Trolling is a art

In 1973 Chris Burden clad only in bikini crawled through about 50 feet of glass in Los Angeles Pavement at night time and put a footage of this as an ad on late night local TV. Burden called it "TV Ad". I imagine the actual act of crawling through the grass was very painful, however Burden was excited to show it on TV, knowing that thousands of people a night would see his video "stick out like a sore thumb" and "know that something was amiss." His performance was sort of a detournement action which was meant to penetrate the mass media to deflect or redirect attention to social issues or to reinterpret the tools of the institution against itself. In this particular case Burden supposedly referenced the Vietnam War - reminding of a head down army crawl that was a common sight from the news coverage of the War. However, I only came to realize that this is a politically charged performance after watching a video of him explaining why he did it. And I doubted that anybody knew what its really meant for, because there is absolutely no hint of the political reference other then the crawling and the time period - no guns, no army clothing, it is just him crawling through the night. Yet, just like everybody who saw the ad at the time, I had that WTF moment after I watched the video. I wanted to know why is he doing it, what is this, why would anybody do that? And so the whole controversy lies not in the content itself but in the way it was shown on a TV with other commercial ads, and how it was perceived by the audience - that WTF moment that made us think about it and to find out the reason of it because of our curiosity.
To some people it might even cause a negative reaction - even to a height of anger and frustration. This is why I think that Chris Burden's performance could be regarded as one of the first trolling actions well before the invention of the internet. Trolling is defined as a deliberate intent of provoking emotional response through the use of sarcastic, inflammatory, extraneous, or off topic messages in online communities such as newsgroups, forums, chat rooms or blogs.

"trolling is a art"

The statement "trolling is a art" is definitive itself to matters regarding trolling. The deliberate use of "a" where " an" should be is likely to arouse a negative reaction among those concerned with correct English grammar. Such a response would also create an opportunity for observation by others and a following dialogue between the troll, the victims and the observers. So the trolls deliberately use the tools of the victims to find the victims and to indict a response from them. Detrournement is also a form of trolling, since it involves the deliberate use of the tools of the target it is aimed at to bring forward the target or the issue, to get a response from the target, to deliver the target or issue to the audience and to get a response from the audience. Just as trolling can be subjective as someone can characterize a post as trolling, others may regard the same post as legitimate to the discussion even if controversial. In the case of Burden Crawl through the Night, some people might see him making fun of other commercials and commercialism overall, some might see the reference to the Vietnam War, and others will just judge it as an absurd - the response will create a controversy, it will bring forward different sorts of issues, and it will create a dialogue around these issues. So in a way Detrournement is a sort of trolling in the art world.

References
Urban dictionary (2013) Trolling is a art. Retrieved from
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=trolling%20is%20a%20art
Allen Greg (2009, June 6). Starting with Chris Burden's TV ad, Through The Night Softly.  Retrieved from
http://greg.org/archive/2009/06/06/starting_with_chris_burdens_tv_ad_through_the_night_softly.html
Video
Chris Burden - TV Commercials 1973-1977. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XelIqsYFu3I

Form vs Function

Form is the Function of Form

It was in my Mathematics for Arts and Design class logical discussion about form and function that I asked the question if there ever could be a form that does not have function. And indeed, I couldn't find any form in universe, real or virtual that wouldn't have a function. Once a form is created it is bound to have a direct or indirect function - it will either cast shadows in light, it will take up space in a room, or it will do something more complex like a piece of furniture or a building. Once forms are put into a context they interact with the context or interact with other forms in the context. So there is bound to be some sort of function fit for the form. Even visual art-works have certain functions when they are hang in a gallery - they educate or inspire, entertain or inflict moods, tell a story or an idea. 

However modern designers, architects and artists quarrel on about which has more power or which comes first in form vs function. Luis Sullivan was the one to suggest that "form ever follows function". In essence he argues that design is pure when the process of function and form naturally define and express each other leaving out the unnatural ornamentation in design. While 20th century modernist architects and designers following the doctrines of Functionalism, such as Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, argued that form follows function, we saw several architectural movements that showed otherwise - for example the dutch structuralists, as mentioned in my previous blog posts, showed that the function could be created through the interrelationship of forms. 

Oscar Niemeyer Sketches

Another great example of function following the form could be seen in numerous buildings designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. Niemeyer said that he was influenced by Le Corbusier, but it didn't prevent him from going in different direction to define the functionality of space. Niemeyer preferred free flowing curves to form spaces which would make up the function. 

