Y9 MOVEMENTS PROJECT

Summer Term- Project 2. This work is for the remaining 7 weeks of the summer term. All work in this project can be hand written, or using software of your choice where available. DESIGN MOVEMENTS

Throughout history, there have been many different design movements. A design movement is: “A ‘movement’ is a style in art or design that upholds a specific philosophy or ideal and is followed and promoted by a group of artists for a defined period of time. Abstract Expressionism” In this project, you will investigation design movements, analyse products and explore the modelling and development of design ideas. You will first learn about the design movements below:

Art Deco Bauhaus Memphis De Stijl Art Deco was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939 (that first appeared in France just before World War), affecting , , and , graphic arts, Art Deco and film. Art Deco was decorative, this style was seen as elegant, functional, modern, with a strong use of geometric shapes. Key traits of Art Deco is the use of different geometric shapes that are often repeated. The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco style skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. At 1,046 feet, the structure was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. It is still the tallest brick building in the world, but has an internal steel skeleton. The Chrysler Building is a classic example of Art Deco architecture and considered by many contemporary architects to be one of the finest buildings in New York City. It was designed by architect William Van Alen.

The shape of the Chrysler Building was dictated by a 1916 law which meant that buildings had to be stepped back as they rose to allow sunlight and more air to reach the streets below. Because of this, instead building tall, bland, rectangular box-styled Towards the top of the building, sky scrapers, they were often you can see repeated triangles ‘stepped’ back and had an overall and semi circles. This is very shape of a triangle as shown different to the stepped squares beside. and rectangles below. TASK 1- THE CHRYSLER BUILDING- CASE STUDY 1. What is a ‘design movement’? 2. What style is ‘Art Deco’? 3. Where and when did Art Deco originate? 4. What are the key traits of the Art Deco style? 5. Where is the Chrysler Building located? 6. What overall shape is the Chrysler Building and why is this? 7. What shapes can be seen towards the top of the Chrysler Building? 8. How many different shapes can you see overall used in the Chrysler Building? 9. If you have access to the internet, choose a product / item / building with the Art Deco style. Try to answer the following questions: 1. What is it I.e. Lamp, building, chair? 2. What shapes are used? 3. Do you like it? 4. Do you think it looks modern, or old fashioned? Why is this? 10. You have been asked to redesign a coffee table (shown beside) in the style of Art Deco. Think about what shapes you will use and how you will include them. Bauhaus was a German design school from 1919 to 1933. Known for “” and “ornament is a crime.” Meaning the function was more important than decorative design features. Bauhaus Bold modern, geometric shapes. Bauhaus translates to “Construction House”. This is very different to Art Deco because Art Deco was about trying to make things look decorative, whereas, Bauhaus, was more about making thinks comfortable. The Wassily Chair was designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925-1926 while he was the head of the cabinet-making workshop at the Bauhaus in Germany.

Marcel Breuer (1902-1981), was interested in industrial materials and manufacturing techniques. The Wassily chair was inspired by a bicycle because of the lightness of the steel tubing. Breuer said he felt the bicycle (he rode an Adler) was a timeless piece of design, referring to its bent handlebars as “steel tubes like macaroni”.

Inspired by the bicycle frame, Breuer set out to create a design using steel tubing. “I realised the bending had to go further. It should only be bent, with no points of welding on it, so it could also be chromed in parts and put together.”

The first model was finished in 1924. The design was only possible because Mannesmann, a German steel manufacturer, had recently perfected the process of making seamless steel tubing. Before that, all steel tubing had a welded seam which collapsed as soon as it was bent. This made Breuer’s chair revolutionary.

The Wassily chair has been mass-produced since the late 1920s, and continuously in production since the 1950s. The design classic is still available today. Reproductions are produced around the world by other manufacturers, who market the product under different names. TASK 2- THE WASSILY CHAIR- CASE STUDY 1. What was the ‘Bauhaus’? 2. What does ‘Bauhaus’ translate to? 3. What did Bauhaus focus on and why was this different to Art Deco? 4. When was the Wassily Chair designed, and by whom? 5. What was Marcel Breuer interested in? 6. What was Marcel Breuer inspired by and why was this? 7. When was the first model of the Wassily Chair finished? 8. Why was the Wassily Chair revolutionary for it’s time? 9. What was the name of the German steel manufacturer that helped Breuer make his chair? 10. Can you still buy the chair today? If you have access to the internet, try to find the cheapest Wassily Chair and the most expensive. What is the difference in price and why do you think this is? Memphis is a design movement that began in 1981. While the name might make you think that it was born in Tennesse, it got its start in Milan, Italy. Ettore Sottsass founded the Memphis Group with other and architects. They took their name from a Bob Dylan song titled Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Memphis Blues Again which was played on repeat during their first meeting. The Memphis group created a series of highly influential products in the 1980s. The general thinking behind Memphis was that products do not have to follow conventional shapes, colours, textures and patterns. Typical features of the Memphis design include:

