Design History Of The Chair Cultural Studies Essay

Design History Of The Chair Cultural Studies Essay For an insight into the history of design, it is no better place to start than by looking at the everyday object, the Chair. A chair is a piece of furniture that often goes unnoticed, yet really is essential to everyday living. It is generally taken for granted and not recognised for its valuable contribution to our lives. Many aspects, social, cultural, aesthetics, technologies etc can be seen through the evolution of Chair design. In this essay, I shall be looking at three different designers and their designs, particularly the function, form, use of materials, intended market and production methods. The first designer was Michael Thonet (1796-1871) Thonet was born in Germany (then called Prussia) His life began at the start of the industrial revolution. He did an apprenticeship in cabinet making in his hometown and shortly afterwards began experimenting with veneers and bentwood. Maybe it was significant that he was born around the time of the revolution, as he is certainly a good example of that period, as he formed a massive company that is recognised as a leading force in mass production. His Factory designed by himself, was very close to a beech wood forest, many other designers used wood that was flat, with lots of joints but Thonet had managed to perfect his designs by using the beech wood in a new and revolutionary bending method. He went on to use wood veneers, glueing lots together so they were flexible. He was known for his experiments to help him and this meant that he was able to go on to be one of the first designers in mass production. His chair was the first in flat pack furniture to be assembled at home by the buyer. The chair was designed to be cheap , strong and light and a good sturdy chair to sit . In the home it would have been used in the kitchen and living room. The intended market would have been to the middle and lower classes as it was a widely available cheaper chair. It was a mass produced chair and by 1900 an estimated 40 million chairs had been produced. My second Designer was Charles Rennet Mackintosh (1868-1928) Born in Glasgow he was an architect, designer and artist, is today celebrated internationally as one of the most significant talents of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.   At the age of 16 he became an apprentice to John Hutchinson. He also began attending evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art and met fellow artist Margaret MacDonald, who eventually became his wife. They were both members of the collaborative group known as The Four, prominent members of the Glasgow School Movement. Mackintosh became a partner of the firm Honeyman Keppie in 1903. However, at the turn of an economic hardship in 1913, Mackintosh left the firm Honeyman Keppie to open his own practice. After unsuccessfully trying to establish his own practice, he dedicated his time to landscape painting in France. Mackintosh returned to England in 1927 for treatment of tongue and throat cancer. He died in London in 1928. Designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh in 1903 Black Ladder Back Chair Mackintosh was one of the leading exponents in the Arts Crafts Movement and one of the leading representatives of Art Nouveau in Scotland. The chair itself was a component of a house designed The Hill House and was actually not meant to sit on. The fact that the back of the chair is a long way over your head does add to the fact that it reassembles in my opinion a throne. Everything seems right about this chair: proportions, materials style. The chair was a one of design for the hill house to match the high ceilings in the house . the chair was not designed to be sat on but as a piece of art its self and as a decorative piece. The designer used would for the frame of the chair and upholstery for the seat . It was designed and built for ww Blackie the owner of the hill house . The chair still sits in the hill house bedroom. My third designer to look at was Charles and Ray Eames, they are the most important American designers of this century. Charles Eames was born in 1907 in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended school there and developed an interest in engineering and architecture. He later extended his design ideas beyond architecture and received a fellowship to Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where he eventually became head of the design department. Ray Kaiser Eames was born in Sacramento. She studied painting with Hans Hofmann in New York before moving on to Cranbrook Academy where she met and assisted Charles. Charles and Ray married in 1941 and moved to California. In 1946, Evans Products began producing the Eamess moulded plywood furniture. Their moulded plywood chair was called the chair of the century by the influential architectural critic Esther McCoy. Eames Lounge Chair, 1956 Designed in 1956 this icon of 20th century design created by the Eames to provide a modern alternative to traditional club chairs. Since its debut in 1956, the chair and ottoman have been continuously produced by Herman Miller (A leading global provider of office furniture) According to  Charles Eames, design is simply a plan for arranging elements in such a way as to best accomplish a particular purpose. The chair was designed to be a relaxing comfortable chair . and in Charles Eames own words a special refuge from the strains of modern living.. The first chair was a originally a gift for Billy wilder. The chair is also specially designed so that it can take all the weight of your lower spine helping you relax even more . And putting your feet up on the ottoman helps restore blood circulation after a hard days work. The materials used are natural wood such as natural cherry, walnut and santos palisander a rich grainy veneer. The chair is still very popular and is seen in many styl ish interiors. Conclusion An insight into the past can be seen all around us, but the chair, an item so important to us, from the plastic mass produced ones you see in fast food chain shops to our old comfortable armchairs, they all hold so much more information about the history of design. From the early designs and experimenting by Michael Thonet and his way of making bent wood chairs and furniture it would be hard to think that Charles Eames would have been able to go on to design his Lounge Chair. Then with Charles Eames designs and advances in production techniques and mass marketing of chairs it has become possible for everyone to have a classic piece of design history in their home or office. Or even own a reproduction of Charles Mackintoshs Ladder Back Chair for very little costs. The type of chair that someone chooses for their home can in say a lot about them. Victorian styles show that a person prefers the older styles. Art Deco has bright colours and geometric shapes. With most people, the most important factor to consider when choosing a chair other than the colour or style is comfort. If someone was suffering from back problems, for example they might require a designer to design a chair to suit their needs. When someone chooses a modern chair design for the office or in his or her home it says there forward thinkers, with modern tastes. So for an everyday object to so often go unnoticed is a shame, the chosen design and style of chair someone chooses can say allot more and can be I think a very good illustration of their personality.

