Theory Meets Practice at the Gallery: Semiotics, Consumer Aesthetics and Product Design / Art Respon

The Art:

Rather than choosing an artwork displayed within DAAP, I choose to facilitate an activity and short discussion about the products we purchase and consume on a daily basis with little to no thought about whether it is or isn’t art. For the activity I will ask the students to pay a visit to an assigned location within the DAAP building that sells food and snacks. The students will be asked to analyze the packaging of these products for their aesthetic and/or semiotic qualities. T

The Artist:

The artists in this case are anonymous graphic designers, marketers and advertisers.

Description:

For this art activity I thought it might be interesting to explore art and aesthetics in a different form than fine art. I was intrigues by Julie Drout’s activity in the Reed Gallery and the discussion we had about the value of art. I am interested in examining the value that we, as consumers, place on product and packaging design. I will ask the students to visit DAAP spaces such as the café, DAAP store, and vending machines and view the products on the shelves as individual artworks. I will give a handout that instructs them which location to perform the activity as well as provide some guiding questions to think about and discuss when they return to the classroom. I am really interested the difference in aesthetic value between mass production and a “token” or one of a kind piece of art. How does this change our perception of authenticity?

Instructions:

• Begin by explaining the topic and reasons for this particular activity

• Hand out worksheet with guiding questions to consider while viewing the art

• Students will go to their assigned DAAP space and observe the products and attempt to view the items as works of art rather than snacks.

• Students will record any feelings/thoughts about the experience. They may use the handout to write on and/or answer the questions provided for later discussion. The trip to the designated locations should last no longer than 10 minutes.

• After the students return to the class I will lead them in a discussion about their experience.

Discussion Questions:

• Does the fact that consumer products are mass produced change our perception of it as art?

• How does the fact that the artists/designers are anonymous change our appreciation of the aesthetic value?

• How does the function of the product or its disposable nature alter our aesthetic experience? How does this change the value we place on it as art?

• Can the products be interpreted as art? Why or why not?

• Does nuance exist in this type of viewing experience? If so, how?

• Can you find any products whose packaging/labeling/logo designs serve as an example of semiotics? (the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation)

• How does product design use form, color, symbols or metaphors to create brand identity and influence consumer habits? Based purely on these design elements, which items appeal most to you and why?

• How might the arrangement of products on a shelf appeal to a consumer aesthetic? Is this process similar in any ways to curatorial practice in a gallery space?

Learning Outcomes:

• Students will analyze and critique products in the DAAP store, café or vending machine for their aesthetic appeal based on design and branding.

• Students will deduce whether these items can be considered art and insightfully argue reasons why or why not.

Vocabulary and concepts:

Design aesthetics Pop Art

Consumer aesthetic Mass produced Art v. Original Art

Semiotics

Gestalt principles

Visual culture

References:

Ward, A. F. (2010). Towards a New Model of Consumer Aesthetic Evaluation of Product Design. Design Principles and Practice , 145-159.

www.awwwards.com/when-packaging-becomes-art.html

Reflection:

When I originally decided to do an art activity based on the viewing of packaged food in vending machines and on store shelves, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I kind of assumed that the activity would resonate more with college level Art and Art Ed students than it might with non art students. However, in retrospect, I can totally imagine engaging in a similar activity with a broad range of students from elementary to high school. My aim in this activity was to create an opportunity for students to re-imagine these seemingly ordinary and disposable products as works of art in their own right. I asked them to consider how the space in which these objects lived i.e. the vending machine or store shelf, impacted the viewing experience of such objects and if these had anything in common with the gallery experience. I also wanted to facilitate a dialog that made connections to my reading as well as themes of aesthetics that we have discussed over the course of the semester. I felt like I accomplished these goals fairly well. However, after reading my assessment I realize that perhaps I could have made more connections to my research as well as spending more time during the discussion probing for responses more closely tied to my second ILO which was to talk about the objects as fine art. Although I distinctly recall us discussing this, It was toward the end of the discussion and I think only 3 or 4 people commented on this specific question. I could have focused on this more, however I had already gone way over the alloted time to present and felt the need to wrap up the activity.

Overall, I was really pleased with the activity, how it was received by everyone as well as class participation. It was disappointing that due to a field trip, many of the students weren't in attendance. However, this didn't seem to detract from the level of dialog and student engagement. I will admit that I was pretty nervous about how the activity would be received because it was so different from viewing work in a gallery. Looking back, I think it was a fantastic activity to introduce a dialog about the world of visual culture and consumerism and how these are informed by or inform our concept of aesthetics.