The Formal Basis of Post-modern

From the editors

THE FORMAL BASIS OF POST-MODERN JOKE DESIGN (OF DESIGN JOKES)

Words Editorial Team

Joke design is a historical, multidisciplinary, and interstitial practice As such, it is (a priori) embedded in our understanding of the world as a joke. In the coming text, our objective will be to structurally delineate a universal understanding of joke design. Although, this will not be a definition per se (Foucault, M. 1973), but rather a definition in itself (Benjamin, W. 1922).

First of all, we ought to make a distinction between joke design and design joke. A design joke takes into account the subject of design in its own specificity. Contrarily, but not oppositely, joke design is the “set of methodologies” dealing with the construction of the joke in its generic manner. To sum up, joke design is generic in its specificity, while a design joke is specific in its generality.

Hence, if one wishes to joke design a good design joke, one must pertain to certain rules:

(1)A design joke should always relate to the socio-economic-political context in which it is set. Without an attentive consideration of the socio-economic-political context, the joke will not be funny, as every joke is in itself a socio-economic-political construct.

(2) When designing a joke, one has to take into careful account the set of scales on which the joke is dependent. It should always refer to the human scale of the protagonist of the joke. In the instance in which the joke’s protagonist is set in a cafe’, the joke should relate back to the scale of the cafe’, and, again, to the scale of the city. Nevertheless, ultimately the joke should refer back to the scale of the joke itself.

(3) A design joke should represent an all-encompassing taxonomy, like the one suggested by Patrik Schumacher, condensing everything in the “tectonics”.

To sum up again, once we have taken into consideration the different ways in which the different contexts and contents of a design joke are differently understood by different communities, we can now conclude that the practice joke design is actually, by its own definition, ahistorical and mono-disciplinary. Still, though, very interstitial.

(Premise: It is general opinion in southern Spain that Basques are brutally big and strong) A BASQUE ENTERS A SHOP WITH AN ELECTRIC CHAINSAW: - HEY, YOU TOLD ME THAT THIS CHAINSAW THAT I BOUGHT CUT DOWN A HUNDRED TREES AN HOUR. I'VE TRIED IT, AND IT CUTS FIFTY AT MOST. - WELL, DON'T WORRY, NOW WE TEST IT ... THE CLERK STARTS THE CHAINSAW, AND UPON HEARING IT THE BASQUE SAYS: - WAIT, WHAT’S THAT NOISE?

Pablo. Granada. Spain

A MAN ENTERS A COFFEE.

SPLASH.

Alessandro. Milan. Italy.

JOHNNY IS ASKED BY HIS MUM TO BUY SOME HAM. WHEN HE GOES TO THE SHOP, HE SPENDS ALL THE MONEY ON SWEETS. THEN HE REMEMBERS HIS MUM WILL BE VERY MAD IF HE DOES NOT BRING THE HAM. SO, HE GOES TO THE BATHROOM AND CUTS OFF ONE OF HIS BUTTCHEEKS, AND HIS MUM COOKS IT FOR DINNER. NEXT WEEK, JOHNNY’S MUM, IMPRESSED BY THE QUALITY OF THE HAM, ASKS HER SON TO GO AGAIN AND BUY THE SAME HAM FOR DINNER. JOHNNY REPEATS THE SITUATION AND HAS TO CUT OFF THE OTHER BUTTCHEEK. LATER THAT MONTH JOHNNY NEEDS TO GO TO THE DOCTOR AND IS ASKED TO TAKE OFF HIS TROUSERS. THE DOCTOR ASKS: “JOHNNY, WHERE IS YOUR BUTT?” TO WHICH THE BOY REPLIES: “MUM ATE IT…”.

Oliwia. Olsztyn. Poland

A TOURIST LOOKING FOR THE LONG-AWAITED VIENNA PHILHARMONIC CONCERT: "EXCUSE ME! HOW DO I GET TO THE PHILHARMONIC?" THE PASSER-BY'S ANSWER: "PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!"

Sebastian. Munich. Germany

SANTA AND BANTA MET ON A VILLAGE ROAD. SANTA WAS CARRYING A LARGE GUNNY BAG OVER HIS SHOULDER. ‘OYE, SANTA,’ HAILED BANTA, ‘WHAT IS IN THE BAG?’ ‘MURGIYAN – CHICKENS,’ CAME THE REPLY. ‘IF I GUESS HOW MANY, CAN I HAVE ONE?’ ASKED BANTA ‘YOU CAN HAVE BOTH OF THEM.’ ‘OK,’ SAID BANTA, ‘FIVE.’

Vineet. New Dehli. India