So we’ve established that a piece of graphic design can be manipulated to look aesthetically ugly, but what about being ugly in other ways? What about being functionally ugly?

Consider the ugliness of an unconventionally large – but thin – book, and the clunky awkwardness that comes with handling it.

Or the ugliness of a poster sitting just below eye-level on an urban wall.

Or the ugliness of a typeface with built-in k   e r     ni  n g issues.

If ugly can be valid and if ugly can be beautiful, then maybe we should start thinking about how to achieve it in different ways.

BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY already.

It is curious how the structure of language influences the cadence of culture.

In American English, for example, to show my appreciation for something you’ve said or done, I say “thank you.” Typically, you will reciprocate with the response “you’re welcome.” In the process, an exchange characteristic of a commerce-driven society has taken place. In exchange for your good deed, I offer my gratitude, and you receive it. Because of the language used, both parties understand that a transaction has taken place. And consequently, the two expressions cancel each other out. We now stand on even ground. No longer does one owe the other.

Conversely, in Brazilian Portuguese, when I express my gratitude by saying “obrigado,” the typical cultural response is “de nada.” Now, when translated crudely, it is understood to an English speaker that “obrigado” means “thank you” and “de nada” means “you’re welcome.” But this is actually inaccurate, and it is in this inaccuracy where a defining gesture of culture is revealed. While “obrigado” does in fact translate to the English equivalent of “thank you,” “de nada” translates to “it was nothing” or “don’t mention it.”

In this exchange of words, unlike in American English, the two phrases do not cancel each other out. A successful transaction has not been made because it was never intended as a transaction in the first place. When you are good to me and I respond with “obrigado,” by saying “de nada,” you refuse my gratitude. Not because it is not valid, but because it is irrelevant. I do not have to “give” you my gratitude because it is understood, through the choice of language, that your good deed was performed as an act of selflessness in which beyond not expecting anything in exchange, you also refuse it.

I am thinking about this – the idea of freely giving of oneself without the expectation of reciprocation, conditioned into a culture by a colloquial quirk.

A taste of an upcoming project…

wonderworkz:

The Real World #graduation #life #therealworld #school #MIAD (Taken with instagram)

Finished.

Documentation of the “Uncensored!” dialogue with Josh Rickun (photo by Chris Walker).