The Shape of Modern Design, 1920-1940s
Session will present:On location
Affiliated Society or Committee Name: Historians of German, Scandinavian, and Central European Art and Architecture
Germanic, Central European, and Scandinavian countries produced some of the leading designers of the 20th century. After an initial period of expansion and optimism in the 1920s, the horizons for design shifted in the 1930s and 1940s and new centers of design emerged beyond Europe. This panel examines the shape of modern design from the 1920s to the 1940s, as technological optimism gave way to experiences of scarcity, war, destruction, and exile. In the face of mounting nationalism and fascism, a series of questions arose: was design to serve corporate and military interests, or did it serve to critique these hegemonic institutions? What did state-sponsored and corporate design look like, and what forms of resistance manifested? To what extent did machine production and industrial technologies dictate form, and to what extent did organic materials and human-centered design gain new relevance? Did modern design follow principles of function, or did it provide a new terrain for artistry and individual experimentation as a reassertion of the human? To what extent did male designers shape the field, and what were the contributions of a new generation of women designers and curators, who assumed new responsibilities as their male colleagues were called off to war? How was the relationship between design and manufacture reconfigured during these years, and how was labor either empowered or coerced?
Wesleyan University
Keywords:
Geographic Area: Europe
Geographic Area: Northern Europe
Time Period: Twentieth Century
Topics: Architecture/Architectural History
Topics: Design
Chair:
Katherine M. Kuenzli, Wesleyan University
https://caa.confex.com/caa/2027/webprogrampreliminary/Session17907.html
