A very interesting reaction was expressed in class yesterday to the somewhat radical views of Le Corbusier surrounding the development of purely and perfectly function design. Although his ideas surrounding design and creating standards of efficiency and production were groundbreaking and layed a foundation for the expansion and appreciation of good design in the 20th century, he takes his negative view of unnecessary ornament and imbellishment to the extreme, claiming that it does nothing but complicate the matter of purely perfect function.

Making this statement even more problematic is Le Corbusier's idea of culture, and how it is developed over the course of a society. He states that over time, as our power of prioritization, selection/rejection and choice shape the forms of art and object that best fit our emotional and utilitarian needs, our culture is formed as a cumilative product of our aesthetic and behavioural choices.

But what of ornament?

Sure, I agree that clean, simple design is the aesthetic of choice in this day and age. I have never been a fan of ornate and over-the-top decoration; I am a big fan of art nouveau, however balk at the thought of spending any serious amount of time in any of the homes designed by the likes of Victor Horta; the complex and anxious/energetic nature of the art nouveau aesthetic is simply too hectic. That being said I think Le Corbusier is being extremely critical of the art of ornamentation. There's a difference between simple design and sterile, unrelatable design, just like there is a difference between tasteful and controlled ornament and busy overdecoration.
Long before I applied to attend NSCAD, I developed a somewhat fleeting interest in contemporary archicture, particularly home design. I still have a little book showcasing contemporary houses from across the globe. Most of the designs were clean and beautiful, however I found myself unable to insert myself into the home in a manner that was at all convincing or comfortable. The buildings were beautiful to look at, but nothing else. I finished the book feeling that like living in such a house would feel very inhuman and sterile, regardless of whether or not the home has been built to the specific needs of the inhabitants. This comes from the lack of unnecessary ornament; the family photo mounted on the wall, the utilitarian installation of convenient features like visible storage, ornamented banisters, fabric curtains are all objects that, through our understanding of their design and our interaction with their varied and dynamic surfaces and materials, we can interact with. In a sterile environment, with no imbellishment, we can make no intimate connections with our surroundings, and altough a house may be well designed it fails to truly act as a home in the most intimate sense of the word.