IDEAS FOR QUESTION

Looked into Printmaking 21st century but I did something much like this in COP1 so wanted to possibly branch out and look at something new that I could learn. With this in mind I found this article on authorship which I thought could be a possible route to explore. 

After discussing these ideas with Simon he thought it could be interesting to look further into :
- the role as an author
- appropriation in relation to graphic design
- Jamie Reed
- auto theory
- Roland Barthes - death of an author ( postmodern thesis - role of reader )
- Che Guevara - been adsorbed
- extend to pastiche - using styles - Jameson

IDENTITY

Robin Warner 2003 - This is your lifestyle :

- uses contrasting theories to form argument 

- self identity relies heavily on the opinion of others 'no-one can maintain his identity by him-self'

- for self identity you need to continuously reflect and analyse

- self identity is defined by what we buy and the way we act

- use theories and role models to boost statement and improve sales pitch

- use of spanish shows the powerful message used within the language is understandable in both english and spanish

- role of persuasion and manipulation in advertising - way of moving away but not giving up the effectiveness

Catherine Jannson-Boyd 2010 - Identity and Consumption :

What is meant by multiple identities?

It means that people tend to have more than one personality due to the different roles they play within society which then results in multi-dimensional personalities constructed of the many characteristics that people posses which makes up a persons self identities. 

How are identities formed?

People develop their own personal beliefs about politics, religion, what motivates them and feelings through direct learning and indirect learning, which helps describe their self identity. 

What is social categorisation?

person perception effects the perception of people based on material possessions as it is easier to categorise people by their possessions as these help identify the group that people belong to. The categorisation of individuals has lead people to feel depersonalised, lowering self-esteem. As people tend to belong to certain social groups its increasingly easy to identify people through their possessions. 

What is social comparison?

Downward social comparison occurs when we compare ourselves to those who we appear superior which then boosts our self esteem. Upward social comparison occurs when we compare ourselves to those who are perceived as better which can have a negative effect on our self esteem. This is usually in comparison with the media's ideal image.

What is an example of strong brand identification?

Apple and PC users strongly identify with their prospective brands. When in comparison mac was found to be more a part of a users self-concept as they are less commonly used than PC. This creates a connection between users who see themselves as a part of a close community. 

What are the negative effects on body image?

The media portrays digitally manipulated images of the 'perfect' physical appearance. This pressure to be perfect starts at young age through toys such as barbies, the children see this and believe this to be the norm however this image is very un realistic. Due to this as a child it is easy to grow up and fail to live up to the ideals that were portray to them when they were younger. This leads to a destructive cycle as they set unreachable targets leading to poor physical and mental health. 

What is self-discrepancy theory?

Self discrepancy theory seeks to explain why people are unhappy with their physical appearance. This theory proposes that people have 3 types of self-schema :

1 - Actual self – the way people are at the present point in time

2 - Ideal self – the self we aspire to be, helps us to strive to be our perception of perfect

3 - Ought self – the way we think we should be and prevents us from doing things that don't fit who we want to be

It is very important there are no discrepancies between the actual and ideal self as it can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction and disappointment. Those with high discrepancies are much more likely to have low self esteem and engage with identity seeking buying behaviour. 

MALE GAZE THEORY

Visual pleasure and narrative cinema was an essay written by Laura Mulvey. 'Male gaze' was coined from Mulvey's essay, in film the male gaze occurs when the audience is put into the perspective of a heterosexual man. A scene could focus on the curves of a woman's body, putting the viewer in the eyes of the male character. The reason it is the male gaze theory is because the curves are highlighted with specific conventions within film. The theory suggests that the male gaze denies women identity which then makes them an object to be admired for their physical appearance. Mulvey's theory also suggests that women more often than not are forced to watch a film from a secondary perspective and can only view themselves from a mans perspective. Female Objectification is related to the gaze. The person who is gazed at is then objectified, who's sole value is to be enjoyed. In Cine-psychoanaysis (Story, J 2001) it is said that the pleasure of pop cinema must be destroyed in order to liberate women from the exploitation and oppression of being the raw material for the male gaze. In the text Stars and Audiences (Dyer, R 1979) it is said that Mulvey concludes that the male gaze produces a sadistically voyeuristic pleasure, which is a sexual interest in pleasure from inflicting pain. In relation to Graphic Design I think the James Bond franchise is a clear example of film objectifying of women and forcing the audience to view females through the male gaze. 

Triangulate 3 texts –

The male gaze as discussed by Mulvey. L (1975) in 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' explores the sexualisation of women in cinema which is derived from the psychoanalytical theory that men are leaders because they have a penis and the women's roll is to be looked at due to her lack of penis and is forced to be maternal. Furthermore Mulvey. L (1975) explains the use of psychoanalysis as a feminist weapon in order to gain control over the male gaze. The male gaze is explained further by Storey, J (2001) in 'Cultural Theory and Popular Culture' where its discussed in relation to the ego and how the male gaze is linked to the pleasure of seeing which results in the sexualisation of women in cinema and life as the cinema gives the audience the experience of watching as the darkness creates the impression of spying on someone.  Additionally the male gaze is discussed further by Dyer, R (1979) 'Stars' in which he expands on the theory in relation to men and how today the man is sexualised just as much as women. 

RESEARCH QUESTION IDEAS

COP 1

1. Focus on a specific graphic design discipline

2. The question must be open ended.

3. The question must allow for suitable theoretical research as well as visual exploration.

4. Position your research within contemporary graphic design practice - make it work for you.

5. Do some quick preliminary research to gauge how much literature is currently available...do the same to explore what is currently happening within the industry.

6. Consider what primary research methods could be used to support your research.

COP1 = I really enjoyed learning about the handmade print methods as it has something that I have always been interested in and find intriguing. So I think this is something that I could take further in my second year. However handmade print methods is quite a large area to cover so I would need to narrow down the subject area first in order to find a suitable question for my essay to be on. 

Possible question ideas :

Why is printmaking important in our culture and time?

Is the commercial aspect of printmaking an important cultural consideration?

Below I did some quick preliminary research, which shoed me that there were multiple articles and literature that is available related to my subject.

COP READING

These were the 3 texts that we were to read, I also made notes on them as I knew that if I did not I would not retain the information as well ready for the next session. Images of my notes is below :