Research over Summer

A considerable amount of Research has been consumed.

The Reading list explored:

*How have art movements influenced Graphic Design?

*Swiss Graphic Design- The Origins and Growth of an International Style, 1920s by Richard Hollis

*Cultural Appropriation without Cultural Essentialism? by Enrich Hatala Matthes

*Her Noise: Feminism and the Sonic (exhibition in Tate Modern, London)

*Feminism-Martha Easton Volume 33. (I found this journal was slightly misleading)

*Feminism, Feminity, and the "Beauty" Dilemma, How Advertising Co-opt the women's movement By Steve Craig, from the University of North Texas

*Feminism and visual Culture edited by Amelia Jones (2003)

*Intersectional Feminism

*Orientalism- Ziaddan Sardar (1991)

*Stuart Hall- James Proctor Rutledge Critical Thinkers

*Critical Race Theory- Angela p. Harris (2012), California, USA

*Photography's Orientalism Colonial Representation, Getty Research Institute- Issues and Debates (2003)

*Critical Race Theory, Racial Stereotyping, and Teacher Education. By Daniel G. Solonzano

*Edward Said- Bill Aschroft and Pal Ahluwalia- Routledge, London and New York

*Cultural Exchange to Transculturation, A review and reconceptualisation of cultural Appropriation, Richard A. Rogers

Theory: Swiss Graphic Design

Books:

*Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International style, 1920s by Richard Hollis 

*The form of Cities:Political Economy and Urban Design. By Alexander R. Cuthbert

*Posters, propaganda and Persuasion in Election campaigns Around the World by Steven A. Seidman

*Introducing Cultural Studies: A Graphic Guide by Ziauddin Sardar

*Borrowed Power: Essays on Cultural Appropriation

Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International style- By Richard Hollis

*modern design began in the nineteenth century with artists looking for a new role in an industrialised society.

*After the first world war in Europe these artists brought about a revolution in design of print. This was introduced as the New Typography.

*Out went symmetry , ornament and drawn illustration; in came white space, plain letter forms and photographs. 

*The New Typography evolved in 1920s and 1930s. In this period, became the Swiss Graphic style has its roots.

*Henry Van De Velde, first a painter, than as an architect and theorist. 

*"That chain which was extended across the centuries which in the end shows just one family, one single family of pure form and pure decoration, a unique style: one that is rationally conceived, consisting of pure forms determined  by their function."

*Van de Velse was an Artist- Working for industry, producing 'commercial art'.

*In 1890 Van de Verde concluded, 'There will be no place in society of the future for anything which is not of use to everyone.'

*Abandoned fine art, as he believed painting has no social useful function, he created a precedent for those artists in the 1920s who gave up painting to become a Graphic Designer.

*The debate initiated by Ruskin and Morris, the social role of the artists and the impact of machine production- continued long into the twentieth century. 

*It engaged Italian Futurists, Constructivists in Russia and Central Europe, the De SHjl Movement in Holland and the Bauhaus school in Germany.

* Progressive architects, artists and designers committed their practical and intellectual energies to findings a new formal and visual languages, and at the same time a means for the artist of engaging in the cultural and industrial life of the new mass society. 

*Van de Velde produced essays of logic applied every kind of design. He took his lead from engineers and bridge buildings, admiring them from their employment of reason and calculation.

*In 1929 published essay 'The New' 'We want to create a durable new, one which renews itself, not a series of new 'new'. From now on, the style imposed by the machine will be marked by its clarity, by the precision which spontaneously endows each clear and precise design with Mechanical perfection.'

*Van de Velde formed Bauhaus, Arts and Crafts school which aimed to teach craft for mass production. The aim was to combine Art and Technology as a unity. 

*Signified Giedion (1933), art historian explains the objective of the Bauhaus "are to discover the new principles of form which are essential if the creative  forces of the individual are to be reconciled with industrial production, for the past ten years dependent on painting. The creative work of the Bauhaus is likewise based upon the principles of contemporary painting."

The President of the Swiss Wertbund, found in issue of 'Dan Werk" (1930-40). 

"Not only political and economic circles but also artistic and above all intellectual circles and caught up in this mad fenzy of revolution, promoted with an uncanny intelligence and sense of opportunism, without doubt largely induced and fostered by alien elements."

*The Bauhaus had attracted radical ideas from abroad, Giedion correctly identifying its driving force: Abstract art of the kind imported from the Dutch De Stijl movement and from Russia, in the form of constructivism. 

Theory: How have art movements influenced Graphic Design?

How have art movements influenced Graphic Design?

