Short Essay On Eileen Gray

Modernisation allowed for new trends and styles to be created that no longer payed such homage to the past and tradition, but rather moved forward in obvious progress and difference. This is one of Edgar Kaufmann Jr.’s design principals from his catalogue titled ‘What is Modern Design’, that principal being Modern design should express the spirit of our times. (Kaufmann, 1950)

After her initial award, this then led Gray to find a directing role within the store Habitat, where she leant how the global retail world works and operates. After several years, she left her job in pursue of her passion, starting her own eponymous studio in 2008. Collaboration with other businesses soon became the main focus of Gray’s work, as she designed best-selling collections and high-profile pieces, only seen in some of the world’s most luxury stores, including Lane Crawford, Liberty and Harrods. Gray has also held an exhibition in London by the name of “Inside Design”. The exhibition mainly focused on her recent work in natural materials and resources. It allowed visitors an insight into Gray’s approach to her craft, breaking down the work and motivation that goes into her designs. More recently, Gray has received a new award of “Best British Designer” for 2013/2014, as well as appearing in countless articles of magazines, ranging from the Daily Telegraph to Alto, a luxury design

Question 1. Choose an architect or practice whose work is covered by or relevant to this course and discuss critically one or more of their design projects or drawings or urban proposals as precedent case-studies. Selectively situate this work in relation to their body of work, and against the practices and concerns of the period. Focus on the architectural qualities of a specific key aspect of the design of the projects. Selectively consider how they might relate to the historical situation, cultural values, theoretical concerns and design practices of the time. This may involve a selective analysis of compositional design practices, material fabrication production and the experiential reception of built outcomes of the projects.

In 1889 Dorothy Draper was born to a wealthy and privileged family, during one of the most exclusive communities in the American history. Dorothy Draper was the first to professionalize the interior design and in 1923 established the first interior design company in the united states. During this time, it was unheard of, and also at this time it was considered daring for woman to go in the business. Carleton Varney wrote in his biography of his mentor. The Draper touch, was her way of revolutionized from breaking away from the historical term “period room” styles that dominated her work predecessors and contemporaries.

Designing and decorating a room is giving it a sense of purpose and personality. In the sixties, this became about capitalising on the influence of the Space Race, which right from its ‘infancy’ was having an observable impact on culture and art. It brought with it a growing appetite for what was considered to be the cutting edge of technological and human advancement. It is agreed that it was in the architectural landscape of the West’s cities that this shift was most noticeable. They were updated with ‘upswept winglike roofs, domes, satellite shapes and starbursts that became the dominant visual language of motels, diners and gasoline stations’. It is for this reason that Colombo’s apartments were as contained as spacecraft and I feel contextualises something of the general climate that lead to the chrome dipped Factory itself being a rather futuristic ‘spillover from the silvery streamlining of the space program’. For Warhol, for whom the now was paramount, working from somewhere that so greatly embraced innovation would have been integral. (Kennedy, 2007)

Last week I visited the George Caleb Bingham Gallery to see an artist’s work. Her name was Mary Margaret Sandbothe and her collection of art was at the MFA Thesis Exhibition. Now, I am not one for looking at art and being able to interpret it easily, but when I arrived to see her work I was pleasantly surprised. I was in awe of artwork at first glance.

In this research paper I will be taking a look at two prestigious art and design schools. Each of these schools is world renowned and highly ranked, and has many famous alumni. I will also feature some of the famous artists and designers that have graduated from the schools over the years. The two schools are The Pratt Institute in New York, and The Royal College of Art or RCA in London, England.

Alison studied interior design at the University of Technology in Sydney. Here she learned the skills needed to design interiors for offices, cafes, and public buildings. After graduating from university, Alison was looking for a way to use her skills and qualifications in a more meaningful way. She also trained in exhibition and furniture design.

