Authoring Histories
Andy Warhol's Brillo Boxes
Which is more historically significant and why?
When I look at the image given to us of the Brillo boxes cluttered together in the warehouse with much more dull boxes, I can clearly see that the Brillo boxes have a uniqueness to them which makes them so distinguished. The bright colours used within the design gives the boxes a clean looks which contrasts highly with the dull browns which surrounds it. The text and shapes within the design are also bold and give the boxes its crisp distinguished appearance.
From a graphic design point of view, I feel that these designs are iconic. By displaying them alone without the clutter of the warehouse the attention is focussed entirely on the design. So back the original question, I feel that the Brillo Box design was already historically significant, but it has been increased by Andy Warhol and the Exhibition director, by preserving them and displaying them in this way, so that the whole world can view them.
Why is Andy Warhol’s Brillo Box written about more?
The Brillo Box was part of our everyday lives so when it is being used for its purpose I feel that this is standard and uninteresting to the public. However, as Andy Warhol has preserved the box’s iconic design and the curator has displayed them for the world to see, I feel that this draws more attention as it was the artist’s imagination and keen eye which spotted and preserved a classic design found in our everyday lives.
He has re-conceptualised the boxes by taking them out of there every day environment where they were unmarked, and made them marked by displaying them as an object to be looked at.
Which is more historically significant and why?
When I look at the image given to us of the Brillo boxes cluttered together in the warehouse with much more dull boxes, I can clearly see that the Brillo boxes have a uniqueness to them which makes them so distinguished. The bright colours used within the design gives the boxes a clean looks which contrasts highly with the dull browns which surrounds it. The text and shapes within the design are also bold and give the boxes its crisp distinguished appearance.
From a graphic design point of view, I feel that these designs are iconic. By displaying them alone without the clutter of the warehouse the attention is focussed entirely on the design. So back the original question, I feel that the Brillo Box design was already historically significant, but it has been increased by Andy Warhol and the Exhibition director, by preserving them and displaying them in this way, so that the whole world can view them.
Why is Andy Warhol’s Brillo Box written about more?
The Brillo Box was part of our everyday lives so when it is being used for its purpose I feel that this is standard and uninteresting to the public. However, as Andy Warhol has preserved the box’s iconic design and the curator has displayed them for the world to see, I feel that this draws more attention as it was the artist’s imagination and keen eye which spotted and preserved a classic design found in our everyday lives.
He has re-conceptualised the boxes by taking them out of there every day environment where they were unmarked, and made them marked by displaying them as an object to be looked at.
Great German Art exhibition and the Degenerate Art exhibition
This part of the lecture interested me the most because of the two very contrasting ways in which art is displayed between these two exhibitions.
By displaying art within big empty white spaces, the curators attempt to glorify artwork within the great German exhibition. This is because the viewer’s eyes are less distracted so the artwork becomes more distinguished within its environment. The exhibition contained artwork of Idealised nudes, Soldiers, landscapes as this was Hitler’s representation of what good art is. By displaying this type of work in this way, Hitler was showing us that art work which should be praised appears strong and a perfect representation of the idealistic world.
He then goes onto displaying work in which he believes should be shamed by hosting a degenerate art exhibition. In an attempt to show us that this is bad art, the work is displayed almost like a jumble sale with little space in between the paintings. This does not glorify the art as the lack of space takes away each piece of work’s stature and makes it less distinguishable amongst the cluttered crowd of works. By displaying the work so that paintings appear lop sided, it creates the message of imperfection, the idea that these works are incorrect.
This part of the lecture interested me the most because of the two very contrasting ways in which art is displayed between these two exhibitions.
By displaying art within big empty white spaces, the curators attempt to glorify artwork within the great German exhibition. This is because the viewer’s eyes are less distracted so the artwork becomes more distinguished within its environment. The exhibition contained artwork of Idealised nudes, Soldiers, landscapes as this was Hitler’s representation of what good art is. By displaying this type of work in this way, Hitler was showing us that art work which should be praised appears strong and a perfect representation of the idealistic world.
He then goes onto displaying work in which he believes should be shamed by hosting a degenerate art exhibition. In an attempt to show us that this is bad art, the work is displayed almost like a jumble sale with little space in between the paintings. This does not glorify the art as the lack of space takes away each piece of work’s stature and makes it less distinguishable amongst the cluttered crowd of works. By displaying the work so that paintings appear lop sided, it creates the message of imperfection, the idea that these works are incorrect.
Participatory Culture
What am I?
Consumer/audience member?
This is probably the category I fit into most. The first thing I do to start the day is to check social media (Facebook) as it allows me to catch up on any events that I have missed. This could mean socially, by consuming status updates, and photos of friends. However Facebook also allows me to like certain pages, like BBC news, so I can catch up on any major news events that may have happened when I was asleep. This could be anything from bombings, such as the ones in Paris, or a famous celebrity who has died over night.
Checking Facebook in the morning also gives me the chance to adjust my eyes, by reading articles and viewing images before actually having to get out of bed.
Because of my phone, I have access to Facebook usually most of the time, so this allows me to use the social network’s app whenever I have a bit of time to myself throughout the day.
Producer/creator?
Having my own blog does allow me to talk about my artwork and my points of view online, however it is really for my own personal use, or that I am publicly displaying work so it is easy accessible to be marked by tutors. However when I do update my blog it is always by using a laptop, as the keyboard allows me to type faster, while the large screen allows me to view the layout of the page much easier than I would be able to on a small phone.
