John James Marshall thesis.pdf - OpenAIR @ RGU - Robert Gordon ...

forms of practice from this activity. Let us extend this metaphor as a thought
experiment. Genetics is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of
organisms. Reproduction and mutation create variation in the gene pool of a
species. This variation over generations results in adaptation and evolutionary
change. Adaptations enable living organisms to cope with environmental
stresses and pressures. If we apply this biological metaphor to art and design
practice it raises some questions. What forms of hybrid practice exist? What
might the benefit or detriment of this be to the practitioner and the parental
disciplines? Is hybrid practice an adaptation to the creative stresses and
pressures of the 21 st Century?
Before beginning a discussion of what is meant by ‘hybrid’ art and design
practice some thought must be given to the distinctions between ‘art’ and
‘design’. Britannica Online states that art and design exist within
“…a continuum that ranges from purely aesthetic purposes at one end to
purely utilitarian purposes at the other.” (Encyclopaedia Britannica,
2007)
Most simply, this comes down to a question of intent - does the maker intend
the work to be a piece of design or a work of art? ‘Art’ is commonly understood
to be the result of human creativity which has some perceived quality beyond its
usefulness - usually based on aesthetic value, reflexive or emotional impact.
There exists no general agreed-upon or satisfactory definition for ‘art’. This is in
part because it is a subjective and dynamic determination:
“…art is an action, an object, or a collection of actions and objects created
with the intention of transmitting emotions and/or ideas.”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art)
There are also strongly contested oppositional arguments to what constitutes
design. This is most recently illustrated by the disagreement at London’s Design
Museum between ex-Chairman, James Dyson and Director, Alice Rawsthorn
(Fairs, 2004). This collision of ideologies appears to have emerged out of a
tacit, redefinition of what design can be; from an expanded perspective and
because the impact of a transition to an information-based economy.
Contemporary design in this sense has long since broken with a narrow
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