The beginning and the end of the 1900s have an array of differences and advancements from the invention of the cell phone, to the growing social acceptance and equality of different races and genders. However, it is always design that seems to come back around. The nineties is a well-known and prominent era, with absurd pops of color and form influenced from the decade before it. But the insane statements of 90s culture, and television more specifically, is nothing new; a mirror reflection of it existed at the beginning of the 20th century.
Living in Color Theme
How was this possible? Television did not exist until the mid-1900s, and even then, the technology to create tv images of the 90s did not exist. Well, the similarities existed not with technology, but with the images themselves. In the early 1900s, a movement known as Dada arose amidst the chaos and grief of the first world war. Searching for complete freedom, the dadaists rejected all tradition while simultaneously rebelling against the horrors of war. Of course, the core beliefs of dada and the reason for its appearance is quite different from the appearance of insane 90s design, however, these two eras hold more similarities than thought possible.
Taking a look at 90s television, it was said to have been looked down upon due to its controversial and explicit nature. With new shows depicting sex, violence, and profane language more than ever before, there was much room for complaint. Dada exhibited similar controversy. The dada writers and artists were obsessed with nonsense and absurdity --two characteristics that were quite frequent in all dadaist works-- and from that absurdity grew the disbelief of the public eye. No works of art were taken seriously by the public and were frequently criticized for being very far from actual design or art. Both 90s TV and Dada challenged traditional notions of taste, obtaining an enormous --and frequently negative-- reaction from the public.
Where the most similarity comes in, however, is through the design elements of the two eras.
Many dada pieces were photomontages of randomness and chaos --again reflecting the war-torn state of their environment-- and were highly abstract.
Photomontages by Dadaists Hoch and Hausmann
Looking at introductions to some 90s television series, the design resemblance and inspiration is uncanny.
Saved by the Bell Theme
Bill Nye Theme
Simultaneously, this design resulted from the youth culture of the time, a culture which exhibited an exploration of self, rebelliousness, and the need to make a statement and have fun. All done without any explanation.
The use of random objects to make highly abstract work was quite prevalent in the 1990s, a factor that was possible thanks to the Dadaists just seventy-four years earlier. Even though in the 1900s these photomontage methods were used for entertainment purposes, it could be said that the creation of many dada pieces was for the entertainment of the public and the dadaists as well, seeing that many dadaists held public gatherings to showcase their works. In the end, the possibility for conceptual art and design would not have been possible without the contributions of dada.
Sources:
Bill Nye The Science Guy Intro. YouTube, YouTube, 30 July 2006, www.youtube.com/watch?v=bebSxF0rr5I.
“Dada Movement Overview and Key Ideas.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/movement-dada.htm.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 18 Oct. 2017, www.britannica.com/art/television-in-the-United-States/The-1990s-the-loss-of-shared-experience.
Gassett, Luciana. “Lecture 20.” History of Graphic Design. April. 2019.
Living in Color Season 1 Intro. YouTube, YouTube, 2 May 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzhyrsDOgOI.
Saved By The Bell Theme Intro (1989). YouTube, YouTube, 28 July 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSeTiYspNGk.
Thompson, Robert J., and Steve Allen. “Television in the United States.” Encyclopædia Britannica,
Woodland, Kevin. “Dada.” Graphic Design History. kevinwoodland.squarespace.com/dada.