Exercise 9

Global village: Globalisation vs MultiCulturalism

exercise 8

What Konik is saying

“Thematising the ugly side of sublime technology development in Sonzero’s Pulse (2006) as an inadvertent critique of the ‘technocentricism’ of postmodernity” Konik, I. 2007

Konik is saying that humans are too reliant on technology for everything - people have lost sight of the need for physical contact, due to the fact that we're too focused on communicating via online means (internet + mobile devices). Without pc's and phones we wouldnt know what to do with ourselves - we are constantly looking at either a pc or a phone. Konik refers to this phenomenon as technocentrism. we have become slaves to technology - everything we do involes technology - we are lost and there is no turning back

exercise 7

Modernism and Postmodernism are two kinds of movements that show differences between them. They are two kinds of movements that are based on changes in cultural and social behavior around the world. It is interesting to note that both of them are different periods starting from the 20th century.

Modernism	Postmodernism
Modernism values reason. science and democracy. Modernism rejects the idea of realism, as in not making things look real-life. Modernism painting, for example, simplified the human figure from realistic portrayals to basic line drawings or geometric shapes	Postmodernism is completely new and strays from anything art knew before. It is completely wild and sometimes doesn't really make much sense in its content. It was a reaction to current culture and what was happening in the world
Modernism relates to a series of cultural movements that took place in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. These movements include reforming movements in architecture, art, music, literature and applied arts	postmodernism refers to the confused state of cultural developments. It is more complex when compared to modernism to understand and appreciate.
Modernism believed in learning from the experiences of the past. Modernism paid a lot of attention to original works. Modernism relates to a series of cultural movements that took place in the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. These movements include reforming movements in architecture, art, music, literature and applied arts.	postmodernism did not pay any kind of attention whatsoever to original works. They would dub them as pieces that gained popularity due to propagation postmodernism did not firmly believe in benefiting from the experiences of the past. In fact, they questioned the authority of textual reading
During the Modernist era, art and literature works were considered as unique creations of the artists. People were serious about the purpose of producing art- the art was believed to bear a deep meaning.	Due to the advancements made in the field of science and technology and other allied fields, the period of postmodernism saw no absolute truth in original works. It believes more in the creation of applied art and inter-disciplinary studies. Digital media were used extensively to copy the original works of the modernist period
Modernism attempts to construct a coherent world view .Modernist thinking asserts that mankind progresses by using science and reason.	Postmodernism attempts to remove differences between high and low. Progress is the only way to justify the European domination of culture.

Exercise 6

United Colours of Beneton Campaings from 1980's to 2000's

Since the 1980s Benetton has gained a reputation for shock-advertising that has whipped-up controversy and stimulated debate - and helped boost the brand recognition of the Italian fashion giant.

"Advertising is the richest and most powerful form of communication in the world. We need to have images that will make people think and discuss. Ad agencies are obsolete, they're out of touch with the times; they're far too comfortable. When the client is happy, they stop trying. They don't want to know what's going on in the world. They create a false reality and want people to believe in it. We show reality and we're criticized for it (14). - Oliviero Toscani on advertising

‘Probably the most widely publicized cases of shock advertisements include the advertising campaigns produced by clothing makers Benetton and Calvin Klein'

1982- These radical advertisements began in 1982

http://heatherlongbottom95.blogspot.com/p/term-1.html

Luciano Benetton, meets a photographer, Oliviero Toscano, in 1982 who shows him that a focus of message over product could be more effective. In that year, Toscano creates the above work.Vaguely Blakean in its Romanticism, two innocent young girls — one white, one black — embrace one another. But are they really as innocent as each other? There seems to be an imbalance. The girl on the left has the hair and cheeks of a cherub, of an angel. The other girl has her hair spiked up like devil horns and resists a smile. Although attempting a “uniting” effect, the ad fails in its racist shortcomings, separating colors into good and evil. 

The race campaign, started in 1989

The race campaign has won many international photography and advertising awards and has also been the cause of many arguments and controversies.

One of the images, of a black woman breast-feeding a white infant, was met with controversy from the black community in the United States. The people felt that the image perpetuated the stereotype of a black woman being a nanny to white children.

An image in which three young children are facing the camera and sticking out their tongues was
used in a worldwide advertisement in 1991. An unforeseen cultural taboo caused a minor problem in Arab countries, where the image was deemed "pornographic" because you can't display any internal organs.

1991-Culture

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall01/braun/frames.html

Campaign that used familiar images from different cultures and placed them side by side. This campaign's aim was to show that people, no matter what their cultural differences may be, can get along. Be it religion or nationality, no difference is too great.

1992 - The AIDS VIRUS

David Kirby, an AIDS activist and sufferer, was photographed on his death bed, surrounded by his family, for LIFE magazine. Benetton was given permission from David's parents to show it all over the world in this campaign.

In some countries, such as Paraguay, this was the first advertising campaign to publicly discuss AIDS and in most countries it was the first to show the actual victims of the disease (10).