The Traveller Gypsies Book Review English Language Essay

The Traveller Gypsies Book Review English Language Essay Judith Oakley is a social anthropologist who has spent a lot of her life researching into many aspects of native life forms; one of the most popular pieces of work was her work conducted around Traveller-Gypsies. Oakley wrote her book Gypsy-Travellers and published it in 1983; it represents the everyday life of Gypsy-Travellers and their struggle under the domination of a bigger society. The study conducted by Oakley occurred in the 1960s around England and understandings of Gypsy-Travellers throughout history have provided us with the ideology that they have always been vagrant people travelling freely. However, in this book, Oakley noted how Gypsy-Travellers living in Britain in the 1960s had to deal with numerous laws imposed by governments that would restrict their mobility and vanquish them from their true identity. Oakley is in constant teaching mode, and is always on the lookout for something new to write about the Gypsy-Travellers, something that was unknown to the public. One problem that has always affected the studies of Gypsies would be the definition of what a gypsy actually is; while some believe it to be thought of in terms of purity of blood, others would regard it as social population, rather than an ethnic marvel, which should be such dealt with using social manners. One definition of a Gypsy would be One inclined to a nomadic, unconventional way of life. (TheFreeDictionary, 2012). These people are the Gypsies that Okelys book refers to, and her outlook in regards to their identity underlies much of her approach to the subject; it is a common theme throughout the book, and one is left realising, that the author never presents a clear definition of what a  Gypsy  actually is, how the meaning of the word has changed over time, with new laws and regulations being put in place and holding these people back, and how they are seen in todays society. While this seems to be the main weakness of the text, Oakley does include how Gypsies live and s hows how Gorgios are perceived and acted upon and against, including how Gypsies compare themselves to Gorgios within the community. Oakleys text starts by her introducing herself and what she was doing at the time she wrote the book, using things she learned from other people; for example, she found that to some people pierced ears were the only way to get to heaven, which was further believed to improve vision for Traveller-Gypsies, as she found out when questioning some of the people she lived with. Oakley uses numerous lists to show which people helped her make her book happen; thanking many people on the way, listing who gave her advice, who proof-read the book and who composed the final drafts to send off for publishing. She thanks the newspapers for allowing her to use their content as a regard to keep anonymity between those she was living with. Finally, she thanks the Traveller-Gypsies she was living with for being her guides and providing her with friendship and laughter. This all adds up to show how much she appreciates the work of other people when trying to get her own work together; it shows she has faith in the team of people she worked with and how she would trust them to help make her work successful. The table of contents seems to show the author as writing the book chronologically; from writing about what was historically believed, to self-ascribing themselves to be a Traveller-Gypsy. It finalises by listing how Gypsies travel, in what and with whom; before writing about relationships and defining the role of the traveller women. Additionally, it lists terms Oakley used, which she came across when in the company of the traveller-gypsies, at the end of the book for readers ease of understanding their language. In personal opinion, chronologically ordering the table of contents seems to be a practical form of organisation as it shows how things have progressed throughout time, including any historical changes through research and the development of greater understandings. Furthermore, it allows for the reader to have a greater impression of how the people in the text live, what their means of transport is and how it has changed, and why these people live in the way that they do (b e it economic reasons or political). Oakleys study is divided into twelve chapters and a conclusion, which appears to be written in a well-structured way. The first chapter addresses the history of Gypsy studies and invites popular misconceptions to be looked upon in a formal manner; this continues to be looked into in chapter two. Chapter three shows an insight into how Oakley planned to conduct her research and includes material that was proven to be valuable at the time of her study. Next, chapter four narrates the place of the British Gypsy within the economic system and includes non-Gypsy alliances with work contracts. Identity issues are further raised in chapter five, where self-ascription is discussed in detail. Chapter six entails dealings with maintenance of the boundaries between Gypsy and non-Gypsy, or Gorgio; this same chapter also deals with the concept of things considered as ritually impure, which would usually be associated with Gorgios and their way of life further looked upon in chapter eleven. Chapt er seven offers realistic pictures of the attitudes presented to Gypsies, including their way of life and means of livelihood, from Gorgios; further, it shows the ways Gorgios deal with providing the populations accommodation. Chapter eight shows Oakley dealing with both the reality and myth of Gypsies as Traveller kind, and points out from the start that Gypsies do not travel about aimlessly, as either the romantics or the anti-Gypsy suggest (p. 125). Chapters nine and ten show how marriage, kinship, husband-wife relationships and children are dealt with, including how a marriage is chosen and why. The eleventh chapter had explored the role of women in a