Epatage: island of freedom

Design epatage: realized desire of freedom

Passing the gallery

Leading headings: Elena Prytula

Magazine: Na (58) 2002

Today, Voltaire could rightly say that if there was no outrage, he should have been invented. Design epatage - a phenomenon, paradoxical in its essence. It is international - and at the same time, individually for each culture. It is a mixture of deeply personal emotions with frank "work for the public." Finally, epatage is a realized desire for freedom. In the end, why not? In the concept of outrageousness, everyone puts their own. However, in any case, this is primarily a breakdown of stereotypes, as a result of which customary things appear in an unusual context. At the same time it is very important that they are recognizable, otherwise it is just not clear what exactly they “broke”. That is why travesting classic plots, such as “family” portraits of dogs in English living rooms, is a favorite outrageous technique. Epatage to the extreme is hyperbolic. Any idea sounds in it exaggeratedly clear as an advertising slogan, which absolutely does not mean simplifying the idea. Monumental, as Michelangelo paintings, flowers on bedclothes or graffiti on the walls of a respectable house are not only immediately apparent, but also point to a certain associative chain. To each person - on his own: mass character for outrageous is fatal. Epatage is generally extremely individualistic, if not selfish. He is a rather aggressive reaction to everyday life. When a person gets tired of "calm and harmonious tones" in the interior, a passion for unthinkable color combinations not worse than the Lusher test shows the degree of his emotional stress. In addition, shocking has a boomerang effect: the defiant color, scale or shape of objects endlessly returns to its “author” in the form of emotional doping. In contrast to the "naive" kitsch outrage in its best manifestations is characterized by intelligence. Dissonance, which occurs unconsciously in kitsch, is created intentionally in epatage. To the self-admiration of the first is opposed to the irony of the second, including in relation to himself. The popular portrait of Napoleon on the back of the baroque armchair, as well as the heroes of comics on ordinary porcelain cups, are all ironic "versions" of those pieces of furniture and accessories that can be said to be consecrated by tradition. Another significant difference between shocking and kitsch is the ability to play with vulgarity, balancing on the verge of taste, but always remaining within it. This game can not all. Between the monstrous size of a dollar on a beach towel and a designer American sofa upholstered with an “American flag” is an absolute gulf. Taste, measure and style - this is what is in the shocking and what is not in kitsch. By its nature, epatage is a social phenomenon. All these "killer" techniques work only when both the "performer" and the "viewer" speak in a language that is understandable to both. Therefore, the attitude to shocking varies in a wide range - from admiration to complete rejection. But freedom and the ability to be yourself are definitely worth the risk!

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