Visualessay

Forms Follows Activsim

by Victoria Trotman N0683360

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Abstract- This essay addresses issues and solutions both in the past, present and future regards to activism in design and its importance over Form. It addresses the environment, feminism, Racism and the Government. Querying the impact that each and every one of us has upon the subjects, whether as individuals or major companies. This is not a problem addressed to designers only but also to humanity as a whole, which do we value more the way we look or way we treat each other?

Form follows Activism, this essay will explore the concept that the act of activism within design is more important than the form of the product or system. It will explore activism currently in design and the future of activism in design and how we can do more about it. Activism is something everyone can get involved with on every level and something that designers should especially become involved with. An activist is ‘A person who believes strongly in political or social change and takes part in activities such as public protests to try to make this happen.’ (Cambridge Dictionary, 2017) and that is also what a Designer is. There will be arguments against this but with issues such as climate change, world poverty and basic equality how can we as a collective group stand by and do nothing but make it look good?

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Guerrilla Girls, 4Ocean, Lush and Benjamin Von Wong are all organisations and people who want to have an impact on our world and our opinions. To alter how we feel, look and respond to our world and the people around us, to make products and art that does more than just have great form. We as designers constantly release products and systems for human consumption and we need to think about the impact these products truly have on this global world we live in, because if the people who create don’t no one will.

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Richardson didn’t just slash the Tokeby Venus for its value she stated it was ‘the way men visitors gaped at it all day long’ (Castella, 2014) The painting has arguably become more iconic through what happened to it, it’s become a feminist statement. For Guerrilla girls and the Free the Nipple movement, this painting and what it means became a representation of their movements and the arguments they’re making. The painting is regarded in the art world as ‘the last word in sensual languor.

And one of the most famous bottoms of all time.’ (Castella, 2014) Making evident that the way the painting looked held importance in its significance, the painting was chosen for a reason it’s look meant something and because of its destruction that painting has been immortalised and reused as a feminist icon, after all what do women have to do to get into the Met. Museum?

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These women are utilising design to further their campaigns, whether it is the reuse or defamation of historical work or the support from other brands (Lina Esco’s interview with La Ligne).

Feminism is one of the strongest movements of our day and as male and female designers how can we be passive, how can we not take up our pens and act within this movement?

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Clothing design goes some way towards this, whilst activism goes much deeper than T-shirts with slogans, it is an outcome. The use of graphic design in slogans and the logos and branding used to represent groups becomes so important, just like a brand you want to become recognisable you want people to know who you are and what you represent.

You want them to look at your icon and feel guilt, compassion, anger and compulsion. These emotions encourage people to act and respond, make people feel compelled to make a difference in the world or even just to feel confident in their beliefs and themselves. You want to make things that create these strong responses ‘our society makes it crucial for designers to understand clearly the social, economic and political background of what they do,’ (Papanek,1985) and once you understand you must utilise that knowledge to change what is bad and promote that which is good. ‘Design must become an innovative, highly creative, cross-disciplinary tool responsive to the true needs of men. It must be more research oriented, and we must stop defiling the earth itself with poorly designed objects and structures.’ (Papanek, 1985) We must act against unethical design, and unethical design is arguably design where form has been prioritised as more important than activism. An example is Phillipe Stark’s Lemon squeezer ‘its detractors are quick to note that it hardly serves its purpose, spraying acidic juice everywhere and leaving a mess on the countertop.’ (Tielman, 2014) A product wholly embodying function follows form, it’s material choice is unwise, it does not serve its purpose properly and it gives nothing back to the world, and so becoming an item where Activism follows form. Why is this bad? Some would argue it is harmless but is it harmless when you think of the environmental impact or the people who can buy it? Most cannot afford something so useless as this, because to them it is not a true need.

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True needs of men, what really is a true need? Things like clean water, access to medicine, shelter, a clean environment and equality, they could be true needs. ‘Black teens were 21 times as likely as white teens to be shot and killed by police between 2010 and 2012’ (McIntyre, 2014) Equality, every single human being has a right to be treated as an equal, and so we as designers must promote this, not just within the boundaries of racism, a fight that has been going on for far longer than necessary. But through representation in media, using models of different sizes, shapes, colours and age as successfully done by the This Girl Can campaign, because what looks better?