British Romany society and includes a detailed discussion of the differences between Gypsy and Gorgio women, including stereotypes. The final chapter, chapter twelve, deals with death, superstition and religion; however, these are not discussed in great depth further analysis of these would have allowed the reader a greater unders tanding when looking into how these things affect a Gypsies lifestyle. In her concluding remarks, Oakley notes how she can not necessarily conclude her chapter as she did not initially make a hypothesis. She relates to how gypsies are seen as trouble as they are kinds who refuse to settle and work for a living, unlike those who are already inhabited in an area do; they refuse to become proletarianised within the community. It also states how although they travel, Traveller-Gypsies do give a community something they could not otherwise get without their aid, whether that is positive for the community or negative. Further, she states how differentiating between gypsy and Gorgio is not always easy, but the gypsy culture has not always been accepted, as it may be led to be believed. The study was also a way to measure how gypsies deal with the way society treats them by shunning them; it records the responses and retaliations of Traveller-Gypsies. A lot of gypsies would refuse Gorgio access to their lives, yet it is needed in order for them to gain a good n ame and understanding of what they do; without this they would be continually forced out of societies and would never have the possibility of being accepted into particular societies. The concluding remarks in this book encloses a statement which seems to be of importance; Outsiders have projected onto Gypsies their own repressed fantasies and longings for disorder . . . this study has confronted such fantasies (1983, p.232). From what has been read in her book, Oakley uses herself as the narrator of the text, she writes about what she found as and when it happened; using any information she received and where it originated from. Additionally, the text written in the book has historical facts about the Traveller-Gypsies and how they have come to be the people they are; yet Oakley not only includes personal opinions on the matters, but personal experiences she has lived through whilst living within the Gypsy community. This gives the reader an understanding of what was happening at the time of the study as they are able to empathise, not only with Oakley, but with the Traveller-Gypsies as they dealt with any struggles they faced. Oakley uses present tense within her writing with phrases such as it is presumed (p. 52) rather than the past tense it was; this gives the reader to believe the books authenticity as it allows for both periods of time and shows comparisons between the two. In regards to the writin g style, it would most likely be suited for collegial or university students, or in particular those more advanced in this field of study, as the writing seems formal yet it contains academic information that may prove a challenge to those looking onto the subject from a less-educated point of view. For example, the way parts of the text have been written; in some parts, Oakley has referred to previous studies, a lot of them her own work, which may be identified as confusing for a student at any lower level of education, as they may be unable to understand parts of the text through the amount of referencing that is place. The author has a distinctive personal style, it is formal, yet informal; Oakley uses evidence in her statements then puts up an opinionated argument against what she says, which additionally helps the reader understand what is being said. With her interpreting the gypsy lifestyle, Oakley tends to use their jargon in her work, for example, using Gorgios to show a non-gypsy person in the gypsy life, of which are defined and listed in the back of the book. Any accounts that are included in the book are based on personal visits to the community, therefore there may be misinterpretations within what has been said as a communication breakdown may have occurred; further, Oakley may be using bias information when trying to put a point across as there were no other researchers to object to her motives. This doesnt help with the fact that she may not be putting up a believable argument, which seems to be one of the main criticisms against this text with their only being Oakley to refer to. How ever, with this being said, her text does include references to previous works from both herself and other former anthropologists in which she has used to back up some of her sources. Her studied natives were collectively anonymous in her work; however, she does use some forms of individuality. She uses one person rather than names as the people wishes to remain anonymous, which she accepted; phrases of which the people would want to be called are used, i.e. one traveller said, rather than a person told me. It does come across as the travellers she was living with have their own voice in the ethnography; she introduces them before using their quotes, giving the reader a sense of character; however, found in the notes are individual names of the Travellers she lives with and what wise words; they gave her to help her live within the community once she was accepted. This gives a greater sense of character for the individuals as although they were not specifically named in the text, they did have an involvement at the end of the book. Overall Oakley had provided a positive piece of text, with the main criticism being that her argument was not necessarily defined; her own personal meaning of what a Traveller-Gypsy was had never been noted thus it was unable to be validated in todays society as definitions have further changed since her period of study. Suitably, this text is informative and gives vital information upon how Traveller-Gypsies used to live previous to any laws and regulations stopping them performing certain tasks within a community. Word Count: 2,006