I wouldn’t say I am much of a producer any more, not to a wide audience anyway. I think as I get older, I am less likely to take a producing role over social media, as it feels intimidating due to the large amount of people that can view your work. It makes me nervous in case I have made an obvious blunder without realising and posted it for the whole world to see. However I do use Snapchat in order to post my own daily life story to my friends. I am more confident with this as I have a very limited supply of friends. Snapchat also allows me to keep track of who is taking my images by screenshotting them so it has a level of security to it. My phone is the device in which I use snapchat as it means I can carry my phone with me throughout the day in my pocket, and then take it out to take and share an image of anything I find interesting. I would not be able to do this with a tablet or laptop as they would be awkward to carry around with me throughout my daily routine.
Multiplier/distributer?
Not as much as a consumer, but a lot more than a producer, I feel that I fit into a distributer category. This is because social networking sites allow me to share with my friends any articles that I find most interesting. It also allows me to tag a friend while sharing, so that I can directly share the article, image, or status in the knowledge that they will definitely see it.
Consumer/audience member?
This is probably the category I fit into most. The first thing I do to start the day is to check social media (Facebook) as it allows me to catch up on any events that I have missed. This could mean socially, by consuming status updates, and photos of friends. However Facebook also allows me to like certain pages, like BBC news, so I can catch up on any major news events that may have happened when I was asleep. This could be anything from bombings, such as the ones in Paris, or a famous celebrity who has died over night.
Checking Facebook in the morning also gives me the chance to adjust my eyes, by reading articles and viewing images before actually having to get out of bed.
Because of my phone, I have access to Facebook usually most of the time, so this allows me to use the social network’s app whenever I have a bit of time to myself throughout the day.
Producer/creator?
Having my own blog does allow me to talk about my artwork and my points of view online, however it is really for my own personal use, or that I am publicly displaying work so it is easy accessible to be marked by tutors. However when I do update my blog it is always by using a laptop, as the keyboard allows me to type faster, while the large screen allows me to view the layout of the page much easier than I would be able to on a small phone.
I wouldn’t say I am much of a producer any more, not to a wide audience anyway. I think as I get older, I am less likely to take a producing role over social media, as it feels intimidating due to the large amount of people that can view your work. It makes me nervous in case I have made an obvious blunder without realising and posted it for the whole world to see. However I do use Snapchat in order to post my own daily life story to my friends. I am more confident with this as I have a very limited supply of friends. Snapchat also allows me to keep track of who is taking my images by screenshotting them so it has a level of security to it. My phone is the device in which I use snapchat as it means I can carry my phone with me throughout the day in my pocket, and then take it out to take and share an image of anything I find interesting. I would not be able to do this with a tablet or laptop as they would be awkward to carry around with me throughout my daily routine.
Multiplier/distributer?
Not as much as a consumer, but a lot more than a producer, I feel that I fit into a distributer category. This is because social networking sites allow me to share with my friends any articles that I find most interesting. It also allows me to tag a friend while sharing, so that I can directly share the article, image, or status in the knowledge that they will definitely see it.
Emergence (1985-1993)
A period of time where computers started to enter our homes and offices giving us access to produce our own media such as posters, leaflets and magazines.
Waking up to the Web (1994-1998)
A time when we became accessible to the internet. This is the time large search engines and email websites started.
Push-button Publishing (1999-2004)
A time where the internet became more interactive. In this period social networking sites started and became popular. It was also popular to shop on-line and play games and chat to people on-line.
Ubiquitous connections (2005-2011)
In this period, the phone allowed us to have a hand held access to the internet at all times, allowing us to be constantly connected to information.
2011-2015
So what is our most recent phase?
Within this phase, front facing cameras allowed people to become indulged within vanity. This term is now famously named as the selfie.
The front facing camera on our phones has also allowed us to have video conversations with people when we are on the go on journeys such as our morning commutes.
I also feel that apps such as Snapchat have allowed us to combine text with images to strongly communicate expression and context to others.
I also feel that apps on our devices have allowed us to create comedy in things such as vines or memes.
Tinder and other dating apps have also allowed us to date on-line anywhere at any time, and has allowed us to privately judge other people’s appearances.
Moving photographs (not videos) have also been created in the much more recent phones, allowing us to create a stronger visual language to our audiences.
Apps have allowed us to personalise our gadgets to our own needs. The most used app on my phone is the first app, as it allows me to schedule my life more efficiently by checking times and journeys of transport.
All in all I feel as though the latest period 2011-2015 has been a more user friendly version of the Ubiquitous connections phase as I feel we are able to connect with our friends while on the move. This phase has also allowed us to become self-obsessed with vanity and we have been able to privately judge other people’s appearances.
A period of time where computers started to enter our homes and offices giving us access to produce our own media such as posters, leaflets and magazines.
Waking up to the Web (1994-1998)
A time when we became accessible to the internet. This is the time large search engines and email websites started.
Push-button Publishing (1999-2004)
A time where the internet became more interactive. In this period social networking sites started and became popular. It was also popular to shop on-line and play games and chat to people on-line.
Ubiquitous connections (2005-2011)
In this period, the phone allowed us to have a hand held access to the internet at all times, allowing us to be constantly connected to information.
2011-2015
So what is our most recent phase?
Within this phase, front facing cameras allowed people to become indulged within vanity. This term is now famously named as the selfie.
The front facing camera on our phones has also allowed us to have video conversations with people when we are on the go on journeys such as our morning commutes.
I also feel that apps such as Snapchat have allowed us to combine text with images to strongly communicate expression and context to others.
I also feel that apps on our devices have allowed us to create comedy in things such as vines or memes.
Tinder and other dating apps have also allowed us to date on-line anywhere at any time, and has allowed us to privately judge other people’s appearances.
Moving photographs (not videos) have also been created in the much more recent phones, allowing us to create a stronger visual language to our audiences.
