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Power Idea Development
Initially my idea was to chain people to televisions, security cameras, a mobile phone or other media technologies as a way to show the power relationship or imbalance as described in psychogeography. My artifact would show the impossible struggle, we face everyday of being free from media. The western world has become to rely on the media as a source of information and entertainment. I wanted to attempt to convey theories of the three main media models; Pluralist, Hegemonic and Marxist. Pluralists argue that the public control the media, in that we are able to choose what media’s to consume. Hegemonic theory states that it is a varying balance of control from the audience and the media. Marxists believe that media institutions dominate completely.
After reading George Orwell’s ‘1984’ over the summer, I began thinking about relationships of power. The main character uses memory as a power in small acts of defiance against the Party (totalitarian government), the reader knows he does not believe what is forced upon him, because it refuses all logic:
“The keyword here is blackwhite. Like so many Newspeak words, this word has two mutually contradictory meanings. Applied to an opponent, it means the habit of impudently claiming that black is white, in contradiction of the plain facts. Applied to a Party member, it means a loyal willingness to say that black is white when Party discipline demands this. But it means also the ability to believe that black is white, and more, to know that black is white, and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary. This demands a continuous alteration of the past, made possible by the system of thought which really embraces all the rest, and which is known in Newspeakas doublethink. Doublethink is basically the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in ones mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”
– Part II, chapter IX – chapter I of Goldstein’s book
In ‘1984’ Orwell describes a totalitarian governed state, and extreme image of a modern-day government in possession of complete power. Orwell wrote this as a thought provoking futuristic novel, the title was meant to imply that the story signified a possible reality to its 1949 audience. Orwell portrays a state in which government monitors and controls every aspect of human life to the extent that even having a disloyal thought is against the law.
I began by creating images of the Party (totalitarian Government) and how they are represented to the different ‘classes’ within the book. For example the ‘Proles’ (the proletariat) are ultimately the brainwashed powerless masses.
I wanted to create a ‘face’ of the Party, using televisions as eyes, radios for ears, etc. After drawing a few sketches of what I wanted it to look like, this idea seemed too weak as an image, however this novel posed many questions and thoughts I would like to explore in my other artifact ideas.
My third idea was to recreate the ‘3 Wise Monkeys’ in relation to the media. The three monkeys are originallyMizaru; covering his eyes to see no evil, Kikazaru; covering his ears to hear no evil, and Iwazaru, covering his mouth to speak no evil. Early associations of the three monkeys, are a protective reminder not to talk about the devil, in case he should appear. Today it is more commonly used to distance ones self from a bad situation or some-one turning a willing blind eye to witnessing an immoral act.
My photography series:
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See no evil – A blindfolded person reading a newspaper
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Hear no evil – Two people stood in silence with Ipod’s on
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Speak no evil – A person on a mobile phone with their mouth fixed shut
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Leave the evil – A girl lying on the ground using a laptop, the girl is blindfolded, with her mouth fixed shut and has headphones in. Another girl, away from the light of the laptop is completely untouched and is trying to communicate with her.
I wanted to show the separation from reality as we more frequently rely on the media as explained by Debord’s ‘Society of the Spectacle’, this also demonstrates Foucault’s theory of discourse in that we readily accept the ‘knowledge’ we are presented with without viewing the rest of the world.
Memory Idea Development
To create my memory artifact I first thought of how we keep our memories, not literally in the brain, but external from the body. For example, almost everyone I know has a memory box of some description; where they keep letters, cards, train tickets and souvenirs of a special day, moment or loved ones. I wanted to concentrate on how we try to preserve memories externally and why. Can we not rely on our brain to keep our precious memories safe? Of course there are diseases that limit brain power and activity, as shown in “Malcolm and Barbara, Love’s Farewell” (Paul Watson) ITV1 2007, where Alzheimer’s sufferer, Malcolm is documented as his health declines. This caused me to think about how one can control ones mind, to have power over the subconscious. To explore this idea further, I watched “EternalSunshine of the Spotless Mind” (Michael Gondry) 2004, the moral of the story is to leave your natural memories alone, the mind is a dangerous thing to tamper with. I have no memories I would like removed, however, having access to the subconscious could unlock a higher state of intelligence. Humans only use a small percentage of their brain power; imagine what the mind is capable of if it could be controlled by the self?
My second plan was to create juxtaposing images of the same memory, as if from two points of view because a photograph can hold an array of meanings for each individual. I imagined a couple with opposing emotions about a particular memory. I would show this through reproduce the same image of the couple with different lighting and expressions; however, I found my ideas very limited within this concept.
I also looked at Stephen King’s “Dream Catcher” (Laurence Kasdan) 2003 as research for this artifact, because it shows an interpretation of memory storage in the brain. The organization of ones memories is random, for example if you think of a particular person; you may remember the last time you saw them, which may lead on to something else you remember from that moment. I do not believe you are in control of your memories or they relationships they have with one another.
