Lecture- Cities and Film

This lecture looks at:
the city in modernism
the beginning of an urban sociology
the city as public and private space

Georg Simmel 
German  Socialist 
Desden Exhibition 1903, Surrealism and dada 

Urban sociology 
the resistance of the individual to being levels swallowed up int he social technological mechanism 

Architect Louis Sullivan (1856-1924)
creator of the modern sky scraper

The details of the guaranty building

Carson Pririe Scott store in Chicago

Sky scrapers represent the upwardly mobile city of business opportunity, the sky's the limit in the city. 

Charles Scheeler- an advertising photographer with use of abstract photography, hew worked for ford and displays modernism 

this idea is also examined in Fordism: mechanised labour relations. 

Charlie Chaplin- Modern times- the film potrays Chalie Chaplin as a factory worker and he suffers a breakdown. 

Stock market crash of 1929- unemployment goes up dramatically, leads to the 'great depression' the contrast between whats actually being advertised and whats actually happening 

Sophie Calle Suite Venitienne
for months she follwed strangers on the street without them knowing, she followed one man to venice

another project by Sophie Calle
The detective 1980 
She hires a detective to follow someone, she invents it into a love story 

Here is New York book/ exhibition- when the twin towers came down, images from the attack. Images by everyone from random people in the attack, firefighters and profesional photographers. 

Joel Meyerowitz- Broadway and the west 46th street
Theres a lot going on really captures how crazy the city is. 

Study Task 02- Triangulation exercise

Above are my notes from the seminar today

For this study task I have decided to look at the red bull adverts as I think it links well with some of the discussions that are made within the seminar texts. First things first 1964 discusses how advertising is a wasted talent, how they don't want to 'take the fun out of life' but we should prioritise more useful and lasting forms of communication. 'We have reached a saturation point at which the high pitched scream of consumer selling is no more than sheer noise' this statement is quite true everyday we get bombarded with tones of graphic design and forms of advertising when we don't even realise, but it is all there for a good reason because without advertising and graphic design nothing would sell. They think that there is other things worth more using their skill and experience on, but they as graphic designers, photographers and advertisers shape our visual world. The first things first manifesto got re visited in 2000 and there is a difference in the tone of voice, the 2000 manifesto has more urgent tone of voice with the attitude of 'we need to sort this out', it has an ethical change. In the 2000 manifesto it explains that we use our skill and imagination to sell things that are inessential, this joins well with the red bull adverts 'red bull gives you wings' red bull is not a necessary in everyones life it has a target audience for people who want to perform at their best. Study note 6 from the 10 footnotes to a manifesto discusses how we as graphic designers make things look desirable for the customers to consume. It also questions that if we don't do the work and make things look good then who will? There will always be a hierarchy within design and if there was no designers it would just create a hierarchy of bad design. Footnote 6 also states that all we do is make things look pretty/good for the consumer to want it, the red bull adverts certainly do that, they use good visuals in the form of illustrations and make the product relatable to the target audience. 

References :

Garland, K. (1964) 'First Things First Manifesto', self published

Lasn, K. et al (2000) 'First Things First Manifesto', Adbusters

Beirut, M. (2007) 'Ten Footnotes To A Manifesto', in 'Seventy Nine Short essays On Design'

COP Lecture- Identity

we all have an inner essence that makes who we are

Modern Identity 19th and early 20th century 

Charles Baudelaire the painter of mental life

Above Gustave Caillebotte paris street rainy day

Simmel:

-trickle down theory

-emulation

-distinction

-the 'mask' of fashion

The painting above is about the upper class distinguishing themselves by their fashion, and how the middle class look up the the upper class fashion, it all bubbles up. This idea works the same within other things such as street artists may get inspiration from graphic designers. 

he introduces the ides of 'flaneur' (gentleman-stroller)

George Simmel suggests: inividual withdraw into themselves to find peace, he describes this as the separation of the subject. 

Veblen- 'conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure' 

Le pont de l'Europe 1876

possibel discourses

-age

-class

-nationality

-race/ethnicity

-gender 

-sexuality

Class

The above photos were taken in Bolton of the working class, the photos were taken by Humphrey Spender who works for mass observation, the project called 'work town' (1937) documentary photography. He captures the working class of the thirties perfectly with these black and white film photos, they take us back in time. 

Martin Parr, New Brighton, Merseyside from the last resort 1983-86

These photos really make a statement and show the middle class. Parr has little things in the photos to show that they are working class for example on the top image the stain on the ladies dress. It also shows that they are middle class by sunbathing next to a digger.

Above are some images of Alexander McQueens 'Highland Rape' collection 1995-6 

McQueen is a very controversial fashion designer and some people say this is how how he became so famous. Down the catwalk the models would stagger and not walk the models apper brutal in conjunction with the word 'rape' 

Nationality 

Las Vegas

Las vegas is a new culture and has a mini everything, mini Eiffel tower, pyramids ect. 

76% of Americans don't have passports as they feel they have it all in Las Vegas, however this is a dumbed down version and they don't really experience any culture, with peoples busy lifestyle Las Vegas is a quick fix. 