Apps have allowed us to personalise our gadgets to our own needs. The most used app on my phone is the first app, as it allows me to schedule my life more efficiently by checking times and journeys of transport.
All in all I feel as though the latest period 2011-2015 has been a more user friendly version of the Ubiquitous connections phase as I feel we are able to connect with our friends while on the move. This phase has also allowed us to become self-obsessed with vanity and we have been able to privately judge other people’s appearances.
Who controls Participatory Culture?
Personally I feel that all that all the apps, websites and devices which we are able to use are all controlled and monitored. This allows the creators to protect their software from being violated. However this being the case, I feel that we have been given a large amount of freedom to within our use of the devices, to create and distribute.
For example this year Nichole Arbour shocked the internet this year by posting a video of herself ranting about fat people. This video got very mixed views, and may have offended many. However, as this video did not violate YouTube rules, she has been able to share her opinion with the world, making her an internet sensation of 2015. This being said, you could not upload intercourse to YouTube as this would be in violating the creator’s idea of the website's purpose. In conclusion, we are genuinely given a great deal of freedom to use take part in participatory culture so long as we work within the limitations which are put there to protect the creators.
Personally I feel that all that all the apps, websites and devices which we are able to use are all controlled and monitored. This allows the creators to protect their software from being violated. However this being the case, I feel that we have been given a large amount of freedom to within our use of the devices, to create and distribute.
For example this year Nichole Arbour shocked the internet this year by posting a video of herself ranting about fat people. This video got very mixed views, and may have offended many. However, as this video did not violate YouTube rules, she has been able to share her opinion with the world, making her an internet sensation of 2015. This being said, you could not upload intercourse to YouTube as this would be in violating the creator’s idea of the website's purpose. In conclusion, we are genuinely given a great deal of freedom to use take part in participatory culture so long as we work within the limitations which are put there to protect the creators.
Questioning Cultures
Comparing two musical theatre images
within this lecture we are showed two images from musical theatre performance, and immediately we can spot the differences between the two images.
We can identify image one of showing a photograph taken of an opera. This is due to many factors, such as the large build of the two characters, the large royal costumes, and even the way which the stage has been set up with large drapes of valuable looking fabric, which creates the impression of royalty.
However we can identify the second image to be one taken of The Rocky Horror show due to its iconic appearance. This is due to the characters within the image being transvestites wearing only undergarments to create this firm display of femininity and sexuality. This is also supported by the elaborate poses created by the characters upon the stage. The costumes are also a combination of vivid red and deep black which is iconic to this particular show.
Both costumes within the two performance as so elaborate that they would not go unmarked if they were to walk down the street, however we do identify the opera’s costumes as a design of the past, while we identify The Rocky Horror Costumes as more modern and popular within the transvestite culture. Being such a strong display of femininity, people are encouraged to watch The Rocky Horror show dressed in the undergarment costumes, however we would identify it as to be out of sorts to dress up in a ball gown to watch the opera.
Sports Culture and Controversy
We were then showed two more images of two hunting sports which are banned in the UK.
We can identify the first one as being a photograph taken of Fox Hunting due to its elaborate performance that comes with the sport. The riders are all in this blood red uniform which draws from our English heritage giving it this aspect of history and tradition. We also associate is as being very upper class, as the sport requires use of personal land, horses and dogs.
The second photograph we identify as Hare coursing. We associate the image as one taken of the working class which is displayed to us through its lack of a royal heritage through the partakers clothing. The clothing of the partakers appear common, and do not possess the rich designs found within the fox hunters. It also appears to us as an audience that this sport is affordable as it displays just one animal being used to hunt, rather than a pack of horses and hounds.
Fans of Ball Sports
We are then showed two images of sport spectators. One image has key traits that we easily associate it with the tennis at Wimbledon. This isn’t just displayed to us by the iconic purple, white and green signs, which colours are those we associate with the sport, but it is also displayed in how the fans are positioned. The gathering of fans have a vast amount of open free space to move within and they are sheltered by these white canopies which suggest it is a sport spectated by the higher classes. This is also supported by the small picket fence which sections off the fans from the rest of the world, creating the sense of privacy and they are of an elite group.
We can also identify the second image as one taken of a group of fans at a Millwall football game. Once again this isn’t just displayed to us by the iconic football badges upon the very large England flag, but we can identify it through a number of factors. The crowd for instance have very little space around them to move, as they appear as one massive crowd of bodies. This lack of privacy and movement suggests a more working class set of spectators. We also see it in the expressions of the fans, while the Wimbledon image appears calm and peaceful, the fans in this image appears aggressive and loud which is how we associate the typical football hooligan.
Culture: Street Art/Public Art
Do we read art differently whether it is publicly financed piece of art, or a piece of graphite?
With the two images shown, we can see that both pieces of art work have the same artistic intentions, to improve the environment’s appearance while pleasing the viewer. However we read the two images in a very different way. Graphite art is usually considered as very temporary, as it is often painted over, or removed from its surface. Graphite art also has this reputation of vandalism which has been created by the working class. It is a type of art which even though it takes skill, it is still affordable to take part in.
However publicly financed art is read differently. It has a more permanent stature than graphite art, as the council or company commissioning the piece gives it its own space. It becomes part of the environment’s landscape. They are often associated with having a lot of investment as being created by renowned artists rather than your average citizen. This I feel gives the pieces a higher value and makes them appear special, and should be preserved.
Reasons why it is important to critically engage with culture
Personally I feel that it is down to a person’s own choice and free will to decide how much culture they participate in. Culture is so broad and so mixed, that I feel it allows people to pick what they wish to be interested in, so that everybody becomes different, which creates a bigger cultural depth within society.
