Cop Question ideas - study task 2

Suggested questions:

Political:

·       Illustrations that where not fit to print, editorial, would insulted leaders and different people.

• Protest posters - against oppressive political parties.
• Propaganda, influencing peoples opinions.
• Government campaigns.
• Brexit
•  

Social:

• Illustrations that have brought around social change- 70-80s. Accepting people and changing perception and strikes.
• Feminism in illustrations.
• Black civil rights movment.
•  

Culture:

• right wing- how illustrations and other art forms are affected by a government/ culture and its belifes.

·       The American Justice system in relation to the ‘race war’ (comes under political as well.

Which theorists Relate to this question?

·       Death of the author by, Roland Barthes.

·       13^th – Documentertay directed by Ava DuVernay

·       Varrooom

Which Academic sources are avalible on the topic?

·       Black panther movement posters.

·       Polish war posters.

·       MA168 – may 1968 school protest posters

·       13^th amendment

·       American Justice Laws.

·       Jim Crow segregation laws.

·       Black lives matter.

How could the research question be investigated through practise?

·       PRINT.

·       Any mass production method.

·       I would like to make posters as well but it would also be good to just mass print shapes and forms, play around with re arraging them see if I can create a  meaning and insights into the topic.

·       Repetition, really putting an emphasis on the message the image is trying to convey.

Triangluation- study task 3

In ‘The Male Gaze’ a paper written by Laura Mulvey , she suggests that the theory entertainment like cinema are designed to aim toward one specific audience , heterosexual men. ‘ Cinema offers a number of possible pleasures. One is scopophilia(pleasure of looking)’MULVEY, 16,1975.This paper was written in the 1950’s and at this time Feminism was a significant topic. And issues like the objectification of women was being brought to light, also a coscienous of the patriarchal society we live in was being questioned. Mulvey specialised in film theory and in her paper she suggested that audiences relate more to male characters, therefore the male has power. The male viewer would see themselves reflected in the hero, and as a result advancing there ego, a mirror stage in which the dominant male character would be idolised, spectatorship. These women in the films where however objectified, sexualised. They were made into property. As a result of the films trying to feed the male gaze , strong female heroines where overlooked. But it wasn’t just women who where the victims of this time , men where objectified too. They had to appear strong and in control of the family, as fellow film theorist Richard Dyer states in his paper ‘Stars and Audiences’. ‘ Sylverster Stallone to his role as a union representative at work, and how he sees himself ‘fighting’ for his family…’DYER,187,1979.But he dose agree and makes reference to Mulveys spectator theory,’ Moviegoer is positioned according to the pleasures of male heterosexual desire’ ’DYER,188,1979. John Storey is also a writer in the late 1900’s who make reference to Mulvey’s theory and paper and makes a very similar connection between cinema and the male gaze. ‘…Spectator fixes his gaze on his hero (the bearer of the look) to satisfy his ego formations , and through the hero to the heroine(‘the erotic look’)…’ STOREY, 83, SAVOJ ZIZEK AND LACANIAN FANTASY.  Now it is debatable whether there is total equality in film, I personally think that it has got better from the 1950’s-70’s but not that much. However in the last few decades film has had positive developments for example the film Alien , where a women takes the lead, and she is portrayed as intelligent and in control. Also another male character gives birth in a way. A role reversal took place and dose conitue to take place in films today.  However I think that more emphasis need to be put on this as I still think that certain films are still trying to meet the male gaze.           

The Death of the Author- Roland Barthes. - study task 1

‘The Death of the Author’ by Roland Barthes addresses the power of author in the reading and writing of texts. Barthes states the reader / listener do not have a full understanding of reason or the meaning behind the work ‘the author his person, his life, his tastes, his passions.’ (Barthes, 383, 1967) The author’s personal opinions and thoughts flatten the text and block the reader from gaining this understanding, but also they come to the text with fresh point of view.’ Writing is the destruction of every voice, of every point of origin’. ( Barthes, 142, 1967)  So Barthes has a point here about how everyone opinion would differ as they own personal views and opinions would contribute to this.  His work becomes a model for other to work from ‘ … he made of his very life a work for which his own book was the model …’(Barthes, 144, 1967)This leads to Brathes text central theory. That the reader/ listener by coming into the text from another point of view is actually has the most power instead of the author, a power switch.  This then brings into question over who has authorship over the work. Is it the author for writing it? Or is it the viewers for translating and making a opinion or statement about the work?

An example of debateable authorship is Andy Warhol.  Specifically, the Camberwell soups print. Now this product was out on sale in supermarkets before Warhol made this work. The design of the can itself could be said to have been copied, however he then duplicated it many times and repeated this. Also the media used , print allows the artist to replicate work almost identically, but authorship can be added in colour and method of print. But is this him interpreting the product in a new way, and voicing his own opinion on issues like mass commercialism? Barthes theory, if correct ,is a continuous circle that repeats itself from viewer to viewer.  Therefore bringing back to Barthes argument of the reader taking control over the authors work , Warhol has made the cans his. He has taken an already re branded item and made it new and in his own view. However in a Varoom article named ‘The New Is The New Old’  by Paul Davis, Davis discussed what is new but makes the statement that’ It’s safe to say that the concept of the new is a fleeting moment…’ (Davis, 9,2016) So this means that Warhol’s idea was different but only new for a short time as the product did come first and that people are continuously forming new views on his work. As a result the work looses value and becomes the old new.  

Barthes makes some very valid points over authorship and his text central theory , but he contradicts him self , not sure weather incidental or not but if he believes in this theory then we as the readers are the new authors and we should just ignore most of what he states and change it to our own ways.