Growning up with Moorcroft

Ever since I was little, I've always liked Moorcroft pottery and ceramics. We've always had a few vases in our livingroom growing up. There is just something about the vivid colours and dramatic floral ornaments that make each piece appealing. I was intrigued by these vases before I even knew what the Art Nouveau style was or even touched a computer. The pieces in my home were from the early 1900s. The vases had been in my family for the last few generations.

The Art Nouveau style didn't only impact graphic design, it affected all aspects of design. Some of the best examples of the Art Nouveau period are Moorecroft pottery pieces.

William Moorcroft began to design his distinctive ceramics in 1897. He was inspired by a variety of sources: the Art Nouveau style that became prominent at the beginning of his career, exotic Oriental and Islamic pottery, and the famous arts and crafts designs for Liberty ’s and Tiffany’s.

They don't make'm like they used to.

The Art Deco movement introduced styles that often focused on bold colors and geometric shapes. Because of new technology introduced in the beginning of the century and innovative new designs, Art Deco was considered to be part of the new 'modern' look when it was first introduced.

I've always considered jewelry from the 1920s or the Art Deco period to be some of the most creative and interesting forms of design. The jewelry is typified by geometric shapes contrasted with organic swirls.

Like the necklace (1930) below, Art Deco jewelry is both rigid and organic at the same time. The broach on the left was designed in the early 1920s and there is just something so compellingly elegant about it. Even though it does look kind of gaudy and very showy, there is a distinctly classic kind of beauty in it that is inexplicable. In both pieces there is a sense of a glittering textured metal that immediately draws your eye.

Jewelry today just seems to be lacking that element that makes it seem real. Because of advancements of technology, it seems to slick, to cold. It has become to commercial, almost fake. It appears to have lost its character.

The Public Sphere?

What is the public sphere? Jugen Habermas states that it is the first of all a realm of our social life in which something approaching public opinion can be formed. Access is guarranteed to all citizens. There is a portion of the public sphere comes into being in every conversation in which private individuals meet to form a public body. Citizens behave as a public body when they confer in an free way about matters of public interest. Today, the media such as television, radio and internet are included in the public sphere.

Another aspect of the public sphere is the importance of 'public opinion'. Public opinion refers a belief that is shared by most people. Public opinion is extremely important to the field of graphic design and other media related fields. The more you are able to understand your audience, the more relevant your work will be.

Movie posters

I've always been drawn to movie posters, particularly those of 1950s and 1960s horror films There is just something so compelling about the use of colour and graphics. Some of the best posters are those done for Alfred Hitchcock's classic movies.

There is also an interesting use of hand-drawn lettering that suits the horror genre. The way that the lettering in the words 'Vertigo' and the cast names, are exremely appropriate to the context. This typography appears to be wavering, and distorted, just like the meaning of the word vertigo.

The word 'Psycho' is broken into pieces in a yellow typeface on a completely black background. This contrast and distortion of letters reflect the violent nature of this movie. There is also something sinister about the photography being turned into a duotones. The photos are dark and rough looking and seem almost alien.

Learning from Las Vegas

Recently, I read the book, "Learning from Las Vegas: The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form" by Robert Venturi and was blown away. Venturi calls for architects to be more receptive to the tastes and values of 'common people,' and to be less focused on the creation of 'high architecture'. By high architecture, Venturi refers to the grand-heroic monuments of Modern architecture.

Venturi's primary example of good 'common' architecture are the hotels and casinos on Las Vegas' strip. All architecture and signage on the Strip are set up to appeal to the masses, and to be seen from a distance while driving. There is an extreme focus on the facades of the buildings and on the signs themselves. Venturi compares parking lots to Roman piazzas, etc. He also talks about the symbolism used by the casinos. He talks about using symbolism in a new context can change the way the viewer interprets the message created by an artwork. Las Vegas is full of this kind of contextual symbolism.

For example, Caesar's Palace uses suggestions of Roman architecture (columns, reliefs, arches, etc) to create the feeling of entering an interpretation of the past. The architecture is further complimented by duplications of classical architecture and all workers are required to wear 'Roman' clothes. However, all this 'Roman' symbolism is altered by the presence of parking lots, neon lights, and the actual location of the building.