There are benefits with engaging in culture. Engaging with cultures such as Celebrity culture and Consumer culture may actually help distract people from more serious issues which can have an effect on themselves, or there area, or their country. In some ways this sounds like it could have negative side effects in the case if you completely ignore serious issues, but without distraction it could put serious strain on the mind.
Saying this I believe that our own time is very limited, so we are limited in the amount of culture that we can engage with, so it is important to find a healthy balance between culture which should be valued and culture which is there to distract us.
within this lecture we are showed two images from musical theatre performance, and immediately we can spot the differences between the two images.
We can identify image one of showing a photograph taken of an opera. This is due to many factors, such as the large build of the two characters, the large royal costumes, and even the way which the stage has been set up with large drapes of valuable looking fabric, which creates the impression of royalty.
However we can identify the second image to be one taken of The Rocky Horror show due to its iconic appearance. This is due to the characters within the image being transvestites wearing only undergarments to create this firm display of femininity and sexuality. This is also supported by the elaborate poses created by the characters upon the stage. The costumes are also a combination of vivid red and deep black which is iconic to this particular show.
Both costumes within the two performance as so elaborate that they would not go unmarked if they were to walk down the street, however we do identify the opera’s costumes as a design of the past, while we identify The Rocky Horror Costumes as more modern and popular within the transvestite culture. Being such a strong display of femininity, people are encouraged to watch The Rocky Horror show dressed in the undergarment costumes, however we would identify it as to be out of sorts to dress up in a ball gown to watch the opera.
Sports Culture and Controversy
We were then showed two more images of two hunting sports which are banned in the UK.
We can identify the first one as being a photograph taken of Fox Hunting due to its elaborate performance that comes with the sport. The riders are all in this blood red uniform which draws from our English heritage giving it this aspect of history and tradition. We also associate is as being very upper class, as the sport requires use of personal land, horses and dogs.
The second photograph we identify as Hare coursing. We associate the image as one taken of the working class which is displayed to us through its lack of a royal heritage through the partakers clothing. The clothing of the partakers appear common, and do not possess the rich designs found within the fox hunters. It also appears to us as an audience that this sport is affordable as it displays just one animal being used to hunt, rather than a pack of horses and hounds.
Fans of Ball Sports
We are then showed two images of sport spectators. One image has key traits that we easily associate it with the tennis at Wimbledon. This isn’t just displayed to us by the iconic purple, white and green signs, which colours are those we associate with the sport, but it is also displayed in how the fans are positioned. The gathering of fans have a vast amount of open free space to move within and they are sheltered by these white canopies which suggest it is a sport spectated by the higher classes. This is also supported by the small picket fence which sections off the fans from the rest of the world, creating the sense of privacy and they are of an elite group.
We can also identify the second image as one taken of a group of fans at a Millwall football game. Once again this isn’t just displayed to us by the iconic football badges upon the very large England flag, but we can identify it through a number of factors. The crowd for instance have very little space around them to move, as they appear as one massive crowd of bodies. This lack of privacy and movement suggests a more working class set of spectators. We also see it in the expressions of the fans, while the Wimbledon image appears calm and peaceful, the fans in this image appears aggressive and loud which is how we associate the typical football hooligan.
Culture: Street Art/Public Art
Do we read art differently whether it is publicly financed piece of art, or a piece of graphite?
With the two images shown, we can see that both pieces of art work have the same artistic intentions, to improve the environment’s appearance while pleasing the viewer. However we read the two images in a very different way. Graphite art is usually considered as very temporary, as it is often painted over, or removed from its surface. Graphite art also has this reputation of vandalism which has been created by the working class. It is a type of art which even though it takes skill, it is still affordable to take part in.
However publicly financed art is read differently. It has a more permanent stature than graphite art, as the council or company commissioning the piece gives it its own space. It becomes part of the environment’s landscape. They are often associated with having a lot of investment as being created by renowned artists rather than your average citizen. This I feel gives the pieces a higher value and makes them appear special, and should be preserved.
Reasons why it is important to critically engage with culture
Personally I feel that it is down to a person’s own choice and free will to decide how much culture they participate in. Culture is so broad and so mixed, that I feel it allows people to pick what they wish to be interested in, so that everybody becomes different, which creates a bigger cultural depth within society.
There are benefits with engaging in culture. Engaging with cultures such as Celebrity culture and Consumer culture may actually help distract people from more serious issues which can have an effect on themselves, or there area, or their country. In some ways this sounds like it could have negative side effects in the case if you completely ignore serious issues, but without distraction it could put serious strain on the mind.
Saying this I believe that our own time is very limited, so we are limited in the amount of culture that we can engage with, so it is important to find a healthy balance between culture which should be valued and culture which is there to distract us.
The Intersectional Self
Why might it be problematic to conceptualise identity categories into binaries?
What is missing? What don’t we see?
By having these Binary categories, I feel that there is more pressure on people to be forced to change their identity so that they fit within the binary. For example, why should a person feel marked if they wanted if they wanted to be homosexual? Does this effect some homosexuals into changing their identity in order to fit in?
People may also feel to put pressure on others to fit within a binary category, such as their children. For example, people may feel forced to buy certain colour toys or clothes for their own children so that their child feels part of a binary group of identities.
What if you don’t fit within any of the categories? These categories limits our ability to access to identities which fit between the binaries. I feel as though the binary categories are very basic, meaning your either one or the other, but what if your identity is much more complex. Does this make simple things such as relating to a character in a movie much more difficult?
I also feel that the way films portray their generic heroes and villains in terms of ethnicity and race could be very dangerous to the mind of a young child. It could have very damaging effects, by misleading children into thinking that people of a certain race are dangerous.