"I am not attracted to straight angles or to the straight line, hard and inflexible, created by man. I am attracted to free-flowing, sensual curves. The curves that I find in the mountains of my country, in the sinuousness of its rivers, in the waves of the ocean, and on the body of the beloved woman. Curves make up the entire Universe, the curved Universe of Einstein." Oscar Niemeyer (2000)

Oscar Niemeyer Sketches

The different formations of curving concrete of Niemeyer's Cathedral Brasilia not only shape the large congregation area but also incorporate lighting and acoustics to create an environment fit for its function. Niemeyer also liked to use curving ramps that swiveled around the perimeters of and penetrating into the buildings such as the Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum, Brazilian National Museum, Oscar Niemeyer Museum in Curitiba. The curving and swiveling ramps defined the flow from one space to another thus it defined the function of mobility. The curves themselves are inspired by forms in landscape or feminine forms.

"My work is not about 'form follows function'," wrote Oscar Niemeyer, "but 'form follows beauty' or, even better, 'form follows feminine'."

So to go back and answer the question of what follows what will be like answering to what came first, the chicken or the egg. It is a paradoxical answer - form could follow the function and function could follow the form. One thing I learned from modern design theory is that nothing is set in black and white - there could always be something in between. So when designing, think of form and function as one and whole, equally important.

References
Niemeyer, Oscar (2000). The Curves of Time. In O. Niemeyer, The Memoirs of Oscar Niemeyer (pp. 62 and 169-170). London: Phaidon.
Rawsthorn, Alice (2009, May 30). The Demise of ‘Form Follows Function. Retrieved from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/arts/01iht-DESIGN1.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
Wainwright, Oliver (2012, December 6) Oscar Niemeyer: the man behind the monuments. Retrieved from The Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2012/dec/06/oscar-niemeyer-brazilian-architect-memoirs
Weitz, Robert (2013, March 21). Form Follows Function – A Truism That Isn’t True. Retrieved from The Brand Wash: http://www.thebrandwash.com/2013/03/21/form-follows-function-a-truism-that-isnt-true/
Images
Form is the function of Form (2014). Retrieved from

http://fungivibrations.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/form-is-the-function-of-form/

Oscar Niemeyer Sketches. Retrieved from

http://spphotographyproject.blogspot.ca/2013/06/blog-post.html

Functionalism vs Structuralism

Charles Jenck's Evolutionary Tree of Architecture (2000)

It seems to me that many movements in modern art, design and architecture had counter-movements that opposed or counteracted the ideologies of another. An architectural movement itself is born in response to previous prominent ideas and in response to social economic factors. At the same time, the criticism and the opposition to the new ideas gives foundation to new ideas which although share bases with the opposition, but are still at conflict with each other. I see a family type hierarchical order in this relationship - the modernist ideologies and psychologies in marriage with social economic and regional factors are parents to new architectural movements which look like siblings - they have common foundation in the base ideas which gave birth to them however they oppose each other in handling of some areas of architectural ideas.

Le Corbusier's Five Points of Architecture - Eliinbar Sketches (2011)

In instance of one particular case, Structuralism movement was influenced by and contrasts the Functionalist ideas of notable architects Le Corbusier and Mies Van Der Rohe. Functionalism emphasized the functional elements of high-rise buildings such as overhangs, columns, roof gardens and open-space floor plans; and used standardized and prefabricated building materials such as reinforced concrete and steel. Prominent Dutch architects Aldo van Eyck and Herman Herzberger created Structuralism movement in reaction to to Functionalism and Rationalism in Dutch architecture. Structuralists labeled the Functional design as too uniform and large scale resulting in lifeless buildings and cities without identification of its inhabitants and urban forms. Dutch Structuralism embraced the relationship between social organisation and building structures based on unity, growth and change thus making open-ended structures using numerous repeated elements. There was also an emphasis of the relationship between the growing and repeating structural elements and the users which would create a growing community inside this structures with an open ended numbers. 