Of course, the fact that David happens to somewhat resemble Christ, and became known as a 'pieta' only added to the success (and the many protests) for this campaign.

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall01/braun/frames.html

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall01/braun/frames.html

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall01/braun/frames.html

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall01/braun/frames.html

This campaign, like so many other Benetton campaigns, was met with controversy. The older, more conservative population thought it was inappropriate subject matter, but the younger generation embraced the campaign whole-heartedly. In the U.S. the image was censored by the media, because it was deemed "pornographic" and thus inappropriate for distribution through traditional press outlets, such as supermarkets

1994 Baby we'll get you through this

http://top10buzz.com/top-ten-controversial-united-colors-of-benetton-ads/

A birth, the symbol of life. That is the instant value of this image. It is about as brutal as anyone would care to have it, representing childbirth in a much truer fashion than most films. But the pains of first breath is just the beginning: this is another image from the 1993 AIDS campaign

1994 Red to your Head

In 1994, Benetton takes the uniform of a fallen Bosnian soldier brutally wearing its red (the most uniting color of all, no?) and bullet holes. This was conveniently at the height of the war’s presence in western media where it became the issue of human rights with its thousand-fold complications.

1996 white black yellow

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/benetton-history-shocking-ad-campaigns-pictures-252087

"In the consistent message of love, which organ should be chosen but the heart? This echoes the words of none other than Shakespeare: If you prick us, do we not bleed? On the inside we are all the same, white, black, yellow (although we might argue that these are contestable titles). The clinical grotesqueness of the hearts is married to their poetic value as pseudo-roses, side by side. They inhabit a space between ugliness and beauty, between violence and peace."

 - http://top10buzz.com/top-ten-controversial-united-colors-of-benetton-ads/#sthash.aDvaPS4m.dpuf

2000 Death Penalty

Benetton Company's most controversial ad campaign to date is the one that focused on the death penalty. The 6-million-copy, 13-language campaign was launched in January of 2000

Pro life message - 1996 marks a challenge to capital punishment, a subject much more contestable than any we’ve seen to date. The idea of using convicted criminals as models for a high-end fashion label isn’t the first to come up at a board meeting.

2011-UNHATE

The unHate series marks the enunciation of a new political position, which had already been hinted at. Rather than love, that can fail us sometimes, a message of unhate (like a child’s rendition of the term) continues with their earlier political positions while encompassing the present issues

Pro: Benetton ads normalize skin colors other than white. And look at that happy ethnic baby snuggling with that happy ethnic child! White kids playing with black kids! It was a festival of warm fuzzy feelings for Leftists everywhere. 

Con: Benetton ads basically whitewashed the truth, which is that the world is racist, and to pretend otherwise is naïve. Benetton ads won't end racism, but since they make you feel like they might, they coax you into buying their clothes. Thus, it's just another greedy corporate money grab clothing itself cynically in the garments of the progressive Left. Also, the ads play up racial stereotypes, like a black woman dressed in African tribal garb, and an Asian woman wearing a kimono

Exercise 5

The objective of this exercise is to choose 3 examples of conceptual design in South Africa and discuss them.

i decided that i would find images on conceptual design and art in south africa and discuss each and their importance in a south africa landscape or sensibility.

The first is Brett Murrays controversial painting aptly titled 'The Spear'

 




This image is about as controversial as it gets - The Spear depicts our current president Jacob Zuma, and of course the most prominent and eye catching part of the painting is his exposed manhood. The African National Congress. The painting is a metaphor for power and greed - The artists was making a statement that censorship is a powerful tool in maintaining control and order. The artist is confront the issue of power and greed corrupting the higher institutions of South Africa, the institutions that should uphold and stand for justice. Once the piece was censored it, it highlighted our gritty past where many South African artworks,articles,etc were censored in order to maintain control and dominance of the black South Africans. The viewer is being made aware of the ever brewing problems that like wounds, are beginning to fester.
Lenin was a Marxist revolutionary who believed in the Socialist movement.





 The title reads : Lenin lived, Lenin lives, Lenin will continue to live. A typical propaganda poster from the Soviet Union it became the basis for Brett Murray's work perhaps hinting at how many similarities the ANC shares with a socialist movement

The 2nd image is from the Save the Rhino: Nothing Will Ever Bring Them Back campaign.

In the Nothing Will Ever Bring Them Back Campaign Save the Rhino seek to address the issue of Rhino poaching and the possible extinction of the species. The slogan, “nothing we do will ever bring them back” makes the audience aware of the cause while the artificial rhino horn being strapped on to other animals emphasises this. The artificial horn also tells the audience that just because another animal has a rhino horn strapped on does not make it a rhino. The idea of rhino protection and preservation is being promoted, calling people to support the Save the Rhino foundation.