Bright, multi-colored objects with a Laminate and Terrazzo materials, which Squiggles, aka the Bacterio print, was rejection of typical shapes. Often, were usually found on floors, were designed by Sottsass in 1978. instead of chair legs being rectangular, incorporated into tables and lamps. they’d be circles or triangles

The Memphis Group made their debut at the 1981 Salone del Mobile of Milan, a renowned furniture fair. Although their style was attention grabbing, it was commercially rejected and instead attracted a cult following.

The Carlton bookshelf (shown beside) was a marvel of creative design with its angled shelves and use of bright colours. Most of the Memphis collection products were finished in brightly coloured laminates (thin layers of plastic / wood). Laminates were most commonly used at that time to protect kitchen furniture, but the group specifically chose this material because of its obvious ”lack of culture”. TASK 3- MEMPHIS AND THE CARLTON BOOKCASE - CASE STUDY

1. Where an when did the design style of Memphis start? 2. Who founded the Memphis Group and what did they take their name from? 3. What was the generic thinking behind the Memphis design style? 4. What three features are typically a sign of Memphis design? 5. Where did the Memphis Group make their debut? Was their style liked? 6. Why is the Carlton Bookcase typical of Memphis design? 7. What are laminates and what were they commonly used for at the time? 8. Redesign the 3 products below in the style of Memphis- remember to think about what features are usually seen in Memphis design.

Coffee table Dining chair TV unit De Stijl from the Dutch for "The Style" was a Dutch artistic movement, founded in 1917. They believed in abstraction by a reducing products to the essentials of form and colour — they simplified De Stijl products to vertical and horizontal lines, and used only primary colours along with black and white. The Red and Blue Chair is a chair designed in 1917 by Gerrit Rietveld. It represents one of the first explorations by the De Stijl art movement in three dimensions.

The original chair was constructed of unstained beech wood and was not painted until the early 1920s. A fellow member of De Stijl and architect (Bart Van der Leck), saw his original model and suggested that he add bright colours.He built the new model of thinner wood and painted it entirely black with areas of primary colours attributed to De Stijl movement.

The effect of this colour scheme made the chair seem to almost disappear against the black walls and floor of the Schroder House, where it was later placed.The areas of colour appeared to float, giving it an almost transparent structure. An original example is on display at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City.

Rietveld wanted his furniture to be mass-produced rather than handcrafted, so he This is a prime aimed to make simple product that could be easily made. Also, the pieces of wood example of that used in the Red Blue Chair are in the standard timber sizes that were readily Dutch artist, Piet available at the time, making it easy to buy materials to build them. Mondrian’s (1872-1944) Rietveld believed that there was a bigger goal for the furniture designer than just signature style physical comfort: the well-being and comfort of the spirit. Rietveld and his de Stijl that influenced colleagues wanted to create a perfect world which they believed could renew Europe the De Stijl after the devastating turmoil of World War I. They thought that new forms and movement. completely new products would help morale in the rebuilding of Europe. TASK 4- DE STIJL AND THE RED AND BLUE CHAIR- CASE STUDY

1. What does ‘De Stijl’ translate to? 2. Where and when was De Stijl founded? 3. What are the key features of the De Stijl style? 4. Who designed the Red and Blue Chair, and when was the first one made? 5. Who suggested that Gerrit Rietveld should paint the chair? 6. What effect did the colours have on the chair? 7. What did Rietveld do to make sure his could be mass produced? (there were two different things) 8. What else did Rietveld believe in, other than physical comfort? Why was this very important at the time? PHILIPPE STARCK

• He is a famous present-day French Designer. • He has worked with a number of design groups, including one called Alessi- An Italian design company designing chairs and kitchenware and are known for creating striking and iconic designs for everyday products. • Starck’s designs are typical of postmodernism and enjoys pushing the boundaries of design with unusual form and ideas.