I never really thought about how the use of established symbolism in a new context can change the meaning of contemporary artworks.

Nailing Self-Expression

I have enough trouble painting my nails a solid colour, and I'm a trained painter. Nail polish brushed are difficult to work with and the actual polish dries too quickly to correct any errors effectively.

I'm always amazed when someone can do something that I could never in a million years do.

What really fascinates me, is the way that an individual can use this medium as a form of self-expression just like they would with their clothes, hair or accessories. The main difference with nail art is that it is a whole lot more temporary. Painted finger nails generally only last a week or so if done professionally at best. After the nail polish begins to chip off, the polish must be removed. Chipped nails look very tacky.

People can get a variety of designs in any colour they choose. A common theme appears to be flowers, dots and swooshes, but other designs are available. You can get custom nails done like the ones above that are images of rooms in a house. Nails such as these, are truly a form of self-expression because of their rarity.

Getting your nails done in this way, is truly a unique form of expression, and a sure way of standing out from the crowd without doing something as dramatic as dressing as a goth or dying your hair blue. It is a more understated way of differentiating yourself from others.

Crazy houses

At first glance, these houses may seem kind of ugly or strange, but if you look at them closely, each one is amazing. These are the kind of homes that would draw tourists and that could be categorized as works of arts themselves.

The 'Upside Down House' on the left is located in Japan.

The multi-coloured house is located in Canada.

The tilted house is located in England and is a definite tourist attraction.

There seem to be many houses shaped like shoes worldwide; people must really like that old nursery rhyme. The image below is of a house in South Africa. I found many others in my search.

I think that people seem to like these kinds of homes because it takes them back to their childhoods. These are houses that are designed to reflect an individual's taste.

How do we communicate?

Communication is a tricky business.

The first way (and most obvious) that we communicate is vocally. However, it is not only what we say but how we say the information that determines how the information is received by people. The specific wording, vocal emphasis, gestures, and facial expressions all play a part in the way the information is interpreted.

We can communicate through individual expression particularly through the things that we as individuals create such as music, literature, and art. The simple act of creating something can convey feelings and emotions that are not easily communicated vocally or face to face. The books we read can convey certain messages to the reader. One song can completely change a listener's mood. A photograph can cause a viewer to have an emotional response.

We also communicate through writing and the way that we record information. This information can be recorded in a variety of ways including emails, papers, texting, etc. Here, information is edited, messages tend to be more thought out and information can be more easily omitted depending on the receiver. The way in which the information and the medium used to communicate it help to determine the way in which the message is understood.

In order to communicate to a large amount of people, we also communicate through the media: the internet, television, radio, etc. The information conveyed is more generalized, and impersonal than one on one communication.

Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock?

Recently, I bought this documentary on impulse, just because of the title, "Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock." The DVD is about a truck driver who bought a painting for $5.00 in a thrift store, which could potentially be an original Jackson Pollock painting worth over $50,000,000.

In her quest to find out the painting's origins, she had several art experts examine the work.
She had the Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York look at it, but he deemed the painting inauthentic based on the fact that it didn't feel like a Pollock. Many art connaisseurs though the same due to the fact that it was purchased in a thrift store and that it was unsigned.

In an effort to prove all the critics wrong, she had an art forensics expert look at the painting. He was able to link the work back to Pollock in a few ways:
1. The technique used to apply the paint was similar, if not exactly the same when you compared magnifications of the painting to other samples of his work. (On the right is an authentic Pollock, his "Number One", done in 1948.)
2. The composition (the actual make-up of the paint itself) was the same as the paint on the floor of Pollock's studio.
3. Lastly, there was a fingerprint in paint on the back of the painting that was a match to one found on a painting done by Pollock in Germany, and one found on a paint can in Pollock's studio.

In spite of all this compelling forensic evidence, the art world refuses to accept this work as an authentic Pollock because of a 'feeling', which is ridiculous. However, until the art world accepts this painting as real, no art dealer will touch it, no one will buy it, and the painting may as well be fake and worth only $5.