A campaign or product that can be used or that represents everyone no matter what or one that only contains images or can be used by stereotypical hetero white men? Through capturing moments like the first day schools became mix-raced in America and the real pain felt by the silenced many, and taking photos that record the history and utilising the media to convey so many stories we can change the narrative. Using your creative mind to design imagery that will speak louder than words on their own. We can design to encourage change widely enough that Governments take notice.

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Activism is there to incite change, and normally this is change within government and the way in which we are governed, Ultimately, they change the laws and legislation that controls so much of our lives. They decide so much and, yet most would argue they seem to do so little, or at least so little good. We as designers can help to promote change, but they are the ones who can really make it, they can change pay gaps, discrimination, environmental policies, homelessness and poverty. However, they do need backing from the public for these changes as without it, things can turn sour. We as designers can work alongside all of this, we can bring the issue into public knowledge, design solutions, help to change the public opinion. We as activists can help, we have helped, and we must continue to help. Arguably our help comes through the visual aspect through what we are commissioned to present to audiences by the political parties, but all the visuals have meaning behind them and that meaning is what takes priority. Historically design has created solutions and advertisements and campaigns to effect change but it’s time we pushed change through the generic products we push into the world.

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Products that help to combat poverty are such an easy way to help, due to research and product development vaccines no longer must be injected into the blood stream instead they can be taken orally, reducing cost and increasing accessibility. Other companies and services that provide relief from natural disasters and such are addressing massive worldwide problems ones which questionably we should be addressing too. ‘8000 people sleep rough on the streets of London every year’ (streets of london, 2017) yet in the air care industry they predict a ‘similar level of growth expected during 2017 to push total value sales to £502 million’ (Hopping, 2017) a year on candles and air fresheners.

But what’s to stop us combining these? What’s to stop a portion of profits made by Yankee candles or Air Wick going to help the homeless? Why are we not using the influence of these products to help make a change? ‘used in appropriate ways by designers and others, as agents of change, design can be brought into the lives of poor people and improve their livelihoods by increasing income and making available to them better goods, products, and equipment’ (Thomas, 2006) Scented candles all have the same purpose, all look the same but a candle which helps provide warm meals and shelter for some of the most vulnerable people has a value much greater than without, how can you argue different?

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Leonard Campbell Martin: “How long have you been living on the streets?”

Leonard: “Oh, about off and on for six or seven years.”

Martin: “Where did you live before?”

Leonard: “I lived with my auntie.”

Martin: “She kicked you out?”

Leonard: “No, she passed away.”

Martin: “Did you have a job back then, when you lived with your auntie?”

Leonard: “I take psych meds, yeah.”

Martin: “Have you been on psych meds all your life?”

Leonard: “Yes, [since I was] eight years old.”

Martin: “Schizophrenia?”

Leonard: “Yeah, schizophrenia.

Bipolar, schizo.”

Martin: “You’re doing good?”

Leonard: “My meds are good.”

(Wender,2015)

Betty Jo Rhodes Martin: Where do you live?

Betty Jo: I live on the street.

Martin: You are not afraid as a woman alone on the street?

Betty Jo: No. I have God. They have stolen everything—my ID, all my certificates—but they can’t take my soul. (Wender, 2015)

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Lush are an example of a company considering the real impact they have on the world. From product to packaging to point of sale, they consider everything that their consumers will care about. This is a company truly built on activism and one truly thinking about the true needs of men. When people think of Lush they think of smelly bath products, but they also think of animal rights, paper packaging and handmade natural products. Animal rights is a widely disputed topic, I walked down the main street in Camden twice passing the M.A.C. store, second time there was a lot of movement outside the store as protestors had gathered. Lush and M.A.C. are two contrasting companies, one an activist company the other a company inciting activism. M.A.C. is the opposite of where we should be as designers as are all the brands removed from the picture of the hair dye aisle. These companies are not the change we wish to see, they are not promoting the values that we as designers must hold dear to us, L’Oreal hair dye is great and works well but at what cost? But they are not on their own.

