The Changing Shape of Things [antikvár]

FOREWORD WHAT you see you get" is a saying of our American friends. It is for this reason the whole argument of this book has been put into pictures. It is an essay in visual presentation. The plan is to select pictures of various things now in everyday use and to show how and why their shapes have been changed. Many other aspects of the subject have been dealt with in recent books, such as those by Herbert Read, Noel Carrington, John Gloag, Anthony Bertram and G. M. Boumphrey, and to all of these writers the author is indebted. The Design and Industries Association has for over a quarter of a century fostered educational work and there has been a notable improvement in the standard of design of all kinds of articles in recent years. However, it is felt that there is a place for a simple book which may help to arouse an interest in the design of every-day things. The object is to stimulate rather than to instruct. With its samples from many courses it is üke the hors d'oeuvre to a meal. Two pages are given to each subject: there is a theme for a whole book each. If the methods adopted prove popular, it is hoped to develop somé themes in more detail in subsequent volumes. No one is more conscious than the author of the omissions that have been inevitable in the drastic condensation. * * » * Somé people scoff at tradition but are anxious to be in the fashion; somé admire only antiques, others things that are new. Many people forget that there is always a reason for the shape and style of any article. This reason may be good or bad, but it is necessary to know what it is before we pass judgment on the shape or style of anything. Four main factors control the shape of things: (1) The function they perform. (2) The materials and tools with which they are made. (3) The influence of tradition or fashion. (4) The desire to make the product beautiful. The interplay of these four factors is a fascinating study. In primitive products tools and materials control the shape-in somé things tradition is dominant, in others function is supreme. For instance, the shape of dugout canoes was determined by the shape of the tree trunk, and by the crude tools available. The function of the wheel has always determined its shape, though new materials have constantly affected its design. In vehicles, lighting fittings, and particularly in new articles such as radio cabinets, the influence of tradition has at the commencement been strong. There are periods when the pursuit of beauty has defeated itself in over-elaborate ornamentation and there has been. a consequent swing back-to austerity, as shown in the difference between furnishings of Victorian times and those of to-day. To understand the details of design, to appreciate the finer ssthetic qualities or to know intimately the styles of various periods, is a lifetime's study. But to acquire an interest in the broad principles that govern design and to look for the "how and the why" of the shape of things, is something everyone can do with enjoyment. There is no universal criterion by which good design may be judged. "Fitness for purpose" is always a useful slogan and a valuable test which condemns many bad designs. It is still a most useful corrective to much sloppy thinking. But it takes little account of beauty and tradition and, were it the only criterion, we would indeed have an austere world. There is a place too for the idealism of the medieval craftsmen, for the gusto of a Benvenuto Cellini -what fun his memoirs still are-and for the culture of Christopher Wren. This book has been written primarily to interest the younger generation, many of whom will soon be entering or returning to civil life. If this book helps to stimulate a healthy curiosity in these matters it will have served its purpose. 5