Top 10 and Favourite 5

Top 10 Favourite Things in the Larger Scheme of Things
1. Having 8 or more hours of uninterrupted rest.
2. Walking outside on a clear day when it is warm enough that you don't need a coat, but cold enough that you still have the option.
3. Days in the spring/summer when I walk through fields of dandelions and can kick them, or in the winter when the ice makes that perfect cracking sound when you step on it.
4. Reading a good book.
5. Finishing your homework a few days beforehand.
6. Watching a horribly bad movie with friends.
7. Flipping through old books and looking at the illustrations/graphics.
8. Going for a swim on one of those brutally hot and humid July days.
9. Looking after my niece and nephew (when they are not being pains).
10. Going out to dinner or drinks with friends and having meaningful conversation.

Favourite 5 Items
1. Bubble Wrap: especially when you pop them.
2. My Vincent Van Gogh Action Figure
3. The odd ashtray that I found at Value Village years ago.
4. The Wallpaper books at work, which are so much fun to look through and criticize.
5. Sharpie Markers: Perfect for thumbnail scketches.

Symbols of Muhammadali Jaffer

Media Symbols:
1. Television: Ugly Betty, America's Next Top Model, Friends
2. Video Games
3. Youtube: Deathstar Canteen
4. Deviant Art
5. Mac Computers
6. Cell Phone: only texting

Other Symbols:

Visual Symbols:
1. Glasses
2. USB Key: Somehow always loses the cap and yet always finds in a completely random location (lost the lid on the bus ride to school, and found it again on the way home from school (8 hours later)

Tendencies:
1. Says "I'm sorry a lot."
2. Always early
3. Always stressed.
4. Always sleepy.
5. Always worrying.

Do Media Moguls control the World?

Media moguls and corporations control the minds and souls of us common people to a certain extent. The media chooses what information is reported on the news and the way in which this information is presented.

For example, the fact that the Arctic ice cap is shrinking due to global warming and the waters of Northern Canada may be open during the summer months leaving a direct waterway from Europe to Asia could be portrayed in several ways:

1. This new waterway would stimulate the economies and result in jobs in the small towns of Canada's Arctic.

2. Polar bears and other endangered Arctic wild life are having difficulty finding hunting grounds because the ice is essential to their fragile ecosystem.

These two examples show how the same news can be portrayed in two very different ways, leading the viewer to believe the side that is being reported in the media. People are being manipulated into believing what the media chooses to report. People are manipulated by the omission of information. Until we question all sides of a story and do the research for ourselves, we will continue to be manipulated by the media.

Each television station, newspaper, or book could be reporting the same issue/story and each one would have a completely different message conveyed to the audience. It is all in the editing, the information that is chosen to be conveyed controls the final message.

In essence the media only controls us to the extent that we let them.

External Design: Fire Escapes

I've always thought that fire escapes are an interesting form of design. Although these staircases work as a part of the building design, they are often works of art themselves. This ability to take a building safety requirement and turn it into its own work of art is design at its best.

Fire escapes are often used on older-residential building such as apartments. In a well maintained structure, the fire escape can contribute to the overall feeling of the building. It can add character or help create a certain ambiance.

The fire escape often creates a feeling of uniqueness and creativity to the mood of the building.

The stairs on the left are a good example of utility as art. These stairs create an extremely tactile, rough and organic mood through the use of curves, the roughness of the metal used in its construction, and the way each individual stair's joint is attached to the central pole.

The stairs above create an entirely different feeling than the winding stairs. The yellow stairs appear to be more of a work of modern art. This feeling is achieved through its use of colour and its use of angles. There are no curves in this design which emphasizes the buildings, very contemporary look. In essence, the yellow fire escape ads a feeling of art or design to what would be a very blah kind of building.

Sidewalk Chalk

Just came across these images online and though that they were very interesting. Have you ever come across an image on the ground and been completely captivated? Sidewalk art is amazing.

The amount of work that goes into something that will only last a few days is astounding.

The really amazing aspect of this kind of sidewalk art is the way that the artist uses perspective to create an illusion of a third dimension. At certain angles the drawing almost look like it's an object in the real world. This form of trompe de l'oeil makes the viewer stop and try to figure out how this illusion was accomplished.

