Contexts of Practice: May 2013

Thursday, 23 May 2013

Martin Parr

This series of photographs by Martin Parr shows the different ways in which people display their wealth. Choosing various locations across the world, and a range of situations including art fairs and race courses, Parr has selected scenarios in which people are comfortable showing off their wealth. Designer clothes, champagne and parties are all part of this repertoire.

As well as the more established wealth hot spots in Europe and America, there are photographs from the emerging world, for example showing the Millionaires’ Fair in Moscow, the Dubai Art Fair and the Motor Show in Beijing.

Traditionally the portrayal of poverty has been the domain of the “concerned photographer”, but Parr has photographed wealth in the same spirit. He believes that when the newly fledged middle classes of say, China and India, demand and receive the luxury goods that we take for granted in the West, it will put considerable pressure on the world’s resources.

However, we can view Parr’s photographs in different light since the start of the global economic downturn. These images now have the effect of being an epitaph to an era of greed and excess. There are still many wealthy people in the world, and despite the downturn, the parties and horse racing still go on, albeit in a less showy manner. The timing of these photographs is perfect. As we slide into a new world order, we can see evidence of why the bubble burst.

Plymouth College of Art Gallery. 2013. Plymouth College of Art Gallery. [ONLINE] Available at: http://gallery.plymouthart.ac.uk/page.php?event_id=3880. [Accessed 24 May 2013].

Switzerland. St Moritz polo world cup on snow. 2011

Martin Parr - Luxury at Plymouth College of Art Gallery. 2013. Martin Parr - Luxury at Plymouth College of Art Gallery. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.artrabbit.com/uk/events/event/35264/martin_parr_luxury. [Accessed 24 May 2013].

What this shows me:

Wealth

Luxuary

Fashion items not pets

Natural

Watching game?

Upper class

Dog

Social status

Matching dog to scarf

Polo

Championship

Cold

Switzerland

St. Martz

2011

Fur

Sunglasses

Snow?

Photograph

Rich

Temporality

Temporality is a term used often in philosophy in talking about the way time is. The traditional mode of temporality is a linear progression of past, present and future.

'The future is a memory that hasn't happened yet'- unknown

One activity included choosing some sort of advertisement and breaking it up into temporal parts. I choose a info graphic called 'The Merry Merits of Milk'. Ever since the first ‘Got Milk?’ campaign hit the television, milk companies have banded together to get the word out about their product. Its incredibly healthy, especially for kids, and now with all organic milk the additive ridden drink is a thing of the past. The human race will always be in debt to cows- always supplying one of Earth’s nectars to billions across the globe.

The Merry Merits of Milk [infographic]. 2013. The Merry Merits of Milk [infographic]. [ONLINE] Available at: http://dailyinfographic.com/the-merry-merits-of-milk-infographic. [Accessed 24 May 2013].

Here is the info graphic I chose...

Santa with Milk

Title

Intro

Milk cups

Number

Vitamin A

World map times

B Vitamin

Christmas light

Protein

Santa body builders

Calcium

Cookies (gingerbread)

website

tree

Milk

Promoting the good things about milk and what each glass contains.

Healthy especially for kids- organic, additives removed

The breakfast project because every good day starts with milk

Trying to increase the consumption of milk.

La Jetee

La Jetee- Chris Marker

“This is the story of a man marked by an image from his childhood.” That’s the opening (the first voice) of Chris Marker’s film. The phrase broaches a story (the hero will travel in time toward that childhood image); the destruction of cities and the devastation of the earth’s surface have threatened the very reality of the present and have thus let loose temporal virtualities normally locked up or held captive in the past (the past consisting only of a series of images that have become autonomous, tied to the living only by some affect or trauma). The fiction of La Jetée is thus a certain kind of work—whose object is the film’s hero—concerning the paradoxes of memory, concerning the inclusion of the past that lives on within the hero as an image, as a secret that the laboratory experiments in the underground camp will try to make him confess. The realization of the confession comes with the death of the hero himself as he relives a moment of his past, as he meets once again the girl whose image has haunted him.

On La Jetée by Jean-Louis Schefer — Notes from the Era of Imperfect Memory. 2013. On La Jetée by Jean-Louis Schefer — Notes from the Era of Imperfect Memory. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.chrismarker.org/jean-louis-schefer-on-la-jete/. [Accessed May 2013].

Time travel, still images, a past, present and future and the aftermath of World War III. The tale of a man, a slave, sent back and forth, in and out of time, to find a solution to the world's fate. To replenish its decreasing stocks of food, medicine and energies, and in doing so, resulting in a perpetual memory of a lone female, life, death and past events that are recreated on an airports jetée.

