E.B. White said "Analysing humour is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it." So let's dissect this frog.
Humour is a very subjective thing, there are many types of humour and, because of its subjective nature, what you will find funny depends on age, upbringing and personal opinions. Something that is funny to one person, may not be to another.
In general, the point of humour is to subvert your idea of normal. If the punchline of the joke is as the audience expects, they will likely not find it funny, though if it is so far from reality, that it is completely unlikely, people will also possibly not find it amusing. From this we can conclude that humour cannot be too close to normality, but also cannot be too nonsensical. However, because of the subjective nature of humour, it is difficult to say for sure what people will and will not find funny. In summary, a joke must be unexpected, understood, not too normal or too weird and most of all, funny.
I believe that humour and its subjective nature mean it is incredibly difficult to pull off doing something humorous. It gives me a whole new respect for comedians and people who create funny pieces of work. They must really work at their work to make it effective. If I wish to create funny pieces of work, I must practice a lot and not force the humour.
09/10/2014
The Bauhaus
The Bauhaus first opened in 1919, it was a rebellion against the politics of futurism and the intricate art of classical designers, it was the leading school of art and design in the world. They believed that all designs should be focused on function as opposed to form.
The Bauhaus ideals are reflected in some aspects of modern design. For example, products are becoming more and more functional and are looking simpler and simpler. It could be said that the modern day Bauhaus is IKEA. In the chairs below, you can clearly see the Bauhaus influence in IKEA designs, both the Bauhaus and IKEA are concerned with functionality over form.
Unlike the Bauhaus, I believe that function and form are equally important in design. Products that are all about function are interesting to the brain, but boring to the eyes, whereas products that are only about form are boring to the brain and interesting to the eyes. In terms of Children's Publishing, a story must be both functional and have an interesting form, it must be appealing visually to the child and also tell a good story.
If all design movements are a rebellion against something, what is worth rebelling against in present day? I think stereotypes and prejudice are worth rebelling against. I believe that everyone should have equal opportunities and should be treated with the same respect, regardless of race, gender, age or ability. This should be reflected in my work. There are very few things to rebel against nowadays, almost everything has been rebelled against. In terms of illustration, the only way that we can stand out from others' styles is to make our own styles and be nothing like other designers.
The Bauhaus ideals are reflected in some aspects of modern design. For example, products are becoming more and more functional and are looking simpler and simpler. It could be said that the modern day Bauhaus is IKEA. In the chairs below, you can clearly see the Bauhaus influence in IKEA designs, both the Bauhaus and IKEA are concerned with functionality over form.
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| Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer |
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Poäng Armchair from IKEA
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Unlike the Bauhaus, I believe that function and form are equally important in design. Products that are all about function are interesting to the brain, but boring to the eyes, whereas products that are only about form are boring to the brain and interesting to the eyes. In terms of Children's Publishing, a story must be both functional and have an interesting form, it must be appealing visually to the child and also tell a good story.
If all design movements are a rebellion against something, what is worth rebelling against in present day? I think stereotypes and prejudice are worth rebelling against. I believe that everyone should have equal opportunities and should be treated with the same respect, regardless of race, gender, age or ability. This should be reflected in my work. There are very few things to rebel against nowadays, almost everything has been rebelled against. In terms of illustration, the only way that we can stand out from others' styles is to make our own styles and be nothing like other designers.
03/10/2014
The Futurists
There is a belief that everything is connected, an art movement from 1909, for example, could inspire a film, which could inspire years of popular culture in present time. Furthermore, the art movement that inspired the film could, in turn be connected to older art movements, as it is an act of rebellion against another movement. Each new artist movement is an act of rebellion from another one.
The art movement in question here is Futurism. The Futurists' Manifesto states eleven main points. The Futurists were rebelling against the classical artists of the time (1909). They wanted to change the world, they wanted to totally modernise contemporary design and rejected all classical arts. They wanted to destroy all evidence of history, such as libraries and museums and they wanted to start again from year zero. In 1909-1910, there were a lot of changes occurring such as electricity, cars and steamboats. Cars, speed and light fascinated the Futurists. This is clear from this piece of work from The Futurists, where the main focus of the art is light and electricity.
The art movement in question here is Futurism. The Futurists' Manifesto states eleven main points. The Futurists were rebelling against the classical artists of the time (1909). They wanted to change the world, they wanted to totally modernise contemporary design and rejected all classical arts. They wanted to destroy all evidence of history, such as libraries and museums and they wanted to start again from year zero. In 1909-1910, there were a lot of changes occurring such as electricity, cars and steamboats. Cars, speed and light fascinated the Futurists. This is clear from this piece of work from The Futurists, where the main focus of the art is light and electricity.
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| Street Light - Giacomo Balla |
In my opinion, this is a bad idea, if we get rid of all past ideas, we will not be able to learn from past mistakes and society and civilisation will descend into anarchy. In modern times, the Futurists would be shunned even more so than they were at the time, it is the common view in modern-day society that wars should not be happening and that everyone should be equal. This is a view I fully agree with.
The idea of everything being connected applies here. The Futurists influenced Fritz Lang's film Metropolis. This film influenced a comic, and many modern music videos, such as Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi", Madonna's "Express Yourself", Queen's "Radio Gaga" and Whitney Houston's "Queen of the Night". More information about how this film influenced popular culture can be found here.
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| Freddie Mercury in the video for Radio Gaga |
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| Lady Gaga, whose name was influenced by the song Radio Gaga |
It is surprising how one movement can inspire so many things in popular culture today. This makes me realise that my work should be influenced by others. I should look into what other people are doing in the illustration world and both be inspired by them and do something different to them. Because I disagree with the Futurist's manifesto, I intend learn from the past and embrace mistakes and accidents to improve my work.
Introducing Contextualising Design
Jodie Cox
S13000371
Illustration, Graphic Novels and Children's Publishing
ARD501: Contextualising Design
2454 words
In this blog I will evaluate my learning experiences of each contextual and critical lecture in trimester one of my second year studying Illustration, Graphic Novels and Children's Publishing. Over the next three months, I will be attending lectures twice a week on design themes, I will then write my thoughts about each one here.
This should help me consider my work methods, contextualise my thinking and analyse my thought processes. I need to critically evaluate, analyse and synthesise appropriate critical and theoretical texts.
S13000371
Illustration, Graphic Novels and Children's Publishing
ARD501: Contextualising Design
2454 words
In this blog I will evaluate my learning experiences of each contextual and critical lecture in trimester one of my second year studying Illustration, Graphic Novels and Children's Publishing. Over the next three months, I will be attending lectures twice a week on design themes, I will then write my thoughts about each one here.
This should help me consider my work methods, contextualise my thinking and analyse my thought processes. I need to critically evaluate, analyse and synthesise appropriate critical and theoretical texts.
- To evaluate is to gain insight into existing initiatives (to reflect on ideas)
- To analyse is to break something into smaller topics to better understand them
- To synthesise is to combine two or more things to make something new
By the end of this semester, I will have formed my own opinions on topics that interest me and I will have formed my own design manifesto.
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