Free Speech on the Internet :: Web Laws Politics Rights Essays

Free Speech on the Internet Freedom of speech has been a big issue on the Internet lately. But I'd like to suggest that, properly viewed, "policy markets" are a much bigger free speech issue than the recent ban on "indecent" internet posts. First, let's start with the puzzle "why free speech?". What is the fundamental difference between a legislature forbidding some people from making "indecent" speech at the request of others who fear being offended by such speech, and a legislature taxing some people to pay for other people's education or recreation? In each case interests are opposed, there are political winners and losers, and a majority may trample on some "rights" of a minority. Why should one case be forbidden and the other allowed? The strongest widely-accepted argument for having courts strike down laws which limit "free speech" is to protect communications intended to influence the political process. You see, even if a large majority preferred to ban indecent speech, or to fund education with taxes, they might never find out that they all preferred this outcome if they were prevented from publicly discussing the issue. Instead, a government might lock in its current advantage and preferences by forbidding any questioning of its current laws. Without free political speech, a minority might much more easily trample on a majority (a worse fate than a majority trampling a minority). Thus political speech deserves extra protection. Note, however, that this argument for political "speech" applies to any action whose main consequence is to communicate information to influence the political process (and whose other consequences are not overly burdensome to others). So not only should it apply to newspapers, TV, the internet, T-shirts, bumper-stickers, and window signs, but it should also apply to political demonstrations and other expensive political "signals". You see, the main information communicated by a political demonstration is not the words chanted or held high on posters, but that fact that these people care enough to spend their time demonstrating for this cause. (Thus it is important to demonstrate in clear public view, and to not look like you're having too much fun.) Expensive signals like demonstrations can communicate what mere words cannot - strength of feeling and opinion. (Sure you can say you really care, but everyone says that.) Unfortunately, many expensive political signals, such as campaign contributions and political advertizing, are widely limited by law. Perhaps such limits can be justified by arguing that these actions can also do much harm, in addition to communicating information to politicians and voters.