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Across all forms of business, little and big there is a waste culture, a lack of ethics. With legislature things are changing but it’s slow and things are neglected. A company dealing with the technical running of events will use Electrical tape, Gaffa tape, hazard tape and spike tape, all are used temporarily with each new event new tape is put down. This waste builds up and though it is one business why can’t the tape be bio-degradable, little changes make a big difference further down the line. This small form of activism, this little change to a more environmentally friendly material will promote the idea that every little helps and that in turn can create the change we wish to see.

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Nature supports humanity, without it humanity can barely stand on its own two feet yet still we harm it ‘Industrial design is largely promotes the modern product development and progress, bring human beings huge convenient and cheerful, but also mixed with many negative effects, such as the functions of products with various chemical, disposable products of generalization, the packing of products of excessive change, all have caused a large number of resources waste,’ (Yu, 2012). This painting is a beautiful example of the impact we have and our relationship with nature.

It strikes a cord and the artist is clearly thinking of the meaning over the way it looks.

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A lot of these examples have been focused on the bigger world, on companies with global markets. But what about activism in our everyday lives? I had a conversation with a family relative, we spoke about recycling and he, as a single man said he didn’t recycle because what difference does his 52 1 pint milk bottles make a year? When you start asking questions like this the attitude spreads like wildfire because it’s easier to throw all your rubbish in one bin instead of separating it out, it’s lazy, it’s the opposite of what we as designers should promote. That plastic milk bottle can look as sleek or as minimalist as you can make it but at the end of the day if it’s contributing to the fact that, ‘in 2050 there will be more plastic bottles in the sea than fish’ (Gosden, 2016)can we really justify it?

Our Oceans are being poisoned and we are responsible, and the attitudes need to change. We can recycle in our every day, we can also be aware of other activists and promote their work.

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Ben Von Wong arguably could have used a real ocean for his mermaid photos but here his real purpose was to put across the global issue of our unclean Oceans, his use of bottles put activism first and became a part of the form of his project. You can buy jewellery and other items like 4Ocean bracelets which might not look as nice as other jewellery, but the message is so much more important. Those bracelets are activism over form through and through, made from plastic bottles and recycled glass collected from the ocean sold on to help pay for the equipment for the collection of the rubbish from the ocean, it goes full cycle.

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Activism can work on so many scales and for the most part form is better off for it. In everyday lives people act against things they don’t agree with. A small-scale example, a couple buy a section of woodland and in it build their retreat. The huts sustainably sourced wood from local timber merchants, the cupboards, windows and doors recycled, all hand built. The wood for the fires sourced from the woodland itself and the water from rainfall collected in buts. This little hideaway is a removal from capitalism and from the carbon hungry lives we lead. It is peaceful activism, and the aesthetics of this living style within their own right are as beautiful as any other. If not more so because of the real meaning behind every inch of the designed products. Activism can be loud and bold to incite change on a massive scale but it’s also for our everyday.

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Ultimately we can do so much more if we create with the hope to make a change. We can go from being one of the most destructive of industries to being one of the most positive. We can change people’s lives for the better, we can help to combat poverty and homelessness, we can help reach true equality, we can promote the care of our planet and make sure that everything we make has a message no matter how good it looks. We must value activism over form.

Figure List Figure 1- Wealth and power [digital image] https://www.guerrillagirls.com/projects/ Figure 2- Met Museum [digital image] https://www.guerrillagirls.com/projects/ Figure 3- Rokeby venus by Velasquez [digital image] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ blogs-magazine-monitor-26491421 Figure 4- Sandy Pankhurst [digital image] https://flashbak.com/the-suffragette-andfascist-mary-richardson-and-the-rokeby-venus-at-the-national-gallery-29704/ Figure 5- Lina Esco [digital image] https:// lalignenyc.com/blogs/in-line/lina-esco Figure 6- Free the nipple [digital image] https://mic.com/articles/117960/meet-theactivist-who-wants-women-everywhere-tofree-the-nipple#.Kx2ACNDQ6 Figure 7- Stylist pick article [digital image] own image Figure 8- less boyfriends [digital image] own image Figure 9- Kathleen Cleaver Black Panther [digital image] https://www. socialistalternative.org/2015/06/24/ sayhername-black-feminist-perspectives-blacklivesmatter/

