I've just started reading this book which provides a historical background, examining situationist tactics, but also map's the legacy of subsequent activist movements which I think may be quite interesting.
Wednesday 7 November 2012
Fanzine - Teal Triggs
(Below) Tom Vague's name has become closely associated with London history and psychogeography (Situationists). His publication Vague is a forum for discussions of Situationism, anarcho-punk and the 'decay of the spectacle'. Cover by Jamie Reid and Joe Ewart.
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Dadaism
The Situationist International described Dadaism as a heavy influence influences on their work, seeking to apply critical theories based on these concepts to all areas of art and culture. The abstract cut and paste techniques popularised by this movement, namely Kurt Schwitters, bares a strong resemblance to some of the work I've been studying, e.g punk, Guy Debord etc.
Manifesto:
Dada is a new tendency in art. One can tell this from the fact that until now nobody knew anything about it, and tomorrow everyone in Zurich will be talking about it. Dada comes from the dictionary. It is terribly simple. In French it means "hobby horse". In German it means "good-bye", "Get off my back", "Be seeing you sometime". In Romanian: "Yes, indeed, you are right, that's it. But of course, yes, definitely, right". And so forth.
An International word. Just a word, and the word a movement. Very easy to understand. Quite terribly simple. To make of it an artistic tendency must mean that one is anticipating complications. Dada psychology, dada Germany cum indigestion and fog paroxysm, dada literature, dada bourgeoisie, and yourselves, honoured poets, who are always writing with words but never writing the word itself, who are always writing around the actual point. Dada world war without end, dada revolution without beginning, dada, you friends and also-poets, esteemed sirs, manufacturers, and evangelists. Dada Tzara, dada Huelsenbeck, dada m'dada, dada m'dada dada mhm, dada dera dada, dada Hue, dada Tza.
How does one achieve eternal bliss? By saying dada. How does one become famous? By saying dada. With a noble gesture and delicate propriety. Till one goes crazy. Till one loses consciousness. How can one get rid of everything that smacks of journalism, worms, everything nice and right, blinkered, moralistic, europeanised, enervated? By saying dada. Dada is the world soul, dada is the pawnshop. Dada is the world's best lily-milk soap. Dada Mr Rubiner, dada Mr Korrodi. Dada Mr Anastasius Lilienstein. In plain language: the hospitality of the Swiss is something to be profoundly appreciated. And in questions of aesthetics the key is quality.
I shall be reading poems that are meant to dispense with conventional language, no less, and to have done with it. Dada Johann Fuchsgang Goethe. Dada Stendhal. Dada Dalai Lama, Buddha, Bible, and Nietzsche. Dada m'dada. Dada mhm dada da. It's a question of connections, and of loosening them up a bit to start with. I don't want words that other people have invented. All the words are other people's inventions. I want my own stuff, my own rhythm, and vowels and consonants too, matching the rhythm and all my own. If this pulsation is seven yards long, I want words for it that are seven yards long. Mr Schulz's words are only two and a half centimetres long.
It will serve to show how articulated language comes into being. I let the vowels fool around. I let the vowels quite simply occur, as a cat meows . . . Words emerge, shoulders of words, legs, arms, hands of words. Au, oi, uh. One shouldn't let too many words out. A line of poetry is a chance to get rid of all the filth that clings to this accursed language, as if put there by stockbrokers' hands, hands worn smooth by coins. I want the word where it ends and begins. Dada is the heart of words.
Each thing has its word, but the word has become a thing by itself. Why shouldn't I find it? Why can't a tree be called Pluplusch, and Pluplubasch when it has been raining? The word, the word, the word outside your domain, your stuffiness, this laughable impotence, your stupendous smugness, outside all the parrotry of your self-evident limitedness. The word, gentlemen, is a public concern of the first importance.
Tuesday 6 November 2012
Internet Meme: Is it a Potential Advertising Goldmine?
Source
This article provides an insight into how memes, in their many forms, are starting to become a subtle form of modern advertising. As with any type of viral marketing, links, videos, photos are shared constantly in mass groups, through social networks, email etc. It's starting to get to the point where memes are repeated endlessly to the point where the viewer instantly recognises certain subjects...
This article provides an insight into how memes, in their many forms, are starting to become a subtle form of modern advertising. As with any type of viral marketing, links, videos, photos are shared constantly in mass groups, through social networks, email etc. It's starting to get to the point where memes are repeated endlessly to the point where the viewer instantly recognises certain subjects...
2012 election through internet memes
source
Some of the caption based memes (quick memes) I have discussed regarding the latest election.
These generally consist of using an untimely photograph and juxtaposing text (impact font) to present a new meaning. For example, below is Jim Lehrer, moderator of the first debate who struggled to tame the two presidential candidates, who often ignored the docile host and constantly cut him off. The painful interaction among the three men prompted the fusion of Lehrer and Gotye’s face to create a spin on the signature “You didn’t have to cut me off” meme'
Some of the caption based memes (quick memes) I have discussed regarding the latest election.