La Jetée (1962) - Plot Summary. 2013. La Jetée (1962) - Plot Summary. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056119/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl. [Accessed May 2013].

La Jetee - YouTube. 2013. La Jetee - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pv2kbm1OTBk. [Accessed May 2013].

La Jetee Chris Marker - Google Search. 2013. La Jetee Chris Marker - Google Search. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=La+Jetee+Chris+Marker&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB510GB510&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=I7eeUbncC67a0QWx8YGoAw&biw=1687&bih=908&sei=qbieUbuFD8aS0QWGqIHQBA. [Accessed 24 May 2013].

Walter Benjamin

1892–1940, German essayist and critic. He is known for his synthesis of eccentric Marxist theory and Jewish messianism. In particular, his essays on Charles Baudelaire and Franz Kafka as well as his speculation on symbolism, allegory, and the function of art in a mechanical age have profoundly affected contemporary criticism. Benjamin was influenced by his close friendship with the historian of Jewish mysticism Gershom Gerhard Scholem. In 1933, he moved to France because of the rise of the Nazis. When the Nazis invaded France, he fled to Spain, was denied entry, and committed suicide.

. 2013. . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/people/benjamin-walter.html. [Accessed May 2013].

Walter Benjamin Quotes:

'Memory is not an instrument for exploring the past but its theatre. It is the medium of past experience, as the ground is the medium in which dead cities lie interred.'

'Every passion borders on the chaotic, but the collector's passion borders on the chaos of memories.'

'Death is the sanction of everything the story-teller can tell. He has borrowed his authority from death.'

'The art of storytelling is reaching its end because the epic side of truth, wisdom, is dying out.'

'It is precisely the purpose of the public opinion generated by the press to make the public incapable of judging, to insinuate into it the attitude of someone irresponsible, uninformed.'

'Gifts must affect the receiver to the point of shock.'

'The adjustment of reality to the masses and of the masses to reality is a process of unlimited scope, as much for thinking as for perception.'

Walter Benjamin Quotes - BrainyQuote . 2013. Walter Benjamin Quotes - BrainyQuote . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/walter_benjamin.html. [Accessed 24 May 2013].

walter benjamin - Google Search. 2013. walter benjamin - Google Search. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=walter+benjamin&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB510GB510&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=RraeUb2CDqn30gX2pIDABQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1687&bih=908#imgrc=_. [Accessed 24 May 2013].

Tesco Horse Meat

Horsemeat scandal:

Tesco reveals 60% content in dish...

Some Tesco Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese contains 60% horsemeat, DNA tests by the retailer have found.

The meal, withdrawn from sale on Tuesday, came from the French factory producing Findus beef lasagne, also at the centre of a row over horsemeat.

Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has told MPs of plans to test all processed beef in the UK.

Romania has rejected claims that it was responsible for wrongly describing horsemeat from its abattoirs as beef.

Tesco took the frozen bolognese off the shelves when it found out Findus was concerned about the source of its meat processed by Comigel, based at Metz, north-eastern France.

It is one of several products that have been withdrawn from UK shelves amid the current scandal over horsemeat in food products in the UK and Europe.

Tesco Group technical director Tim Smith said: "The frozen Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese should contain only Irish beef from our approved suppliers. The source of the horsemeat is still under investigation by the relevant authorities.

"The level of contamination suggests that Comigel was not following the appropriate production process for our Tesco product and we will not take food from their facility again.

"We are very sorry that we have let customers down."

Safety issues

Experts say horsemeat itself should be no more dangerous than beef to eat

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has ordered food businesses to check for horsemeat in all processed beef products, such as beef burgers, meatballs and lasagne. The first set of results is expected on Friday 15 February

There is concern that some horses are given a drug called bute (phenylbutazone) which can be dangerous to humans

Animals treated with phenylbutazone are not allowed to enter the food chain for this reason

The FSA says all horse carcasses in the UK have been tested for bute since 30 January

The FSA has also ordered Findus to test its lasagne containing horsemeat for bute

BBC News - Horsemeat scandal: Tesco reveals 60% content in dish. 2013.BBC News - Horsemeat scandal: Tesco reveals 60% content in dish. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21418342. [Accessed 24 May 2013].

Horse Meat Scandal. 2013. Horse Meat Scandal. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.viridian-online.com/horse-meat-scandal/. [Accessed 24 May 2013].

Narrative

A narrative is some kind of retelling, often in words (though it is possible to mime a story), of something that happened (a story). The narrative is not the story itself but rather the telling of the story -- which is why it is so often used in phrases such as "written narrative," "oral narrative," etc. While a story just is a sequence of events, a narrative recounts those events, perhaps leaving some occurrences out because they are from some perspective insignificant, and perhaps emphasizing others. In a series of events, a car crash takes a split second. A narrative account, however, might be almost entirely about the crash itself and the few seconds leading up to it. Narratives thus shape history (the series of events, the story of what happened).

