Priscila Lena Farias / Anna Calvera Marcos da Costa ... - Blucher

Between art and Industry
The Factory’s usual production that went for sale included leather
wallets, writing pads, vases etc. (Fig. 3) These works were done
in comparatively small series, depending on the studio and the
materials they used, up to 25-50 jewelry items, 100-200 ceramic
items, 25 woodcut pieces etc. A separate group was formed by the
so-called author series, meaning that the piece was crafted personally
by the author. This was added to the signange and meant
also higher price. At the same time care was taken on the obtainability.
Usually there was no problem of getting the work sold. 7
An additional support system existed from 1960, for artists who
were not Factory’s employees but could reproduce their work and
sell it through the salons. The only demand was that it could not
be unique objets but had to be serially produced. 8
In addition to participation in local applied art exhibitions, from
1957-65 the Factory were represented in 19 exhibitions abroad,
including 1958 world exhibition in Brussels and Estonian applied
art exhibition in Helsinki in 1960.
3. Position and reception and changing
attitudes
One aspect to look at, is the functioning of the Art Products Factory
in relation to the program of raising the living standard in the
Thaw period and the change in the status of applied art and artist.
In initial discussions in the 1950s, it was applied art that had to
play role in redefining the new everyday life, in providing a model
for good taste.
By mid 1950s, raising the welfare of the population was one of
the central topics in the Soviet society. One of the tasks in this
that was often quoted was the improvement of the selection and
design features of mass consumer goods. This had to be carried
out by the applied artist who traditionally was trained in the State
Art Institute as a specialist for industrial production, working in
existing and future factories. Discussions at that period revolved
around the need to engage the applied artist more to the process
of production and that the failure to do so is seen in shops and in
industrial products. Already in 1953 the Factory was pointed out
as a model in the use of artists in production, seen as the key in
increasing the value of the product. (Rohkem 1953). The same
discussions continued in later years: industry was blamed for using
artists only temporarily, the artist had to cooperate with production
to raise the selection. As two artists wrote in 1954:
‘Applied art plays a significant role in this. The use of artists in
industry, the use of the designs worked out in the Arts Product
Factory, has to find a way to every industry. ... Our cadres of
applied artists is strong and they are willing to help.’ (Külv,
Reemets 1954).
7 The prices were kept attainable for the consumer – usually 67% was added to
the self-cost, in case of the author series the addition was ca 20. In 1956 the
production consisted of around 2500 different items that were sold through three
“salons”.
8 These series gained wide popularity and became an important source of income
for several artists.
In comparing industry and art, industry was seen as something
clumsy, slow and only seldom reaching up to the standards and
flexibility of the Art Products Factory. At the same time it was realized
that to reach the population as a whole, industry was needed.
In the II half of the 1950s however this idea about applied art as
leading the way in industrial product design started to change.
In a conference on Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian applied art
in Tallinn in 1955 the design of consumer items and the place of
applied artist in this production was a central topic. One of the results
of the meetings was a focus on reorganizing the education
of applied artists who would have more training in technological
and economical matters. The focus had to be taken not on unique
items but comfortable and practical mass-produced goods.
(Bernstein 1955). The conference also doubted in the efficiency
of the where of exhibitions should have introduced product samples
for the consumers and get feedback from them.
The long-term aim in integrating artists to factories was the
eradication of the difference between a unique product and a
mass-produced one (Gens 1959). However, in late 1950s it was
stated that the difference between the products seen in exhibition
showcases and on shop windows was still too big one. (Kunstnik
1957). Some authors pointed out also the lack of materials
as a reason for the small number of serial production in the Art
Products Factory, this was said to be the reason that for example
carpets were produced there as unique items. (Kuma 1958:47)
Applied art, which was so far seen as a platform for a successful
industrial product changed into an elite artistic genre, existing
primarily in the form of exhibitions. The reasons for this could
have been also lack of materials that made the production accessible
to only a few, high price based on still a large share of handicraft
in the production and outdated technological equipment
used in industry that forced the artists to compromise, resulting
in unsatisfactory solutions. This was sustained also by a system
where artists, working in industry, hardly exhibited their work in
design exhibitions and were excluded by this from the artist union
membership. (Gens 1959) 9
If the Art Products Factory acted for some time as a link or compromise
between industry and unique production, being at the same
time hand crafted and serial, then from 1964 works produced in
the Art Products Factory were not allowed any more to the applied
art exhibitions. (Kuma 1981:46) Serially produced objects were
separated to an exhibition of industrial art, held from 1963, drawing
thus a sharp line between the two fields and putting unique
objects to a privileged position. Therefore the attempt to widen up
the concept of applied art by including the aspect of seriality into
it, had failed resulting in two separated fields instead.
Another often-discussed problem was that items seen on the exhibitions
hardly reach the people. Art critic Leo Gens wrote in 1963,
that applied art has been divided to two large branches: a utilitarian
or industrial art and unique or decorative art. He blames applied
9 The union accepted only artists who participated in exhibitions.
Design Frontiers: Territiories, Concepts, Technologies 271