Surface tensions : surface, finish and the meaning of objects /
Surfaces are often held to be of lesser consequence than 'deeper' or more 'substantive' aspects of artworks and objects. Yet it is also possible to conceive of the surface in more positive terms as a site where complex forces meet. Surfaces can be theorized as membranes, protecti...
| Other Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Manchester :
Manchester University Press,
2013.
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| Series: | Studies in design.
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| Subjects: |
| Summary: | Surfaces are often held to be of lesser consequence than 'deeper' or more 'substantive' aspects of artworks and objects. Yet it is also possible to conceive of the surface in more positive terms as a site where complex forces meet. Surfaces can be theorized as membranes, protective shells, sensitive skins, even thicknesses in their own right. The surface is not so much a barrier to content as an opportunity for encounter: in new objects, the surface is the site of qualities of finish, texture, the site of tactile interaction, the last point of contact between object and maker and the first point of contact between object and user. This book includes sixteen essays that explore this theoretically uncharted terrain. The subjects range widely, from domestic maintenance, avant-garde fashion, the faking of antiques; postmodern architecture and design to contemporary film costume. Of particular emphasis within the volume are textiles, which are among the most complex and culturally rich materialisations of surface. |
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| Item Description: | "This book is the final outcome of the Surface Tensions research network, convened in 2009 as a partnership between the University for the Creative Arts and the Victoria and Albert Museum"--Page xv. |
| Physical Description: | xiv, 215 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of color plates : illustrations ; 25 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780719087516 0719087511 |