Figure 10- say her name [digital image] https://www.socialistalternative. org/2015/06/24/sayhername-black-feminist-perspectives-blacklivesmatter/ Figure 11- #icantbreathe [digital image] https://www.socialistalternative. org/2015/06/24/sayhername-black-feminist-perspectives-blacklivesmatter/ Figure 12- Schools become mixed race [digital image] http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/07/ us/gallery/iconic-civil-rights/ Figure 13- Black lives matter [digital image] http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/attorney-sentenced-5-days-prison-refusing-remove-blacklives-matter-pin-1572469 Figure 14- smoke training [digital image] http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/07/us/gallery/iconic-civil-rights/ Figure 15- Black lives matter [digital image] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/23/us/ how-blacklivesmatter-came-to-define-a-movement.html Figure 16- Remain 2016 [digital image] own image Figure 17- Anti Labour [digital image] http:// www.historyextra.com/posters Figure 18- Anti Tory [digital image] http:// collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O225910/there-isonly-one-loony-poster-morris-john/

Figure 19- Tampon tax [digital image] http:// www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3100501/ Campaign-cut-Tampon-Tax-hits-Canberrawomen-dressed-giant-sanitary-productsdance-Parliament-House.html Figure 20- This Girl Can [digital image] https://www.creativereview.co.uk/work/thisgirl-can-ads-second-phase/ Figure 21- Manchester Squat [digital image] own image Figure 22- Betty Jo Rhodes [digital image] http://proof.nationalgeographic. com/2015/11/09/schoeller/ Figure 23- Leonard Campbell [digital image] http://proof.nationalgeographic. com/2015/11/09/schoeller/ Figure 24- she carries the weight of the world [digital image] http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2014/01/31/she-carries-theweight-of-the-world/ Figure 25- Polio vaccination [digital image] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/11/vaccine-health-infection-global-children/ Figure 26- Lush [digital image] own image Figure 27- Hair dye animal testing [digital image] own image

Figure 28- Tidy Britain [digital image] http:// www.konbini.com/en/inspiration/tom-eckersley-master-graphic-designer-poster-maker/ Figure 29- Recycle tape [digital image] own image Figure 30- Master and Servant by Linda Bergkvist [digital image] https://www.pinterest. co.uk/pin/257901516140136313/ Figure 31- more plastic than fish [digital image] https://www.vonwong.com/

Figure 39- Garden top wood store [digital image] own image Figure 40- Yorkshire Sculpture park [digital image] own image Figure 41- Yorkshire Sculpture park2 [digital image] own image Figure 42- Woodland kitchen [digital image] own image Figure 43- Woodland [digital image] own image

Figure 32- we kill almost 100 million sharks a year [digital image] https://www.vonwong. com/

Figure 44- Woodland 2 [digital image] own image

Figure 33- 10,000 plastic bottles [digital image] https://www.vonwong.com/

Figure 45- Woodland 3 [digital image] own image

Figure 34- Oxygen not for sale, Trump meets Mad Max [digital image] https://www.vonwong.com/

Figure 46- Woodland 4 [digital image] own image

Figure 35- 4Ocean bracelet [digital image] own image Figure 36- 4Ocean promo image [digital image] https://4ocean.com/ Figure 37- Mafia bag [digital image] https:// mafiabags.com/

Figure 47- Woodland 5 [digital image] own image Figure 48- Woodland 6 [digital image] own image Figure 49- Woodland 7 [digital image] own image Figure 50-

Figure 38- Gemma Correll [digital image] https://buyolympia.com/Item/gemma-correlli-enjoy-being-a-girl-zine

References

Cambridge Univeristy Press, 2017. Definition of an Activist [online]. Cambridge University Press. Available at : https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/activist [Accessed 20 November 2017] Castella, T, 2014. Rokeby Venus: The painting that shocked a suffragette [online]. BBC; Magazine Monitor. Available at: http://www. bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-26491421 [Accessed 20 November 2017] Castella, T, 2014. Rokeby Venus: The painting that shocked a suffragette [online]. BBC; Magazine Monitor. Available at: http://www. bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-26491421 [Accessed 20 November 2017] Gosden, E, 2016. More plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050, report warns. The Telegraph.

Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ news/earth/environment/12108522/Moreplastic-than-fish-in-the-oceans-by-2050-reportwarns.html [Accessed 20 November 2017].

Hopping, R. 2017. Air Care- UK- 2017 [online from company intranet]. Mintel. Available at: http://academic.mintel.com [Accessed 20 November 2017]

McIntyre, A. 2014. Police shootings dramatically outnumber criminal executions [online].

Vox. Available at: https://www.vox.com/ xpress/2014/8/21/6052987/police-shootings-have-dwarfed-executions-for-the-last-decade [Accessed 20 November 2017] Papanek, v. 1985. Design for the Real World.

2nd ed. United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson Papanek, v. 1985. Design for the Real World.

2nd ed. United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson Streets of London, 2017. About Homelessness [online]. Streets of London. Availble at: http:// www.streetsoflondon.org.uk/ [Accessed 20 November 2017 Tielman, M. 2014. Design Icon: Philippe Starck’s Juicy Salif [online]. Design Sponge.

Available at: http://www.designsponge. com/2014/06/design-icon-philippe-starcksjuicy-salif.html [Accessed 20 November 2017] Thomas, A, 2006. Design, Poverty and Sustainable Development [online from company intranet] Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Available at: http:// web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.ntu.ac.uk/ ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=ec4cf39d-2495-4313-98fc-82ef5ccb2996%40pdc-v-sessmgr01 [Accessed 20 November 2017]

Wender, J. 2015. A celebrity Portrait Artist Photographs L.A.’s Homeless [online] National Geographic. Available at: http:// proof.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/09/ schoeller/ [Accessed 20 November 2017] Yu, R, 2012. Application Research of Design Ethics in the Product Design [online from company intranet]. Switzerland: Trans Tech publications. Available at: https://search. proquest.com/docview/1442634256/fulltextPDF/80012DD4529D4A3BPQ/5?accountid=14693 [Accessed 20 November 2017]

Appendix 1 11th Oct CRAFT IS FRUSTRATING. Learning physical craft is complicated and easier to learn from being shown than from written instruction. Learning through doing hilt aggravating ultimately feels more satisfying and effective than through listening. Making is far more practical and experimental then basic design, because you’re working in 3D and you can’t be so precious about initial attempts. You can figure out what works a lot quicker than you can from a drawing, and the more you work at it the quicker and easier it becomes. It becomes memory, reflex with every fold you repeat.

Craft is creative because of the generation of objects new and old and the slight variation of each piece, also the general generation from slightly difficult materials demands elements of creation. Craft is not gendered, anyone can access the materials and can fold the paper but stereotypically craft is gendered to women. When really the only thing anything should be geared to is to the people who like it.

1st Nov The Making of a collage of Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Diptych, four sections of society and two outfits all showcasing post modernism. What are the rules? There are no rules. The poignant poster on Marilyn using advertising cut outs from magazines, is she a person or just a marketable image? She’s been warped into a look, an ideal and a money maker. Her image is more important than anything she ever said or did, hence her distortion but the media used to make the distorted image of herself is all she is now The wedding dress-esque outfit offends the traditions of our ancestors in a way only postmodernism can. Taking influence from ancient Egypt’s Cleopatra and showing how the modern women is in control of her own fate in contrast to the arranged or unhappy marriages of the past. A wedding dress is a controversial topic when utilised in this way within postmodernism, contrasting current and historical views on what the dress means, on the sign In conclusion this exhibition truly showed the value of postmodernism and the contrasting values of today, tomorrow and the past. Idealising and using images and iconic items to question what we expect of society today and of the future. Really questioning what we are about and what in this world of confusion and clashing styles and mentalities we can gain from design

Mass production of oragami is hard with a time restriction. As a team you need to make sure everyone knows what they’re doing and that everyone has their own job as this is quicker and more consistent then trying to each make a butterfly on your own. Every step in mass production is as important as the other because without th eother steps things don’t work of you end up with products that are low quality and inconsistent in the way they look. Furthermore the selling of these products is important, because if people can’t sell the product or encourage people to purchase it, the cost of production overtakes the worth of selling it. Working in a team is easy if you communicate properly but sometimes pressure can make this harder.