Using a moldable wool material, and spray paints I have attempted to recreate the image of how my memories are stored. Firstly, I tore strands and holes in the material to create texture and as an illustration of synapses in the brain. I sprayed the white sheet of wool silver, as an obvious representation of ‘grey matter’; next I sprayed a midnight blue and lilac in lines and spikes to demonstrate brain activity. I chose purple because it is a mysterious colour and it is a good way to signify my subconscious mind.
I will attach photographs of memories and things from my memory box and photograph myself from a high angle reaching towards the direction of my memories. The re-creation of my brain as it were, will have several tentacles trailing from it, some of which will be attached to me, the others that I cannot reach are broken or dead, this is a visual interpretation of Freud’s repressed memory theory.
‘Dogme 95′ notes
LARS VON TRIER 1995
Von Trier’s manifesto was a violent reaction to Hollywood.
“The Five Obstructions” with Jorgen Leth.
Trier challenged Leth to remake his “The Perfect Human” with obstructions and limitations on creativity. Once Leth had completed this challenge successfully he had to edit within a strict list of rules;
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12 frames per second (change angle)
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Answer the questions posed in voice over in the original film
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Had to be shot in Cuba
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No set was allowed to be built.
His next task was to challenge the ethical dilemmas of controversial media work;
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Had to be shot in a miserable place – Bulgaria
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Not to be made for exhibition, for own personal documentation.
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Film a child dying of war wounds and not help
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Eat a plentiful meal in front of a starving family.
Leth agreed to become part of the experiment, but why does he concede? Surely a moral response would be to argue against the more severe regulations.
Notes on Spectacle
Spectacle is a way of distracting mass audiences from realities of power. Spectacle is usually created for and by power, but may sometimes be detourned.
Spectacle is something the audience watches passively, although often with the illusion of participation.
Spectacle is usually, but not always, made by the powerful for the consumption of the disempowered. Spectacle can be used by the disempowered to make points or claims about the powerful.
Spectacle can be used to make people or objects seem to have much greater power and significance, for example Royalty is largely sustained through spectacle.
Jan Svankmajer notes
Manifesto of the surrealist movement towards revolutionary free art.
Influenced others such as; Leon Trorsky, Andre Benton, Diego Rivera.
“Little Otik” (2000) was a political statement about desires in Eastern Europe at the time.
“Alice” is Svankmajer’s surreal version of “Alice in Wonderland”
Dreamlike quality
External concrete forms to relate to internal states, creating a surreal world to reflect on the real world
Portraying logical in an odd or non-logical way
Influential to David Lynch, the Cohen Brothers and the Brothers Quay.
‘Nationwide Study’ notes
DAVID MORLEY
Morley investigated how audiences from different social classes, ethnicity, age etc respond to television programmes; he found that there were three main reactions.
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Hegemonic reading: the audience held the same attitudes and beliefs
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Negotiated reading: the audience only share half of the same attitudes
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Oppositional reading: the audience agrees with none of the same beliefs.
He established that it mostly depended on social class and up-bringing.
‘Bobo Doll Experiment’ notes
ALBERT BANDURA
Bandura’s study involved showing a group of children watching a video of adults behaving violently and aggressively towards Bobo dolls.
They were then placed in a room full of toys but were instructed not to play. The children were moved to a third room with the same Bobo dolls and mallets, told to play and were observed.
Bandura found that 88% of children acted aggressively, when the experiment was repeated 8 months later without showing the video 40% still behaved in the same way.
His study uses social learning theory, learnt through observation; we are more likely to imitate actions if the same age or sex, or admired models do it. This shows us that television does have a physical reactive affect on its audience; however the experiment still has issues of bias.
‘The Milgram Experiment’ notes
YALE 1961
The Milgram experiment involved a teacher and a student in separate rooms. The rooms were opposite one another with a one-way mirror dividing the subjects; this allowed the teacher to see their student. All ‘student’s were actors, but the ‘teacher’s were unaware of this.
The task was for the student to answer questions from the teacher correctly, if the student gave an incorrect answer the teacher had to administer an electric shock, and the student would act as though in pain.
Most teachers shocked their pupils without question, but some were uncomfortable causing physical pain. The scientists observing were only allowed to say “please continue”, and usually the teacher would carry out their absurd task.
‘The Stamford Experiment’ notes
PHILIP ZIMBARDO et al 1971
The Stamford experiment was a study of the psychological effects of being a prisoner or a guard.
The task was to live in a mock prison and carry out a ‘normal’ routine, the guards were allowed to punish where they saw fit.
The experiment only lasted six days as it was unexpectedly stopped. Prisoners were losing their identity, however only one rebelled still understanding that it was an experiment, the others simply conformed to the guards abstract rules.
After the experiment was conducted, the guards said they were surprised to see how they acted in a simulated environment.
We can see similarities to this in modern day media, reality television shows, such as ‘Big Brother’ (Channel 4); the producers encourage conflict in the house for public entertainment.