Kyle Cooper is one of the most prominent and influential designers of both the 20th and 21 centuries. As Jon M. Gibson says, his title sequences have, “…brought attention to an art form that has long been considered an afterthought…”. With more than 150 title sequences, five Emmy nominations, the Title of Honorary Royal Designer and the winner of the AIGA medal in 2014, it’s not hard to see why this statement is veridic.

On his book on Modern Architecture, Curtis writes that modern architecture was faulted for it’s “supposed lack of ‘recognizable imagery’” towards the end of the 1970s. This statement supports the idea of Jencks’ double coding where architects must now make

Different architects have different styles because they are trying to get at different things. Architecture is not just about making something beautiful anymore, it is about trying to get across a set of ideas about how we inhabit space. Two of the most famous architects of the twentieth century, one from each side, the early part and the later part up until today each designed a museum with money donated by the Guggenheim foundation. One of these is in New York City, it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The other is in bilbao, Spain, and it was designed by Frank Geary. My purpose of this paper is to interrogate each of these buildings, glorious for different reasons, to show how each architect was expressing their own style.

Meredith Davis’s book “Graphic Design Theory” was published in September 2012 by Thames & Hudson. This book blends a study of historical thinking of design with contemporary / modern approach to it. It also suggests students to critically analyse their work and asks them to adopt the design theories to embellish their practical design work as it will help them construct better work. This book also helps in understanding the consumers and the history of Graphic Design and also talks about a range of theories and introduces a collection of concepts and sources for future use and reference. In this book, Meredith Davis talks about the relationship of visual representation to the contexts of design. It talks about focusing on the broad and long term aftereffects of design and not to design only for the moment and responding to prompt needs.

“Design is for living”. The adage fashioned a widespread shift in design during the 1940s and 1950s. It revolutionized the form by creating an electrifying visual language that signaled a new age and a fresh start- two of the powerhouses were Charles and Ray Eames. The Eameses were a husband and wife team whose unique synergy led to a whole new expression in furniture and architecture. The couple advocated the principles of Modernism through the adaptation of innova¬tion from wartime technology .Their design style can be branded as “California Modernism,” a term that is often used interchangeably with “Mid-Century Modernism.” This distinct style embodied an approach to design that opposed the “social conscience” of the Bauhaus in order to embrace looser, warmer design which was both more expressive of local character and in touch with the realities of commerce and salesmanship. With the west-coast coming-of-age, economy shift from making goods to producing information and the global expansion of American culture; their lives and work embodied some of America’s defining movements. They contributed to architecture, film, industrial and graphic design. They were known as pioneers of affordable mass production and residential constructions. The evolution from furniture designers to cultural ambassadors validated their bents and overlaps with country’s interest and projected how design can enhance the lives and practical needs of ordinary people and not just the elite.

The Bauhaus school was founded in 1919 in Weimar by German architect Walter Gropius (1883 - 1969). In 1923, Walter Gropius introduced the agreement between “creative artists and the industrial world”. The Bauhaus is most famous for the idea of combining forms and functions. They combined both fine arts and design elements to create a curriculum that trained artists and designers to be capable of producing both functional and aesthetic work. One of the main goals was to bring design and technology together. During the Bauhaus period, Fine art and craft were combined together and aimed toward problem solving for an innovative, modern and industrial society. Nowadays, the Bauhaus legacy continues in modern designs, such as minimalism, or design brands like IKEA. In this essay, I will analyze Bauhaus’s influence on modern design, including architecture and furniture design by exploring different examples from different periods of time.

Further more, Eileen Gray proposed four problems that the great architects of the time, like Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mies van der Rohe all thought about, but did not incorporate them into there work. Eileen proposed the problem of the windows. There were three types that the three had come up with, but all of them were similar, unlike hers. The problem of shutters, they never used any. The problem of independence and privacy. They all believed in free flowing open spaces, but Eileen incorporated room, that were private and independent, and gave the plan a free open space. The final problem that came into play was the idea of an open access kitchen, but with out the odour spreading into the house. All these problems were looked at closely when Eileen Gray built the E-1027 house. The problems also made the other architects to think and plan their buildings and incorporate these ideas.