The Art and War of Collage

Everyone has in some point in their lives done a collage. Its a very common thing to do as a fun art project as a kid and even useful for adults if they are collectors of things like cigar labels, magazine cut outs or even pictures. But for many artists it has become a way to make a political statement and to make art. Martha Rosler did exactly that, she was fed up with the coverage of the Vietnam War and how America would portray the images of war in magazines that corresponded with images of advertisements of living rooms and family friendly images. It was dirt and blood and blown up bodies flowing seamlessly with images of art hung living rooms, mattress ads, and sophisticated kitchen designs. Rosler had had enough.

I personally as a graphic designer and especially a lover of designing layouts, know that you have no choice as to where the ads go in a magazine and that they have to be spread out evenly throughout the magazine. Besides that factor of being a little unrealistic, as art this is a very interesting concept that Rosler created. I think that the colors in the ad pop and are positive and then the juxtaposition of the military images and dead bodies gives the people in America the war in their homes. Although it is not direct it hits home and is familiar to everyone with a kitchen, bathroom or a bed, whatever the advertisement the majority of the people reading or looking at the magazine will be able to relate.

I really think that the collage compositions also are really working to effectively portray the message that Rosler wanted her audience to receive. Rosler cut out just the right images that would work into the certain compositions. It adds to the mood of the work and the message.

~B~

Publicity Images

In John Berger's piece, "Publicity Images" from the book Ways of Seeing he discusses some very important and relevant topics to an up coming project of mine.  The major issues that Berger covers is how publicity images seen all over through advertisements, on billboards, on television, even just walking down the street people see ads that are telling them they need this product to be transformed and to live a better life.

"Publicity persuades us of such a transformation by showing us people who have apparently been transformed and are, as a result, enviable.  The state of being envied is what constitutes glamour.  And publicity is the process of manufacturing glamour" (131).

Advertising, especially today, has almost become over powering.  Personally, its how I find out about the newest gadgets such as iPhones, through publicity images Apple has created a huge following and people want or even crave their products.  I have grown up watching television which is a port for publicity images to be seen.  Then as I got older the technology age kicked in and the internet became a new way for publicity images to be seen.  In todays world I am a graphic designer so now I have become part of this publicity image.  Although, its a job its also something I love doing but at the same time making people want things is not exactly what I do but I do have to pull people into my work so that the message will be reached.  As far as advertising goes I could very well end up working for an AD firm in a few short years and I will be fine doing that because this is how the world turns.  People have the option to buy what they want, if they are buying things because of the advertisements that they see then I am doing my job excellently.  

Females are big suckers for wanting the REAL designer bag and

its not because of the direct advertisements, its because of what they stand for and who else carries them and how jealous their friends will be when they see them with a real designer bag.  A brand such as Louis Vuitton does this to women all over the world and now to the rich, spoiled ten and eleven year olds.  

"The spectator-buyer is meant to envy herself as she will become if she buys the product.  She is meant to imagine herself transformed by the product into an object of envy for others, an envy which will then justify her loving herself" (134). 

The above statement I agree with completely.  As a female myself, I am subject to this, when I get a new glamourous purse or pair of shoes I feel brand new and excited and show it off to all my friends and even people I don't know will come up to me and comment on how they love my newest purchase.  This makes women feel good and it makes them want more.  As shallow as that may be, its the truth and its how our world turns and works.  

~B~ 

War Mail Rocking Back to the 80's and Looking Fly

This week I found an interesting interview type article that explored Jeremy Bailey's work. It mostly focuses on his piece called "War Mail" which is a logo for a performance art piece. He talks about how he was inspired by the 80's and the other meanings behind the simple logo. As a graphic designer I found this to be very interesting because of the concept and thought behind the logo. Bailey did a lot of research before he even started to come up with the concept and he was able to accomplish so much with so many little elements.

"I often try and reflect current cultural trends/aesthetics in my own artwork work to discuss the interplay between the way information is designed and the way it is received. In other words, the way things look right now have a lot to do with the way things are right now and vice versa." - Jeremy Bailey

The thought process behind Bailey's work and how he wants to include both current trends and how those play into the information of the graphic or logo. The way it looks will definitely change the way it is received. As an artist he has to figure out what he wants his audience to understand and perceive from what he is designing. It is an interesting way to design because as a designer myself I know that design is about problem solving for a client. He instead is using himself as the artist and client to show his unknowing clients or the audience what they did not know they wanted to see. It makes me really excited to know that graphic designers are not just working for people but doing and making art with their graphic design knowledge. I found Bailey and his work very interesting and would recommend everyone take a look at his work.

Read the article here!

~B~

Digital Stitchings

This week as I began to explore websites for an interesting article to write about I was able to find one almost instantly that I liked and was interested in. Although I found the artist and the work very interesting, I was having a hard time sitting down and actually reading it and then coming on here to blog about it. Today I finally sat down and made myself do it. Today is a very special day for me and for many other Jews around the world. Its Yom Kippur, the day of atonement or the day of at one ment. This is the one day I should not be using the computer and here I am writing my blog entry for the week.

As I began researching more about this weeks artist, Rachel Beth Egenhoefer, and how she uses the tactile and technology to make art, I realized how interesting it is that today is the day I chose to write about her. Rachel Beth as an artist is interested in technology and being able to touch or feel. She explores how things like a kitting pattern can look exactly like html written codes that computer scientists write on a daily basis. So to me the one day I'm not suppose to be near technology and I should be getting closer to my religion through prayer and fasting, I'm chosing the tactile and the technology instead of fasting from it for the day.

Rachel Beth's current project that she is working on involves the use of Nitendo's Wii and her favorite thing kitting. She came up with the idea for the virtual kitting by wanting to represent code and at the same time the motion of knitting. Egenhoefer became interested in tracking the way peoples hands move and the intricate details of maneuvering a stitch. I think that this new media project is very interesting and definitely something that really has not been explored before. Not only is it intreguing that she loves kitting so much that she wants to make it a game but also its striking how this is not only going to be a game but its also a major art project. I find it so interesting how the everyday can turn into unconventional art. It makes art seem common place by having involved in our everyday lives yet at the same time its so unique to be living in a time and place where that is allowed to happen. I really love Rachel Beth's work and think that its great that she is a young woman who knits and is making art by invovling technology and pop culture.

Read an interesting interview with her here.

~ B ~