I also feel that in terms of power, these categories can also have a damaging effect on people. If people don’t feel as though they fit into the most dominant category, they may believe less of themselves, which can be damaging to their own aspirations or future goals.
What is missing? What don’t we see?
By having these Binary categories, I feel that there is more pressure on people to be forced to change their identity so that they fit within the binary. For example, why should a person feel marked if they wanted if they wanted to be homosexual? Does this effect some homosexuals into changing their identity in order to fit in?
People may also feel to put pressure on others to fit within a binary category, such as their children. For example, people may feel forced to buy certain colour toys or clothes for their own children so that their child feels part of a binary group of identities.
What if you don’t fit within any of the categories? These categories limits our ability to access to identities which fit between the binaries. I feel as though the binary categories are very basic, meaning your either one or the other, but what if your identity is much more complex. Does this make simple things such as relating to a character in a movie much more difficult?
I also feel that the way films portray their generic heroes and villains in terms of ethnicity and race could be very dangerous to the mind of a young child. It could have very damaging effects, by misleading children into thinking that people of a certain race are dangerous.
I also feel that in terms of power, these categories can also have a damaging effect on people. If people don’t feel as though they fit into the most dominant category, they may believe less of themselves, which can be damaging to their own aspirations or future goals.
Diet coke 1997
When viewing this advert the key aspect I notice is that the advert is centred on hetrosexualality. By displaying how an entire office full of people stop everything they are doing to view a topless male, creates this odd idea that the mass majority or all females are heterosexual.
I also notice how diet coke have displayed their target audience as all the admirers within the advert are white, middle class females. There is a real lack of diversity within the advert. This strong portrayal of their target audience is why coke released coke zero, because men didn't want to associate themselves with the femininity which portrayed diet coke.
The majority of the people in this advert are portrayed as young and good looking, creating the idea that diet coke is desirable.
Diet coke 2015
The whole heterosexual identity which we associate with diet coke control our perspective of this advert. Right from the beginning we presume this female character to be chasing after a male without even seeing the male himself, because this is the way diet coke has led us to think over the years.
The idea of the unmarked middle class also come to mind within this advert, as the character is not restricted by any constraints. For example, she appears to have money as she can buy a last minute plane ticket, and she can afford to leave her life behind, creating the idea that she is free from full time work.
The main women in this advert is displayed as young, fashionable. She is also noticed often by male members of the public, creating the idea that she and her free way of living is desirable. It creates the idea that is you drink diet coke you can also fit within this binary identity.
When viewing this advert the key aspect I notice is that the advert is centred on hetrosexualality. By displaying how an entire office full of people stop everything they are doing to view a topless male, creates this odd idea that the mass majority or all females are heterosexual.
I also notice how diet coke have displayed their target audience as all the admirers within the advert are white, middle class females. There is a real lack of diversity within the advert. This strong portrayal of their target audience is why coke released coke zero, because men didn't want to associate themselves with the femininity which portrayed diet coke.
The majority of the people in this advert are portrayed as young and good looking, creating the idea that diet coke is desirable.
Diet coke 2015
The whole heterosexual identity which we associate with diet coke control our perspective of this advert. Right from the beginning we presume this female character to be chasing after a male without even seeing the male himself, because this is the way diet coke has led us to think over the years.
The idea of the unmarked middle class also come to mind within this advert, as the character is not restricted by any constraints. For example, she appears to have money as she can buy a last minute plane ticket, and she can afford to leave her life behind, creating the idea that she is free from full time work.
The main women in this advert is displayed as young, fashionable. She is also noticed often by male members of the public, creating the idea that she and her free way of living is desirable. It creates the idea that is you drink diet coke you can also fit within this binary identity.
Old spice
It is very normal for us to see a topless young male within adverts, as it falls under the category of unmarked. However what particular grabs interest from the audience within this advert is the ethnicity and race of the leading character. This falls under the category of marked.
The idea of the advert creates the portrayal of the ideal man, so that men can aspire to, and women can desire. The central character of the advert says “But if he stops using lady scented body wash and switch to old spice, he could smell like me”. This creates the idea that femininity is not something that should be found within the ideal man, as masculinity has always been portrayed as the more dominant sex. It creates the idea that men should be strong and masculine with no feminine traits. This advert underlines this point again by the main character saying “anything is possible when your man smells like old spice and not a lady”. This line in particular expresses that there are life restrictions that come with femininity so a masculine identity should be preferred if you wish to aspire to your goals.
By portraying wealth within the advert, it creates this idea that men should be the wealthy and should support and spoil women, and that the woman’s role is to be spoilt.
As the good looking and wealthy male within the character is on display and addresses females specifically, it has a sort of intimidating effect on males suggesting that they should aspire to be like this character in order to win back the attention of their heterosexual female partners.
It is very normal for us to see a topless young male within adverts, as it falls under the category of unmarked. However what particular grabs interest from the audience within this advert is the ethnicity and race of the leading character. This falls under the category of marked.
The idea of the advert creates the portrayal of the ideal man, so that men can aspire to, and women can desire. The central character of the advert says “But if he stops using lady scented body wash and switch to old spice, he could smell like me”. This creates the idea that femininity is not something that should be found within the ideal man, as masculinity has always been portrayed as the more dominant sex. It creates the idea that men should be strong and masculine with no feminine traits. This advert underlines this point again by the main character saying “anything is possible when your man smells like old spice and not a lady”. This line in particular expresses that there are life restrictions that come with femininity so a masculine identity should be preferred if you wish to aspire to your goals.
By portraying wealth within the advert, it creates this idea that men should be the wealthy and should support and spoil women, and that the woman’s role is to be spoilt.
As the good looking and wealthy male within the character is on display and addresses females specifically, it has a sort of intimidating effect on males suggesting that they should aspire to be like this character in order to win back the attention of their heterosexual female partners.
