Dajana writes about the many revolutions of the 19th century and the struggle to find the nature of "true" design. The image she chose conveys the idea of "the wheels of progression" turning, and many different revolutions occurring at the same time. She also talks about the influence of eastern design on that of the west. She writes, "Although England was such an influential power throughout much of this period, there was another power that was gaining force in design and it was coming from the east. Places like India and China were forming major trade routes with Europe which in turn caused a fresh exchange of decorative systems, abstracted art, and exotic atmospheres."
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Abigail touches on the idea of certain time periods being revolutionary and yet reflective at the very same time. Such is the case with design as it was taking shape in America. Classical design was chosen for the capitol building in Washington, DC as a way to demonstrate knowledge and power on behalf of the new nation. Despite the revolutionary nature of their split with England, Americans still reflected on the past in order to express themselves.
Abigail also talks about the implications of the Industrial Revolution: new building types, materials, and design languages. This part stuck out to me: "The problem with the period subsequent to the Industrial revolution was that too many design languages were competing for a voice in the world, and interiors were becoming cultured with items that all spoke a different language. Because of one revolution, there was a need for another." The image she chose (of the Crystal Palace in London) demonstrates this Victorian eclecticism.
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Blakeni stresses the idea of reflections being distorted versions of what they are reflecting. The image she chose does a great job of conveying this idea. Underneath the image, she writes,"when things get reflected, sometimes the image that we see is what we think we see or what we want to see... we miss things, leave them out or change it to our desires just like design."
Blakeni also talks about the debate concerning handcrafted vs. machine-made goods. In her essay, she quotes Charles Ashbee: "We do not reject the machine. We welcome it. But we desire to see it mastered." This statement attests to the usefulness of the machine but recognizes the importance of a human element in design (although, of course, humans did design and build the machine, did they not?).
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