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Original source: Jorge Agüero
This video from Jorge Agüero covered a lot of ground. Streamed.News selected 8 key moments and summarises them here. Everything below links directly to the timestamp in the original video.
Have you ever wondered why certain works of art — from an iconic song to a cave painting — move you so profoundly? The key may lie precisely in their lack of practical utility, a quality that elevates them to the most vital function of all: giving meaning to human existence.
Art as a Cultural Mirror: The Symbolic Function as Its Unique Essence
Art is fundamentally distinguished by its exclusively symbolic function, devoid of practical utility — a quality that, according to Cornelius Castoriadis, enables it to transcend the merely functional and serve far more transcendent purposes. In this sphere, culture manifests itself in its purest form, unmediated by use, operating as a mirror in which individuals and communities can recognize themselves and consolidate their identity, experiencing a profound sense of emotion and belonging when encountering expressions such as a piece of music or a millennia-old cave painting.
This intrinsic nature of art — where the aesthetic and symbolic function constitutes its sole reason for being — allows human beings to make sense of the world and of their own existence. By lacking direct instrumental utility, art reveals cultural values in a raw, unmediated way, evoking a sense of revelation that remains unchanged across time and cultures. The impact of a work of art lies in its capacity to generate deep empathy and cultural recognition, uniting people in their shared symbolic experience.
"Art serves no purpose. Or, as Cornelius Castoriadis puts it, it serves far more than merely serving a purpose. It allows human beings to make sense of the world and of their own lives."
Design's Flexibility Drives Its Unlimited Expansion, According to Charles Eames
Design's ability to shed rigid principles and adopt the specific rules of each field of application has been the driving force behind its unlimited expansion. This flexibility allows it to adapt to a vast range of products — from those where functionalism is paramount, such as instruments, to domains where the symbolic component prevails, such as clothing. Charles Eames, a towering reference in design, emphasized this quality by rejecting the imposition of fixed principles, asserting that design serves only "the need" — whatever that need may be.
This pragmatic vision is what has enabled design to become a universal discipline, capable of responding to the demands of any social sector, from affordable housing to the creation of luxury yachts. The absence of an immutable internal set of rules — in contrast to other disciplines — endows it with a unique adaptability, allowing it to absorb the specific conditions of each project. This quality establishes design as an indispensable phase in any contemporary production process, attending to the full plurality of human needs.
"Design serves a need. Which need? Whichever one it may be."
Design as a Pre-Production Planning Phase: A Universal Definition
Design is defined as the essential phase of the production process responsible for fully configuring a product before its physical realization. This stage encompasses the specification of all of an object's characteristics — from its manufacturing method to its distribution and consumption — embodying an inherent aspiration toward perfection. Unlike craft, where form emerges simultaneously with production, industrial design demands exhaustive advance planning, a requirement that is critical for mass production.
The reach of design has expanded to the point where it now encompasses virtually every domain of production, both material and immaterial — from graphic and textile design to the development of websites and software. This universality stems from its character as a prior and indispensable stage for any product, adapting to the methodologies, formal languages, and budgets specific to each individual case. Precision in this preliminary phase guarantees the efficiency and coherence of the final product, marking a fundamental distinction from pre-industrial practices.
"Design is a phase of the production process in which all the characteristics of a product are defined — its mode of production, distribution, and consumption. Full stop."
Methodological flexibility positions design as a strategic profession
Design, at its core, adheres to no single methodology or pre-established aesthetic; rather, its defining quality lies in its capacity to adopt whatever tools and formal languages each product demands. This inherent elasticity is what makes it a strategic and indispensable profession across all productive fields, as it responds directly to the specific needs of each design brief. Beyond being merely a discipline or a profession, design is conceived as a critical phase of the productive process — an intrinsic aspiration toward perfection.
This operational flexibility, which allows design to function within external constraints and standards without possessing a rigid normative framework of its own, gives it a fundamental competitive advantage in social development. Unbounded by inflexible internal principles, design can respond optimally to any demand, shaping products that perfectly address the need that gave rise to them. Its unconditionally necessary character thus sets it apart from merely complementary or optional roles, cementing its place as a cornerstone in the generation of innovative and functional solutions.
"Design is the fruit of an aspiration toward perfection."
Art as cultural revelation: Examples of its emotional power
Art, in contrast to design, operates as a cultural revelation that awakens deep emotion and recognition — a phenomenon that transcends logical analysis to connect directly with the most intimate fears and fantasies of human existence. Works such as The Eagles' "Hotel California" or the millennia-old cave paintings of bison exemplify this capacity. Both, despite vast temporal or cultural distances, generate an empathetic connection that reaffirms the individual's identity and sense of belonging to a cultural community, reinforcing the idea that art is an unparalleled expression of human experience — one whose perfection often cannot be surpassed across time.
