Arts, Fashion and Design - Essay Example

Arts, Fashion and Design Introduction Art, fashion and design has played an important role in society for centuries as society and people seek to not only communicate but also express (Lewis & Lewis, 2008). It is difficult to contemplate a world without arts, fashion and design because this could mean people still wearing the same kind of clothes, listening to the same type of music, reading the same type of poems and literature over and over again through time and space and more importantly it would mean people would be unable to fully utilize their sense to see, hear, move, touch, feel and create. Presently, art, fashion and design influence the age, time and culture of people (Fichner-Rathus, 2011). Despite the significant role that the art, fashion and design play in today’s living, debate still rages on about what true art, fashion and good design is. This forms the basis of this argumentative essay that seeks to debate Wouter Stokkel’s quote, ‘It’s art if it can’t be explained. It’s fashion if no one asks for an explanation. It’s design if it doesn’t need explanation.’ It’s art if it can’t be explained. Its fashion if no one asks for an explanation. It’s design if it doesn’t need explanation This essay agrees with Stokkel’s sentiments that real art cannot be explained, real fashion attracts little or no questions and good design does not need explaining. Art primarily has no definite definition since art despite the common features, means different things to different people and therefore, it would make no sense for an artist to create an art and make it in such a way that everyone young and old, traditional and modern, religious and atheist, literate or non-literate understand it (Tagen, 1983). An art should speak, touch and move the beholder in a unique and special way in that it stimulates feelings, emotions, attitudes, moods, ideas and thoughts that one cannot easily put in words, in a bid to explain it. Simply put, an art cannot be explained and defined using words or phrases (O’Nolan, 2012). This is because, an art is a language of its own and using words, phrases and terms to explain it, is binding art under the rules of a different language, which has the potential to generate a different meaning than the intended one (Tagen, 1983). The reason real art can’t be explained is because there is not only huge diversity of art but also different people over time, place and space perceive, interpret and appreciate art differently. Expecting real art to be explainable is like expecting an artist to explain their desire, dreams, illusions, visions, needs, desperation, hope and their perception of beauty, ugliness, distastefulness, greed, injustice, calm and harmony in words or language that everyone could understand regardless of who, where, when and how they are, which is impossible. Art is an attempt by the artist to express and display all these emotions and feelings without actually saying it (Fichner-Rathus, 2011). An expression of self is what art is, where the artists seeks to create what they feel and not seeking to define or explain it as noted by Smith & GSP. (2011). In regards to design, It’s design if it doesn’t need explanation. A good design should speak for itself (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). That is, it must be unique and rare enough to not only attract the attention of the beholder but also hold their attention not for a while, but compels the beholder to mull over, it, look at it, admire it and think about and more importantly, be easy for the beholder to use. Unlike art which cannot be explained owing to its complexity, a design is worth and considered effective and efficient when it does not need explanation owing to its simplicity in understanding it and using it (Tagen, 1983). For instance, it can be downright frustrating for one to enter a five star, tropical beach hotel to relax and after a while in the washroom, one realizes they cannot flush the toilet because they do not know how to and also they cannot get out of the washroom because they do not know how to open the washroom door. The design of the washroom is that the toilet flushes when the washroom door is opened and closed and the door knob opens by slightly squeezing the door knob and lifting it. Such a design although unique, require instructions written everywhere within the washroom instructing users on how to flush the toilet and open the door, which makes a simple task of flushing the toilet and opening a door seem so difficult and technical when it is not. When a design requires a manual guide or instructions for use, it should alert the designer that may be the design is poor, user-unfriendly and inefficient in carrying out the expected functions, hence, requiring design adjustments. In line with the above example is the need for design to not only allow the product to be easily understood but also ensure, the design does not overshadow the essentials of the product. This means a design which is simple, intuitive and it self explains the use and structure of the product (Marks, 2009). A