Form Follows Function
An exploration of Modernism and Post Modernism 24th April 2013 Issue 1
Contents 04
Photography Influenced by Michael Betts
06
Photography by L谩szl贸 Moholy-Nagy
08
Manifesto by Georgia Stubbs
10
Book Review on Bauhaus 1919-1933
12
Typeface Influenced by Wassily
Wassilyevich Kandinsky
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Inf l ue nced by Mich ael Betts
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Form follows function is a principle associated with modern architecture and industrial design in the 20th century. The principle is that the shape of a building or object should be primarily based upon its intended function or purpose. Michael Betts is an extremely contemporary photography, shooting modern buildings at abstract albums. As a fan of his for some time now, I decided to go out and shoot some photographs influenced by him.
wanted to be using, which were camera height and pattern. Although I was in fact shooting modern architecture, I wasn’t shooting whole buildings. I shot the most unique part of the buildings I could find, creating the abstractness.
and camera angles, keeping them aesthetically pleasing.
I thoroughly enjoyed shooting a set of photographs influenced by him, showing modern architecture in it’s most abstract form today. I especially enjoyed the freedom to explore a lot In order for my images to stay of areas. abstract to the viewers eye, I shot clear skies with no clouds. One rule I had in these shots were to keep the sky blue, as I didn’t want to create overly edited, fake looking photographs. I kept the sky, which in most photographs is used for negative space, bright and bold.
Betts explores abstract images through unusual buildings and negative space. Whilst taking the photographs, I always kept in mind Throughout my photographs, there’s the compositional techniques I dynamic lines, patterns, highlights
Abstract photgrams by László Moholy-Nagy
“ It is not the person ignorant of writing but
the one ignorant of photography who will be the illiterate of the future.
Moholy-Nagy was born in Bácsborsód to a JewishHungarian family. He was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.
he became proficient and innovative in the fields of photography, typography, sculpture, painting, printmaking, and industrial design. One of his main focuses was photography. He coined the term “the New Vision” for his belief that photography could create a whole new way of seeing the outside world that the human eye could not. His theory of In 1923, Moholy-Nagy began as an instructor art and teaching is summed up in the book The at the foundation course at the Bauhaus. This New Vision, from Material to Architecture. He effectively marked the end of the school’s experimented with the photographic process of expressionistic leanings and moved it closer exposing light sensitive paper with objects overlain towards its original aims as a school of design on top of it, called photogram. While studying at and industrial integration. The Bauhaus became the Bauhaus, Moholy’s teaching in diverse media known for the versatility of its artists, and Moholy- — including painting, sculpture, photography, Nagy was no exception. Throughout his career, photomontage and metal.
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Travel. I urge you to travel when you can. Visit that place you’ve always wanted to, go back to where you’ve had all your best childhood memories. There’s a huge world out there that is too beautiful not to see, and there’s so much inspiration. “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” Take photographs. Carry your camera everywhere with you, and shoot whatever interests you. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Your best photograph has most likely not been captured yet. Stay inspired. Inspiration is everywhere. Maybe you will see it in the street, maybe it will come from the ones you love, or maybe even on some cliche teens blog. But please stay inspired. Take a break. Doing something you love too much will always feel like it’s turned into a chore. How many times have you listened to your favourite song on repeat? After a while it’s just not the same, but then it comes on your ipod one day and you remember how much you loved it. And you’re back to square one. It’s okay to take a break from something you love. In fact, it makes you appreciate it even more.
Laugh. Every. single. day. Be happy and don’t take life too serious.
Delegate.
“I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, ‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.’ - Kurt Vonnegut
You are your own critique. Stop being so hard on yourself. It’s ok to be a perfectionist, but step away once in a while and look at the big picture and focus on what can be done, not what can’t be.
Keep trying. If you’re not good at something, keep practicing until you are.
Strive. Strive to be better than everyone else. That’s what character is about, it’s in the try.
Commit. Do everything with the intention of finishing it.
Play. Life is not just about getting old and having a successful career and doing the same thing day in day out. Have fun. Go to Disney World, play the sport you love…do something fun that you really enjoy as often as you can.
Don’t force things. If it’s not working, it’s not working. If you’ve tried and experimented and you still don’t like it, stop. Be adventuress. Break the rules for once. Stop being so scared of not staying inside the lines. What’s the worst that could happen? Try something new. When you leave your comfort zone, that’s when things start to get interesting.
You aren’t your job. It’s okay to enjoy other things.
“If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you always got.” - Tony Dinozzo (NCIS)
Stop worrying. Please stop over analysing situations, worrying about every last detail. Can you remember what you were worrying about a year ago today? No.
Stop procrastinating. Where’s that ever got anyone? Stick to your word. Plan. Stay Organised.
Don’t wait. Good things don’t come to those who wait, they come to those who get up and work their asses off.
Be passionate. Be passionate about everything you do, whether
it’s cheering on your team, or in your work. If you’re not, what’s the point? Do good work. Always be proud of the work you’ve developed and be able to say you’ve done the best you could possibly do. Don’t ever let someone tell you to ‘grow up.’ “Too many people grow up. That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up.” - Walt Disney Simplicity is key. I really do agree with the term ‘less is more.’ Abram Games theory of ‘maximum meanings, minimum.’ is true. You don’t always have to fill something for it to be effective. Take away the meaningless for the meaningful. Be polite. Always be polite to anyone you meet. Wether it be a stranger or one of your customers at work. Be clear whilst you’re talking and don’t be afraid to say no. Be creative. Be unique. Be yourself. Enjoy life. And remember, in the words of Coach Taylor...
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clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose. i
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By Georgia Stubbs
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Bauhaus 1919-1933 Book Review
Bauhaus was one of the most important movements in designhistory. Magdalena Drosta describes the ideas, the people, the work and the spirit of the Bauhaus. The best thing: It is never boring. The book does not only concentrate on the art taught at the Bauahaus but also describes its political problems. While this book offers an excellent collection Bauhaus inspired works - from architecture to practical objects, it traces the history and the development of the Bauhaus comprehensively as well.
The start of the book explains the historical origins of the Bauhaus that are traced right back into the 19th century, beginning with the tragic consequences of the Industrial Revolution for living conditions and manufactured products of the artisan and working class, first in England and later in Germany.
As I progressed through the book, I was drawn to the designs that are showing throughout. On page 107, there is a large image of Joosts Schmidt’s famous poster for the 1923 Bauhaus exhibition in Weimar, with its round and motifs, recalls reliefs by Oskar Schlemmer. The poster is extremely modern, with only the use of three colours, lots of negative space, and a variety of shapes.
On page 115, there’s a piece by Wassily Kandinsky shown, from the portfolio for Walter Gropius in 1924. On a previous project I researched Kandinsky, intrigued by his modernism. Kandinsky was aware of recent scientific developments and the advances of modern artists who had contributed to radically new ways of Published June 1st 2006 by Taschen (first published 1994)
seeing and experiencing the world.
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Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky was an influential Russian painter and art theorist. He is credited with painting the first purely abstract works. Kandinsky was unsympathetic to the official theories on art in Moscow, and returned to Germany in 1921. There, he taught at the Bauhaus school of art and architecture from 1922 until the Nazis closed it in 1933. Lissitzky was of the most innovative and proficient designers of the constructivist ideal. He developed visual ideas about balance, space, and form in his paintings, which became the basis for his graphic design and architecture.
Kandinsky inspired font “The
organic
laws
of
construction tangled me in my desires, and only with great pain, effort, and struggle did I break through these ‘walls around art.’”
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Download the Kandinsky inspired font at www.fonts.com