The campaign is addressing the issue of rhino poaching and the fact that the white and black rhino are nearing extinction.The idea being promoted is that nothing can replace the rhino once it is extinct - even placing horns on other animals - hence the satirical placement of horns on different animals in the campaign. The viewer is being made aware of the dangers of rhino poaching and the seriousness of the situation - that the rhino is nearing extinction and is endangered. The viewer is being made aware of the fact that the rhino needs to be protected.

The third image is from SANCA: Drinking During Pregnancy Campaign


In this campaign the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence confronts the issues of drinking during pregnancy. They make the viewer aware that drinking while pregnant may not have an immediate affect on newborn babies but will manifest as something worse late in life. In the case of this campaign that is life of crime which many of these children will enter because of the use of alcohol by their mothers while pregnant. The SANCA logo is placed within a sonar picture drawing attention to the issue, the issue is further emphasised with all the main characters in the advertisements lying in environments associated with crime, curled up in the foetal position.



This very graphic and aggressive ad campaign confronts the issue of drinking during pregnancy. The campaing aims to promote the idea that drinking during pregnancy can have very harmful affects on a child long past birth  - drinking during pregnancy can affect the child's life long into adulthood. The viewer is being made aware of the harmful affects of drinking during pregnancy and the repercussions of it


All design aims to convey an idea or concept - however conceptual design is value driven design. The importance of the idea far out weighs the importance of the design piece itself. The effectivesness of the design is directly proportional to the impact of the idea - the more effective the design piece the greater the impact the idea will have on the viewer. Commeercial design aims to sell and idea or product, or the idea relating to a product - Coke will not only quench your thirst but its what cool people drink. Whereas Conceptual design places greater value in the concept and the idea - the idea behind the piece is the message.

exercise 4

• A manifesto is a published verbal declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government.

 I am aware that a lot is wrong with society and therefore – with market and media. Designers are encouraged to continue producing monotonous designs because people are used to them and do not like change. Nobody cares what designers really want to do with their skills and therefore – careers.  In The first things first manifesto, they talk about the field of design and that the forms of communication in media and advertising has increased throughout the years. They make us aware of the fact that we don't pay enough attention to the impact design has on society. Even though the First things First Manifesto was originally created   in 1964 the statements made in it still stand true to this day. Although the design process has changed through the years, theses issues are still the same. Society needs to realise the importance of design and how it can effectively help change perceptions and make a positive difference in the world - The designer has the power to inform and make people think, thus the power to make change. Society doesn't care about the problems that are mentioned in The First Things First manifesto - a change of mindset is needed. The manifesto can be perceived as a distress call of sorts, the writer pleads with the viewer after alerting them to the dangers that exist in society.

"As visual communicators we are only focused on meeting the demands of advertising. What about designing things that are worthy and have value and meaning in them? " - http://kristinamallen.blogspot.com/2009/05/first-things-first-manifesto-2000.html 

Bruce Mau's manifesto (An Incomplete manifesto of Growth)  details his beliefs, strategies, motivations and outlines his design process. The manifesto is set up as a set of guidelines in point form, like a set of rules perhaps. The manifesto is not poetic like many other manifesto's but straight forward. The manifesto speaks of growth in many forms, that growth happens all the time and that one must be willing to grow - learn. Designers must be willing to grow, adapt and change as the industry requires and changes itself. I agree and enjoy this manifesto because the author explains each statement making it easy to understand - he encourages change and growth which as a designer is inspiring - one can be more, can push and achieve more.the author  also reinforces the importance of growth as a designer by in fact leaving his own manifesto ‘incomplete’, therefore leaving room for growth and improvement

• Other manifesto's that have similar ideals and goals are Conditional Design -http://conditionaldesign.org/manifesto/. The reason I chose this one is due to the fact that it may be somewhat a polar opposite to Bruce Mau's manifesto, it still identifies the importance of process . Conditional design manifesto looks at design as a logical process, whereas Mau's manifesto looks at a more emotional aspect of design, then he goes on to detail the logical and process based aspects of design.  
  Ten Principles for Good Design by Dieter Rams is another manifesto that works well in communicating a similar message as First Things First Manifesto.This beautifully designed manifesto is sure to delight. It’s to the point, clean, and literally practices what it preaches. It’s so sparse and minimalist, it can also be read as a kind of new-wave spiritual guide on how to live your life, which is you know, handy. - http://blog.redbubble.com/2013/10/11-design-manifestos-you-must-read-today/

• The Importance of a manifesto - A manifesto is somewhat like an election promise - The writer declares their intentions and how they intend on going about achieving this - or rather what needs to be done in order to achieve this. like an election promise the writer declares that should  the reader (in this case a the designer) do as they have outlined in their manifesto then the result will be X. However there are of course differences. A manifesto accepts a previous opinion then builds on that opinion, for example: That society is too focused on consumerism, declared in Dada Manifesto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dada_Manifesto) and again in First Things First Manifesto(http://maxbruinsma.nl/index1.html?ftf2000.htm).