Interpreting Futurism and Modernism as Catalysts

“It is important to find comfort in the past only so long as it might expand insight into the future…” -Dan Friedman

Through their various courses of study, students in the Master of Arts in Strategic Design program develop their understanding of the relationship between design history and design criticism. Ultimately, the understanding of this relationship acts as a catalyst that helps them form a base on which to build their own design futures.

The following two student projects mirror a revivalism for interpretation of manifestos born from the personal ethos of designers within the Japanese Modernism and Futurism movements and how they expressed their perception of the world in which they lived.

From the MASD syllabus:

“Each is a narrative, a story of history. Each represents a specific characteristic of attitudes and taste. These periods further represent and express a‘philosophy of lives’ occurring during a time of a disorderly, often tumultuous twentieth century and forward. It is these times that shaped the shifting currents and concepts of our modern world. The celebration of the designs will become a tribute to the seminal thinking and beliefs construed from their origin and offer a metaphor for understanding that these periods in history transformed our societies and the world we live in today.”

“Each student becomes a participant. It is fitting to offer opportunities for students to explore a critical relationship which might provide a platform for future design practice. Young designers need to understand a sense of their work in relation to history, particularly by a knowledge of facts, trends, and sequences of the developments that have occurred through visual communications, design, and technology. Criticism raises questions concerning cultural, functional, and aesthetic values.”

Futurism by Mira Carroll

“Futurism’s formal beginning took place in Italy in 1909. It was first launched when Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, an Italian poet, published the Manifesto of Futurism in Le Figaro, a French newspaper. This social and artistic movement champions speed, mechanization, dynamism, technology, and youthfulness. These are the elements I chose to highlight in my video. “

“New transportation technologies such as the car and plane were also key features of this movement, which were militaristic by nature. Founder Marinetti was tired of the old and wanted a movement that was fresh, strong, and bold. Notoriously extending beyond the confines of a simple art movement, Futurism was embedded in the sociopolitical fabric of Italy. The Futurist Political Party was founded in 1918 by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, the Father of Futurism. The party had an anti-monarchy, left-wing agenda that interestingly supported suffrage for women, equal wages for both women and men, and workers’ right to strike and unionize. Futurism as an art and social movement was key in shaping modern art movements that followed and shares an interesting story of European and global politics in the early 20th century.”

Japanese Modernism by Maura Dupree

I chose to focus on the abstract concept of identity, which was something Japan was struggling with during this time after their terrible defeat during WWII. I printed out masks of people from posters created by Japanese designers and “tried them on” as a reference to so many people interpreting what Japan was during this period.

The song that I’m dancing to is called “Cruel Angel’s Thesis” which is the intro of an anime called Neon Genesis Evangelion. Japanese Postmodernism is highly focused on pop culture, and this anime is extremely popular worldwide for its commentary on the genre of anime and the state of Japan itself. This show to me mirrors the struggles Japan was facing, so I loved dancing to it interpretively. I also edited this video, with found 8mm footage which played behind me while I danced, which shows the passing of time in Japan since the war. People describe this design movement as explosive, which is why I chose to loudly drum on the floor with some wooden spoons from my kitchen. To grab people’s attention, and wake them up. I wanted this to be an explosion of all the senses, and to really immerse people in the movement.