Portfolio Task 6- Theory Into Practice
Look at the CTS blog that Garry Barker has been writing to complement the lecture programme this year. Write a short response to one of the posts on the blog. Use the ideas that Garry is discussing to mount a short critical evaluation of one piece of Graphic design that you have produced on Level 5.
Reflections on the first lecture, Surveillance and Foucault
One of the ideas Gary discussed on his blog was reflections on the first lecture, surveillance and Foucault. The idea that all design is cantered on communication and that it helps in the formation of social and cultural identities. 'If you look at how graphic design helps in the formation of social and cultural identities, it is reasonable to suggest that class, racial, ethnic, age and gender groups etc. are often represented by stereotypes within the graphic design industry.’
I will be looking at my Quiksilver project. The project was left open with a target audience of my choice which was quite young at 10-29. The work was very stereotypical of your idealistic surfer with use of vibrant colouring and shapes that reflected waves and surf patterns. 'All representations are by their very nature 'less than' reality and therefore involve a selection or choice' I chose my target audience and therefore chose to stereotype my decisions within design. 'This choice is going to be one made by the person constructing the representation and therefore will reflect prejudices held on the part of the image maker'
This happens basically all the time in graphic design whether a designer has been given the target audience or has to choose the audience themselves. More often than not the design decisions made will be very stereotypical.
Gary talks about how Salen suggests design fits into two categories of 'Standard and non-standard'
'Salen (2001) suggests that all visual form supports structures of cultural standardisation, marking distinctions between what he calls 'Standard and non- standard' participants' and also 'How it can become an 'agent of standardisation' but i do not necesarrily think that this piece of design fits into these categories however it does suggest that is it represented by an age group stereotype.
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Task 5 - Sustainability and Capitalism
Read the text- Balser, E (2008) 'Capital Accumulation, Sustainability & Hamilton Ontario'
Write a 500 word critical summary of the text which explicitly adresses the following questions
1. How is sustainability defined in the text?
2. What are the main characteristics or tendencies of Capitalism
3. Define a 'crisis of Capitalism'. Offer an example.
4. What solutions have been offered to the sustainability question? Are these successful or realistic? - If not why are they flawed?
5. Is the concept of sustainability compatible with Capitalism?
Donella Meadows often defines sustainability as ‘inter and intra generational equity in the social, environmental, economic, moral and political spheres of society'. The text defines sustainability as ideological. 'Sustainability is a communal concept', it needs everyone to buy into it and to be thinking about it. Although in the text is also says that the responsibility is often being left to the individual and technology. 'The attempt to engage in sustainable lifestyles and make environmentally conscious decisions has largely fallen to the individual and through technology'
Capitalism interferes with attaining sustainability, the thirst for money and profit within a market. It is constantly looking for new things to commodity. 'Capitalism is constantly expanding' causing crisis. Capitalist views run alongside sustainability potentially harming communities. An example of this is the BIOX plant being built on a poor communities green space in the North End of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Hamilton has one of the highest incidents of low income per household. 'The environment crisis is no different, it exists at a threshold in which constant new technologies, policies or ideas push it past these limitations, and deferring the apocalypse for yet another day'.
Capitalism thrives from making a profit. The reason the plant was set up in Hamilton was because it was a cheap place to be and the communities were poor so couldn’t reject the idea. It was built on the only green space there but the tremors from the plant damaged people’s homes. There were also violations of resident’s health and safety due to sulphuric acid and flammable chemicals. However these were not the only problems, there was constant noise and air pollution. These problems were not thought to be a sacrifice therefore the whole point in the plant being sustainable contradicts itself and becomes more about cost efficiency therefore disregarding the original aims. 'Instead of ending this cycle, it has only perpetuated it'.
The idea of using bio- diesel as a sustainability solution is because it is an 'alternative 'clean' fuel that is becoming an increasing popular alternative to regular diesel fuel and because the use of recycling helps to reduce waste production.' This idea started off a small business, and is now a very large business which becomes capitalist itself. 'What began as a small time, agricultural project, which hoped to maximize the efficiency of agricultural practices, has become a huge environmental business'
For bio diesel to be effective it has to be used by a lot of people therefore more plants had to be built. Unmistakably, it turns out the largest producer of bio diesel is in the North End Hamilton, BIOX. 'While the BIOX plant represents the ecological integrity and economical prosperity that is deemed so important for sustainability, it is certainly at the sacrifice of social equality'
Capitalism has now returned, so it seems it is a never ending cycle and the concept of sustainability is not compatible with private enterprise. 'The situation in the North End is not, the intention of promoting sustainable practices and technologies. Somewhat, it became a central and compulsory victim to make sure that bio-diesel production was capable and the product was affordable.
Write a 500 word critical summary of the text which explicitly adresses the following questions
1. How is sustainability defined in the text?
2. What are the main characteristics or tendencies of Capitalism
3. Define a 'crisis of Capitalism'. Offer an example.
4. What solutions have been offered to the sustainability question? Are these successful or realistic? - If not why are they flawed?
5. Is the concept of sustainability compatible with Capitalism?
Donella Meadows often defines sustainability as ‘inter and intra generational equity in the social, environmental, economic, moral and political spheres of society'. The text defines sustainability as ideological. 'Sustainability is a communal concept', it needs everyone to buy into it and to be thinking about it. Although in the text is also says that the responsibility is often being left to the individual and technology. 'The attempt to engage in sustainable lifestyles and make environmentally conscious decisions has largely fallen to the individual and through technology'
Capitalism interferes with attaining sustainability, the thirst for money and profit within a market. It is constantly looking for new things to commodity. 'Capitalism is constantly expanding' causing crisis. Capitalist views run alongside sustainability potentially harming communities. An example of this is the BIOX plant being built on a poor communities green space in the North End of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Hamilton has one of the highest incidents of low income per household. 'The environment crisis is no different, it exists at a threshold in which constant new technologies, policies or ideas push it past these limitations, and deferring the apocalypse for yet another day'.
