Ornament Reimagined: Ornamentation as a tool for subverting design hierarchies

Abstract

This thesis investigates the role of contemporary ornament in challenging traditional modes of production and design, drawing upon historical precedents from the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts period as models for re-engaging with ornament in the context of an increasingly automated world. Through an exploration of pattern design, ornamental typography, and handcrafted ornament, I examine how ornament challenges notions of utility by blurring the boundaries between function and decoration while simultaneously fostering new cultural meanings and contexts. Through an analysis of contemporary ornamental work and the author’s experimental practices, this thesis argues that ornament functions as both a critical and symbolic tool—one that expresses the complexities of pluralistic societies, asserts artistic autonomy, and reflects the relationship between designers, technology, and culture.