*Political
*Trend
*Culture
*movement in music

*Challenges the view that commercial art has intrinsically less value than fine art displayed in galleries.

*Many people believe fine art has little or no relevance in their lives despite the fact we come into contact with design products influenced by it, for example posters on a daily basis.

*Many movements were born out of desire to represent the modern world and how it was changing; fr example the Futurists embrace of technology or the Dada artist hatred of war.

*Focus is on late 19th, 20th and 21st Century movements is because mass production of posters as a 'medium for visual communication' began in the 1870s yet despite the emergence of new technologies such as the internet, the poster is still a vital tool for visual communication.

*The appeal of posters is that they are able to communicate a message quickly and publicly unlike other mediums such as fine arts or books. This makes them ideal form of communication for everyone from governments to film promoters.

Japanese artist posters

"Three Modern Beauties" By Utamora Kitaqawa date unknown

*A Japanese influence is evident in the Post-Impressionist posters of Toulouse- Lautrec and others as a result of Japan's borders re opening in 1868. Ukiyo-e ('Pictures of floating world')- a popular Japanese art form had its features appropriated by European artists were a use of flat colours and figures with no use of tones or shadows, bright colours, a lack of perspective and a black contour outline.

*The Ukiyo-e woodblock posters were even similar interns of subject matters to Toulouse- Lautrec's wrk, portraying the popular dancers and theatre actors of the day in their respective countries.

*Post impressionist poster- "Aristide Bruant dans son Cabaret' by Henri de Toulouse- Laute 1892.

Copyright to Prezi.com - Ballu Koroma (31 January 2012)

Cultural Appropriation and Cultural Essentialism

Cultural Appropriation without Cultural Essentialism?

Enrich Hatala Matthes 

Vol 42, No 2, Special Issue: Dominating Speech (April 2016) pp. 343-366

Published by: Florida State University Department of Philosophy

Topics: Cultural Appropriation, Essentialism, Cultural Groups, Native Culture, Appropriated art, Misrepresentation, cultural identity, Injustice, Social inequality.

*Cultural Appropriation in the arts its a diverse and ubiquitous phenomenon.
* Occurrences as varied as:
*the representation of cultural practices or experiences by cultural "outsiders" (sometimes called as "voice appropriation"
*the use of artistic styles distinctive of cultural groups by non members.
*the procurement or continued possession of cultural objects by nonmembers or culturally distant institutions.

*Cultural appropriation can often seem morally problematic. When the reasons are filled in with details from actual events, we often find representation, misuse, and theft of the stories, styles, and material heritage of people who ave been historically dominated and remain socially marginalised.

*For example native Americans in Hollywood Westerns, use of Navajo Motfa in fashion and marketing, and the continued display of Australian Aboriginal artwork by the British Museum.

*The action of pop music artists such as Miley Cyrus and Iggy Azalea has also helped guide the language of cultural appropriation into the popular lexicon.

*James O. Young, philosopher- acknowledges that representations or uses of cultural stories and styles by outsiders is potentially offensive but it doubtful about its harmfulness Indeed, he writes: "I am deeply skeptical about the claim that artists will do more harm to the cultures from which they borrow."

*He is Skeptical about the extent and frequency of those harms that he does acknowledge befall cultural members.

*His aspect is largely a moral and aesthetic defence of cultural appropriation.

*Cultural appropriation can be harmful (Enrich Hatala Matthes)

*One of the key insights if that literature concerns the relationship between harmful speech and systems of oppression and marginalisation.

*Cultural Appropriation is just one way, among others, in which social marginalisation can interact with speech in order to cause harm.

*on the other hand, cultural appropriation is just one way, among others, in which social marginalisation can interact with speech in order to cause harm.

*On the other hand, cultural appropriation has some descriptively unique features but does not issue in a unique kind of harm.

*Problem that faces moral objectifications to cultural appropriation. These objectification are making distinctions between cultural "insiders" and "outsiders" or "members" and "non members"

*However, such distinctions have potential to fall prey to a harmful cultural essentialism.

Cultural Essentialism

*While essentialism is a simple way for individuals  people to categorise, it can be a serious problem for societies. Cultural essentialism is the practice of categorising groups of people within a culture, or from other cultures.

*The harms of cultural essentialism are similar to the harms of cultural appropriation.

*People who make claims objecting to cultural appropriation predicted on essentialist distinctions between insiders and outsiders risk causing harms of a similar kind to the appropriations to which they are objecting.

*There is no adequate solution towards this issue.