Aneroxia Nervosa :: essays research papers

Aneroxia Nervosa SHOT BY SHOT ANALYSIS SHOT ONE CINEMATOGRAPHY: The points made where that the shot will start off as a birds eye view and zero in to a wide shot of a typical home. The point in this is to create a typical family home scene, in an ordinary neighbourhood so to emphasize that Craig is simply a bad egg and evoke emotion (in particular sympathy) from audience. A police car will enter the shot and similtaniously the sounds will stop, the scene will be cut shortly after SOUND: I have not chosen music in this scene because I felt it imperative to continue with the ‘stereotypical noises of traffic, kids playing etc, for the same reasons as above. MISE-EN-SCENE Setting: A normal family home, again for the reasons above. Lighting: Dark clouds are beginning to form so to show that trouble is brewing in the story. EDITING: The shot will be cut as the police car parks and the noise of plying traffic etc. stops. SHOT TWO CINEMATOGRAPHY: The shot will be in real time and will be a wide shot so to include all the family doing normal â€Å"stereotypical activities† SOUND: Diagetic family noises will be present; Chopping vegies T.V noise Chatting etc. Toward the end of the scene a doorbell will ring over all this and mum will go to answer it. MISE-EN-SCENE: Setting: a typical family shot will be the setting to continue to create the scene intended and to evoke the sympathy when Craig will be arrested. Costume: All are dressed in middle-upper class clothing except Craig who wears FUBU and baggy jeans, this is to ensure he is singled out from his family and made to look the bad egg Figure Behaviour: Mum leaves to answer the door, all else continue with their activities (Dad chopping vegies, sister watching TV and Craig reading newspaper). Editing: The will end as mum disappears through the doorway. SHOT THREE CINEMATOGRAPHY: A close up is used here to show that Craig is aware of what is about to happen, audiences are invited to think this as he is obviously distressed. SOUND: Still the diagenic sounds of the family. MIS-EN-SCENE: Lighting: craigs face is slighty shadowed to show that he is a dark horse, hes introuble. Figure behaviour: Craig obviously distressed, sweat appears as he is anticipating what is about to happen. EDITING: As we hear the first sign of footsteps the shot is cut SHOT FOUR CINEMATOGRAPHY: The shot(s) are still all in real time. I have used what perhaps could be considered halway between a subjective shot and a long shot to include all the family’s reactions as the police appear, but to still create the tension of a face off between the policeman and Craig.

William Sherman :: essays research papers

William Sherman How would you feel if your brother came into your room and transformed it into a junkyard? You would probably have the same feelings of the civilians in Georgia when William Sherman came across their land. William Sherman was hated by most Southerners and favored by many generals from the North because if his brilliant war tactic. William Sherman was born on May 8, 1820 in Lancaster, Ohio. But according to the American History Encyclopedia, he was born on February 8 of that year. His father died when he was child, and his mother couldn’t afford to raise him so she sent him to be raised by Thomas Ewing, his father’s friend. He soon married Mr. Ewing’s daughter, Ellan. William Sherman attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and graduated 6th in his class in 1840. During the Mexican War, he was an unpopular soldier in California because he had little combat experiences. He resigned from the army in September 6, 1853, and became partner in a banking firm in San Francisco and New York. Years before the Civil War started, William Sherman was superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary and Military Academy at Alexandria; which later was moved and renamed to Louisiana State University (LSU). When the war broke out, Sherman felt adverse with the newspapermen in Louisiana, so he moved b ack to his hometown for two months. His family then migrated to St. Louis, Missouri where he was elected president of the Fifth Street Railroad. On his forty-first birthday, Sherman wrote to the Union Secretary of War offering his service in the military for three years. On June 20, 1861, he joined Mc. Dowel’s army and fought in the First Battle of Bull Run, the first battle in which the Union lost to the Confederate. In August of 1861, William Sherman was promoted to Brigadier General and was elected by General Robert Anderson to defend Fort Sumter. A month later, Sherman told the Secretary of War, Cameron, that if he had 60,000 men he would drive the enemy out of Kentucky and if he had 200,000 men he would finish the war in that section. Many newspaper writers humiliated William Sherman because Cameron returned to Washington and reported that Sherman required 200,000 men. Sherman didn’t get a large number of army as he wished, but he was placed command of the Fifth Division, which was an average size army seizing Tennessee.