design that makes the audience seek clarifications or it compels the designer to explain it, makes the audience feels inadequate. In addition, design that does need explanation is those that more often than not, make the product seem more technical, valuable and innovative than they actually are. Less in designing is more because it will mean simplicity hence, ease in use (Fichner-Rathus, 2011). Design plays a different role from art. Unlike art that originates from the opinion, feeling or a perspective of an artist and it is created with the aim to share these opinions, feelings or perspectives with others in order to develop a connection between the artist and their audience as they relate, learn and get inspired by the art, a design is founded on an image or idea and it is created with the aim of communicating to the audience something which is in existence, for a purpose that is more often than not, to motivate people to take an action (O’Nolan, 2012). For this reason, unlike art which can’t be explained since it offers different messages and meanings to different people, a design becomes a design when it does not need explaining since it conveys the same message to different people. According to Marks, (2009), a good design is defined as such when the intended user or audience over time and place understands it and the audience as a response, act as the design intended. It’s art if it can’t be explained and It’s design if it doesn’t need explanation rings true in relation to the ways the messages of art and design are interpreted by the intended audiences. It is often said, real art is interpreted and successful design is understood (O’Nolan, 2012). As argued earlier, real art can’t be explained because varied people have different interpretation of the art as a result of the varied ways they connect to the art. For example, the smiling Mona Lisa by Da Vinci can’t be explained definitively since there are those such as the Romantics who link her smile with her being in love while others such as scientists who argue that she is not smiling but it is an illusion made by the viewer’s peripheral vision among many interpretations. All of these interpretations are not wrong. Nevertheless, for a design, it does not need interpretation and instead, it must at all times convey a message and motivate its audience to act as per the message. When a design motivates an audience to act in contrast to what the designer intended, it is no longer a good design since it necessitates the designer to explain the design for the audience to understand it. This is because, a design should communicate the precise message the designer intended and the audience should understand it as such without requiring any explanation to understand it (Marks, 2009). On the other hand, Its fashion if no one asks for an explanation. This is particularly true when one looks at fashion trends and fashion fads. More often than not, what is considered fashion and in style, is taken as such with no one asking for an explanation. The statement is indicative of the tendency for people to embrace what they consider popular within their culture without seeking to find out the reasons, basis and aims of the fashion. For instance, there is a present fashion trend among young girls and ladies to cut their hair in ‘Mohawk’ style. Every one of them is so caught up in the fashion craze that no one asks the significance of the hair style, its meaning, its history and more importantly, who is the ideal person to wear such a hairstyle. In most cases, people use fashion as art to express their self and they use it for self-identification as echoed by Barnard (2002). Conclusion As argued, the essay supports Wouter Stokkel’s quote, ‘It’s art if it can’t be explained. It’s fashion if no one asks for an explanation. It’s design if it doesn’t need explanation.’ Be it as it may, there are times and places when the quote does not apply and the vice versa is true. An art can still remain true art even when it can be explained for instance in abstract art, where an artist’s art of expression need explaining for the audience to understand. Moreover, a design may be so new, unique and innovative that it requires explanation and for fashion, the audience may ask for an explanation in order to understand it and embrace it. References Barnard, M. 2002, Fashion as Communication. Upper River Saddle: Routledge. Fichner-Rathus, L. 2011, Foundations of Art and Design. Sidney: Cengage Learning. Lewis, R., & Lewis, S.L. 2008, The Power of Art. Sidney: Cengage Learning. Marks, T. 2009, Good Design: Deconstructing Form and Function and What Makes Good Design Work. London: Rockport Publishers. O’Nolan, J. 2012, The Difference Between Art and Design. Accessed on 25th Sept 2012 from http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/09/the-difference-between-art-and-design/ Smith, G., & GSP. 2011, The Art of Adornment: Design - Fashion – Art. London: Gibbs Smith. Tagen, S.TW. 1983, Can Art be Defined? Colorado: University of Colorado, Boulder. Wiggins, G.P., & McTighe, J. 2005, Understanding By Design. New York: ASCD. Read More