True Value

When I read a part of "In Praise of Shadows"by Tanizaki Jun'ichiro, I learned that the value of how an object affects each person in a way. As designers, we need to consider the true value an object has. A segment that stood out to me from the reading is the quote "quality over quantity." For example, if an object has better quality, it is stronger and more unique than a machine made object. For the example below I have chosen a man-made quality chair, compared to a machine-made chair.

The object shown above is an example of a man-made object.

The image above shows an example of a machine-made object. 

After the next reading called "Hand Work-Machine Work" by Adolf Von Hildenbrand, I felt had almost the same meaning as the first reading. The theme that both readings relate to is "quality is better than quantity." For hand-made objects, quality is the main importance and also the uniqueness of the object. Rather, machine-made objects are made by the quantity and not the quality.

Tanizaki, Jun'ichiro(1977).In praise of shadows.(T.J Harper and E.G. Seidensticker, trans.)Sedgwich ME: Leete's Island Books, Inc.(original work published in 1993).

Rank, Isabelle (editor)(2000). The Theory of Decorative art: An anthology of European and American writings 1750-1940. New York: Yale University Press.   

Valuing Details

   After reading, "In Praise of Shadows," by Tanizaki Jun’ichirō I quickly understood the importance of details when it comes to displaying the objects' true beauty and form. This reading specifically talked about laquerware and how it is only fully displayed to it's beautiful form when it is under candlelight. The candlight highlights the beautiful details that were created when forming the laquerware, which artificial light would not be able to capture. This article made me realize that small details matter when trying to create a certain atmosphere, because one offset can completely change the experience. As a designer I must consider that in all my work, because I have to make sure that whatever is that I am displaying, is being displayed to it's full potential. I have not personally used laquerware, but I would love to use it in different lightings to be able to see the differences in the laquerware because of the different settings. 

Laquerware under candleight

   The second reading, "Hand Work- Machine Work," by Adolf Von Hildenbrand showed me how there are many different ways to value the beauty of an object, and how it should not be just through your sight. Seeing the beauty of objects come from using all of your senses, and your mind to think about the art of the process in making that object. Valueing the art of making an object emphasizes Hildenbrand's belief on how handmade products are of much greater quality, than a machine made product. Just by recognizing that someone's profession and passion lies in making a beautiful piece should show that it is instantly more significant than of the same product that was machanically made. 

Handmade Products

VS. Machine Made Products

    After analyzing these images I have selected, I understand where Hildenbrand is coming from when he says that you must value the work that is put in to making the product. In the above images, you can see small details that show human craft. The worked pottery is what helps display the beauty, because it shows the time and effort that was put in by the artist to create the object. The machine made objects have perfectly smooth ridges and proportions, that instantly show that a human had no effort in making the object at all. This observation ultimately makes me value the handcrafted pottery more, because I want to support the style and individuality of the artist.

Works Cited:
Tanizaki, Jun’ichirō (1977). In praise of  shadows. (T.J. Harper and E.G. Seidensticker, trans.) Sedgwich, ME:
Leete’s Island Books, Inc. (original work published in 1933).
Frank, Isabelle (editor) (2000). The theory of decorative art: An anthology of European and American writings 
1750 – 1940. New York: Yale University Press.

While reading "In Praise of Shadows" my attention was called to how attentive the author, Tanizaki Jun’ichirō, was to the details in his environment. I am farmiliar with the feeling when your favorite resturaunt changes something about it. My favorite resturaunt, Panera Bread, recently changed its dishwear from light weight to heavy. This makes it difficult to carry food from the pickup line to a table. Jun’ichirō describes how his favorite restuaraunt changed from candlelight to artificial light. This discomforted him because the candle light played off the laquerwear in a more beautiful and meaningful way than the artificial light. I have never experienced the sight of the candle light against laquerwear but I imagine it looks better than with artificial light.

candle light sets a different mood than artificial light

In Adolf Von Hildenbrand's essay "Hand Work- Machine Work", he describes that the importance of an object lies behind the way it was made, not by how it looks. It is the artists background, past and intentions for the object that make it beautiful. Pieces that are made by hand vs. in a factory are much more meaningful and beautiful. Manmade pieces can become generic.

Joy Tanner- Green Carved Mug

Works Cited:
Tanizaki, Jun’ichirō (1977). In praise of  shadows. (T.J. Harper and E.G. Seidensticker, trans.) Sedgwich, ME:
     Leete’s Island Books, Inc. (original work published in 1933).
Frank, Isabelle (editor) (2000). The theory of decorative art: An anthology of European and American writings 
     1750 – 1940. New York: Yale University Press.

 

Value through Experience

The Tanazaki reading reminds us that design is not about appearances, but experiences.  For example, using lacquerware gives users a sense of antiquity, mystery and value.  It's something you should use in specific conditions, such as candlelight, to get the full experience.  The lacquerware itself is made with great care in order to achieve the blackest quality so you can appreciate each mysterious layer of the soup.  Losing sight heightens the smell, taste and textures you experience when consuming the soup.    

Hildebrand is saying that the value in a product comes with how it is made, not really the product itself.  Therefore, even if both machines and human hands can produce similar items, the products resulting from the human hands are of more value, because it's about the experience.  Someone put in their precious time and hard work in order to make that product.

Handmade Persian rug

Basically, both of these articles are about quality, valuable products.  These items get their value from experience.  With hand-made items, it is about the experiences of the person who made the product.  With the lacquerware, it is the experiences the person has when they use it, but also about the person who made the lacquerware.  

Sources:

Tanizaki, Jun’ichirō (1977). In praise of  shadows. (T.J. Harper and E.G. Seidensticker, trans.) Sedgwich, ME:
     Leete’s Island Books, Inc. (original work published in 1933).
Frank, Isabelle (editor) (2000). The theory of decorative art: An anthology of European and American writings 
     1750 – 1940. New York: Yale University Press.

Handmade vs. Machine Made

When reading a segment from "In Praise of Shadows" I learned how the value that each object has affects a person.  As we design, we should consider the true value that something has.  I have never experienced eating in authentic lacquerware but I imagine that it would be very nice as it is described in the excerpt.  One major thing that I took from the reading is that quality definitely outnumbers quantity in so many cases.  If something is of better quality, it probably holds up better than a cheap object and is usually more unique.  An example of faux fur versus real fur is shown below:

The faux fur seems less soft and is less warm than the real fur jacket shown below.

I felt that the reading from "The Theory of Decorative Art" had very close to the same meaning and point that "In Praise of Shadows" was trying to present.  Quality is much better than quantity.  Handmade usually incorporates much better quality than something that has quantity and is also much more unique.  Below is an example of an item handmade, but also one that is machine made. Uniqueness only applies to handmade objects because each item can never be replicated exactly the same unlike machine made items because a machine constantly repeats itself.

The handmade bowl above is so much more unique than the plain machine made bowl below.

Tanizaki, Jun’ichirō (1977). In praise of  shadows. (T.J. Harper and E.G. Seidensticker, trans.) Sedgwich, ME:

Leete’s Island Books, Inc. (original work published in 1933).

Frank, Isabelle (editor) (2000). The theory of decorative art: An anthology of European and American writings 

1750 – 1940. New York: Yale University Press.

Tanizaki, Jun’ichirō (1977). In praise of  shadows. (T.J. Harper and E.G. Seidensticker, trans.) Sedgwich, ME:Leete’s Island Books, Inc. (original work published in 1933).Frank, Isabelle (editor) (2000). The theory of decorative art: An anthology of European and American writings 1750 – 1940. New York: Yale University Press.