 Starck’s most famous design was the Juicy Salif Lemon Squeezer, made from cast aluminium.  The design has been greatly criticised due to its unusual form and its controversial style.  It is thought that the form of the product has meant the sacrifice of function: the product looks striking but isn’t particularly efficient at getting juice from lemons. However, the product is widely sold today. COMPARING A £1 LEMON JUICER VS £50 JUICY SALIF

Beside is a comparison between a £1 juicer and Starck’s Juicy Salif. As you can see, the £1 juicer has an extra tray to catch pips and skin from the lemon when squeezed. The white part where the lemon is squeezed is quite sharp, this means it can squeeze a lot of juice out.

In comparison, the Juicy Salif doesn’t have any way to catch pips or skin, and the part when the lemon is placed is quite smooth, meaning it doesn’t cut into the lemon much, so not much juice is actually squeezed out.

Conclusion: • The £1 lemon juicerroduced more juice and the pips / skin was caught in the tray that can be removed, and cleaned separately. • The Salif produced some lemon juice, but there were pips / skin in it. Was tricky to hold whilst using due to the high centre of gravity. TASK 5- STARCK AND JUICY SALIF – CASE STUDY

1. Who is Philippe Starck and what design groups has he worked with? 2. What design style is Philippe Starck known for? 3. What is Starck’s most famous design and why was it criticised? 4. When comparing the Juicy Salif to a £1 lemon juicer, it turned out that the £1 lemon juicer worked the best. Explain two reasons why the £1 lemon juicer worked better than the £50 Juicey Salif. 5. Why do you think someone would buy the £50 Juicy Salif if it doesn’t work that well? Design task 1. Using notes and sketches, make two changes to the Juicy Salif that will make it work better. Think about the £1 Lemon juicer- why did this work better and how could you include these features in the Juicy Salif. NATURE IN DESIGN- BIOMIMICRY

‘Biomimicry’ means designs that have been inspired by nature. The Pyramids, skyscrapers and supersonic flight (despite the huge amount of involved), humans have demonstrated over past millennia, we are continually looking for new inspiration and ways to improve our designs. We will now look at some examples of how nature has inspired different products.

The inventor of Velcro (George de Mestral) was inspired after noticing how easy it was for burrs to stick to his dog’s Tiny hooks hair. When he looked at them under a found at the end microscope, he noticed the simple of the burr’s design of tiny hooks at the end of the spines. burr’s spines. These were able to catch anything with a loop, such as fur and fabric, and he went on to design his own version of this. His two-part velcro fastening system is made up of two parts:

1. A strip of loose nylon loops 2. A strip of tiny hooks. . The Bullet Train in Japan is the fastest train in the world reaching speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. This revolutionised travel in Japan, but there was one major problem- noise. Each time the train emerged from the tunnel, it caused a change in air pressure that caused thunder-like sounds that were a nuisance from a quarter of a mile away. The train’s chief engineer, a bird- watcher, had an idea: taking inspiration from the shape of a bird’s beak to make it more aerodynamic. The resulting design was based on the narrow profile of a kingfisher’s beak, resulting in a quieter train that also consumes 15% less electricity and goes 10% faster than before.

After it was redesigned Before it was redesigned The honey comb structure produced by bees has been used countless times in design. A bee has to eat eight pounds of honey to make a single pound of wax to safely store her honey and larvae in. This means that wax has to be used, with minimal waste. The ancient Greeks understood that a hexagonal honeycomb design makes the most storage possible with the least amount of material (see diagram beside showing different between the waste between circles and the waste between hexagons). This is why bees make hexagons, rather than any other shape. Architects and designers have been using this idea for a very long time. For A lot of Minimal example, the Sinosteel skyscraper in Tianjin, China uses honeycomb space windows that has hexagonal insulating glass so it can regulate heat, (waste) (waste) but still lets lots of light in (shown below). between between circles hexagons