Management Control System Essay

A common fleet significantly simplifies scheduling, operations, and maintenance. Training costs for pilots, ground crew, and mechanics are lower, because there’s only a single aircraft to learn. Purchasing, provisioning, and other operations are also vastly simplified, therefore lowering costs. 2. People: Southwest tries hard to different way. For example, not assigning seats in its flights helps to reinforce its image that it gets passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares. By not assigning seats, Southwest can turn the airplanes quicker at the gate. If an airplane can be turned quicker, more routes can be flown each day. That generates more revenue, so that Southwest can offer lower fares. About 60% of Southwest’s passenger revenue was generated by online bookings via southwest. com. That southwest. com was the number one airline website by revenue and Nielsen/Net Rating identified it as the largest airline site in terms of unique visitors. 2. How do Southwest’s control systems help execute the firm’s strategy? Southwest’s control system help execute the firm’s strategy by: – Implementing short haul and medium haul, on-line booking, less time at the gate, hedged fuel and oil Southwest consistently sought out ways to improve its efficiencies and pass on the cost savings to its passengers. In 2004, Southwest had reduce the headcount per aircraft to 74 from 85 in 2003. It hedged about 85% of its fuel and oil needs as a result saved about $ 455 million . It also entered new airports after a process of due diligence and with a sense of commitment to the people it served. Southwest pilots were among the only pilots of major U. S. airlines who did not belong to a nation union. National union rules limited the number of hours pilots could fly. But Southwest’s pilots were unionized independently allowing them to fly far more hours than pilots at other airlines. Othe workers at SWA wree nationally unionized but their contracts wrere flexible enough to allow them to jump in and help out regardless of the task at hand. From the time the plane landed until it was ready for takeoff took approx 20-25 minutes at SWA and required a ground crew of 4 plus 2 at the gate. Is the controller relationship of Martex better than that of Rendell current organizationalrelationship ? Objective: To achieve profitability and growth Ans 1: What is the organisational philosophy of Martex with respect to the controller function? What do you think of it? Should Rendell Adopt this philosophy? The organizational philosophy of   Martex   with respect to the controller function is thatdivisional controller report to the corporate controller for transparency of information on budget issues. According to us it has the following Adv and disadv:

Essentialism in society Essay

Essentialism in society is â€Å"the practice of regarding something (as a presumed human trait) as having innate existence or universal validity rather than as being a social, ideological, or intellectual construct,† or in simpler terms, ascribing one trait or set of traits to a specific group of people, disregarding individual variations or possible variations ( Spelman, n. d. ). Essentialism is practiced by everyone as a biological pattern-recognition mechanism. It can, however, and frequently is, used as a hostile tool to oppress and subject people grouped together by race, gender, financial circumstances, and sexual identities and orientations. Essentialism is a dangerously powerful tool employed by politicians hoping to incite the emotions of the general populace enough to overlook the rationality of their words and meanings. Essentialism is degrading to every person on a personal level; it strips individuals of individuality, attributing traits based on skin tone, hair color, religious beliefs, sexual preferences, sexual identity, gender identity, body type, clothing choices– leaving room only for what are considered the â€Å"basics,† regardless of their truth or falseness. It defines â€Å"gender roles,† â€Å"race roles,† any role based on these traits (Narrative Therapy, n. d. ). The increasingly accessible media of popular music acts only as fuel for reducing whole bodies of people to one set of traits. Statistics regarding record sales are null and void when the actual listening audience of any popular music is concerned; it is played in shopping malls, on public transportation, in private businesses, often on public streets: any genre of popular music has an ample audience at any given moment in time. For that reason alone its many mixed messages are spread wide and unevenly (Book Rags, 2009). Pop music has songs with confident lyrics, cocky lyrics, lyrics alluding to serious depression, jealousy, melancholy, drinking and drug habits (healthy and unhealthy), often revolving around and promoting â€Å"traditional† (that is, mainstream) gender roles, sexual identities, and racial identities. Record sales alone indicate a substantial audience willing to invest monetarily in songs they may or may not necessarily agree with the lyrics of; however, the continued inclusion of such essentialist lyrics is a significant indication that a majority of listeners, if not in complete agreement with them, are not actively attempting to staunch the accelerating insertion of essentialism into the everyday lives of its listeners (On Distinction, 2009). Bibliography Elizabeth, Spelman. Inessential Woman. Google. 02 July 2009 . Book Rags. Google. 2 July 2009 . Narrative Therapy. Google. 2 July 2009 . On Distinction. 07 July 2006. Google. 2 July 2009