Racial 

Chris Ofili- no woman no cry 1998

this piece depicts radial identity, it is a unique piece held up by elephant poo

Sexuality

Tracey Emin- everyone I have slept with

This is another controversial piece, it is titled 'everyone I have ever slept with' we automatically think thats all the people she has had sex with but its actually just the popele she's shared a bed with for a night, the names include her nan and grandad and friends from when she had sleepovers. this produced a lot of controversity of girls being 'slag's' or 'sluts' but if boys sleep around it almost gets celebrated. 

Study Task 01- Symbolic interactionist theories of identity

In both texts they discuss the relation of social identity, Sheldon’s Stryker’s theory focus’ on social scenario’s where as McCall and Simmons targets the ideal self.

Stryker explains the social change in the way we act in different social environments, the emotions that are portrayed that form the structure of a person’s identity. We mold and change according to our social group and learn what identity to adopt in a given social scenario. This is very true, we change within different social structures and are constantly evolving to keep up with the change in life. Stryker discuss’ the salience hierarchy, the hierarchy of identities based on the success and import to the individual. He hints that we are constantly performing and evolving with the different versions of ourselves. Stryker also talks about the identity and emotions of interactionist theorizing shaping subsequent role in performances. He mentions when people judge each other and their role behavior whether their performance is acceptable or un acceptable, he talks in detail about reading gestures and whether a positive or negative emotion will come of it and the ‘affect’ the emotional reaction. Also, we as individuals judge and get emotional over role performances to make sure we are performing correctly in a given situation.

In contrast George J McCall and J L Simmons discuss things on more of a self-basis, an idealized version of ourselves. They speak as we always have some disatifisfication for ourselves as we hold such high standards, constantly expecting more. We are constantly worried about our self-image opposed to other people; a good example of this is the way we make ourselves look on social media, the idealized version of ourselves.

There are similarities and connections between both Stryker and McCall and Simmons as they both discuss how we all put on almost an act and how we change socially in different situations for example we wouldn’t act the same at work as we would at a party. I agree with both of the theories, I think that individuals do mold to different social groups and learn and adapt to them. McCall and Simmons have a very valid point about our egos always trying to make our identity’s better.

I think they both relate in terms of design, I think people design with Strykers theory in mind, seeing how their design fits in and get accepted, but tend to have McCalls and Simmons theory in the back of their heads the idea of how it is going to boost their ego.

COP Lecture- The Gaze in the Media

Todays lecture was about the gaze in the media, how we as viewers see things, how obsessed we get over how we look by this perfect image that is painted in our head. the lecture was mostly about women and nudity how it grabs our attention. 

Investigation of the gaze through the nude in European oil painting.  This does not mean that women are vain. Women watch themselves being looked at because of the many representations of women that surround us. Women survey their own femininity.

 Hans Memling 'Vanity' (1485) 

This painting gives the viewer permission to look at her body and as she is looking into the mirror it shows that she cares about her appearance and symbolises vanity. 

Alexandre Cabanel 'Birth of Venus' (1863)

This painting potrays the idea of birth and purity 

This is an image of Sophie Dahl for Opium, that kind of replicates 'Birth of Venus' it was too sexual for the original advert so the rotated it to its side so she looks like she was standing and then it got accepted, because it had more focus on the face. 

Titians Venus of Urbino (1538)

In this painting its almost as us as viewers are gazing at her in a private moment

Manet 'Olympia' (1863)

Venus and Olypia are in very similar poses but with subtle differences, one difference is the hand placement, Olymia has more of a direct approach to covering herself, she was a prostitute. 

Ingres 'Le Grande Odalisque' 

This painting has a very different gaze in relation to Manet, she is facing away from the viewer which can surest many things, such as she may not want to be seen.

Jeff Wall- Picture for Women (1979) 

this image is about the camera and it's function 

it invites us to make our own story 

Coward. R (1984)

The camera in contemporary media has been put to use as an extension of the male gaze at women on the streets
From her essay “the look”
Nudity, device of Sunglasses - viewer not challenged by a look, Normalises the display of bodies in a street context

Eva Herigova (1994)

Eva is a model for wonder bra, when this advert first came out on billboards it was stopping traffic and people were slowing down, the naked body had a big impact. 

There are examples where the male body is objectified in a similar way, 2007 Male nude as challenging the gaze Gym- sports-power, cult of fitness – male ideals of body image. Every male model advert tends to have more of a direct gaze. 

Sarah Lucas ‘Eating a Banana’  1990

Performing to be looked at.  fallic association of eating a banana - can make viewer uncomfortable

Sarah Lucas 'Self Portrait with fried eggs' 1996

She puts herself in a kind of masculine position to view

Paparazzi shot of Princess Diana

There is a huge market for paparazzi there is a lot of money in it because the public want to gaze into the lives of celebs. Most celebrity women aren't given andy privileges or privacy nowadays. 

There is a lot of gaze in reality television, big brother is a good example. There is no reality in it, they are all just emphasising themselves and acting out their personalities for attention. We are watching the contestants watching themselves, they are all very aware of how they are acting and how they look.