Piet Blom. Helmond's Cube Houses (1972)

Dutch architect Piet Blom held similar ideas about the relation between the user and architecture. His Cube houses neighborhood in Rotterdam is an exponent of Dutch Structuralism movement, with integrated structural elements facilitating multiple uses, future growth and change. Blom's architectural moto was "living under an urban roof", which defined the design of village like complexes in which every individual is part of the community and every space is part of a whole structure. This sense of community compliments the monastic culture of some of religious institutions, where building structure also defines community and multi-functionality and inhabitants’ individual participation. Although these complexes serve different purpose, nonetheless, monasteries are residencies that contain similar repeated structural elements and spaces that are linked together around courtyards. 

Piet Blom's concept images for Cube Houses (1977)

In this case the building is based on functionality of community in the design, however it is the form of the building that drives the functionality and it is not about "Less being more", but the ability to grow and multiply. At the same time as in the case for Functional design, the Structuralist facade do not involve decorations for aesthetic reasons, but use the basic pure geometric forms. So overall both architectural movements find common ground in use of pure geometric forms, but oppose in definition of function vs form. 

References
Graaf, E. d. (2001). Cube-Houses. Retrieved 10 14, 2012, from Kijkubos: http://www.kubuswoning.nl/introkubuseng.html
Hoek, B. v. (2011). Architectural movements in the Netherlands. Retrieved 10 14, 2012, from Architectuur.org: http://news.architectuur.org/movements.php
Lüchinger, A. (2011). Structuralism in Dutch Architecture. In Structuralism Reloaded - Rule-Based Design in Architecture (pp. 87-95). London: Stuttgart.
Images
Charles, Jenck's (2000).  Evolutionary Tree of Architecture. Retrieved from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/3088862107/in/gallery-67149161@N00-72157623255461185/ 
Piet Blom (1972) Helmond's Cube Houses. Retrieved from
http://en.nai.nl/collection/view_the_collection/item/_rp_kolom2-1_elementId/1_776832
Piet Blom (1977) Concept images for Cube Houses. Retrieved from
http://www.overlap.org/blog/13882322 

The Society of Spectacle

Cover image of Guy Debord's book "Society of Spectacle" (1967)

In the essay titled The Society of the Spectacle Guy Debord argues that we live in a spectacle world where real life or living has been replaced by an imitation of real life. How much are we immersed in a spectacle world instead of a real world, how scary is the scale of this immersion and are there any alternatives or solutions to issues of spectacle life in today's capitalist society?
Although Debord published his theory in 1967, I think his argument is greatly valid today as mass media and corporations co-operate together to condition a specific culture in our society. This conditioning may have both positive and negative effects in our behavour. Mass media helps us to find out about the news around the world in a very short period of time, it helps us to socialize and talk to friends located far away from us. It also gives us hours of entertainment. Education is also greatly accessible thanks to the power of media and internet. This is what the media gives us - accessibility to the world. So how is it that something that can educate us, entertain us and give us accessibility to the whole world can become, as Guy Debord calls it, a "tool for the society of spectacle". Media can impose a spectacle but still be educational, entertaining and positive. For example we can watch fishing shows and learn how to fish or we can virtually travel with Google Earth and visit places where we couldn't visit because we don't have enough money or time to travel.
However, once the corporations start to use the media for their interests to get more clients or to get more money, the spectacle becomes this scary evil scheme - the corporation not only studies our behaviour and our actions through mass media, but they also impose an imitational culture - a culture which didn't exist before and was created to support the products or services offered by the corporation. For example there Apple Corporation created culture of Mac users - which is an imitation of culture - it's not real culture - it is almost stereotypical. You can't be part of this culture unless you have one of the latest Macbooks or ipads - and if you are not part of this culture, you are not as high class or highly creative. It's not that Macs don't have good functionality or good design that we should own one, but we should have one just because others around us have one and you seem like an outsider if you have an HP or Linux based computer.

Scene from science fiction movie The Matrix (1999)

Sometimes we can feel as if our existence is only to feed the corporation's needs, just like in the movie Matrix. We power the corporations just as people were batteries in the movie Matrix - they powered the whole robot system, but they were given this continual imitation of life so they wouldn't wake up and realize that it's all an imitation. In modern society we are also powering the corporations and in return we get an imitation of a culture or imitation of adventure, or imitation of life through the mass media.

References
Debord, G. (1967). The Society of the Spectacle. Retrieved from http://www.antiworld.se/project/references/texts/The_Society%20_Of%20_The%20_Spectacle.pdf
Harris, J. (2012, March 30). Guy Debord predicted our distracted society. Retrieved from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/mar/30/guy-debord-society-spectacle