These drawings have also been used as a form of advertising. Coke, and Absolut Vodka have both used sidewalk art as a form of advertising to cause an interruption in the everyday lives of normal people.




For more really amazing images go to Anamorphic Sidewalk Painting.

Weekly Media Consumption

I divided up my media consumption for the week into 5 main categories:

1. Internet: 31.5 hrs/wk
Email: 3.25 hrs/wk
Homework: 13.25 hrs/wk
Blog: 3 hrs/wk
Surfing: 12 hrs/wk

2. Reading: 9.25 hrs/wk
Book: 2 hrs/wk
Homework: 1.75 hrs/wk
Magazine: 2.25 hrs/wk
Newspaper: 3.25 hrs/wk

3. Movies: 18.25 hrs/wk

4. Television: 6 hrs/wk

5. Radio: 17.5 hrs/wk

What's in Good Taste?

What is good taste? Why do we like the things that we do? How can we make an ad or design or painting appeal to everyone?

Perhaps one of the best examples of the studies of good and bad taste in terms of art are "The Most Wanted Paintings" by Komar & Melamid.

These artists conducted surveys of a thousand people each of various countries. The surveys were geared toward discovering a particular country's aesthetic preferences in terms of painting. Based on the polls, Komar and Melamid created two paintings for each country suveyed: 1. The Most Wanted Painting, and 2. The Least Wanted.

If you look at the most popular paintings as a group and the worst paintings as another group, there are vast differences from country to country. What one country considers horrible varies from what another country considers horrible; the same is true for "The Most Wanted Paintings."

United States' Most Wanted Painting


China's Most Wanted Painting


Holland's Most Wanted


To see all the paintings done by Komar & Melamid, click here.

Komar & Melamid even composed two songs using the same strategy as the paintings; "The Most Wanted Song" and "The Least Wanted Song."

The Most Wanted Paintings are not even that great. They are in fact quite odd. The American painting has a random figure of George Washington, people walking, and some Bambi-like deer frolicking. It doesn't really make sense. In fact, most people would probably say that "The Most Wanted Painting" is in bad taste.

Taste is subjective, you can't please everybody. What a designer or an artist can do is please a specific target market or person. Also, taste is subjective; people's likes and dislikes vary from person to person. It doesn't matter what you do, there will always be someone who dislikes your work.

Defining Art

What is art?

Some people would say art is any object created by a person. Others might say that a piece of art is an object found in gallery. Both definitions are problematic. Both definitions are acceptable, but both are highly problematic.

According to the first, anything created by a person could be considered a work of art. The person who designs car tires could be considered an artist according to this definition. Ads, graphic design, clothes, binders, shovels, etc, could all be considered high-art. Everyone and anyone could be considered an artist simply if they have ever created something.

The second definition refers to the location of the object in question. If the object is located in a gallery or a museum or a historic, therefore it must be art. So a statue in the Louvre in Paris, France would be considered high-art, even though the same statue in a men's club in downtown Toronto would not be considered anything remotely artistic.


The artist Marcel Duchamp and his readymades art objects pushed the definition of 'art' to an unknown degree when he introduced 'The Fountain' at the Society of Independent Artists in 1917. Perhaps his most famous work, Duchamp submitted a porcelain urinal and signed it under a pseudonym of "R. Mutt." A majority of the society's directors declared that this item was indecent and not art, and was refused from the show.






















"The Fountain" caused quite a bit of controversy, as it questions the very nature of art. By removing the object from its original context (i.e. the bathroom) and placing it in a gallery, Duchamp makes the viewer re-evaluate your own definition of art. Duchamp signed the work and placed it on a pedestal in a gallery thereby meeting all the criteria for the definition of a piece of art.

Context means everything in our definition of art; the environment surrounding the work can provide the viewer with cues as to what the maker/artist/creator wants the work/object to be classified as. Also, sometimes the idea behind the work/object is the artwork in itself.

The definition of art is subjective; it is only art if and only if the individual viewer permits the work to be so.






Photo from:
http://locus.cwrl.utexas.edu/jbrown/files/Marcel%20Duchamp.jpg