JOHN BERGER'S WAYS OF SEEING
What is the reading about? From this reading, what do you understand about the ideas of Berger and how might they relate to some of the lecture content? Can you identify any theorists whose ideas are similar or different to Berger’s?
Each essay within John Berger’s books focuses on a different cultural text ranging from the differences between how men and women have been portrayed in paintings throughout history to how to how modern day publicising derives from centuries old oil paintings. Each essay seems to focus on how the way we see things in our modern day society has been shaped by our history and the way people and objects have been portrayed within paintings of the past.
However, out of all these essays, there was only one which captivated my attention, so much so that I had to read it three times, two of which I highlighted key phrases which I felt could be a starting place for my essay.
This piece of writing I talk about is the first essay in the book which covers a number of example of how we see things differently depending on our past experiences. It mentions the assumptions we have about art before viewing a piece and how that can affect our opinions on a piece. It also covers how the invention of the camera has allowed us to easily reproduce images, and how this can affect the way we view paintings. It also talks about how what surrounds a painting or reproduction of a painting has an effect on how we view the image, such as text or other images. All of these arguments comes down to how we as human beings are constantly seeing and we constantly compare what we see to ourselves and our personal experiences.
Identify five ‘key words’ that you think are central to this book.
Reproduction
Image
Mystification
Presence
Publicise
Identify three ‘key quotes’ that you think are central to the ideas examined in this book.
“Out of true with the present, these assumptions obscure the past. They mystify rather than clarify. The past is never there waiting to be discovered, to be recognised for exactly what it is. History always constitutes the relation between a present and its past.” P11
“The uniqueness of every painting was once part of the uniqueness of the place where it resided. Sometimes the painting was transportable. But it could never be seen in two places at the same time. When the camera reproduces a painting, it destroys the uniqueness of its image. As a result it’s meaning changes. Or more exactly, its meaning multiplies and fragments into many meanings.” P19
“What we make of that painted moment when it is before our eyes depends upon what we expect of art, and that in turn depends today upon how we have already experienced the meaning of paintings thorough reproductions.” P31
What is the main argument in this book? Write a series of bullet points to summarise the argument.
The essay that interested me most within this book is essay number one, as I agree with many of the suggested arguments. It has also sparked a new interest for me and I wish to pursue some of these key points, in order to start the research for my essay.
By next week: Using all of this (key words, key quotes and main points), write a paragraph that summarises the argument.
Within the “Ways of Seeing”, John Berger perfectly summarises how differently we can react to an image, if the image is accompanied by text. On page 27 the reader is shown an image of a painting and it is only when we turn the page that we are shown that identical image accompanied by handwritten text that reads “This is the last picture that Van
Gogh painted before he killed himself”. As the reader I immediately feel this sense of nostalgia that I am looking at something which is highly valued and artistically significant. This is all because the text now forces me to compare the image with my own personal experiences, which in this case is my representation of Van Gough.
Each essay within John Berger’s books focuses on a different cultural text ranging from the differences between how men and women have been portrayed in paintings throughout history to how to how modern day publicising derives from centuries old oil paintings. Each essay seems to focus on how the way we see things in our modern day society has been shaped by our history and the way people and objects have been portrayed within paintings of the past.
However, out of all these essays, there was only one which captivated my attention, so much so that I had to read it three times, two of which I highlighted key phrases which I felt could be a starting place for my essay.
This piece of writing I talk about is the first essay in the book which covers a number of example of how we see things differently depending on our past experiences. It mentions the assumptions we have about art before viewing a piece and how that can affect our opinions on a piece. It also covers how the invention of the camera has allowed us to easily reproduce images, and how this can affect the way we view paintings. It also talks about how what surrounds a painting or reproduction of a painting has an effect on how we view the image, such as text or other images. All of these arguments comes down to how we as human beings are constantly seeing and we constantly compare what we see to ourselves and our personal experiences.
Identify five ‘key words’ that you think are central to this book.
Reproduction
Image
Mystification
Presence
Publicise
Identify three ‘key quotes’ that you think are central to the ideas examined in this book.
“Out of true with the present, these assumptions obscure the past. They mystify rather than clarify. The past is never there waiting to be discovered, to be recognised for exactly what it is. History always constitutes the relation between a present and its past.” P11
“The uniqueness of every painting was once part of the uniqueness of the place where it resided. Sometimes the painting was transportable. But it could never be seen in two places at the same time. When the camera reproduces a painting, it destroys the uniqueness of its image. As a result it’s meaning changes. Or more exactly, its meaning multiplies and fragments into many meanings.” P19
“What we make of that painted moment when it is before our eyes depends upon what we expect of art, and that in turn depends today upon how we have already experienced the meaning of paintings thorough reproductions.” P31
What is the main argument in this book? Write a series of bullet points to summarise the argument.
The essay that interested me most within this book is essay number one, as I agree with many of the suggested arguments. It has also sparked a new interest for me and I wish to pursue some of these key points, in order to start the research for my essay.
- “The way we see things is affected by what we know and what we believe.”
- “We never look at just one thing, we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves.”
- What is mystification when analysing a painting
- The invention of the camera has forced us to analyse paintings on its religiosity.
- The invention of the camera, particularly moving images have aloud images to come to us rather than us going to see them. It allows them to enter our homes on the television screens, and we judge it within that environment.
- The invention of the camera has also allowed people to reproduce images in order to use it for their own arguments, so images of paintings have been used to express a point of view, even if isn’t the paintings original purpose.
- We judge paintings on what we see around it, whether it would be text or other images.
By next week: Using all of this (key words, key quotes and main points), write a paragraph that summarises the argument.