The Harms of Cultural Appropriation 

According to Young, "The taking of something produced by members of one culture by members of another" This definition requires that we specify the conditions under which cultural appropriation is or not morally objectionable.

*Others provide a definition  that entails that cultural appropriation is morally objectionable.
*Loretta Todd writes: "The definition of appropriation originates in its inversion, cultural autonomy. Cultural autonomy signifies a right to cultural specificity, a right to one's origins and histories as told from within the culture and not as mediated from without."

There is a general agreement that if cultural appropriation is morally objectionable, it is only objectionable when a member of a dominant cultural group appropriates from a member of a marginalised group.

Many Reasons

*It is in the nature of a dominant cultural group to dominate and impress its culture upon others.

Cultural Assimilation- is a process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble those of a dominant group.

The term is referred to individuals and groups adapt to being dominated by another societal group.

*Morally neutral sense, using terms as "appropriate harms" to refer to the morally objectionable instances.

*Young considers a range of ways in which the representation of cultural insiders (subject appropriation) and the use of their styles, motifs, songs might be harmful.

*Young states, "Some content and subject appropriation can be a sort of assault on the members of a culture. Such appropriation is wrong. Most cultural appropriation neither sets back the interests of individuals members of cultures nor damages cultures.

*Young States, " It is true that outsiders can harm insiders by misrepresenting them in certain ways. Hollywood film makers have harmed members of Native Americans cultures by employing stereotypes. It is difficult to say with certainty how much harm has been done t members of Native American cultures by old Westerns and the like members of these cultures have been subjected tot terrible discrimination, but it is difficult to know how much of this discrimination can be attributed to Westerns and other Works of art."

Intersectional Feminism

Intersectional feminism recognises that certain groups of pope have multi-layered facets in life that they have to deal with, such as racism and sexism.

*Intersectionality is a term that was created by American professor Kimberly Crenshaw in 1989.

The textbook definition states: "The view that women experience oppression in varying configurations and in varying degrees of intensity. Cultural patterns of oppression are not only interrelated, but are bound together and influenced by the intersectional systems of society. Examples of this include race, gender, class, ability and ethnicity "

In other words, certain groups of women have multi-layered facets in life that they have to deal with. For example, "black woman is perhaps faced with racism and sexism in everyday life."

*The main thing intersectionality is trying to do, is to point out that feminism which is overly white, middle-class, and able-bodied represents one type of view- and doesn't reflect on the experiences of all the multi-layered facets in life that women of all backgrounds face.

Reference: Avavidal, GMT 15 June 2014, Telegraph

Racialized Boundaries

Race, Nation, Gender, Colour and Class and the Anti-Racist struggle

Anthias and Nira Yuval- Davis

London and New York Routledge

*Analysis the constructs of race and racism

*Ethnicity is understood as a political as well as cultural phenomenon

*Explore the ways in which 'race' and racism serve as a structuring principles for national processes, both defining the boundaries of the nation and the constituents of national identity

*Examine ways in which 'race' and racism inter-relate with other social divisions, such as class and gender and the ways 'Blackness' can play a part in the radicalisation process.

*Consider some of the ideologies that have influenced the 'Race Relations Industry as well as the struggle around it.

*In particular- look at the ideology of 'the community' which underlies in different ways, both the multiculturalist' and 'into-racist' schools of thought and they link it to a critical examination of 'identity politics'.

*Notoriously difficult areas where racism crosses paths with class and gender and a probing look at the assumptions underlying multiculturalism and equal opportunities.

The concept of 'Race' and the Racialization of social divisions.

*Two recent books, that of Gilroy (1987) on the one hand and that edited by Cohen Barris (1988)

*Go some way towards clarifying some of the central theoretical and political issues involved.

*Contextualising race and racism within ethnic processes and in relation to the other prime divisions of class and gender.

*Our basic position is that race categories and their specification require an incorporation into the social ontology go collectivity and belongingness in order to be understood.

*Whiles agreeing with Miles (1982) that the race relations problematic is inadequate and that racism has to be located within economic, political and ideological relations rather than relations between 'races', we do not agree that the category of race has to be ruled out of court 'because it is a category of everyday life and should not be employed analytically (Miles, 1982)

*From a sociological point of view, 'race' denotes a particular way in which communal differences come to be constructed and therefore it cannot be erased from the analytical map as Miles (1984) suggests.

*On the other hand Gilroy (1987) sees it as a valid social construct. His position is that organisation on the basis of 'race' as a socially constructed but also real cultural entity can at times have primacy in modern societies entail race structuralism.

