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Re: Tables & Animals (ethical questions to consider)
From: Mark Alexander (markcalexander_at_TeacherArtExchange)
The woodgrain plastic laminate on my art room tables has always bothered me - as has vinyl 'wooden clapboard' siding and cast cement 'bricks' on houses, plastic 'wood' and 'chrome' on cars, plastic 'fur' on clothing, and many other awful fakes. I understand that plastics and other materials are sometimes more practical than wood or whatever the traditional materials, but why do they have to pretend to be things they are not? I found your web site
Marvin Bartel <marvinpb@goshen.edu> wrote:
When selecting tables for a classroom there is sometimes a chance to select the pattern used on the tops. When I study design I find that many of the outstanding designers and architects emphasize honesty of materials. They design beautiful plastic products that look like plastic, wood that looks like wood, stone that looks like stone, and they avoid faked surfaces. When selecting tables for classroom, what if we tried to select plastic laminates that do not look like wood or stone? Would it exemplify visual honesty and quality if the plastic laminates would show good color, pattern, and so on. Would it not be better for the table surface patterns be created by a talented designer rather copied by a technician to fool the eye with photographically simulated fake wood or marble?
This is a short essay that lists six ethical aesthetic questions to consider when making everyday design choices. How do our art courses impact design choices made by our students?
I welcome your responses and ideas.
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