Art vs. Design

I believe that design has the potential to be art. To me, art is a term that encompasses many different forms of expression, one of which can be design. Design is not always art because in its most basic form, it is simply a plan to fulfill a purpose, and its intention is functionality. For design to become art, that plan must include greater implications for society, hence no longer limiting itself to its purpose. The plan should involve risks, surpassing the boundaries that one would have previously mistaken for constraints. It is the designer, now artist, that judges what is considered innovative and daring and it is also his or her responsibility to persuade and generate talk amongst his or her audience. Because there is no common standard as to what is art, then it can be said that art is generally subjective. And if that is the case, then here is where opinions come into play, though opinions can be influenced and changed by the artist, who can provide a frame for the interpretations of his or her's design. Of course, there are more elements to art that design must fulfill aside from risks and big ideas; art must have a quality of being unique. However, that is not to say that it must be exclusive. Society has the misconception that art is reserved for a select few and that only those rare individuals can decipher its esoteric messages. A design can be mass produced, allowing it to be available to a wider population, though that does not make it any less unique nor any less of a work of art. The design remains distinctive because it is different from others' designs and replications of the same design has no impact on its singularity. If a design can satisfy the aforementioned prerequisites, only then can it be considered art.

3 points, 10 Ways

Three points:
a) Last star on the handle of the Big Dipper
b) Tip of my Pigma Micron 0.3 mm pen in my backpack
c) Corner of the birthday card sitting on the top shelf of my desk

Ten Ways to Highlight Point A:
1) Focus a telescope on that specific star
2) Find the star's GPS coordinates
3) Shoot an arrow toward it
4) Dangle an object in the air, marking its location
5) Get a piece of paper, cut out a circle, and position it over the star
6) Beam a laser pointer into the sky
7) Describe its location in terms of the constellation it's a part of
8) Play connect-the-dots and have the star be the last dot
9) Organize a stargazing party and have everyone point to it
10) Have an aircraft explode in the sky at the location of the star

Meagan Chin (T/TH 2:00-4:50 pm)

art v. design

My personal stance is that everything and anything can be art if someone so chooses to call it such. Something can begin or cease to be art at any moment in time. We discussed in class how art needs to have meaning and elicit a sort of emotional reaction. One of my favorite works of art to discuss in this manner is Fountain by Marcel Duchamp, which consists of a urinal signed "R. Mutt." The work is often classified as "found art" which is really nothing more than (you will forgive me for the oversimplification) a piece of junk to which someone has ascribed meaning. It is possible to ascribe meaning to anything. It is a matter of interpretation and perspective, and as we all have our own opinions, each individual is entitled to call art whatever one so chooses to call art. I feel it pertinent to note, however, that just because one might casually say "that is not art" does not necessarily mean that it is not art. A contradiction, perhaps, but it is my conviction that people most often say something is not art when they truly mean that it is a) bad art and/or b) not art that appeals to them. It is possible to dislike something while still acknowledging as such and such, in this case "art." Design, on the other hand, is more structured. There is less question whether something is art than whether something is designed. There is most often more universal purpose associated, such as engineers designing a bridge. Art can be design, but design is not always art.

caroline wong (t/th 2-:450p)

3 points and 10 ways to highlight

Points:
1) the center of the disk of metal in Nate's neck
2) the point at which north ceases to exist on earth (commonly known as the north pole)
3) the deepest point in the oceans' abyss

Ways to illuminate point 1:
a) xray and highlight the point on the chart
b) tell someone it exists
c) offer magic school bus tours to the inside of Nate's body
d) remove the disk and shine a laser pointer on it
e) offer a lifetime of free gas to whoever looks at the point
f) tell people that the fountain of youth erupts from that point
g) make it the end of the rainbow
h) tell someone that the point is the portal to Narnia (forget the whole wardrobe thing)
i) make the point emit a high-pitched noise
j) let the point take over the world and control everyone a la big brother

caroline wong (t/th 2-4:50p)

3 points, highlighted 10 ways

1. the crumb on the floor of a newly-tiled kitchen, of a house in upstate new york.
2. a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of a chair of a dentists office in Topeka
3. the tooth of a small dog who has just knocked over a vase

how to highlight that third point?
-put a diamond in the tooth
-take a photo of the dog, and superimpose a red arrow over it
-have someone point at it
-take a video of it, and have the rest of it edited to be out of focus
-attempt to place an olive on the dogs tooth
-extract the tooth and have it placed in a box
-use a spotlight
-make it 50x its normal size
-hold a magnifying glass in front of it
-force people into neckbraces so they had no choice but to look at it

Art vs design

Art is a special subset of design. A design which features aesthetic appeal and some emotional reaction (either positive or negative) is art. The intent to create art must also be there at the beginning. But it can't just be 'I'm going to slap some elements together and try and apply some meaning to that'. The intent to create art with a specific message/meaning/emotional reaction that you desire to invoke in the viewer ought be carried through.

One associated question comes about when people interpret art differently than the way the artist intended. Does that make it bad art? or do aesthetics trump meaning?