Courses
VART3425 Transcultural Designs: Global Theories and Local Practices (3 units)
- Medium of Instruction:
- English
This course focuses on key terms, concepts and case studies in the history of object and image design as defined by global theories and local practices. Students consider how modern design emerged as a recognized field, evaluate the problem solving techniques of designers and craftsmen from various eras and world cultures and place them in relation to the evolving visual and material characteristics of contemporary creations.
The course familiarizes students with pivotal moments in design history, key theories and major technological innovations. Focused studies reach from the transcultural designs of early modern objects discovered in the Eurasian Steppe to twentieth-century artifacts crafted by members of the Vienna Secession, from eighteenth-century furniture to contemporary industrial designs. The course introduces historic and contemporary objects not only as products of their makers, ranging from collectives of unidentified craftsmen to ground-breaking individuals, but also in relation to commercial and non-commercial contexts of distribution, collection, consumption and display. Students are trained to critically reflect on design through discussions on the roles of images and objects in daily life as opposed to the canonization of selected pieces in artistic contexts, academic scholarship and public museum displays.
Students examine the historical and social impact of design in a global context and through the analysis of local practices, and see the diverse ways in which designers have communicated and disseminated knowledge through material and visual culture.