DESIGN + CULTURE.
Culture has 2 main definitions – 1. The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievements regarded collectively. 2. The ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society. Culture plays a vital role in the evolution of mankind to the future, we all come from different parts of the world, although we are one race, the human race we have different views, beliefs, values, rituals, ideologies, philosophies and overall concept of life. Culture is also affected based on the region, demographics and atmospheric conditions for example cultures in Scandinavia are different from cultures in Africa, how we live our everyday lives are unique to our location. In this situation we are looking at how culture impacts design and the arts in general. The Japanese design culture is known for their clean and minimal way of living infuse with strong traditional and cultural beliefs, The Scandinavian design culture is known for its functionality, problem solving and also minimalist and sustainable approach to their use of materials and natural aesthetic. From the evolution of mankind we have seen a tremendous growth in development and innovation which came from the very first culture of man, from the creation of fire which is the spark of creation and civilisation, the greatest moment of the history of humanity is fire. Fire was designed to bring people together in times where shelter was not readily available, humans will commune together in caves for warmth and discuss social issues and also eat together, this dynamic and powerful element has been used for centuries to drive civilisation forward, although is has brought about its problems such as the creation of metal used for weapons and the creation of gun powder and guns. Fire and Metal are really powerful elements and when combined they have created objects that brought the world to the future and beyond. Culture is also about solving problems and knowledge passed down through generations, there is a common language in culture and its a palette of self expression. Design languages such as the Bauhaus movement, The Memphis movement and The Art Deco movement were all born out of culture. Culture is such a broad and diverse topic from food, language, religion to fashion its no wonder it is defined as our intellectual achievements, they have shaped our world in different ways. In my next article I want to discuss about the African culture and in particular the Yoruba culture and the intervention born out of this culture.
