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Another important branch of British design, is the car-making industry. I find car making in the U.K. to be a relevant example of the way in which it has always strived to combine the traditional and the modern. Well known for their class car manufacturing of models such as the Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Walter Owen Bentley or the Jaguar, the term “Britishness” becomes self-explanatory.
Due to the fact that British approach to design is one of common sense rooted in the craft tradition, the cars have maintained that classic design and style that spell ‘British’ or better said ²´“well groomed and tame” as the Jaguar is described. But these types of cars are spicily priced and their affordability comes easy only to those who are willing and can pay large sums of money. An interesting fact is that according to ³ BBC News, in 2000 car makers in Britain were ordered to cut prices for they were up to 10% and even 20% higher than in other European countries. Still, the 2000 figure of sales was that of 2.21 million sold cars and in 2001 sales established a record sale of 2.33 million beating the record of 1989.
Although the class cars do not figure in the top ten most sold, they do appear in the top 30 and 40 which no doubt shows the relatively high living standard in Britain. Even though it is still considered to be a class-structured society, high-income rates have contributed to political tranquillity. ˉ To paraphrase the work “20th Century Britain,” compared to the 1900 when British society was sharply divided among class and gender lines, in Edwardian Britain this structured status quo was not meekly accepted by everyone (we are to remember the Suffragette movement). Therefore, we can see that as society evolved so did mentality and as living standards surged the class and gender issues dissipated and Britain ˉ “seemed to be moving towards a fairer, more egalitarian society.”
Modernity lies in the power to somehow shape mentality, much like modern ideas give a new and polished look to a classic Bentley or make the Range Rover more equipped to win the Paris- Dakar.
Art has no history because ˜ “history has an unchanging basic structure” and as car making, fashion or everything design represents is art, art knows no temporal boundaries. Because just like tradition is at times erroneously considered a “thing of the past” without any contemporary legitimacy, and modernity is often mistakenly understood as a synonym for modernism, art is timeless.
A tradition can be born today and referred to as being modern or not. Today we so often state that some clothing article is ‘modern’ when in fact it was also known to be ‘modern’ in the 60’s or at the beginning of the century!
By this I would like to conclude that ‘modernity’ is not necessarily something happening right now or in the future and ‘tradition’ is not just the docile transmission of some dead deposit but the living repetition that manages to suggest a fresh truth.
Ulrich Bez, CEO for Aston Martin describes this car in such a way that clearly elicits what tradition and modernity are in the U.K. Therefore, when you ever ask yourselves: “What can a car say about a country?” think of this:
“ Aston Martin is also about being British; the best of British. Those characteristics which appear to be opposites: Discipline with creativity…tradition with a new twist…respect of craft and love of modernity…traditions combined with free thinking inventiveness.”
This is how I see tradition and modernity in the U.K. A profound respect for traditional values, a promoter of creativity and an inborn pride in saying: “Made in Britain.” Now you can understand what I meant that this “is more than a label!”
REFERENCES
1. www.Britishcouncil.com
2; 2’ Frederique Huygen “British Design Image & Identity” first published 1989 in Great Britain, Thames and Hudson Ltd., London – (page 15 (2), page 24 (2’))
BBC News, Sunday April 8th 2001(also exists in article form at www.bbc.com)
“20th Century Britain-Economic, Social and Cultural Change” edited by Paul Johnson, first published 1994 in London and New York, Longman,( page 123)
Peter Donaldson and John Farquhar “Understanding the British Economy”, Penguin Group 1988,( page 11)
“Art Has No History- The Making and Unmaking of Modern Art” edited by John Roberts, Verso 1994, (page1)
7. www.astonmartin.com
Name: Irina Oana Gligor
Address: Aura Buzescu #32
Sector 2
Bucharest
Telephone: 250.65.93
093.39.22.55
Ðåôåðàò îïóáëèêîâàí: 26/12/2006