"Almost all crime is due to the repressed desire for aesthetic expression." Evelyn Waugh English Writer.
The concept in this blogpost was triggered by a picture that I saw painted on a wall of Rail Museum in Mysore.
It said: Way to Maharani (Queen) Saloon!
At its first sight, I was reminded of a term usually misspelled in India, Saloon for Salon: the term for a barber's shop.
I wondered what had the painting to do with the rail exhibits. In the wildest imagination, I could think of its links, if at all any, with the hairdressing of Queens of the dynasties in palaces of Mysore and around.
I found myself wrong after looking around for a while. I found the real Saloon. A part of the rail carriage was exhibited there. It was devoted to seated relaxation combined with a dining table: The Saloon!
Anyway, let me take an about-turn now. Let me expand on the thought that occurred to me.
Why do people go to a salon: a barber's shop?
Some go for their Functional Needs.
Some go for their Aesthetic Wants.
Some go for Functional-Aesthetics: This is the term, the concept that had instantaneously occurred to me then at the sight of the painting.
Some go for their Aesthetic Wants.
Some go for Functional-Aesthetics: This is the term, the concept that had instantaneously occurred to me then at the sight of the painting.
I 'googled' for the term Functional-Aesthetics and giggled that it didn't exist. I couldn't find one although during my limited search on internet.
What is Functional-Aesthetics?
Typically a haircut that's acceptable with reference to military norms is functional.
Actually long hair can be unhealthy as well as dangerous, both in military as well as in other contexts. In military setting in particular, additional reasons of their typical haircut could be to preempt accidents due to long hair, its maintenance, distractions or attractions due to them as the case may be in the warfield. These functions that it is expected to serve makes it a functional haircut.
A funny haircut acceptable only to a small group of trendy people as a fad could be termed as purely aesthetic one. It's generally acceptable as a style for its funny aesthetics more than for the function that it's expected to serve if at all.
On the same lines, a haircut typically acceptable to school norms could fall in the category of Functional-Aesthetics.
In short, 'needs' that stand the tests of an acceptable system's logically acceptable norms or standards or criteria could be termed as Functionally-Aesthetic.
'Wants or desires' that go beyond such logical norms or criteria could be termed as Aesthetic more than Functional, with reference to a given system.
A style that adds substance to the function (that it is supposed to serve) without any extra cost to the offering nor to the ecology may also stand the test of being Functionally-Aesthetic: A shirt for instance bought for it's extra-large pockets or additional pockets unconventionally located on its sleeve, say, in order to eliminate carrying an extra hand bag.
Paradoxically, a functionally-aesthtic offering to be on the right path of evolution should truly lead to multi-functionality in its usage with minimalist use of resources while at the same time simplistic-to-use, maintain & facilitate eco-friendly disposal as a part of its total lifecycle.
Functionally-Aesthetic offering in general should 'sell' more in the longer run than purely Functional or purely Aesthetic one. Because it offers value; because it offers Total Quality to all it's stakeholders. On the contrary, rest of the offerings necessarily need marketing & thereafter overselling too. Or in its absence, the rest fails to exploit its full potential.
A Lesson!
Nature and its every design itself is Functionally-Aesthetic both in its form-and-fit. That's why everything natural from food-to-fossil is pure, beautiful, value-adding and valuable. Hope human race strives to maintain it that way. Hope it draws a lesson or two to learn from (it) and invests its finite time in adding value to life rather than destroying it.
Only way to do so is by arresting unneeded human activities and unwise choice/s for want/s that create a materialistic world. Spoiled choices in particular take one away from being Functionally-Aesthetic: The choices that are far from being sustainable!
Here's a MaiKu© poem while on the subject:
On way to queen's saloon
Imagination took off in balloon
Finally landed Saloon in Salon
Imagination took off in balloon
Finally landed Saloon in Salon
Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder:
Aesthetics Spills-Over Function, Want Spills-Over Need (Part-1)
Aesthetics Spills-Over Function, Want Spills-Over Need (Part-2)
Do you exercise your choice meaningfully
What You See Isn't What's Made
You seem Reasonable if you appear Un-reasonable
Wish To Be Planet-Friendly?: Save!
Less With More And More Gets Sore
Suggestions On-Sale, None-To-Buy
WOW Work-Culture: By Telling or Selling
Eternally Happy: परमानंद
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