Definition of Narrative. 2013. Definition of Narrative. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.units.muohio.edu/technologyandhumanities/nardef.htm. [Accessed May 2013].

A Narrative could be a variety of thing. For example:

Autobiographies
Diaries
Notebook
Certificate
Legal Document
Award
Biographies
Historical document
War records
Memorials
Domestic Spaces
Work Spaces
Public spaces
Buildings
Sites
Objects
Artefacts
Clothing
Paintings
Sculptures
Scars
Wounds
Photographs
Films
Stage
Billboards
Internet
Radio

Simply put, Narrative is the representation of an event or a series of events. 'Event' is the key word here, though some people prefer the word 'action'. Without an event or an action, you may have a 'description,' 'argument,' a 'lyric,' some combination of these or something else altogether, but you won't have a narrative. "My dog has fleas" is a description of my dog but is not a narrative because nothing happens. "My dog was bitten by a flea" is a narrative. It tells of an event. The event is a very small one- the bite of a flea- but is enough to make it a narrative.

Porter Abbott, H, 2008. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

. 2013. . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.arthermitage.org/Pedro-Nunez-de-Villavicencio/Boy-Looking-for-Fleas-on-a-Dog.jpg. [Accessed May 2013].

One of our tasks during class was to pick a Type of Narrative and then a company to work with. We chose Story Telling and Disney. First we gathered some facts about disney to allow us to create a narrative. We also had to choose whether to do it in past, present or future- we chose past. in the form of a flashback.

Facts about Disney:

'Disney' is not his real name
Famous amongst all ages
World wide brand
First award in 1932 for creating 'Mickey Mouse'
Walt Disney won 32 oscar awards
He had a 43 year carrer and was nominated 64 times and won 48 Academy awards, 7 Emmy awards ans many other honors
Started out as a animation studio
Father worked on a Steamboat and his first success was 'Mickey on Steamboat'
He had no qualifications
Their mother died from carbon monoxide poisoning from a house the brought
Walt and Ray created 'Walt Disney company' in 1922
Walt disney was featured on a US postage stamp

Flashback

I always had a love for animals. My first pet was a mouse called Mickey. Cute and well behaved he was a big part of my life. Dad used to come home latein the evening after his shift on the Steamboat. Both were massive influences on the character Mickey Mouse and my success in 1932 with Mickey on a Steamboat.

This wasn't our best piece of work but it gave me a much better understanding a narrative and the various ways it can take form. Narrative can cover such a huge spectrum.

Disney Infinity: No Girls Allowed? | Opinion. Uncensored. :: Smart When Shouting. 2013. Disney Infinity: No Girls Allowed? | Opinion. Uncensored. :: Smart When Shouting. [ONLINE] Available at:http://smartwhenshouting.com/disney-infinity-no-girls-allowed/. [Accessed 24 May 2013].

Mickey Mouse: Steamboat Willie (1928) - YouTube. 2013. Mickey Mouse: Steamboat Willie (1928) - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPWGCC_BYE8. [Accessed 24 May 2013].

Semiotics

Everything is a sign.

Language is a system of signs.

(Ferdinand de Saussure)

Semiotics is the study of signs that oﬀers an explanation of how people extract meaning from words, sounds and pictures. An understanding of semiotics helps a designer to instil work with references that enable them to communicate multiple layers of information to a reader.

(Ambrose&Harris 2009)

Semiotics: the study of signs - YouTube. 2013. Semiotics: the study of signs - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEgxTKUP_WI. [Accessed 23 May 2013].

SEMIOTICS | Chris Photography Blog. 2013. SEMIOTICS | Chris Photography Blog. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.chrisphotography.pacedigitalphoto.com/semiotic/. [Accessed 23 May 2013].

sign signifier signified - Google Search. 2013. sign signifier signified - Google Search. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sign+signifier+signified&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB510GB510&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=5pyeUaCaDOyT0QW2pIGgBQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1687&bih=908#facrc=_&imgrc=aDDMrNPm6GKeGM%3A%3BDfERJsSvSISR_M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F2.bp.blogspot.com%252F-HhE0EQKuzhI%252FTmTetjkyAyI%252FAAAAAAAAAFg%252Fx94qWJVeBmM%252Fs1600%252Fstructural%252Bmeaning_semiotics.png%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fcapithetical.blogspot.com%252F2011_09_01_archive.html%3B706%3B636. [Accessed 23 May 2013].

Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols its a symbolism use in photography through reading of an image or a picture. Roland Barthes elaborated on the semiotics of images, he created the means of understanding an image through advertising which applies to photography. Talking about semiotics, one will take a look at the different signs used in everyday life which communicates and helps us to understand things. It is visualised through signs that are portrayed by our natural habits. Today, media and the society we live in are all channelling our subconscious. Signs as we all know and aware of can be a symbol or an icon or index. When we talk about semiotic, what comes to mind are symbols like Apple brand which is commonly known worldwide, and apple as a fruit which forms part of our everyday health diet that keeps us from visiting the hospital to see our general practitioners.

SEMIOTICS | Chris Photography Blog. 2013. SEMIOTICS | Chris Photography Blog. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.chrisphotography.pacedigitalphoto.com/semiotic/. [Accessed 23 May 2013].

Ferdinand de Saussure

Ferdinand de Saussure was a Swiss linguist whose ideas laid a foundation for many significant developments in linguistics in the 20th century. Saussure is widely considered to be one of the fathers of 20th-century linguistics and his ideas have had a monumental impact throughout the humanities and social sciences. H was born in Geneva, Switzerland

November 26, 1857 and died February 22, 1913.

Ferdinand de Saussure (Author of Course in General Linguistics). 2013.Ferdinand de Saussure (Author of Course in General Linguistics). [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/166754.Ferdinand_de_Saussure. [Accessed 23 May 2013].

Here is a few quotes from Ferdinand de Saussure:

'A linguistic system is a series of differences of sound combined with a series of differences of ideas.'

'Any psychology of sign systems will be part of social psychology - that is to say, will be exclusively social; it will involve the same psychology as is applicable in the case of languages.'

'Everyone, left to his own devices, forms an idea about what goes on in language which is very far from the truth.'

'Nearly all institutions, it might be said, are based on signs, but these signs do not directly evoke things.'

Ferdinand de Saussure Quotes - BrainyQuote . 2013. Ferdinand de Saussure Quotes - BrainyQuote . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/f/ferdinand_de_saussure.html. [Accessed 23 May 2013].

Ferdinand de Saussure was a rebel. He came out of a nineteenth-century scientific tradition that sought to study language taxonomically the way a botanist might catalogue plants or an entomologist, flies. But Saussure saw that language was an enormous picture, and that there was no attempting to describe or quantify one aspect of it without also conceptualizing the vastness of the whole. Knowing that to understand the whole would be impossible, he looked to language’s origin in the mind with the non-verbal “concept,” and then applied this idea to the individual unit of the “sign,” a constant within all languages.

Ferdinand de Saussure defends from Ramachandran's attack | The Hot Word | Hot & Trending Words Daily Blog at Dictionary.com. 2013. Ferdinand de Saussure defends from Ramachandran's attack | The Hot Word | Hot & Trending Words Daily Blog at Dictionary.com. [ONLINE] Available at:http://hotword.dictionary.com/diachrony/. [Accessed 23 May 2013].

Ferdinand De Saussure Pictures (1 of 1) – Last.fm. 2013. Ferdinand De Saussure Pictures (1 of 1) – Last.fm. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.last.fm/music/Ferdinand+De+Saussure/+images/57059153. [Accessed 23 May 2013].

What does the Apple signify?

Apples are found throughout the world, and their symbolism varies by culture. Symbolic meanings of apples include discord, sin, knowledge, feminine beauty, immortality, rebirth and peace.

Sin and Knowledge
- According to Christian tradition, Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise for eating an apple from the forbidden tree of knowledge. Eating the apple caused them to lose their innocence and introduced sin into the world. Therefore in Christianity, apples symbolize sin and knowledge.
Discord
- In the Illiad, the Trojan War is sparked by the goddess Eris, who throws an apple dedicated "To The Most Beautiful" into a room of goddesses. The ensuing argument among the goddesses about for whom the apple was intended was the catalyst for war. Apples have since been associated with discord.
Rebirth and Immortality
- In Celtic and Norse mythology, the apple is portrayed as a symbol of rebirth. An apple tree springs from the grave of the Celtic lover Ailinn, symbolizing rebirth in death. In Norse mythology, golden apples are the key to the goddess Idun's immortality.
Peace and Beauty
- In Chinese culture, apples are a symbol of peace. In Chinese writing, the word for apple, "ping," is interchangeable with the word for peace. Apple blossoms are a symbol of feminine beauty.
  
  What Does an Apple Represent in Symbolism? | eHow. 2013. What Does an Apple Represent in Symbolism? | eHow. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.ehow.com/facts_7313652_apple-represent-symbolism_.html. [Accessed 24 May 2013].