The Nelson Art Gallery

The Nelson art gallery at UC Davis has a unique display of quilts that illustrates the culture, art, and history of African American slaves.

(Unknown (attributed to African American Slaves)

Untitled. n.d.

Cotton

Collection of Sandra McPherson; taken by camera phone)

The windmill design on the quilt lends its rhythm to its distinct color pattern. The windmill displays movement through the different positions of the colored blades; if viewed from the top half left to right, the windmill is moving counterclockwise. The color scheme enhances the pattern because the alternation between maroon and olive green creates a vibrant rhythm which ultimately constructs a balance. The way the windmill blades are faced also displays variety through their different variable movements in which no two windmills are alike. The variable movements and dual colors within each frame possibly represent a wind day in the field where African American slaves worked laboriously as they looked up towards the windmill.

(Ross Ella Kincaid
Untitled n.d.
Cotton
Collection of Sandra McPherson;
taken by camera phone)

(Quilt up close; taken by camera phone)

The quilt holds two salient symbols: the women in bonnets and the farm barn. Although they appear simple and somewhat mundane, they depict a rich and sophisticated tale of African American women working on a farm, or plantation. The repetition of the women and the farm has a distinctive, erratic pattern that creates a unique rhythm. In addition, the repetition of the vibrant colors and irregular pattern designs emphasize unity because the fragmented shapes are sewn together in a continuous form creating a completed composition and backdrop.

Gestalt At Its Best

M.C. Escher’s “Drawing Hands” (left) is a fusion of 2-D and 3-D art in which the hands are lifelike, while the wrists and sleeves are simple line sketches. This piece plays on many of the Gestalt laws of grouping. The first of which is the principle of good continuation where the hands are positioned in a circle to maintain continuity. Although the circle creates a focal point in the center, the emphasis is on the obvious contrast between the three-dimensional hands and the two-dimensional sleeves. Similarly, the principle of connectedness follows the idea of continuation because the hands are within close proximity to each other establishing a sense of unity. The
proportionality between the two hands also develops a balance because they are within a symmetrical setting; two hands with two sleeves each holding one pencil. The title’s play on words also enforces the idea of balance because one hand is drawing the other, and thus, one cannot exist without the other. In addition, the balanced negative and positive space portrays the principle of similarity because the ground and figure are equidistantly apart. Escher’s art piece is like a visual and mental exercise that implicitly educates the general public about the various Gestalt principles.

A Pain in the Shopping Basket

(Generic shopping basket courtesy of Kelly's Expat Shopping website)

If design consultancies, like IDEO, can redesign the practicality of shopping carts, then there might be hope for shopping baskets after all. One must realize that not everyone requires an ostentatious shopping cart for a day’s worth of food or for a single item purchase. The basket’s size is meant for people who do not buy in bulk or need much for sustenance. The rectangular shape of the basket does not leave room for consumers to place it comfortably against their body, and thus, consumers must resort to positioning it in an awkward place off to the side of their body. The problem is that the rigid, boxy basket does not contour the consumers’ waists or hips, and as a result, is constantly hitting their side creating a hindrance. It would be more effective to reinvent a shopping basket that contours a person’s side, or at least pivots inward so that the basket can rest against a person’s body. However, this change will call for a larger basket and more comfortable handles for better grip and leverage. There are always compromises within a process and trial and error will determine the potential of the product. However, the final product is not always the final idea, but the stepping stone towards a greater future.

Pockets

("What a Man Should Have in His Pockets" by Jameson Simpson)

Pockets originally took on the form of a small pouch that hung from one’s belt and was used to carry valuables and currency. Eventually, pockets were redesigned and incorporated into a person’s outfit. According to Webster’s dictionary, the modern day pocket is defined as, “a small bag that is sewed or inserted in a garment so that it is open at the top or side.” The flaw within this definition is that it gives a conceptual description, and not a practical explanation. For all we know, it is just an extra piece of fabric inadvertently integrated on a coat with no purpose whatsoever. This ambiguous definition gives fashion designers an excuse to place any type of pocket, whether functional or not, on various clothing. These designers must realize that not all consumers want to have trendy jackets with useless pockets. Many people want something multifunctional; something that can keep their hands warm and something that can maintain a secure hold on their personal belongings. Sure, purses are the commonplace for wallets, jewelry, and make-up, but pockets are more efficient because items tend to stay in one place and are easily accessed. With that said, pockets should be redefined in order to emphasize their purpose. Instead on focusing on the fashion statement, designers should attempt to combine practicality with a fashionable style.

