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High Design
To the objects of high design belong exclusive furniture pieces and interior elements elaborated from modern materials. In his “Culture of Design” Julier states that high design objects may be divided “into two categories: heavenly goods, being objects designed for the rich to buy; and tokens, objects bought by the ‘wish-the-were-rich’.” (Julier 2000) Heavenly objects may be regarded as a combination of exclusivity and high performance; they are the objects which astonish the viewers with their intricate design. What is the most complicated about the heavenly goods is that one and the same object cannot be changed in a way which would distinguish it greatly from the objects of the same kind. “Beyond a certain, relatively low price, the rich cannot buy a better performing camera or home kettle than the wider public.” (Julier 2000) It is hard to satisfy exigent people when it comes to the elements of the interior; heavenly goods are able not only to be expensive, but to look expensive as well. Thus, exclusivity has to be an essential feature of heavenly goods. “Precious metals, unusual leathers or exotic timbers may be incorporated into the product to boost this quality.” (Julier2000) Tokens, in their turn, are the products which strike with their high price rather than exclusivity as such; buying tokens “may be an act in the performance of design tourism: it is the souvenir bought at the end of a day’s cultural sightseeing.” (Julier 2000) A person who indeed knows something about design and who has excellent taste will always be able to differentiate between heavenly goods and tokens.
A chair in picture 1 may be regarded as an object of high design. It is a child-high chair manufactured by Eames Hack. It can be called an object of high design due to its exclusive shape. Child high chairs, irrespective of their price or quality, are all of approximately the same shape. Eames highchair is unique both by its shape and material it is manufactured from (plywood). Its look is special and, which is more important, it combines exclusivity and comfort, which is sometimes difficult to achieve for the high design objects. This high chair may be called an object of high design because it is one of its kind; it is exclusive and is designed for people who can really appreciate it.
Denotation and Connotation
Sometimes it is difficult to affirm what exactly this or that image means. It is often the case that the image (for instance, in photography) was intended to produce an opposite impression on the viewers, rather than the one it produces indeed. As Chandler puts it, “Even the most ‘realistic’ image is not a replica or even a copy of what is depicted. It is not often that we mistake a representation for what it represents”. (Chandler 2006) In this case, it is necessary to distinguish between denotative and connotative meanings. Denotation is the literal meaning of a word; it is what the word exactly denotes without any concealed sense. Connotation, however, is more of association a viewer or a listener has with a definite word or sign. “The term ‘connotation’ is used to refer to the socio-cultural and ‘personal’ associations (ideological, emotional, etc.) of the sign. These are typically related to the interpreter’s class, age, gender, ethnicity, and so on.” (Chandler 2006) Therefore, different people can interpret words and images differently.
Considering the image of a child with a cell phone (picture 2), one needs to understand the difference between denotation and connotation. This image can be interpreted in the most different ways. The interpretation depends on who views the image. On the one hand, the image can be understood simply as child’s having fun. The boy is lying on the ground playing games or trying to call someone. Such an interpretation makes the picture common and evokes positive emotions in the person who looks at it. However, it is hard to determine whether this is what the photographer was trying to capture and express. Perhaps, this is an expression of one of the greatest problems of the modern society. The boy is playing with the cell phone on a sunny day. He is not playing with other kids outside; he chooses cellphone technology instead. This idea may leave the viewer in thoughts making him/her realize the imperfection of the society he/she lives in. Two opposite interpretations of the image under consideration show that connotative meaning influences directly the emotions the image may evoke; the kind of emotion will depend on the viewer.
Stereotypes
People often have erroneous opinions or ideas about objects, images, and notions due to stereotypes. According to Anne Cranny-Francis, “a stereotype is a radically reductive way of representing whole communities of people by identifying them with a few key characteristics.” (Cranny-Francis, Waring, Stavropolous & Kirby 2003) These characteristics are often formed on the basis of the features a person of one nationality (gender, ethnicity, etc.) possesses. Stereotypes are often erroneous, mostly due to the fact that they are formed because of a separate person of a group possessing certain characteristics. Gender stereotypes can be found in any society at any period of its development. The society tends to have stereotyped attitudes towards women. “Women have come to be seen as naturally nurturing, sensitive, emotional and deferring. The fact that women have a womb is linked to these characteristics.” (Cranny-Francis et al 2003) Judging by this gender stereotype, any woman should be caring and family-oriented; this is not necessarily so because not only women but men as well can be “nurturing, sensitive, emotional, and deferring.” (Cranny-Francis et al 2003)
Object at picture 3 presents a stereotypical idea about genders. There exist a number of statues, images, and other objects which present a woman as a caring mother, whereas there are quite a few representing a man with the same characteristics (in other words, men are rarely depicted as caring fathers). Picture 3 helps to understand that a woman’s only lot is rearing children for she lives her life for this. The picture depicts a wooden statue of a woman holding a child. The woman is leaning toward her child expressing the very same “nurturing” mentioned by Francis. Over the centuries any woman’s life has been all about children and housework. It was only at the end of the twentieth century that women got a right to work and education. Nevertheless, certain gender stereotypes are still present in the modern society since it is difficult to eradicate them.
Postmodernism
Postmodernism distrusted all possible theories and ideologies aiming to turn people’s attention to conventions. Postmodernism involved the revival of ideas and imageries which were ignored earlier striving to create the objects which were exciting to look at and which were making the imagination fly. “Postmodernism stressed the search for personal identity, a response to Modernity’s destruction of the autonomous individual.” (McDermott 2007) Postmodern designers used as many colors as it was possible; they revived irrational forms which expressed their individuality and uniqueness and they changed the understanding of art and design.
The freedom Postmodernism offered was similarly liberating for other design disciplines. Textile designers experimented with scale and mixing patterns, often combining diverse imagery on the same design in the manner of a chaotic collage. Graphic design… began to mix typefaces, play around with printing conventions and appropriate imagery from innumerable sources. (McDermott)
Picture 4 represents a room divider performed in postmodern style. The brightness of all the possible colors and peculiar form of the divider seems bold and unexpected. It evokes mixed feelings; looking at this divider the first time, the viewer might have a feeling that it was performed by a child who suddenly realized that colors were not limited by black and white. However, looking at it more attentively, one may see a lot behind the mixture of green, yellow, blue, and red. Boundless fantasy of the designer, his creativity and self-expression resulted in this piece of interior which only a real connoisseur of the postmodern design is able to duly appreciate. This object has all the features of postmodernism; it can be characterized by mixed patterns, irrational forms, and combination of several colors. This everyday element of interior is saturated with self-expression and unbelievably free imagination of its creator.
Images
Bibliography
Chandler, D 2006, Semiotics: the basics, Routledge.
Cranny-Francis, A, Waring, W, Stavropolous, P & Kirby O 2003, Gender Studies: Terms and Debates, Palgrave Macmillan.
Julier, G 2000, The Culture of Design, SAGE.
McDermott, C 2007, Design: The Key Concepts, Routledge.
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