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AND YET, I STILL WANT IT

What makes a chair a desirable object? Its functionality as a place to sit? The status it may bring an individual if it were a designer piece or one of a kind? Or, the aesthetic pleasure it provides the individual? Indeed, all of these are valid sources of desire and can be applied to any designed object. In stripping the chair of its desirability as a functional piece of furniture, I seek to expose other aspects of desire and the effect these have on our relationship with art and design. 

Perhaps the object which has been the source of much passion, and a challenge to all luminary designers of the last century, is the chair. Each seeking to make their design more ergonomic than the last, more materially advanced and more conceptually provocative. I considered the function of a chair in essence; being an object of design utilised by all on a daily basis. By adding to the chair the element of physical discomfort, through the addition of patterned nails, one is forced to question the basis of any desire for the chair. The forms the nails take appear as a growth, something which was not present in the chair’s original production but has appeared over time. 

By making the object inaccessible to the user it becomes an object for viewing. The utilitarian understanding of desire as characterised by John Stuart Mill identifies the act of desiring to be a fulfilment of desire in itself. We do not necessarily need to possess the object of our desires, only to meditate on whatever it might be, experiencing joy in a detached regard for it. 

When one is forced to view the chair as a dysfunctional object, its existence as an object of design is thrust into question. Just as Duchamp’s urinal re-contextualised and repurposed an everyday object, the destruction of the chair’s functionality pushes the piece into the realms of art. Were the chair to be placed in a gallery it would not go be out of place, nor would it be sat on. It has become a work of art, an object of desire in itself but in opposition to the functional desire as promoted by theoreticians such as Giles Deleuze and Guattari. 

In considering Deleuze’s theory of desire as a productive force, my piece seeks to break the ‘desire-machine’. It recalls the object back to a time of design for decoration’s sake, a desire for the aesthetic form above the functional. This is by no means a promotion of one over the other but a means to force the viewer to consider the root of their desires for an object. 

Throughout my experimentation I have challenged the materiality of our desires, the focus which we place on the objects themselves. I use the example of gold, historically the root of many an individual’s desire and in some cases their downfall. A desire for gold is based purely on the wealth attached to it, given the rarity of the substance. Its value lies in its availability, more so than any practical application it might have. Particularly in my own life, being involved in the jewellery industry for some time, I have become acutely aware of the importance placed on this substance. Just as the function of the chair is called into dispute by the disturbance of the seat, I endeavoured to do the same with the substance of gold by painting a series of jewellery pieces black. The value of the objects has not changed but, by covering the gold, their very function as adornment has been disturbed.  

Desire drives design, but the root of our desires is multi-faceted and can be called into question by the slightest of alterations.  By destroying the purpose of a chair as ‘a chair’ it is not made any less desirable. In fact, the chair as a work of art, depending on various factors, could make it more valuable to many. In defying the function of a chair I have laid bare its form and forced the viewer to question what makes us want.

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Bibliography

Bamford, Kiff, Desire, Absence and Art in Deleuze and Lyotard, Parhessia (no.16, 2013) pgs 48-60

Deleuze, G, Guattari, F, Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia, 1983 (University of Minnesota Press, Minnesota)

Gilles Deleuze: D for Desire, video, sourced from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrZdOZzr4as, accesed 10 August 2014

Kamprani, Katerina, A series of Uncomfortable Products , sourced  http://www.interiorsigndesign.com/home-decor-ideas/undesirable-design-and-style-gone-good-hilariously-uncomfortable-products/ 

Munari, Bruno, Design as Art, Chapter; And Thats Not All..., 1966 (Penguin Group, London)

Stuart-Mill, J, Utilitarianism, 1863, sourced http://utilitarianism.com/mill4.htm

Writings and works of Dan Tangue, http://dantaguestudio.com 

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Final Work.

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Process.

Began by trying to stick the needles down with superglue to create a more permanent design but found it completely impractical/impossible. Plastic would take too long to dry to metal and holding 100 needs for 5 minutes each would have been physically exhausting. Opted for use of blue tak. Far more temporal but I felt it did not implicate the work in any way.

I also found the legs of the chair would not photograph well and so I taped them with white plumbers tape. Doing so left only the basic form of the chair, taking away the complications of texture and colour which were unimportant in an exploration of the function of a chair.

Note: Needles are not fun to work with and do not like standing up.

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Iteration.

Gold painted black.

I originally thought this would be part of my final work. I considered my personal desires and what I value in regards to material possession. Jewellery immediately came to mind, particularly gold. I then considered the historical and cultural weight of a substance such as gold. By covering the colour of it, that which gives makes it desirable as an object of adornment, I wished to question its desirabilty in essence. It is no less valuable as an exchangeable commodity, yet it has lost its appeal on all other levels. It is a kind of anti-alchemy. Through the simple addition of black paint I have immediately altered its desirability.  

Time did not permit but it would be interesting to see what happened if the pieces were left in a public space. Whether people would take them. And perhaps carry out the same experiment with the pieces in their original form (as exposed gold). 

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Works by Dan Tague.

