TAD3201*

Critical issues in design 3A

6 points - 3 hours lectures/tutorials and 9 independent study hours per week - Second semester - Caulfield - Prerequisites:Two second-year level TAD subjects - Prohibitions: TAD3211 - Elective

Objectives On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to investigate the history of certain goods from pre-industrial times and appreciate the extent to which certain paradigmatic exemplars remain embedded in contemporary objects of household use; be proficient in practical skills and the ambition to interpret the function and meaning of consumer products; be equipped to synthesise imaginative, historical and analytical approaches in talking and writing about the relationship which people have with items of product design, the experiences they are likely to have and the emotional 'life' of ordinary objects; possess a critical language for the evaluation of the looks, the ecological and the ethical advantages and disadvantages of household items and use it discriminatingly and toward the productive purposes of formulating further insights about consumer goods; identify the characteristics of certain objects of design which seize the public imagination and make them conversation pieces, and reflect on such factors critically and with sober judgement.

Synopsis The subject explores the contents of our department stores. Product design from local and international manufacturers are analysed through advertising and imaginary narratives of their use. The looks and the ecological and the ethical dimensions of such objects are discussed in a critical and spirit for the sake of curiosity; but, as judgements in design are inherently a matter of opinion, there is abundant scope for the vision of the critic to use an essayistic - or even satirical - tenor to express persuasively his or her intuitions. The subject is essentially concerned with the imagination which a practical philosopher might bring to the critical study of product design; it does not resile from subjective evocations of objects, even when underwritten with the authority of sophisticated technology and massive capital investment. Rather than cultivate strict objectivity and disinterested inquiry, the subject encourages the design critic to take up an 'interested' position which is necessary for the creation of visionary designs of consumer goods.

Assessment Two class presentations supplemented, where appropriate, with written notes: 40% and 60% respectively

Recommended texts

Dormer P The meanings of modern design Thames and Hudson, 1991
Forty A Objects of desire Thames and Hudson, 1986
Nelson R Expressions of purpose in Australian design Monash University, 1992
Nelson R Cultural hypochondria in the age of industrial design Monash University, 1992
Shields R Lifestyle shopping: The subject of consumption Routledge, 1992

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