Blog Assignment 3

WALL TEARS by Yuka Yoneda

from http://inhabitat.com/2010/07/27/wall-tears-elegant-wall-art-blown-from-recycled-glass/

Owen Jones wrote in The Grammar of Ornament (1856) that, “Construction should be decorated. Decoration should never be purposely constructed.” Considering about his background, he meant manufactures should be functionally decorated, and the decorations have to be appropriate to it. In other words, designers should always consider the utility of the production first, and the embellishments should be subordinated.

In my opinion, if designer is creating some functional manufactures, his principles will be definitely true. Otherwise, he will be wrong. In current days, there are numerous designs which exist for decoration only such as the Wall Tears by Yuka Yoneda, so decorations can be purposely constructed.

However, he was living in completely different world compare with us. He was one of the reformers of design in the latter18th century and the early 19th century, who was strongly influenced by A.W.N. Pugin. During that specific period, there was a significant growth in both economy and population, which lead to a number of issues of social. Many conflicts between working-class and upper class deteriorated the social instability. Reformers tried to through revival Gothic style to reduce the fear of social unrest. Therefor Jones' principle was true in that period.