World's Fair - Assignment Example

The Usable Future: The Role of Fantasy in the Promotion of a Consumer Society for Art [Pick the Thesis Being a carefully crafted conditioning trial, the fair succeeded in convincing the visitors about the futuristic aspects of the world. After the stock market crash of 1929, masses were under considerable financial pressure and nearly all of them were trying to look for causes that led them to suffer. Some of them blamed themselves while others blamed their past for being the cause of such happenings.

Almost ten years after this economic collapse i.e. 1939, the New York Worlds Fair was arranged to enlighten the people about the futuristic prospects. The New York Worlds Fair of 1939 was the effort of such intellectuals and entrepreneurs who had suffered badly a decade back in time. The suffering made them think about new ideas to gather the attention of masses. These ideas manifested as planning to which the author refers to as usable future. In authors view, the theme of the fair was a new concept; he urges the reader to believe that what was being offered to the viewers was nothing more than fantasy.

Fantasy was presented to the viewers to allow them to imagine and accept it as reality. Once accepted as reality, fantasy tends to arouse the desire to seek for what is being offered. Fantasy was presented in various forms; at some places it took the form of solutions to their problems while at other places the purpose was to highlight their cultural prospects. Referring to the modern art, the author asserts that there are two basic mental processes that give rise to the various forms of art whether abstract or other.

Geography which follows logic as its central theme and conforms to the rational understandings of humans. Geomancy on the other hand is the product of exposure to inner experiences while following an "arbitrarily permitted number of variables". This assumption may be true for some kinds of arts, yet may not be applicable to all art forms. In authors view, geometry is appealing since it only has to be "internally logical"; while geomancy is tempting as it engages the role of viewer along with the artist to bring out something positive - clearly surpassing the limits set by logic.

While talking about the relative success of geometry and geomancy the author is of the view that geometry has in influence far more prominent than geomancy. The reason for this is the fact that modern day consumers have lost their ability to appreciate the sensitive aspects of art which highlight things like "feeling, emotion, intuition and manticism". Since geometry depicts the creativity in measurable and logical manner and inhabitants of the modern world are tuned to follow and understand such presentations – geometry is more successful in art forms.

Visual arts were portrayed in the form of "architecture, monumental painting/sculpture and museum art". The author is of the view that it was the portrayal of futuristic buildings that gathered the attention of the majority of the viewers. So it appears that the author is right in concluding that the aim of the fair was to revolutionize the mental process of the viewers by providing them a fantasy for the future.BibliographyOConnor, Francis V. "The Usable Future: The Role of Fantasy in the Promotion of a Consumer Society for Art.

" Dawn of a New Day: The New York Worlds Fair40 (1939).