Throughout the world, there are an abundance of diverse cultures, each truly unique in comparison to another. Culture is described as the “characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts” (Zimmermann). Each of these traits is what sets each society apart, and is what influences their expression of design. Throughout this course, we’ve learned how planning and design have varied all through history, however we decided to take it a step further and focus on how different regions throughout the world create spaces that reflect their own cultures’ particular interests. Being a group composed entirely of Interior Design majors, our emphasis is investigating the use of material, color, motifs and layouts of their interior spaces, and how they reflect their societies. Not only do we explore a culture’s influence on design, but we briefly touch on environmental factors as well. Of all of the regions throughout the world, we decided to focus our research on the cultural practices and designs of Mexico, India, and Japan. Our reasoning behind centering on these three cultures is that these cultures are some of the most well-known, yet each entirely distinct within their own way, thus providing a greater understanding of design styles around the world.
The design style of Mexico reveals a strong influence of culture and environment. In order to understand their unique style, it is important to acknowledge Mexico’s historic roots in Spanish culture, as well as in the culture of the native Indians indigenous to Central America. These roots in other customs helped shape what we recognize, today, as Mexican culture and design. In e...
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Japantown, in San Francisco, is an ethnic enclave to the Japanese who migrated to the US and it is a space created by themselves for themselves to practice their old traditions and remind them of home. The Kinokuniya building in Japantown is home to many generations of Japanese and they would often celebrate traditional festivals and more than often there are many subculture groups within the Japanese here in San Francisco. One subculture that is evident is the Ikebana group located in Japancenter where they display flower arrangements called Ikebana. Being an outsider, the need to observe and research is very important to understand this art form flourishing in San Francisco. The empirical evidences I have gathered allowed me to dwell deeper into the history of Ikebana and the Ikebana group as well as the importance of this group to its fellow members.
Aztec and Latin American art has only recently gotten the credibility it deserves and it has done become very popular because Aztec and Latin American Art has gradually begin to grow through the mainstream media. Latin American and Aztec art has also found its way into modern art is by targeting the mainstream media through some very powerful trends, such as art, fashion, and graphic designs. These fields have been stricken with what some people call the “Aztec bug.” Everything, from patterns, illustrations, ornaments, shows the Aztec infiltration into modern mainstream media, and it has become an extremely popular trend. Young people all over the world are beginning to wear Aztec patterns on their clothing and footwear.
Mexican civilization is very much affected due its contact. with France, New Orleans of the USA.”Design, style and gastronomy are expressions that show the vibe of Yucatan, sentiment relevance more than its personal kingdom.”(4).
Smith, C. Ray. Interior Design in 20th-century America: A History. New York: Harper & Row, 1987. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. .
Throughout the worlds history, many forms of folk art have been established. One easily identifiable is that of the Mexican folk art. Mexican folk art has great range and variety. This is primarily because the difference in available materials spread throughout the land. There are over a hundred types of clay, different woods and metals, and even a vast array of vegetable fibers used in textile work that let to a drastic amount of recognizable differences in the art. Artists used a large variety of animal, mineral, and vegetable products to dye and paint their pieces. There is also a very different stylization based on geographic locations and split of communities. This is due to the settling of invading Mesoamerican culture mixed with the Spanish and Arabic cultures. Although there is a vast amount of traditional folk art products from Mexico, pottery, wood burning, glass blowing, and paper mache are staples of the Mexican folk art culture. When Mexico ...
In the Modern movement of architecture there was an impulse to break from the classical styles and regulations that had been governing design. Through this break many new designers emerged. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe became widely regarded as a Modern architect with his simplistic designs and attention to details. Alvar Aalto of Finland was known as a Romantic Modernist as he paid homage to nature through his undulating surfaces and allusions to the landscape. Both men embraced the new movement and desired to connect their work with nature. Aalto was known for using organic shapes to influence the plans, flow of spaces, and overall form of his buildings; however, Mies relied on simplistic forms striving for less and utilizing new construction technics to create simple often overlapping angular plans. In comparing the two modern architects, their unique forms and the influence of nature on both, we are able to understand the two drastically different strategies for design and their common roots.