This artistic experience is fundamentally subjective yet universal in its impact, contrary to the notion that it depends solely on personal taste. The power of art lies in its nature as an "apparition" or "totem" in which the values of a culture are synthesized, allowing the observer to identify with it and with others. It is an encounter with being that seeks not utility, but transcendence — revealing the deepest foundations of human existence in a way that design, in its instrumental function, cannot achieve.
"It is a revelation. Culture appears to us through a painting like an angel, like a saint. It is a revelation — like a totem in which all the values of a culture are synthesized."
The migration of design objects into the artistic realm: The case of Toulouse-Lautrec
While design and art constitute distinct disciplinary worlds, there are rare, anecdotal phenomena of "migration" in which an object conceived for design crosses over into the artistic sphere. The celebrated posters of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec illustrate this principle: though originally created with a communicational and persuasive function — advertising events such as those at the Moulin Rouge — their exceptional aesthetic, formal, and technical quality has elevated them to the status of works of art. These objects, having outlived their initial utility, are now subjects of contemplation and museum preservation.
What sets Toulouse-Lautrec apart is not only his artistic talent, but also his groundbreaking technical contributions to printmaking, such as his revolutionary use of flat inks. Nevertheless, his work as a poster artist, despite its undeniable artistic value, retains its origins in design. This phenomenon of migration, though exceptional, demonstrates that aesthetic quality and innovation can transcend an object's original function, elevating it to a higher category without altering the intrinsic nature of either discipline.
"The poster, from its initial communicational, informational, and persuasive function, became an object of contemplation."
Coco Chanel and the Ballets Russes: Design That Transcends Into Art
Coco Chanel's work for the Ballets Russes — designing artistic costumes that complemented productions staged by figures such as Nijinsky and Diaghilev — exemplifies how products originally conceived within the realm of design can migrate into the field of art. These creations, crafted in the culturally vibrant Paris of the early twentieth century, were not intended merely to dress dancers in a practical sense; rather, they added symbolic and aesthetic layers to the works, elevating clothing to the category of art.
Although the Chanel brand remains a benchmark of fashion design for its refinement and adaptation to contemporary aesthetics, instances in which its products cross over into art are exceptional and rare. This phenomenon underscores the fact that, while design and art are intrinsically distinct disciplines, the aesthetic quality or symbolic impact of certain creations can allow an object to transcend its original function and be perceived as art — without negating its fundamental nature as design.
"The fact that they are two absolutely distinct disciplines does not mean there is no possibility of products migrating from one to the other — essentially from design into art."
Aesthetics as a Universal Dimension: Beyond the Realm of Art
A clear distinction must be drawn between aesthetics and art, as the common confusion between the two conceals the universal nature of the former. Strictly speaking, aesthetics is not the exclusive domain of art; it is a dimension inherent to all human behavior and a structural function of communication. From everyday acts such as getting ready before going out to the need to speak beautifully so that a message is well received, aesthetic practice is a universal aspiration — one that seeks harmony and appeal in personal interactions and self-presentation.
Confining aesthetics to the artistic sphere reflects a rudimentary conception, given that even within art itself, not every movement relies upon it. Certain contemporary avant-garde currents, such as conceptual art or some forms of Surrealism, deliberately dispense with the aesthetic dimension. Consequently, aesthetics extends far beyond the sphere of art, manifesting as a structural necessity in the shaping of messages and in social interaction.
"The aesthetic function is one of the six functions of communication. A message must not only say things — it must say them beautifully, so that the receiver is open to it, surrenders to the message, and finds it appealing."
Also mentioned in this video
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- Design and art are distinct things, citing Joan Costa… (0:53)
- This behavior as a prejudice that cannot be refuted by facts. (2:20)
- From design's origins, figures like Adolf Loos and the Bauhaus… (4:47)
- Mechanisms of prejudice: beliefs are not… (8:22)
- The speaker identifies the conflation of creativity with art as a… (9:56)
- The fourth prejudice mechanism: opportunistically cherry-picking… (16:49)
- To overcome the prejudice, defining design broadly is crucial… (19:01)
- To understand art, every human expression has a… (31:19)
- The speaker concludes that the tendency to equate design with art is due to… (54:50)
Summarised from Jorge Agüero · 56:32. All credit belongs to the original creators. Streamed.News summarises publicly available video content.
