History and Theory of Design II self reflection

1. History and Theory of Design one and two has changed the way I view architecture in many ways. It has made me see that there are connections between each design era, how one design can lead to another in twenty years or so. In each design era, I have noticed that not all buildings have to be identical, they can be different but they need to convey the same message as the rest of the buildings. I see architecture as a learning experience; it can help me make connections with buildings I see around me. I can take my knowledge of previous design and incorporate it with my own.
2. An object that I think connects us with design today is No. Chair 14 designed by the Thonet brothers in the 19 century. This chair was the most mass produced piece of furniture in the beginning of the industrial revolution. Its design is very simple and easy to manipulate and produce. It could be easily transformed to fit into small spaces. Its design could have easily been altered for café style chairs or folded up wooden chairs. We still see this design today, either original or manipulate by material or with petite design changes. The way this piece was designed paved the way for future mass-produced furniture.
3. To embrace both the past and future we need to incorporate them both into a design. Instead of copying a design to show us history we need to add our own little twist on it to incorporate our style today. For instance, if we wanted to design the Parthenon, we don’t need to go by the exact description of the building we need to interpret our views on it. If we interpret the columns that surround the building as large and square we need to incorporate that in our design, as long as what we design still reflects the intent of the building.
4. McCarthyism (to my understanding) was all about fear and power. The people who had power had control over everything and abused it, while the citizens living in fear had no control. They had the fear of dying or being criticized by everyone. I think that we are still living in a world between power and fear. We are frowned upon if we do not go along with the norm. The government for example has most if not all of the powers in this country and can have a haughty manor, while we, the citizens, have no control over it, we have to abide by their rules.