111-107 Design and Art in the Twentieth Century

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Subject Description:

This subject investigates design in the 20th century, considered in relation to both avant-garde and mass culture. The course is ordered chronologically, running from Paris in 1900 to contemporary postmodern design. A core curriculum of movements in design (Art Nouveau, de Stijl, Pop design etc.) is accompanied by classes on painting (Cubism, Pop art) and architecture (international Style, Postmodern classicism) on the one hand, the mass culture areas of fashion, appliance, and automotive design on the other. The role of design in film and on the stage will be considered in the context of the earlier 20th century. Issues of social identity and consumption will be stressed, as will questions of industrialisation and the circulation of design ideas in disparate contexts. Students will be introduced to the history of design theory as well as cultural studies approaches to reading designed commodities in an everyday setting.

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