Design, History and Time: New Temporalities in a Digital Age

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Description

Design, History and Time reflects on the nature of time in relation to design, in both past and contemporary contexts. In contrast to a traditional design historical approach which emphasizes schools and movements, this volume addresses time as a continuum and considers the importance of temporality for design practice and history. Contributors address how designers, design historians and design thinkers might respond to the global challenges of time, the rhythms of work, and the increasing speed of life and communication between different communities. They consider how the past informs the present and the future in terms of design, the importance of time-based design practices such as rapid prototyping and slow design, time in relation to memory and forgetting, and artefacts such as the archive for which time is key, and they also ponder the design of time itself. Showcasing the work of 15 design scholars from a range of international contexts, this book provides an essential text for thinking about changing attitudes to the temporal.

Reviews

Design, History & Time offers a challenge to design historians. It asks them to consider how assumptions about time as a measure of social value are baked in to our thinking about design. It also offers ways to work through these assumptions and fixed representations, by putting a critical analysis of time at the forefront of design history. * Journal of Design History *
Part history, part travelogue, part meditation on the meaning of time, Design, History and Time offers challenging thoughts on the nature of time and playful reflections on popular culture. * Elizabeth Guffey, Professor of Art and Design History at the State University of New York at Purchase, USA *
From the permanence of cathedrals whose very construction spanned centuries to the inherent obsolescence of digital communication devices, this fascinating collection forces reconsideration of societys changing relationship with time over time. * Paul Atkinson, Professor of Design History at Sheffield Hallam University, UK *

Author Bio

Anne Massey is Professorial Fellow in Design and Culture at the University for the Creative Arts, UK. She is the author and editor of a number of books, including Pop Art and Design (2017), Designing the Modern Interior (2009) and Hollywood Beyond the Screen (2000), all published by Bloomsbury. She is known for her work on the Independent Group and post-war British culture, including The Independent Group: Modernism and Mass Culture in Britain, 1945-59 (1995). Zo Hendon is Head of Collections and Associate Professor (Practice) at the Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture (MoDA), Middlesex University, UK. She is the author of Wallpaper (Shire Publications, 2018) and has published articles in journals such as Art, Design and Communication in Higher Education, Journal of Decorative Arts, Architecture and Culture and Museum and Society and Journal of Design History for which she is a member of the editorial board.