Artworld
noun [ahrt-wurld]
1. A group or network of people involved in the production, commission, preservation, promotion, criticism, and sale of art. (YourDictionary 2019)

Art is a tricky concept to construe. It could be 2-D or 3-D. It could be intentional or accidental. It comes in different forms. It could be the Mona Lisa. Or it could be a room filled with engine oil located in the ever-so-unique Tasmania, but I’ll get to that shortly.

First, lets start off by asking the dreaded question: “What is art?” Perhaps no-one knows. But I shall introduce an example that may provide some insight. In 1917, French-American artist Marcel Duchamp presented a controversial yet riveting piece of art in the form of a standard porcelain urinal, titled as Fountain, and signed with “R. Mutt 1917”. However, it was denied for exhibition by the board, much to Duchamp’s disappointment. (Tate 2019)
Fast forward 99 years, Italian artist Piero Manzoni managed to sell a can of fecal matter, known as Artist’s Shit for €275,000. Crazy, right? (La Stampa 2016)

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So what happened in between those 99 years that resulted in a transition between a urinal being rejected for display and 30 grams of poo exceeding the value of gold? Could it have just been luck? Or the more plausible explanation – the development of the Artworld! The community that determines what classifies as art, and what does not. A platform that legitimises art. Much like the words of philisopher George Dickie, “a work of art is an artifact of a kind created to be presented to an artworld public” and “a framework for the presentation of a work of art by an artist” (Margolin 2013).

As for Manzoni’s example, the allure of his art pieces that provide them with artistic status may stem from numerous factors. They were intimate and personal. They were well presented and produced in a limited batch of 90. And most importantly, they were a metaphor for the nature of artistic labour – raw materials, violent expulsion etc. (Tate 2019). So it wasn’t just your regular ol’ can of shit; it had extended meaning behind it, which is why it was (and still is) seen as “art”, and hence the absurd price tag.

So back to my engine oil story. I paid a visit to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Hobart last year, and needless to say, I was very intrigued. The one exhibit that had a lasting impression on me was called 20:50, located in the new Pharos wing at MONA. It was a room flooded with black reflective liquid (probably sump oil), with waist-high barriers which allowed viewers to walk in through a narrow channel. The liquid was filled to the brim – one drop more and it would overflow. My temptation to reach out and touch the liquid was held back by common sense, the pungent greasy smell and of course, the “do not touch” signs scattered everywhere. It was a very interesting exhibit, despite the fact that there was no particular meaning attached to it. But that’s art, right? It is up to us individuals to give it some meaning, some sense, some artistic value. For me, it was a frustrating experience. Usually, when you see an exhibit, you try to absorb it with as many senses possible: see, feel, smell, hear. Almost in all cases, you can both see and feel it. In this exhibit, I was held back by limitations, which dampened my experience. Instead, I was provided with the alternative of smell that I had to settle for. And one other thing – if they did not want people touching the oil, why were there no restrictive railings to prevent us from touching it? Maybe the beauty of this art piece is the fact that there is no need for a physical barrier; it is rather the mental barrier that proves sufficient.

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In this day and age, we see art in everything. It does not matter what we are told; we all see things in our own way. The same group of people who caused a can of excrement to sell for big money is the same group of people that we see browsing through galleries and exhibits. That’s us. We are the Artworld.

Bibliography:

Alcuni Dirriti Riservati. Record per “Merda d’Artista” di Manzoni: 275mila euro per la scatoletta n. 69. La Stampa. Accessed April 10, 2019. https://www.lastampa.it/2016/12/08/cultura/arte/home-cover/record-per-merda-dartista-di-manzoni-mila-euro-per-la-scatoletta-n-9BhUWPVZJtOQqT1CVBOysK/pagina.html

Margolin, V. 2013. Design Studies: Tasks and Challenges. The Design Journal 14, no. 4: 400-407.

Tate. Marcel Duchamp | Fountain. Tate. Accessed April 10, 2019. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/duchamp-fountain-t07573

Tate. Piero Manzoni | Artist’s Shit. Tate. Accessed April 10, 2019. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/manzoni-artists-shit-t07667

YourDictionary. Artworld Dictionary Definition. YourDictionary. Accessed April 10, 2019. https://www.yourdictionary.com/artworld

I was brushing my teeth one day (as you do) using my extortionately expensive $250 Oral-B Pro 5000 electric toothbrush that my family’s dental insurance paid for, and I thought to myself, “I’m still not 100% happy with this product. There are things that could have been done better.” Before you call me a spoiled brat, I would like to clarify that I am appreciative of the things I have, and by no means do I take anything for granted. However, I do have an annoying habit of critiquing every object I come across and suggesting how it can be improved. Critiquing a design is usually the first step of my design procedure, as this provides me with insight into more effective methods when I design my own products.

The wireless charging slot was too narrow to clean as grime slowly built up, and hence a larger slot would have been more ideal. The three-bar battery indicator was far too imprecise for a 2-week battery life, and would be better off implemented numerically onto the screen of the Bluetooth smart timer that came with the toothbrush. The red pressure indicator light looked too much like a car’s rear brake light, and although the colour red is more symbolic, a blue light would suit the aesthetic of the toothbrush a bit better. Although these points may classify as “nit-picking” or subjective, and I understand that there may be a reason why the existing product is made the way it is, the critiquing procedure is more an exercise for myself to determine what I personally see as “good design”. The term “good design” is not so simple to define – it is said to be “measured in relation to the intentions of the designer”, meaning that the criteria for “good design” is purely dependent on the designer. This is not to be confused with “good taste” however, which is a “socially constructed” standard (Christoforidou et al. 2012, 187-191).

This leads me to the next point. For a designer to have an intent for “good design”, they must have a set of rules to follow. My rules are simple – a product must be:
1) Aesthetic and
2) Functional.
So to summarise, my definition of good design is something that looks great, and works too.

It is no coincidence that I used the Oral-B toothbrush as an example. Oral-B is powered by Braun, the German consumer products company whose head designer was industrial design icon, Dieter Rams. And he too, had a set of rules, known as the “The Ten Principles for Good Design” (Vitsoe 2019).

According to Dieter Rams, good design:
1) Is innovative
2) Makes a product useful
3) Is aesthetic
4) Makes a product understandable
5) Is unobtrusive
6) Is honest
7) Is long-lasting
8) Is thorough down to the last detail
9) Is environmentally friendly
10) Is as little design as possible

You can probably tell that I took inspiration from Dieter Rams’ principles. My principles are essentially a more brief version of his, with points that matter the most to me. Because after all, you can’t please everyone. The best you can do is to do your best and enjoy it.

Bibliography

Christoforidou, D., Olander, E., Warell, A. and Holm, L. 2012. Good Taste vs. Good Design: A Tug of War in the Light of Bling. The Design Journal 15, no. 2: 187-191.

Shaver Shop. PRO 5000 Electric Toothbrush incl. 3 Brush Head Refills. Shaver Shop. Accessed April 3, 2019. https://www.shavershop.com.au/oral-b/pro-5000-electric-toothbrush-incl.-3-brush-head-refills-006496.html

Vitsoe. The power of good design. Vitsoe. Accessed April 3, 2019. https://www.vitsoe.com/us/about/good-design