Each design movement builds from its
predecessor
or reacts against it,
Baroque became the embellished
version of Renaissance –
It kept its fundaments of symmetry,
logic and order but the focus
was on the design elements, these
elements evoked emotion,
energy,
excitement,
Rococo saw what Baroque did,
swapped its deeper tones to lighter, ethereal
curves and stones
but kept Baroque’s logic,
Art Nouveau became the new
Rococo, materials were twisted
into more loco curves,
its emphasis placed on nature
and craftsmanship,
Art Deco held on to Art
Nouveau’s craftsmanship but
loosen curves’ grip
and dipped into geometric
luxe lines,
But Deco became distressed in
its depression,
which turned into the Great depression,
Its flash faded away,
became Modernism –
Modernism only cared about
practicality and being minimal –
its ethos was survival.
It quickly birthed Post- modernism,
This era tried to be expressive
and decorative, but couldn’t
quite break free of its parents’
struggling hold.
It constantly criticised
Modernism’s rigid doctrines,
but realised all its values
were a reaction against
Modernism, it didn’t have its
own identity. In its anguish,
Post- modernism gave birth
to Contemporary
which brings me back to you.
Sweet Contemporary…
You don’t have one design
that’s prevalent,
You’re a mix of all the above,
But you don’t have a clue about
your history –
You don’t know why you
think the way you do,
why you feel the way you do,
why you act accordingly –
You don’t know the
thoughts,
habits,
trauma
transferred
from
one generation to eventually you
Contemporary,
By understanding the paths that
lead to these trauma replications,
you can start to disrupt this cycle.
Let’s start –
oppression imposed on Deco
lead to
depression in Modernism,
which lead to
aggression in Post-modernism.
So, how does that trauma show up in you,
Contemporary?
What are you attracted to?
What do you run away from?
Are you vulnerable to revictimisation?
What emotions do you to use to
avoid feeling overwhelmed?
Does it help?
Do you miss key danger cues?
Is your focus on the relief rather
the trauma?
I advocate understanding its patterns,
how it manifests and the form it takes –
From there, you can
start the healing process and
disrupt the cycle for
Post-contemporary,
so this little design isn’t
defined or buried
by the family’s history.