These generally consist of using an untimely photograph and juxtaposing text (impact font) to present a new meaning. For example, below is Jim Lehrer, moderator of the first debate who struggled to tame the two presidential candidates, who often ignored the docile host and constantly cut him off. The painful interaction among the three men prompted the fusion of Lehrer and Gotye’s face to create a spin on the signature “You didn’t have to cut me off” meme'
Rebecca Black - Friday
Source
'Rebecca Black is the epitome of ‘Bad publicity is better than no publicity at all’. Her video ‘Friday’ on YouTube has 3.1 million dislikes (or 87.1% of the total ratings). Despite that, she has amassed 167 million views and hundreds of parodies. It is the 22nd most viewed video on YouTube of all time, before it was taken down on June 16 as per Black’s request'.
From the original upload (Below)
'If you take a look at her ‘Friday’ video, you’ll see that the song lyrics are terrible, and the video just mediocre and the use of auto-tune was heavily criticized as well.She’s now a millionaire because of her publicity (albeit negative). ‘Friday’ was hated by the public, but proved to be a commercial success: in a matter of days, iTunes received 2 million downloads and with an iTunes payout of $0.70 per download, earning the singer about US $1.4 million in just a few days. Not bad for a thirteen-year-old'.
The American department store Kohls, took advantage of the song's hilarity by mocking the song and it's video in a commercial, persuading audiences to shop on Black Friday.
'Rebecca Black is the epitome of ‘Bad publicity is better than no publicity at all’. Her video ‘Friday’ on YouTube has 3.1 million dislikes (or 87.1% of the total ratings). Despite that, she has amassed 167 million views and hundreds of parodies. It is the 22nd most viewed video on YouTube of all time, before it was taken down on June 16 as per Black’s request'.
From the original upload (Below)
'If you take a look at her ‘Friday’ video, you’ll see that the song lyrics are terrible, and the video just mediocre and the use of auto-tune was heavily criticized as well.She’s now a millionaire because of her publicity (albeit negative). ‘Friday’ was hated by the public, but proved to be a commercial success: in a matter of days, iTunes received 2 million downloads and with an iTunes payout of $0.70 per download, earning the singer about US $1.4 million in just a few days. Not bad for a thirteen-year-old'.
The American department store Kohls, took advantage of the song's hilarity by mocking the song and it's video in a commercial, persuading audiences to shop on Black Friday.
The Most Radical Gesture
The Most Radical Gesture: The Situationist International in a Post Modern Age
Sadie Plant
ebook
(PDF version)
The Most Radical Gesture is the first major study of the Situationist International, a revolutionary movement of extraordinary ambition and influence whose reflections on art, everyday life, pleasure, spontaneity, the city, and the spectacle have ensured it a vital, but largely hidden, role in the development of twentieth-century culture and politics.
Monday 5 November 2012
The Society of the Spectacle - Guy Debord
The Society of the Spectacle (a term coined by Roland Barthes) is work of philosophy and critical theory first published in 1967. The book is structured into a series of 221 short theses, divided into nine chapters. Debord describes the spectacle as "a social relation between people that is mediated by images" consisting of mass media, advertisement and popular culture.
(New Translation)
(New Translation)
This is a 1973 film of the same name in which Debord provides voice-overs with footage incorporated from feature films, industrial films, news footage, advertisements, and still photographs.
Memoires
In 1957, danish artist, Asger and French artist and theorist, Guy Debord collaborated to design Memoires, which brought together the techniques of Derive and Detournement. Derive is described by Debord as "a mode of experimental behavior linked to the conditions of urban society: a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiances."
The book is made up of fragments taken from books, magazines, newspapers, photographs, advertisements, cartoons, comics and more.
The mood of the book, suggests the way the situationists would travel through the city, encapsulating their thoughts and presenting them in a new environment.
Situationist International
I've taken a step back to find out more about the Situationists and their effect on modern society.
This website which has links to some reliable sources and provides clear definitions to some of the terms used.
Source
This website which has links to some reliable sources and provides clear definitions to some of the terms used.
Source
I've come across this video, it's not the best documentary ever, but it gives a clear overview about what the situationists did, what they believed in and who they were. At 4.11, author, Greil Marcus describes certain techniques, one of which is the idea that situationists would take everything that needed to be said from what is already there and simply change the juxtaposition or add/subract information to express opinion.
Sunday 4 November 2012
Rick Rolling
I find it interesting how what was once just an 80's pop song, has now been parodied into something relevant to today's technological advancements, e.g looking for the latest film trailer on Youtube and being presented with a disappointing music video.
Here's a (mock/parody) explanation on How to rick roll someone
New York Mets
In April of 2008, the New York Mets posted an online poll to select the song for the 8th inning sing-along. On April 4th, 2008, FARK users bombarded the poll with upvotes for “Never Gonna Give You Up.” On April 7th, the Mets announced that the song had won with over five million votes. Rather than using the song for the 8th inning, it was apparently used during the home opener, much to the displeasure of Mets fans.