This honey comb structure has also been used to inspire packaging. Paper honeycomb is a durable, lightweight, cheap and 100% recyclable packaging solution. Inspired by nature, the unique panels usually feature a honeycomb core plus two surface covering materials that sandwich it. The paper honeycomb panels have a wide variety of uses in the packaging industry. In June 2012, Bay South in Singapore, was opened for the visitors and they were amazed by the view of “super trees”. The biggest of the three gardens (with the total area of 54 hectares) is planted with giant hi-tech trees with the height of 25-50 meters. The super trees have obviously been inspired by living trees, but they feature several features that are very good for the environment. 1. Each of them has exotic plants growing up them and also contains solar panels. The energy of 11 trees is enough to illuminate all the buildings in this part of the embankment and give multicoloured lights at for the “Garden Rhapsody” night show. 2. On the trunks and in small greenhouses inside grown are about 163,000 of plants of 200 species, most of which are multicoloured moss species, orchids and tropical flowers that are watered using the energy of the “super trees”. 3. The super trees can collect rainwater that is used to water the gardens and can also be used in the fountains within the garden. Recently it has become the top trend in modern architecture to design new hi- tech projects, which would provide themselves with energy for 100%. TASK 6- BIOMIMICRY

1. What is Biomimicry? 2. What was the inventor of Velcro inspired by? 3. How does Velcro work? 4. What was the initial problem with the bullet train in Japan? 5. How was it redesigned to fix this problem? What ‘natural’ feature was used for inspiration? 6. Why do bees make hexagons rather than any other shape? 7. How has the honey comb structure been used in architecture (building) 8. What are the advantages of using paper honey comb in packaging? 9. Explain 3 features of the super tree in Japan that make them unique. MODELLING

When designing and developing products, ‘modelling’ is a key method used to help identify good points and thing that could be improved. It also allows the designer to see what the product would look like in the ‘real world’. Every designer will spend a long time modelling. Dyson, now a household name is famous for cutting edge technology, innovation and designing high-end products. This Journey of started in 1971 when he discovered a number of problems with the conventional wheelbarrow he was using while renovating his property. He found that the wheel sank into the mud, was unstable and was prone to punctures; the steel body caused damage to paint work and became covered with dried cement. These problems got Dyson thinking about improvements, and by 1974 Dyson had a fibreglass prototype of a barrow with a ball instead of a wheel. The Ballbarrow was born. Even today, with all of his design experience and millions of pounds available, Dyson still creates countless models when developing products. They will usually start modelling using cardboard as it is cheap, easy to work with and models can be created very quickly. MODELLING MATERIALS

As with cardboard, most modelling materials are cheap, easy to work with which means models can be created quickly. This then allows the design to identify good points and things that need to be changed / improved. You need to know about 4 different types of modelling materials: Corrugated card Balsa Corrugated card is quite thick and relatively Balsa wood is a traditional model making material. strong. It is used for the manufacture of initial / Although classified as a hardwood, it is very soft and rough models, as it can be cut and shaped easily easy to cut and shape. However, it is easily broken or and is relatively cheap. It can be salvaged from snapped and therefore great care is needed when cardboard boxes and sellotaped together to form cutting and shaping. models It can be painted with water based paints and even varnished. Styrofoam Foam core board Styrofoam is an excellent model making material. It is Foam boards are lightweight and easy to cut and shape. It is very light and easy to cut and shape, using a hot wire ideal for model making, although foam board can be cutter. It can also be shaped with hand tools and files. It relatively expensive. can be painted using water based paints (emulsion Foam board is structured with a foam core centre and paints) giving a really good finish. thick card applied to either surface. Using styrofoam requires patience, as it can ‘crumble’ at It can be cut and shaped easily, using hand tools and light the edges if care is not taken equipment such as fretsaws. TASK 7- MODELLING

1. Why is modelling important when designing and developing products? 2. What product did James Dyson originally redesign and why did he do this? 3. Why do Dyson still model ideas out of cardboard? 4. Why is cardboard used for modelling ideas and what type of models is it used for? 5. What is balsa wood and what are it’s properties? I.e. Soft, strong, hard, weak 6. What is a disadvantage of balsa wood? 7. What type of finish can be applied to balsa wood? 8. What is Styrofoam and what are it’s properties I.e. Soft, strong, hard, weak 9. How is Styrofoam shaped? 10. What types of paint can be applied to Styrofoam? 11. What is a disadvantage of using Styrofoam? 12. What is foam board and what are it’s properties? I.e. Soft, strong, weak, hard 13. What is the structure of foam board? 14. How cam foam board be cut and shaped?