Identity is defined as being oneself and not acting or being something else. The identity that one forms throughout their life time is a slow and tedious process, each and every event in one’s life whether it’s larger or small scale has an effect on developing ones overall identity. In the play Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth by Drew Hayden Taylor, Janice it caught between two identities and struggles to find a happy medium. Being adopted into a white family at a young age, Janice has become accustom to many of the white traditions and ways. Janice’s native family has recently gotten in touch with her and has put a great deal of pressure on her to regain some of the native culture she was born into. With pressure building Janice begins to question her identity and begins to show signs that she wants nothing to do with her native roots. Drew Hayden Taylor does an excellent job in this play showing how stereotypes and pre-conceived notions affect ones identity and their relationships within society. Each character within the play shows how their identity has been shaped through the relationships they have acquired throughout their lives; Tonto’s identity is heavily influenced by his father and best friend Rodney, Barb is influenced by the customs and traditional ways of her mother, and Janice after being adopted at a young age has formed an identity revolving around that of her adopted parents but she faces a great deal of pressure from her native birth family.
It will discuss the different types of dwellings throughout recorded human history from the perspective of how art and culture influences building design. This will fulfill my own curiosity to understand the different influences on homebuilding and design over the years and how people have dealt with these changes.
‘Lost in translation’ happens more frequently during the rate of globalization. The misreading of design languages is not just an issue among layperson, designers also been affected during the international cooperation. Naturally, there are gaps existing between different cultures (Jones, 2011). For example, the masterpieces of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa considered as the portraits of ideological conflicts and exhibits individual’s sacrifices for feudalism. But on their Western re-making versions, the heroism and anarchism were been emphasized instead. Just like the differences between Samurai and cowboy, design languages and signals are preforming in different way from east to west.
Art Deco and Bauhaus are two of the most influential art styles that influenced modern America today. From the avant-garde decorations and design that is still present in Los Angeles, to the flat roof design and simplicity of houses and shops that can be seen almost anywhere, these two designs are still present in our communities. The two movements do have some comparative similarities, but are also very different in design and concept. One should now be able to distinguish the similarities and differences between Art Deco and
To that end, he included ornamentation, allusion, quotation, irony, wit, mannerism, color, and decoration to his architectural repertoire. Fundamentally, Venturi never forgot who architects design: people. He placed meticulous effort on architectural scale, variety, and visual detail to make buildings meaningful and vivid for humanity. Venturi applied these theories in practice in the Vanna Venturi House, a private residence he constructed for his mother. The project’s interior focuses on the individual needs of ordinary people, which epitomizes Venturi’s overriding ethos.
My culture identity, as I know it as is African American. My culture can be seen in food, literature, religion, language, the community, family structure, the individual, music, dance, art, and could be summed up as the symbolic level. Symbolic, because faith plays a major role in our daily lives through song, prayer, praise and worship. When I’m happy I rely on my faith, same as when I’m sad, for I know things will get better as they have before.
Abstract: Contemporary architects have a wide variety of sources to gain inspiration from, but this has not always been the case. How did modernism effect sources of inspiration? What did post-modernism do to liberate the choice of influences? Now that Contemporary architects have the freedom of choice, how are they using “traditional” styles and materials to inspire them? Even after modernism why are traditional styles still around?
Interior design is one of the most important professions. When thinking of design and architecture industry, it is necessary to keep in mind that the professionals emphasis on matters of everyday life when commencing a project. Important sectors of interior design consist of: residential, commercial, hospitality, healthcare, education and corporate designs. Thus, the field deals with numerous factors and affects almost everyone in some way. Design is goal-oriented– it strives to achieve a certain purpose. An essential goal of interior design is to create functional spaces that convey a specific mood for an audience using design elements, thus outlining a design for communities versus individuals.
This usually entails the manipulation of texture, proportion and the setting pleasant utilization of sunshine with the intention to realize symmetry, harmony and an accurate equilibrium in complete human life. The essential ideas of good design are pure and to an enormous extent innate. When analyzing the universal properties of sunshine, house, colour and supplies, the inside designer appears to be like at the interplay of the natural legal tips that govern them. The precise design of a room works not only on the customarily ignored senses of odor and listening to but additionally on the emotions. Coloration schemes are selected to copy the mood of a room. Understanding how every side of a design contributes to a common look and feel of a room or area constantly takes precise experience and each architects and designers manipulate these to good