MTV Music Awards: Best Act Ever
Rick Astley was nominated for the Best Act Ever award for the MTV Europe Music Awards in November 2008, when the voting forum was flooded by fans of the Rickrolling phenomenon. Astley has voiced his approval of the off-beat joke, stating “MTV was thoroughly Rickrolled.”
Nicholas Cage
Nick Cage as Everyone
Nicholas Cage - You don't say?
Nicholas Cage has recently become the subject of various memes which are continually being updated and developed in relation to popular news topics to become a figure of humiliation.
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/you-dont-say
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/you-dont-say
One of the most popular Nicholas Cage memes is "you don't say?". The origin of this footage appears in the film 'Vampire's Kiss'. In this scene, Cage's character has been 'meme-ified' to appear as though he is saying "you don't say" even though he doesn't actually say this in the film!
Here are some examples where the drawing has been placed against a different piece of information to mock the original content...
Know your meme
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/comic-sans
This website is dedicated to all memes across the web and is forever growing with new memes. Memes don't necessarily have to be visually detourned either...
Comic Sans MS is a comic book inspired typeface infamous for its overuse. It is most typically contrasted with Helvetica as a childish font. Although other fonts like Papyrus are widely hated, Comic Sans has been widely criticized for its application in serious or professional situations.
Memes often use captions to re-enforce the visual language of the image. A lot of the time this will be done with the font impact and has become a meme in itself. Here's some examples of comic sans captions...
This website is dedicated to all memes across the web and is forever growing with new memes. Memes don't necessarily have to be visually detourned either...
Comic Sans MS is a comic book inspired typeface infamous for its overuse. It is most typically contrasted with Helvetica as a childish font. Although other fonts like Papyrus are widely hated, Comic Sans has been widely criticized for its application in serious or professional situations.
Memes often use captions to re-enforce the visual language of the image. A lot of the time this will be done with the font impact and has become a meme in itself. Here's some examples of comic sans captions...
All these images (above) are recycled over and over with different captions to give the image new meaning by making suggestions about what the subject is doing or thinking.
Internet Memes
I've decided to start looking at the recent acceleration in an internet phenomenon known as memes. An internet meme is something that might take the form of as an image, hyperlink, video, website or hashtag.
According to the Meriam-Webster dictionary. a meme is 'an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture'.
The origin of the word comes from Richard Dawkin's book, 'The Selfish Gene'. Dawkins wrote that evolution depended not on the particular chemical basis of genetics, but only on the existence of a self-replicating unit of transmission—in the case of biological evolution, the gene. For Dawkins, the meme exemplified another self-replicating unit with potential significance in explaining human behavior and cultural evolution.
'An Internet meme may stay the same or may evolve over time, by chance or through commentary, imitations, parody, or by incorporating news accounts about itself. Internet memes can evolve and spread extremely rapidly, sometimes reaching world-wide popularity within a few days. Internet memes usually are formed from some social interaction, pop culture reference, or situations people often find themselves in. Their rapid growth and impact has caught the attention of both researchers and industry'.
Kempe, David; Kleinberg, Jon; Tardos, Eva (2003). - Maximizing the spread of influence through a social network - Source
I am going to look at how certain memes have changed the way the viewer's perception of content changes through the use of viral distribution
According to the Meriam-Webster dictionary. a meme is 'an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture'.
The origin of the word comes from Richard Dawkin's book, 'The Selfish Gene'. Dawkins wrote that evolution depended not on the particular chemical basis of genetics, but only on the existence of a self-replicating unit of transmission—in the case of biological evolution, the gene. For Dawkins, the meme exemplified another self-replicating unit with potential significance in explaining human behavior and cultural evolution.
'An Internet meme may stay the same or may evolve over time, by chance or through commentary, imitations, parody, or by incorporating news accounts about itself. Internet memes can evolve and spread extremely rapidly, sometimes reaching world-wide popularity within a few days. Internet memes usually are formed from some social interaction, pop culture reference, or situations people often find themselves in. Their rapid growth and impact has caught the attention of both researchers and industry'.
Kempe, David; Kleinberg, Jon; Tardos, Eva (2003). - Maximizing the spread of influence through a social network - Source
I am going to look at how certain memes have changed the way the viewer's perception of content changes through the use of viral distribution
281 Anti Nuke
http://www.281antinuke.com/gallery/
I've come across a recent article about an artist with politically driven graphics who is being described as the 'Japanese Banksy'. There are no photos of the artist and there is no direct way of contacting him. On his website, the contact link is dead and his profile describes him as 'Artist, Japan, anti nuclear power plant'. His face is covered by a white mask and was unknown his own country until very recently.
I've come across a recent article about an artist with politically driven graphics who is being described as the 'Japanese Banksy'. There are no photos of the artist and there is no direct way of contacting him. On his website, the contact link is dead and his profile describes him as 'Artist, Japan, anti nuclear power plant'. His face is covered by a white mask and was unknown his own country until very recently.
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