Point: Explorations.

The movements discussed in the explorations unit was a combination of all the units covered in class. It relied on theories and foundations, and it required reflecting back in time and making alternatives.The explorations unit was a continued search for providing good design for all. Many movements were going on the duration of this unit, but the dominant movement was a search for modernism. In order to look forward and make advancements, they continued to look back in time. The question of good design for all still plagued this unit as attempts were made, but still did not quite satisfy the desire to make good design accessible to everyone.

The arrival of machinery and new materials were a factor that designers had to think about. The art nouveau period was about utilizing new materials and looking forward in the search to define modern. The art deco period followed and was much more popular in the United States than art nouveau was. The buildings designed during this period celebrated "...advances made possible by the electric illumination, radio communications, ... the automobile and the airplane" (Roth 519). Buildings designed in this style included the Chrysler building, the Empire State building and the Rockefeller center to name a few and were now designed for a broader group of people. The art deco period was the most popular movement in the US as it was all about motion, speed, swooping edges and optical illusions.

A search for modern still continued however. It was and is an ongoing and ever changing movement. When modernism first originated, arts and crafts was still predominately the main design movement taking place. The arts and crafts movement was birthed out of the attempt to restore good design for all, but it proved to cater to only those that could afford it. The modernist movement was believed to be the solution to this ongoing predicament.

"The early Modern designers hoped to change society for the better with the creation of a healthier and more democratic type of design for all" ( Massey 63). They attempted to do so by stripping away all unnecessary ornamentation and focusing on making a space nothing more than its desired function. An example of this form of design is the Farnsworth house by Mies van der Rohe. The construction was designed to provide a 360 degree view of nature. But in constructing this house like a glass box, it resulted in a home that was not satisfying to the clients because it got extremely hot. Other modern designs that caused further problems to arise include structures such as the Crown Hall (IIT) and the Lake Shore apartments both by Mies van der Rohe. The new types of designs that were supposed to improve living for everyone, were now creating new problems. "Something had gone amiss in the pure logic and social concern that had originally called modern architecture into being" (Roth 535).

Not all of the modern movement however was a failure. The Bauhaus, designed by Walter Gropius originated during this period. The Bauhaus to this day is still being used as a model for design schools. Many great structures arose from this movement, but regardless, this movement that was initially driven in attempts to bring good design for all failed in that aspect.

I do not believe that any movement to date has really satisfied the "democratic type of design for all." Both the arts and crafts movement and early modernism began out of the attempts to meet this need. I believe that from this point on, the proceeding movements will still continue to be about revolutions, revivals, cycles, and reforms to try and establish this ongoing need to make good design accessible to all.

I believe that this picture illustrates what has been carried throughout the course and into the final unit. In order to make advancements and create something even greater than what has been designed before, it still relies on looking back and establishing a firm foundation on which to build upon.