Essay: Social Design: Social Movements and Aesthetics in Design

My essay will discuss a global view of aesthetics in design and the social values interlinked with ‘good taste’. I will explore the different meanings of ‘what is good design’ and ‘what is good taste’, by investigating the values tied to ‘good taste’ in varying cultures with different social contexts, perspectives and values. By examining this topic, I will discuss the Aesthetics Movement that occurred in Britain during 1870s and 1880s, and the values that define ‘pure beauty’. William Morris’ views on aesthetics and good work practice will be discussed as well as the context in which this movement arose. Moving further into this discussion of aesthetics, the values linked to aesthetics in Ancient China will be examined through the highly regarded aesthetics of Chinese ceramics, specifically focusing on Ru Ware from the Song Dynasty. Finally, examining how current aesthetic value has changed with the introduction of machinery and how convenience has compromised craftmanship. Using the example of IKEA’s standardisation in their designs as compromised craftmanship. This examination of aesthetics reveals the social agendas at the time and reflects upon the way objects are perceived and how the practise of good work affects aesthetic value of objects.
Source 1: Victoria and Albert Museum. (2011). The Cult of Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900 [Exhibition Catalogue]. Retrieved From: https://www.vam.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/179519/vanda-cultofbeauty.pdf
This source is an exhibition catalogue for The Cult of Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement Exhibition at the V&A, London, that paid homage to the Aesthetic Movement in Britain by collating the masterpieces of the Movement in sculpture, design, architecture, furniture, textiles and literature. The source aims to provide insight into the information and works that will on display at the exhibition. The range of artworks presented are British works and as the catalogue describes, the exhibition will “present the most comprehensive exhibition ever
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staged on the Aesthetic Movement in Britain” (Victoria & Albert Museum, 2011). This provides insight into the movement’s values of aesthetics and which artworks have been deemed great masterpieces of the movement. The director of the V&A, Sir mark Jones is quoted in the catalogue stating that ‘the ideas proposed by the Aesthetic movement are current again today’ (Victoria & Albert Museum, 2011), allowing for a reflective analysis of current and past aesthetic values. This catalogue has limits as the artworks are exclusively British and have been selected by the art gallery, leaving the selection of these ‘masterpieces’ up to the organisations opinion. This catalogue provides a broad overview of the movement, thus further research on this movement and the interlinked values placed on aesthetics is needed to support my essay.
Source 2: Petts, J. (2008). Good Work and Aesthetic Education: William Morris, the Arts and Crafts Movement, and Beyond. The Journal of Aesthetic Education, 42(1), 30–45. Retrieved from: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/the_journal_of_aesthetic_education/v042/42.1petts 01.html
In this journal article, Petts discusses William Morris’ notion of ‘good work’ (Petts, 2008) and aesthetic appreciation. The article examines these concepts, derived from Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement, to demonstrate the significance of ‘aesthetic education’ (Petts, 2008) for both making and authentic labour. The author discusses William Morris, specifically his views of the practice of good work in producing successful and authentic artworks, a central concept of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Petts considers Walter Crane’s concept that ‘process determines aesthetic value’ (Petts, 2008), one which supports my own discussion of compromised craftmanship affecting aesthetics. This journal article is useful to my exploration of aesthetics in design movements and the value placed on a satisfying practice and good quality, as the process of making ‘determines aesthetic value’ (Petts, 2008). The main
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limitation of this article is its lack of scope as it focuses primarily on the Arts and Crafts Movement, thus further research is needed to accurately portray the societal views of aesthetics. However, it’s discussion of the importance of process in determining aesthetic value is relevant to my own discussion and will help to support my discussion of Ikea’s standardisation of their designs and how this affects aesthetic value.
Source 3: Hamilton, W. (1882). The æsthetic movement in England. Reeves & Turner. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015032330204
The book The Aesthetic Movement in England examines the Aesthetic Movement in Britain,
documenting the key proponents of the movement, including Oscar Wilde, William Morris and Thomas Woolner. Hamilton attempts to understand the Aesthetic Movement and what it has achieved, specifically in England. As this book was published in 1882, whilst the movement was still occurring, it was written to fix public confusion regarding the movement and may have been altered, so the movement was viewed positively as Hamilton was a part of this movement. This book is useful for understanding how the movement was regarded at the time as well as providing a definition for the term ‘aesthetic’. It discusses which ‘aesthetic idiots’ (Hamilton, 1882) and styles of objects ‘violate good taste’ (Hamilton, 1882). Hamilton was the first writer to identify and document the movement in England, meaning the text’s research is based of observation and interviews. Hamilton’s involvement in the movement could generate bias within the text, limiting its reliability. However, this source remains useful as it informs the reader of the values placed on aesthetics and what elements formed a good design, at the time. This source builds on the previous source’s information regarding the value placed on ‘the good, the beautiful and the new’ (Hamilton, 1882) and the origins of the term ‘aesthetics’.
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Source 4: Ma, K. (2017). A Cup of Imperial Taste: The Formation of Ceramic Aesthetics under Emperor Huizong (r. 1100-1126). (Undergraduate Honours Theses). College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, United States of America. Retrieved from: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b9ac/413c21a5a8790888f6d7a7ec197905d0972c.pdf?_ga =2.243686018.689422323.1571664835-1467760309.1571664835
This honours thesis explores the change of roles in imperial ceramic wares during the Song Dynasty, reigned by Emperor Huizong, and how new aesthetics of ceramics and imperial tastes were transformed during the Tang-Song transition. The author collated his knowledge and research through scholarly journals and books, as well as his professors’ guidance, to identify at which point in time ceramics transformed from a functional everyday object to works of art in Ancient China. Ma’s research provides a detailed perspective on this transformation of aesthetics and function of ceramics from a ‘craft of daily use into an art form’ (Ma, 2017). This source is useful to my discussion of global aesthetics as it provides a different perspective to the British perspective, on the idea of creating solely for visual pleasure as there was an emphasis of ‘aesthetic mood’ (yi) over ‘form’ (xing), concepts reflective in the rare ceramics of Ru Ware (Ma, 2017). The main limitation of this source is its exclusive focus on Chinese ancient ceramics, thus more research on other contexts and cultures will be required to have an accurate, well-balanced discussion of global aesthetics. This thesis will be useful in my discussion of aesthetics in ancient China and the value placed on refinement as a true representation of nature.
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