deeply into house decoration will enjoy having it there just to be viewed. But as for its purpose, to sit and be comfortable, I don't not think it has a high functionality.

            The way art and design go together is unappreciated, at least it was to me. They go hand in hand, and I just did not realize it. The design of something does greatly influence whether or not it is going to function properly, and that is something I never truly payed close attention to.

Herbert von Thaden
"Experimental Plywood Recliner"
Plywood
1947

Maria Benktzon and Sven-Eric Juhlin
"Knork Fork and Spoon"
Polycarbonate, ABS, and stainless steel
1978

Nikhil Garde, Elle-Mie Ejdrup Hansen, Brnabas Wetton, Michael Frederiksen
"Sea Shelter"
Nylon and rubber
2004

Michael Etzel, Gerald E. Frug, Sean McLaughlin, John Parker, John McMorrough, James Lima, Jason Loiselle, Eric Sanderson.
"Nature-City"