Within the “Ways of Seeing”, John Berger perfectly summarises how differently we can react to an image, if the image is accompanied by text. On page 27 the reader is shown an image of a painting and it is only when we turn the page that we are shown that identical image accompanied by handwritten text that reads “This is the last picture that Van
Gogh painted before he killed himself”. As the reader I immediately feel this sense of nostalgia that I am looking at something which is highly valued and artistically significant. This is all because the text now forces me to compare the image with my own personal experiences, which in this case is my representation of Van Gough.
GATHERING MY THOUGHTS
As part of our Visual Culture course, the lecture I enjoyed most was the one called Authoring History, and in particular it is the Topic of the Andy Warhol Brillo Box design which I feel captured my attention most. As I have little knowledge of the subject, I find it difficult to understand the piece of art work, and I have trouble understanding how Andy Warhol is praised for the design when it is simply Unoriginal. However this could simply be because I haven't little knowledge of the subject. It will be interesting to see whether my opinion on the Brillo Box changes now that I am choosing to further my research into the cultural text.
I have also enjoyed reading John Berger's "Ways of Seeing". While reading the first chapter, I noticed many arguments which I feel may be applicable to Andy Warhol's Brillo Box. My task now is to go back through this chapter to try to pin point these arguments.
I have also enjoyed reading John Berger's "Ways of Seeing". While reading the first chapter, I noticed many arguments which I feel may be applicable to Andy Warhol's Brillo Box. My task now is to go back through this chapter to try to pin point these arguments.
Linking John Berger to Andy Warhol
John Berger Ways of Seeing quotes
- “The Photographer’s way of seeing is reflected in his choice of subject” p10
- On Leonardo’s cartoon of “the virgin and child… “It became famous because an American wanted to buy it for two and a half million pounds” “It has become impressive, mysterious, because of its market value” p23
- “The meaning of an image is changed according to what one sees immediately beside it or what comes immediately after it. Such authority as it retains is distributed over the whole context in which it appears.” P29
- “The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe” p8
- “We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves”
- An image is a sight which has been recreated or reproduced, It is an appearance, or set of appearances which has been detached from the place and time in which it first made its appearance and preserved”p9
- “Image could outlast what it represented”
- “When an image is presented as a work of art, the way people look at it is affected by a whole series of learnt assumptions about art. Assumptions concerning Beauty, truth, genius, civilazations, form, status, taste etc.” p11
- Reproduction isolates a detail of a painting from the whole. The detail is transformed.” p25
Walter Benjamin (1936) The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be (Walter Benjamin)
The above quote has been taken from Walter Benjamin (1936) The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, and I believe it can be clearly linked with Andy Warhol's Brillo Box.
I have never seen Warhol's Brillo Box in person, nor did I ever get to apprieciate it within the time it was first displayed. It happened Just over thirty years before I was born, resulting in the only evidence I can judge my opinion on about the Warhol's Brillo Box, is based on reproductions in the form of photographic images. This results in me viewing the Warhol's work, out of the time and space warhol orginally wanted his work to be viewed, so can I really have an opinion on his work?
This has also brought to my attention another arguement. I am English, so I do not understand American popular culture as I have never experienced it, yet alone experienced it within 1964. So can this have a negative effect of the way I interpret the Warhol's Brillo Box?
ABC National Radio
Alan Saunders Interviews Arthur C Danto
Arthur Danto quotes from the interview
- “They were all piled up, so you made a turn off the lobby in a very upscale town house on the East side of Manhattan, and it was like you were walking into the stock room of a supermarket. There was nothing really except for the incongruity of the situation to let you know that you were in an art gallery. That was called the Stable Gallery.”
- New York City, the history of art had just gone through a period in which people took high art very seriously. This was the abstract expressionist movement, the artists were quite prepared to regard themselves as shamans, as metaphysicians, in touch with the deepest currents of the universe, and the artists like Lichtenstein and to some degree, Warhol, were out to deflate those attitudes, and to think that it was probably just as difficult to draw Mickey Mouse as to draw something that, I don't know, William de Koenig or one of the other high-flying abstract expressionist painters would draw. So it was a very different set of polemics.
- You couldn't have told from the photograph that these were anything except shipping cartons, because until 1964 nobody saw them as anything else, and what Warhol had done had been to duplicate them.
- What is art? What Warhol did was to put it in a different way. How, if you have two objects which look exactly alike, are, as I put it, indiscernibles, one being a work of art and the other one not, what's the difference? And it seemed to me that the difference has to be invisible. You can't tell really the difference between one art and the ordinary object just by looking.
- So it's been regarded of some importance to mark the difference between art and reality, but nobody had ever come across anything where art and reality were so indiscernible that you realised that you were going to have to do some serious thinking to try and make the difference, and make the difference count.
- I began to think that one way of thinking about a work of art is that it's got some kind of content; it's about something. About the Brillo box: I know what the content of a Brillo box is, it's virtually what the Brillo box contains; it's about Brillo, and you look at the outer decoration of the surfaces of the Brillo box and you discover that it really is a piece of brilliant rhetoric proclaiming the virtues of Brillo. But if I tried to say what his work was about, I might say, Well, it's about the Brillo box. The Brillo box is about Brillo, but his work was about the Brillo box, it had a different meaning.
- It is one of those ironies that it's almost a sort of story that Borges could have written, that Harvey designed this box, but his conception of art would have been inconsistent with even thinking of it as a work of art. For him, to be a work of art meant, in 1964, '63, whenever he designed the box, a large splashy canvas and so forth.
- I began to have these experiences, I remember once I was out in California, I was invited to give a talk for some of our history students, and I walked past a classroom that was being redone, and I thought to myself, How do I know that that's not just an installation? How do I know that's not a work of art that happens to consist of ladders and paint buckets and so forth?
