Total Art As A Form Of Design Thinking

This paper tends to continue a long-term discussion about complicated relations between art and design. Within the framework of contemporary sociological and philosophical theories developed by R. Florida, R. Buchanan and Richard McKeon, the author analyzes main principles of artistic and design practice, represented respectfully by the case studies of Total Art theory and Design Thinking, and their possible impact on the contemporary society. Through attentive research of historical and theoretical background of Total Art and Design Thinking author formulates definitions and main creative methods and approaches of both theories. The concept of Total Art was formulated by Qiu Zhijie in the beginning of 2000s; it stands for social research based artistic practice which tends to overcome the difference between technique and aesthetic, art and life, everyday life experience and artistic experience, an artist and a spectator, theory and practice. Design Thinking was a result of constant development of design theory. It brought back to life the key principles of design formulated by Walter Gropius, it regained a “total vision” of people’s needs and methods to fulfill them. It took the rational appliance of existing technologies, shifted the focus from manufacturers to users. Design Thinking and Total Art share ideas of cultural production as a tool of ennobling existing reality and human’s perception. They are focused on the effectiveness of their artifacts in the certain cultural context, and aimed at providing people with a certain experience. The similarities of their ideas are rooted in their social background(R. Florida) and in their rhetorical nature(R. McKeon). A look at Total Art and Design Thinking through the lenses of New Rhetoric opens up possibilities of cross-disciplinary discourse; while sharing the same roots two theories are still applied to different spheres of cultural production. Therefore, there is a potential for both of them to learn through each other and enrich each other, for both theories teach us not only to be competent specialists in a certain sphere of cultural production, but to be a creative person in everyday life.