*However, he fails to provide what race depends on. In our view race constructs of collectivity and belongingness (ethnic phenomena) through notions of common origin or destiny, not in terms of cultures of difference but in terms of boundaries.

*Race is one way  by which the boundary is to be constructed between those who cannot belong to a particular construction of collectivity or population.

Cohen states: The largest problem is how to devise an analytical which distinguishes clearly between different types of racism and recognises the historical individuality of those subjected to them (1988)

This entails understanding racisms as modes of exclusion, inferiority, subordination and exploitation that present specific and different characters in different social and historical contexts Extreme examples are those of extermination, segregation and slavery.

*Historically, ethnic, national or racial categories have been formed in various ways, through conquests, colonisation and immigration, and of course the modern variants of these categories under the sway of capitalism and imperialism as well as their most prominent political form, that of that liberal democratic state.

* Groups that have been called or have called themselves national at one point, in one territory, have become ethnic or racial.

*Ethnic groups involve the positioning of boundaries in relation to who can and cannot belong, according to a culture or symbolic practise.





 

Final Outcome for Publication: Oriental Dollz

Final Outcome for Publication: Oriental Dollz

The Japanese bind wasn't as successful as I hoped. The bind is not as flexible, so the images were not fully visible as what I hoped. The binding process was a challenge as the paper was quite tough, so it was a struggle to stitch through this format. Perhaps a kettle stitch would have been more effective, or perhaps a stapled bind, if there were less pages. The front cover could have been developed further by applying a barcode, prize and blurb on the back. 

For the Design layouts, the black section could have been designed further, as the Asian section and Arab section were a lot more stronger in the design aspect. 

For the title pages, for Diversity and complexity, the font size could have been reduced as these printed out to be slightly bigger than intended. The Title pages for Black, Asian, and Arab would have looked more effective if they were printed onto Transparent format. For my next project I will ensure I have enough time to make sure I can print and bind for what I originally intended. 

Feedback received that the use of Eastern typeface looks cliche and takes away the seriousness of the issue. However I feel it really establishes the concept of complexity and communicates there are so many cultures within the Middle East. 

Designing Layouts on Illustrator and Photoshop

Layouts for Final Publication 

 The layouts explore the concept of including Easter type. As well as using the idea of a pattern and sequence to contrast type with Image. The concept of repeating words addresses the idea of complexity and then highlighting the stereotypical concept of "one". This is addressed though the filled typefaces contrasted against the outlined type. 

A Contact sheet showing the use InDesign

The layouts were then cropped to the right size of A5 and made sure they were CMYK at a 300pi. 

This was then designed in a layout in InDesign. Due to the consideration of the Japanese bind, and bind was needed. Therefore I applied a bind of 2 inches so none of the content gets covered. 

Format

For the title pages for: Black, Asian, and Arab. I considered using Acetate to convey a transparent attitude from the West. However due to time management I did not have enough time. Therefore I ensured the format of the paper was at a high standard as this was photographic content. 

Initially, the design was a hard back cover book, however from the critique, this was stated to have lost the aesthetic of a magazine. For the format I ensured I bought baby pink paper and printed the logo for "Oriental Dollz" to finish the publication off. The reason for doing that, is from prototypes of printing on paper does not create the same effect. The paper either looks dull, or the ink started to come off. 

Binding Technique 

Japanese Bind 

Concept for Layouts: Using Illustrator

Taking the feedback on board from the thumbnail sketches, The concept I wish to develop is exploring Eastern type. As this relates to Jones (1986) discussion on the Sanskrit language being a wonderful structure, beyond perfect than Greek, more liberal than the Latin.

The concept will explore a different Eastern type for where each model originates from. 


Thumbnail Sketches of Eastern Typeface 

This typeface originates from the Philippines. 

This is then developed on Illustrator, where these designs were traced over using the Pen Tool.  

The feedback received stated that the 3-dimensional effect created a modernised approach which worked effectively. It created more of a structure and looked aesthetically pleasing. 

The colour scheme was influenced by Art Director Shangtingpeng 

The use of the purple works effectively with the pink. 

Hence, the magenta pink and lilac act as a secondary colour. 

Other typefaces explored 

Arabic Typeface 

Illustrator examples: 

Thai Typeface

The Arabic was seen the most successful as this relates to Edward Said's (1978) discussion about Islam. The feedback received stated it would create the designs to be more powerful by giving Islam more of a voice through applying this type. It will create the composition to look confident and powerful. To improve this further, perhaps ensuring each letter was made clear, as some letters are slightly unclear due to the 3-D type effect.