Arthur C Danto's Andy Warhol
He wanted to duplicate the effect but soon discovered that the cardboard surface was not feasible” (Malanga, 94). Since the effect in question is usually achieved by the stacking of cardboard cartons in warehouses and storerooms, it is difficult to see what was wrong with cardboard, which Warhol could have used with far less effort simply by purchasing cardboard cartons from the companies that manufactured them, treating them as ready-mades. It was as though reality was not machine- like enough to accommodate his vision. Equally important, work was so central to his conception of art that the idea of using as art something that was not produced by work would have held no interest for him. P51
This explains that Warhol had a vision when creating these pieces, and explains why he hasn't just used a simple ready-made. He had to change the material for his Brillo Box as he wanted to covey his perspective of an enhanced reality. He wanted to show us how he saw mechanically made multiples.
Warhol’s “grocery boxes” are among the most important of all Modernist works. He in effect brought Modernism to an end by showing how the philosophical question of “What is art? Is to be answered? P52
This tells us a little bit about the effect Warhol's Brillo Box had on art. In Danto's opinion, he brought modernism to an end. To follow up this, I should look into modernism history, and how the Brillo Box was so different.
Since the cardboard cartons actually used by the Brillo company—and facsimile cartons by other companies that were also created for Warhol’s 1964 show—were not capable of achieving the visual effect at which he aimed, Warhol decided that the grocery boxes had to be made of wood, and fabricated by wood craftsmen, who were trained in cutting and fitting pieces of wood together according to specifications given them. P52
Another quote which clarifies Warhol's reasoning to use wood rather than cardboard.
Of course, screens get clogged, and the paint gets splashed or dripped. But Andy never discarded anything. P59
This tells us that Warhol purposely kept imperfections on his Brillo boxes, so in some way he wanted the artists touch to be seen upon the work. This is another reason why Warhol's boxes, are much more complex than just a simple ready-made
There is a photograph taken by Fred MacDarrah of Andy standing between some stacks of his Brillo Boxes, but anyone unfamiliar with cutting edge art in 1964 would have seen it as a photograph of a pasty-faced stock boy standing amid the boxes it was his job to open and unpack. In truth, it would have been impossible for anyone unfamiliar with avant-garde art in 1964 to have seen the boxes as art at all. P61
This links to John Berger and Walter Benjamin. The way we interpret an image, is based on our own experiences. And an image of something is lacking as the viewer is not able to view it within its time and space. Danto's quote backs this up by giving us a photograph of the Brillo Boxes which can easily be misinterpreted. It also gives us an example of how alike Warhol's boxes were to the originals.
The new form of the ancient question was this: given two objects that look exactly alike, how is it possible for one of them to be a work of art and the other just an ordinary object? P62
Danto gives us a more updated version on the question, how can one thing be classed as art when its counterpoint is classed as an ordinary household item.
There has to be an explanation of why everyone remembers the Brillo box, but not, say, the Mott’s apple juice box. Andy gets no credit for the brilliance of Brillo Box’s design. The credit is entirely Harvey’s. What Andy gets credit for is making art out of what was an entirely vernacular object of everyday life. P64
Danto's opinion backs up my own, that the credit for the actual graphic design of the both Brillo Boxes (Warhol's and Harvey') should be given to Harvey alone.
BBC Modern Masters Andy Warhol
BBC Modern Masters Andy Warhol
If we needed any evidence that Andy reshaped the modern world, then this is it. Here at Tate modern, you can see some of the biggest names in modern art, people like Tracey Emin, or Damien Hurst, or Jeff Koons, and all of their work has been shaped in really quite a great degree by that of Andy Warhol.
This documentary gives us examples of artists who's work has been heavily influenced by warhols. I should definitely look up these artists to see if I can see any techniques which are very similar to Warhol's work.
Like it or not, we have Andy Warhol to thank for today’s artists, who are obsessed with consumer culture, and everyday objects. Now artists can take anything ordinary, cola cans, designer trainers, Japanese cartoons, stick them in a gallery, and declare it art.
It was about as far as a traditional painting on a wall, as art could get.
This quote is highly important as it declares the effects Warhol's art has had on what modern art galleries display as art. It is the reason why consumer art is so popular. And it explains how different Warhol's work was to everything else.
Some thought it was a brilliantly ironic comment on art and modern consumer culture. Many others thought it was ridiculous, and quite possibly a fraud.
This clarifies the controversy which the Brillo box started.
But his supports believed he was doing something important, questioning the need for art to be original, arguing that it was the idea behind an artwork that mattered and not necessary the skill used to make it.
So it was the Brillo Boxes meaning which made it so ground breaking not the actual aesthetics themselves? I would agree and disagree with this. I feel it is its meaning which makes it so important, however I feel that Warhol's choice to use wood instead of cardboard clarifies that he was trying to convey a different perception that the original.
Thoughts about the essay
Key points I should cover within my essay
- I should find a modern day artist who's work has been described as heavily influenced by Wahol's work, to see if I can see any similarities between their work and the Brillo Box.
- I should Identify the effects Warhol's Brillo Box has had on today's art galleries.
- I should make links to Duchamp, to explain how Warhols Brillo Box was not the first piece of art work to start controversy on "What is art?"
- I should mention the process into how these boxes were created, and why the materials Warhol used created the desired effect.
- I should also mention how my own opinion of the Brillo box has changed since I have gained new knowledge and understanding of it. I should then try to link this to John Berger's opinion that the way we interpret and understand things is based on our own experiences.
- I should also mention how the artist touch can be seen in Warhol's work and why this makes his work so much more different than a simple Duchamp Ready-Made.