Capitalism thrives from making a profit. The reason the plant was set up in Hamilton was because it was a cheap place to be and the communities were poor so couldn’t reject the idea. It was built on the only green space there but the tremors from the plant damaged people’s homes. There were also violations of resident’s health and safety due to sulphuric acid and flammable chemicals. However these were not the only problems, there was constant noise and air pollution. These problems were not thought to be a sacrifice therefore the whole point in the plant being sustainable contradicts itself and becomes more about cost efficiency therefore disregarding the original aims. 'Instead of ending this cycle, it has only perpetuated it'.
The idea of using bio- diesel as a sustainability solution is because it is an 'alternative 'clean' fuel that is becoming an increasing popular alternative to regular diesel fuel and because the use of recycling helps to reduce waste production.' This idea started off a small business, and is now a very large business which becomes capitalist itself. 'What began as a small time, agricultural project, which hoped to maximize the efficiency of agricultural practices, has become a huge environmental business'
For bio diesel to be effective it has to be used by a lot of people therefore more plants had to be built. Unmistakably, it turns out the largest producer of bio diesel is in the North End Hamilton, BIOX. 'While the BIOX plant represents the ecological integrity and economical prosperity that is deemed so important for sustainability, it is certainly at the sacrifice of social equality'
Capitalism has now returned, so it seems it is a never ending cycle and the concept of sustainability is not compatible with private enterprise. 'The situation in the North End is not, the intention of promoting sustainable practices and technologies. Somewhat, it became a central and compulsory victim to make sure that bio-diesel production was capable and the product was affordable.
Who says what to who in what Chanel with what effect. Lasswells
Traditions of com theory
Info source voice
Noise source is about ability to receive
Your the receiver
L1 Technical
Translation and computer coding and language.
L2 Semantic
Precision of language
How much of the message can be lost?
L3 effectiveness
Does the message affect behaviour the way we want it to? What can be done if the required effect fails to happen.
Systems theory
Can switch between math, biological etc frames of reference.
BARB Broadastera audience research board.
Who is the audience
Advertising. Who will want to look at it more carefully.
Semiotics
Three basic concepts
Semantics addresses what a sign stands for. Dictionaries are semantic ref books they tell us what a sign means
Syntactics
Relationship amongst signs
Phenomenological Tradition
Direct and real. Coming straight in. Authentic human relationships. Very close relationship.
Traditions of com theory
Info source voice
Noise source is about ability to receive
Your the receiver
L1 Technical
Translation and computer coding and language.
L2 Semantic
Precision of language
How much of the message can be lost?
L3 effectiveness
Does the message affect behaviour the way we want it to? What can be done if the required effect fails to happen.
Systems theory
Can switch between math, biological etc frames of reference.
BARB Broadastera audience research board.
Who is the audience
Advertising. Who will want to look at it more carefully.
Semiotics
Three basic concepts
Semantics addresses what a sign stands for. Dictionaries are semantic ref books they tell us what a sign means
Syntactics
Relationship amongst signs
Phenomenological Tradition
Direct and real. Coming straight in. Authentic human relationships. Very close relationship.
Frankfurt school
Institution of social research, university of frankfurt 23-33.
Theodora adorno. Max Horkheimer. Herbert Marcuse. Leo Lowenthal. Walter Benjamin
There focus was on popular culture. How normal people lived there lives, what they did and why they did things. One project was why people engage in culture/exist in systems that do not suit them.
Pop culture as ideology. Masking the true nature of society.
When culture becomes manufactured. Looses it's authenticity. Under capitalism is all mass.
Essay
Nature of musical product itself
Then the affect on the person
Theodora adorno. Max Horkheimer. Herbert Marcuse. Leo Lowenthal. Walter Benjamin
There focus was on popular culture. How normal people lived there lives, what they did and why they did things. One project was why people engage in culture/exist in systems that do not suit them.
Pop culture as ideology. Masking the true nature of society.
When culture becomes manufactured. Looses it's authenticity. Under capitalism is all mass.
Essay
Nature of musical product itself
Then the affect on the person
The Gaze
1st makes you feel like your taking part. 3rd makes you feel like your observing.
Psychoanysis
Laura Mulvey
Visual pleasures and narrative
Holly wood is sexist
Scpophilia. The pleasure of looking at others bodies as objects.
At the extreme cam become fixated into a perversion. Producing obsessive peeping Toms who's sexual desires come from observing.
Jacques Lacan. The mirror stage.
Projected notion of the ideal ego in the image reflected.
Scopophilia. Sexual stimulation by sight.
Narcassistic. Wants to be brad pit to get angelena jolie
Suture
Spectators look through the eyes if the actors in the film.
Able to follow there gaze without feeling guilty
Psychoanysis
Laura Mulvey
Visual pleasures and narrative
Holly wood is sexist
Scpophilia. The pleasure of looking at others bodies as objects.
At the extreme cam become fixated into a perversion. Producing obsessive peeping Toms who's sexual desires come from observing.
Jacques Lacan. The mirror stage.
Projected notion of the ideal ego in the image reflected.
Scopophilia. Sexual stimulation by sight.
Narcassistic. Wants to be brad pit to get angelena jolie
Suture
Spectators look through the eyes if the actors in the film.
Able to follow there gaze without feeling guilty
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