Faulty Umbrellas

Today’s rampant downpour of rain in Davis proved the ineffectiveness of umbrellas as a functional tool. With the current technology available, one would think that the umbrella’s design would be able to withstand powerful gusts of wind and heavy rain drops. However, one would be foolish to believe such a thing. Throughout the day, students walked to class with flailing umbrellas flipping inside out in hand. As a result, they were sprayed with ice cold rain and whipped by the piercing wind. The problem with faulty designs is that they are cheap and available. Once an umbrella breaks, people go out and purchase a new one, and as a result, a vicious cycle ensues. The mass production of flawed items encourages wasteful spending and millions of dollars flushed down the drain. The main purpose of a tool is to aid its consumer, not hinder him or her. One reason why umbrellas are not as advanced as they should be is the fact that this region within the United States does not receive as much rain, and therefore does not prose a problem. Better umbrellas are likely found in places where rainfall is widespread. The design of a product is not always considered when inexpensive prices are involved.

Creators Finding Inspiration Outside Themselves

Robert Bradford’s plastic toy sculptures originally began with a box of his children’s old toys that he found. He began experimenting with them and eventually created unique art works such as these:

("Toy Girl")

("Gun Dog")

The idea that people have various reactions towards different objects was the inspiration behind these sculptures. Bradford believed that every object held a history and meaning relative to the spectator, and that size, shape, and color of the item could trigger a memory or emotion whether good or bad. His sculptures serve as living time capsules where ill-forgotten fads and popular trends come to life once more. Bradford’s creations present the opportunity for older generations to take a walk down memory lane, while at the same time, creating new experiences for younger audiences.

When discussing a creator’s source of inspiration, it is always a mixture of personal and impersonal experiences. An artist can never truly use just himself as a means of enlightenment. There are other aspects within the world such as nature, politics, and media that stimulate artistic insight. Bradford’s imaginative sculptures may have started as a discarded pile of junk, but each individual item was eventually given a purpose and thus, transformed into a larger piece of work with significance.

Stone Soup Anyone?

Today’s lesson in Design 1 was a group assignment that involved creating an abstract piece out of recycled goods. Although the group was supposed to brainstorm a general idea for a product, each individual member branched off into separate independent projects, and eventually came together to construct a final design. In the end, the resulting artwork became a dream catcher consisting of a zebra print cloth wrapped around golf balls, two water bottles decorated with scrap paper, and a plastic bag hot air balloon consisting of plastic fish and pictures of people pasted on corks inside. This breakdown of this complex structure touches on Scott McCloud’s (an American comics theorist) notion of closure, the ability to observe fragmented parts as a whole. In the beginning, the dream catcher was merely a disarray of scratch paper, water bottles, plastic bags, and string. However, each group member was able to find a complete composition within the chaos, and form a foundation from the disjointed objects. This group activity enforced the idea that design is all about the process, not the product. If there was better planning at the start of the project, the dream catcher would have looked more refined and absolute, not muddled and sloppy. Therefore, communication and an efficient process are essential for an effective product.

("The Ultimate Dream Catcher")

The Coke Bottle Rolling On and On

(Chalk-artist Julian Beever sitting beside his completed masterpiece)

Julian Beever's larger-than-life Coke bottle is not your average hopscotch scrawl found on an elementary playground; it is a celebration of perception, proportion, and light. Beever’s work does not simply exist within a concrete plane; it transcends the physical barriers of the sidewalk and becomes an animate entity within society that the general public comes to accept and appreciate. The Coke bottle is an iconic drink that is recognized by people from all over the world, and easy to relate to from taste to smell. Although the size of the bottle is unrealistically large, its vast size is analogous to the industry’s influential power over people. When they see its captivating design they immediately attribute the good or bad experiences that they have had with it. In response to Beever’s technique, it is evident that there is a mastery of dimensional proportionality. The Coke bottle defies the two-dimensional properties of the sidewalk to the point where it looks as if it is about to roll towards an unsuspecting bystander. Once an artist blurs the fine line between illustration and reality, the audience is left to question their perceptive capabilities, and chalk on the ground that they once thought was a scribble of mundane images becomes a stimulating piece of art.

Puking Equals Imperfection?

(Tan Tan Bo Puking aka Gero Tan - 2002
Collection of Amalia Dayan and Adam Lindemann
© 1997 Takashi Murakami / Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd.)

Tan Tan Bo Puking is a depiction of a large bear-like figure vomiting an odd, liquid substance that is contrasting to the piece as a whole. While everything else is apparently rigid and immaculate, the mysterious regurgitation evokes movement, texture, and depth. Although Murakami's style appears cutesy and somewhat childish, his genre appeals to all ages. While children can connect with the bright colors and anime-style characters, young adults can find sophistication within the abstraction and textures of his artwork. It is apparent that the underlying message within this piece is that perfection is an illusion, that intricate and detailed structures can crumble once their true colors are shown. The large bear is in a sense foaming at the mouth which in relation to modern day can symbolize a corrupt government or high system in society collapsing. The negative colors inside of its mouth also play along the motif of corruption because it signifies an inner evil that is obscured by an innocent facade. Murakami's pop culture art work appeals to a younger generation because the surreal realm that he has created is a projection of their own present day world. His piece encourages a greater consciousness of imperfection within society.