An Example Of Creativity - OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - Rube Goldberg Machine Version

Rube Goldberg

Task:

• Read the background information on Rube Goldberg.
• Watch OK Go's music video for 'This Too Shall Pass'(The Rube Goldberg Version)
• How do Rube Goldberg's ideas fit in with what you have learnt about creativity? To what extent are they demonstrating creativity?
• Which theories could be applied to Goldberg's ideas? Explain why.
• Which theories conflict with his ideas? Explain why.

 

Background Information:Here

 

How do Rube Goldberg's ideas fit in with what you have learnt about creativity? To what extent are they demonstrating creativity?
From what I have learnt about creativity, I can say that I believe Rube Goldberg's work would be classed as creative to an extent. I believe that through his ideas and drawings of machines and contraptions, Rube's creativity can be appreciated although he did not create the contraptions after he drew them so this could possibly be taken as a sign that he was not creative with his work. His ideas fit into what I have learnt about creativity in some ways as in order to design and think of everyday objects and how they would piece together shows creativity through engineering. In argument to this, you could say that Rube only put together objects in his mind and the objects he thought of when designing were all ready in existence so in a way he is not creating anything new in his head except for a temporary structure that has no purpose after it has finished moving.
"The making of the new and the re arranging of the old" (Bentley 1997) is a theory that could be applied to Goldberg's ideas. I think that this theory applies to Rube's ideas as he clearly thinks of random everyday objects i.e. 'the old', and re-arranges those objects to make something 'new' and of a different purpose, even though it may be completely bizarre. The idea of a contraption that sometimes had a purpose, i.e. napkin folder, could also definetly be classed as something 'new' as Rube was inventing new machines to carry out 'new' tasks, even though it would probably be an easier task without the machine in this case.
Another theory that could be applied to Goldberg's ideas could be "There is no absolute judgement (on creativity). All judgements are comparisons of one thing with another" (Donald Laming) as I feel that the theory works in Rube's favour. I think that from reading this theory, you can understand that although Rube's work may seem pointless, comparing it to other creative ideas shows you that his ideas are really extraordinary and you cannot judge something alone and only against other things to truly tell whether or not something is ingenious or not. The fact that Rube's ideas are regularly reproduced today in popular culture shows that his ideas are still received positively in today's society and therefore have a positive judgement of them from society as they have definitely stood the test of time.
"A project that is too well planned lacks opportunities for spontaneity and creativity". I believe that this theory works against Goldberg's ideas about contraptions. Although Rube's ideas were thought out and drawn beforehand, the fact that he didn't later create the contraptions shows that he did include spontaneity when he drew them, as he had no idea about the science of whether or not his mechanisms would actually work until someone else tried them out. There was no intention for him either to create his mechanisms which could be proof that his childish and creative mind just made him design these machines for the sake of drawing them.
Another theory that would conflict with Rube's ideas would be "The creating of bringing something new into existence -"this is particular understanding of creativity involves the physical making of something, leading to some form of communication, expression or revelation." (David Gauntlett). This is a clear disagreement with Rube's ideas as he never made his contraptions and for this theory to be truthful, he would've needed to create and produce his machines after designing them. Although Goldberg didn't put in the 'physical making' of something, he still brought something new into existence with his ideas and illustrations. He gave others the urge to create them and by designing them he showed his creative talents and sorted through the obvious.