Bruno Munari: Futurism, Function & Useless Machines
Futurism
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Surrealism
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Concrete Art
AN INTERACTIVE BOOK
Just like his ‘Useless Machines’, Munari’s ‘Unreadable Books’ were also functionally ‘useless’. His interest in books as objects goes back to his views on the functionality of design and its power to communicate. He interrogated the nature of what constitutes a book, removing its primary function as an object that frames textual information, instead transforming them into visual and tactile objects.
Rather than being simply read, Munari’s books are designed to be playfully interacted with. Just as he challenged the concept of a book, Munari questioned the linear and prescriptive nature of children’s books. Munari created a series of children’s books that have games, tactile experiences and exploration at their core. Rather than narratives, the focus is on exploration.
Bruno Munari was one of a kind. He worked across movements, mediums and disciplines without ascribing to a particular one, always questioning the nature of what he encountered. His ‘Useless Machines’ remain influential to this day, questioning the nature of painting, sculpture and space.
My summary: We could not only interact on books ,also on product in house ,to tell a story.
USELESS MACHINES ALSO HAVE FUNCTION
While he created many useful, functional objects, Munari is best known for his ‘Useless Machines’. Beginning in the early 1930s, he created delicate abstract works from paper, cardboard, string, and glass. Inspired by childhood memories of hanging swings and the strips of paper he used to cut out and watch float out his bedroom window, these sculptures are both a link to his past and a theoretical exploration into his ideas around functionality and art. These geometric mobiles create kinetic compositions in three-dimensional space, breaking free from the traditional static forms of painting and sculpture. They are called ‘Useless Machines’ because they do not have an obvious utilitarian function, yet they are not entirely useless. They function to indicate the whimsical exploration of his childhood, encouraging the viewer to contemplate their own relationship with the work.
My summary: Some designs have different function , might not useful, but can work on emotion.
The influences of Surrealism on his work are attributed to Andre Breton, the official founder of the movement. After Munari’s disillusionment with the politics of Futurism, many of his works seemed to take on a Surrealist aesthetic, which became evident in his collages and graphic compositions – the former of which also possessed an element of Dadaism.
Bruno Munari, X Hour, 1963, Fondazione JVBD Milan, Photo by Roberto Marossi Courtesy of Munart.
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