With a political message in mind Tague re-contextualises currency for a new purpose. It is no longer desirable as an exchangeable commodity but has been infused with new meaning as a work of art, or rather 'propaganda'. He folds the money in such a way that a new message is born of the original text. 

"The many nuances associated with the dollar bill serve as an unrelenting source of inspiration for me as I fold the monetary engravings obsessively to reveal messages. These manipulated promissory notes take on new meanings as the messages are realized in the ready-made light of the U.S. currency. At the very core of this monetary narrative is the tug-of-war between politics and the pursuit of happiness. I address several of these very issues that are important to all of us: labor, civil rights, morality, conflict, and most importantly love."

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Process.

Painting gold black. Interestingly painless experience though when I told people what I had done, namely women, they immediatly replied "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"

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What do I desire?

I considered the material objects that I myself desire. I immediately thought of my collection of antique jewellery, particularly the gold items. I considered why I find them desirable. I love the colour of gold, I love the stories attached to these items, their sentimentality, and, I love the workmanship in them. I then posed the question, how can I make them undesirable?

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Iteration 1.

Do you still find me desirable?

It may seem simple but by challenging the users idea of the chair's function, an object to sit on, have I made it less desirable? 

The cross presents a boundary to the user. Instead of going to immediately use the chair without thought, they are forced to make a decision. Whether to abide to or ignore the boundary its design has presented. Is the chair still desirable as a functional object when one is made to feel discomfort before sitting on it? On the other hand some might find the element of 'rule-breaking' desirable in itself.

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An object of desire.

Here is a simple chair. A design derivative of the work of Charles and Ray Eames. The chair is an object of desire.  Trendy people want it in their house, Matt Blatt sells it, Swedish designers are even copying it, as I write this, to patent for Ikea. 

My goal is to strip this object of its desirability. 

First we must understand what makes it desirable. 

It is desirable as a functional object. A comfortable piece of seating apparatus. Its ergonomic design and clean lines are inviting for the user. 

It is desirable as an object of status. By describing it as "designer" and attaching an associating with canonical works such as that of Charles and Ray Eames the chair is given new layers of 'value'. 

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"The only proof capable of being given that an object is visible, is that people actually see it. The only proof that a sound is audible, is that people hear it: and so of the other sources of our experience. In like manner, I apprehend, the sole evidence it is possible to produce that anything is desirable, is that people do actually desire it. If the end which the utilitarian doctrine proposes to itself were not, in theory and in practice, acknowledged to be an end, nothing could ever convince any person that it was so. No reason can be given why the general happiness is desirable, except that each person, so far as he believes it to be attainable, desires his own happiness."

- John Stuart Mill (Utilitarianism, 1863)

Mill suggests that happiness is an end to all desire. Anything which we desire is only an answer to our search for ultimate happiness. He also suggests that we do not necessarily need to meet our desires to be happy; that happiness can be found simply through the thought of our desires.

I do not need to own the car I desire. I can be happy just by thinking about the car, by focusing on my desire and meditating on my future happiness. 

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Objects of Desire

Not knowing quite where to begin I looked within my own home environment to find objects that I and those I live with consider 'desirable'.

What is it that makes these things desirable? Is it their practicality of use in everyday life? Is it their monetary value or the status associated with their acquisition? Or is it a not so easily described emotional attachment? Such as the plate one's grandma may have bought for them when they were young. 

All of these things are 'designed' objects, even the artwork. Things which were created for a purpose, with a particular approach to their aesthetics and with the needs or desires of the user/viewer in mind.

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A series of 'uncomfortable products' by designer Katerina Kamprani 

It is interesting how emotionally stirring these products are. They are examples of 'undesirable' design and cause the viewer, or user, to feel quite uncomfortable, even disturbed.

Read more http://www.interiorsigndesign.com/home-decor-ideas/undesirable-design-and-style-gone-good-hilariously-uncomfortable-products/

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Undesirable Design.

Looking at the idea of undesirable design. What makes design desirable and what happens when the desirable elements of design are stripped away? For example, the seat of a chair. Is it still a chair at all without a functional seat?

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What is desirable design?

Dieter Rams: ten principles for good design

Rams introduced the idea of sustainable development and of obsolescence being a crime in design in the 1970s. Accordingly he asked himself the question: is my design good design? The answer formed his now celebrated ten principles.

Good design:

Is innovative - The possibilities for progression are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for original designs. But imaginative design always develops in tandem with improving technology, and can never be an end in itself.

Makes a product useful - A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic criteria. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could detract from it.

Is aesthetic - The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being. Only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

Makes a product understandable - It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user's intuition. At best, it is self-explanatory.

Is unobtrusive - Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user's self-expression.

Is honest - It does not make a product appear more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

Is long-lasting - It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today's throwaway society.

Is thorough down to the last detail - Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.

Is environmentally friendly - Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

Is as little design as possible - Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.

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final poster design.

In this final design I chose the quote, "we work because it's a chain reaction, each subject leads to the next", as it summarises in its simplest form the relationship between 'desire' and the design/art practices. The 'desiring-machine' drives design and is, in turn, affected by these material realisations. 

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idea for final poster.

Not sure if the Q & A part really conveys the concept clearly. It may just confuse the viewer.