MoMA : Applied Design - Functionality

HIGH   FUNCTIONALITY: 

"Basic House" (Prototype)
Artist: Martín Ruiz de Azúa
Polyester , 200 x 200 x 200 cm (1999)

Martin de Azua's "Basic House" is an artwork which has high value in respects to functionality. This artwork was a prototypical design for a portable home which was mainly meant to house the less fortunate in society. The purpose of this work is quite noble and charitable but that is not what constitutes it as a high functioning artwork. It is extremely light and transportable as it can be folded up like a "handkerchief" and is energy efficient as it is powered through the hot air emanating from grilles in urban streets. 


"Mine Kafon wind powered demenir"
Artist: Massoud Hassani
Bamboo and bio-degradable plastics, 221 x 221 x 221 cm (2011)

Hassani's "Mine Kafon" is a marvelous work of art as it is quite aesthetically potent as well as technically proficient. The artwork resembles a sphere with toilet plungers emanating from the center with the rubber heads pointing outwards. The perfect symmetry (dimensions) of the design allow for this invention to be rolled on vast plains like a giant ball or boulder. The purpose of this artwork was to suppress the explosive damage of a land mine. This artwork is high in functionality as it serves its intended purpose, by absorbing the blasts from land mines and neutralizing their crippling power.


LOW FUNCTIONALITY: 

"Blur Building" (Switzerland)
Artist : Diller & Scofidio 

This artwork is an architectural design of a building which is placed in a location where the atmosphere and environment play a key role in the aesthetics of the artwork. The Museum only has a photo image of the building but the caption states that 35,000 different hoses shoot out water at high speeds in order to spray the area with mist. The final product depicts a building immersed in clouds (fog). The piece is low in functionality as it serves no formal purpose other than to be appreciated aesthetically. The use of 35,000 hoses could render this as high in functionality to some but my criteria relies on the use of the artwork outside of the purpose of being appreciated as art. 

"Oxygen House Project"
Artist: Douglas Darden
Pencil, crayon, ink, chalk, and paper (1988)

Douglas Darden's "Oxygen House Project" is quite the unique artwork. The concept itself is different, but the presentation of the artwork with a fictitious backstory is also appealing, stylistically. The drawing is of a tent filled with oxygen designed for a fictitious character, in need of oxygen after a train derail. The object is low in functionality as it serves a rhetorical being. It cannot be used by any human being but most definitely can stimulate minds and enthrall imagination. Had this artwork been used for a specific individual or used for a performance art, perhaps it would have merited a higher rank of functionality


**REFERENCES**   http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?SHR&tag=AppliedDesign

Field Trip #2 (Chelsea Galleries)

DAVID ZWIRNER EXHIBIT

"Hustlers" by Philip - Lorca Dicorcia

I personally enjoyed this artwork as i did not understand the premise until after I left the exhibit. This artwork is a series of photographs taken in 1990-1992 in the Hollywood area of California. The subjects of the photos are male prostitutes who are captured posing. The appeal of the photo is that the subjects are captured in the same way they view themselves. According to the press release, the author payed the subjects the same amount that they would have charged a customer. The intent was to highlight the way the subjects carry themselves, as products to be enjoyed. The art is further  emphasized by its location as Hollywood has always been a place where people seek fantasy. The photos themselves were greatly done as the lighting and quality of the shots make them seem as if they were screen shots from an 80's pop culture film.

"Best Seen, Not Heard" by Philip - Lorca Dicorcia

This artwork takes the series of photos from "Hustlers" and presents them in a new light. The photos are mixed and edited with old pornographic video intros and outros. The inspiration behind this clip was Edward Hopper's style as the author states that this artwork was meant to imply what the men do as opposed to directly revealing their occupations. The artwork was displayed next to several of Hopper's paintings in France.


"To Wit" by Raymond Pettibon

I enjoyed most illustrations and texts presented in this exhibit as they all tied in with one another (although not apparent o myself at the time). Several artworks included pop culture icons and others were very graphic (phallic). I personally liked the phrases written across the walls of the white room which immediately capture one's attention as you come in. The phallic artworks were a little off putting because usually i associate art which has large quantities of penises as something merely intended for "shock value" but as I try (and fail) to find meaning in that particular subject matter I realize that to dismiss it is extremely close minded. Perhaps the male pieces were littered around the room to confuse or make the audience uncomfortable with such graphic imagery. Eventually the "shock" of the images set a higher standard of tolerance in me for art..

Field Trip Reaction #1

Jonathan Torres

Introduction to Art

October 1^st, 2013

Field Trip Reaction

Art & Identity – The Museum of Modern Art

During a class trip to the Museum of Modern of Art, my peers and I were asked to record three artworks of our choosing in order to analyze the author's identity in accordance with his or her artwork. Three classifications of “Identities” were introduced to the class for analysis, them being, Personal Identity, Cultural Identity, and Historical Identity. The three artworks I was fascinated by were Evening Star #3 by Georgia O'Keeffe, Woman by Ivan Le Lorraine, and PACMAN by Toru Iwatani.

Georgia O'Keeffe's Abstraction Blue, an oil based painting on canvas done in 1926, is a mystifying piece of work as the color scheme is clearly meticulously composed. The range of colors is very limited but effectively used as different shades and tints of blue are arranged into a shape which emulates a flame. Through the middle of the “flame” is a vertical white line which divides the image into two, unequal parts. There is a subtlety to the image as the colors are layered over one another, yet there are certain key points in the outline of the shape where the colors seem to blend seamlessly. When viewing this artwork I could not help but think of the Cultural Identity prompt. I thought of how O'Keeffe's stylistic influences were evidently communicated through this particular image. The title itself holds the word “abstract” which this image certainly is. O'Keeffe was an artist during the modern era, a cultural movement amongst artist's where the limits of painting, amongst other mediums, were exploited. This image leaves an impression of vagueness, where the artist chose to depict the essence of the subject matter as opposed to an accurate portrayal. These choices could possibly be attributable to the cultural influences of Georgia O'Keeffe.

The artowork entitled Woman by Ivan Le Lorraine, an oil based painting on canvas done in 1928, captured my attention immediatley. An aged human in petty lighting adorning an open, oversized fur coat enthralled me as it was so different from the other artworks. Le Lorraine used to draw for the U.S. Army during World War 2 and experienced firsthand many of the tragedies that come as a result of war. Through the Personal Identity prompt, this image becomes easier to comprehend. Le Lorraine wanted to emulate the imminent stage of life we know as being elderly. The image highlights the wrinkled flesh of the elderly woman as Le Lorraine's intent is successful in depicting the “decay” of the human body.

The final artwork under analysis is Toru Iwatani's Pacman, a video game published by Namco in 1981. This artwork is to be seen through the Historical Identity lens. Iwatani created the game during a time when video games were only beginning to take on prominent appeal in the world. Iwatani created the game with the intent to appeal to a universal audience, an ideal reflective of the progressive mentality of the 20^th century. The characters and layout of the game was meant to appeal to younger audiences as well as females; Iwatani had a stroke of genius as video games (still to this day) tend to appeal to isolated demographics. The medium itself is reflective of the time period.

In conclusion, my trip to the MoMA has influenced me as both an artist and a critic. Now when I review any form of art I understand that it is imperative to inquire as to the reasons why an art work was made. This process of trying to excavate information is effective as viewers (or players) will have a guided thinking process upon interacting with the art. This is not necessarily desirable but it is something which can better aid a viewer into fathoming what an artist was thinking, his or her intent, and much more.