justin-oliver11

[justin-oliver11]

Week 16 Last Rumination 

This week we started off discussing the Anthropocene. We learned its the current geologic age in which humans have irreversibly altered the global environment. The visuality aspect of this are known and experienced through sight, imagined in art, and are created through technologies.

Until around the 15th century, most images were originals, on display, or used in worship. We then dove into the history of image circulation and reproduction. From the year 800-100 A.D., woodblocks and metal plate prints were used to reproduce. Up until the 1440's the Gutenberg Press was created, then moving to the 1790's Lithography was used. Fast forwarding to the 1880's, Halftones were used and defined as a two step method of creating a photo using dots.

The photo I used for this week is a Halftone photo of Marilyn Monroe and explains the procedure of Halftone reduction. The micro dots form a pixelated photo, that when we view it from our point of view creates something so much more than just dots.

[justin-oliver11]

Week 14

Monday we were introduced to the Boeing Man and how it is one of the earliest computer generated rendering of a human figure. This was a historic triumph for visual technology. We then discussed the meaningfulness of images and who renders them. We learn that media, art, and gender politics render the photo meaningful.

Wednesday we finished the slides discussing the rest of chapter 9. We discussed the empirical medical gaze starting with hippocratic corpus. We then discussed medicine as a spectacle and the anatomical and surgical theatre. We looked at da Vinci's Vitruvian Man and how it was one of the earliest drawings of humans as a universal signifier of nature. Anatomy theaters educated and entertained audiences using bodies of criminals. The anatomists were the focal point and the association of morbidity with crime became central features of modernity. Biopower is the techniques used to subjugate and control populations by targeting biological features. Craniology is defined as the study of the skull's shape/size. We ended with the visualization of Pharma and the impacts visual aids have on their viewers.

My picture example represents the actual visualization of Pharma and the impact it can have. This picture can be perceived as the companies making millions off of misguiding and temporarily helping they're clients just enough to make them by more, or it can be seen as a visual representation of the amount of money consumers pay for medications that are supposed to help their wellbeing.

[justin-oliver11]

Week 13

This week we emphasized on the process by which material objects are turned into marketable goods with monetary value, or commodification. This topic was introduced to us and used the example of the Obama "hope" poster. This poster that originated as a campaigning technique blew up and eventually sold for high prices. This is a commonly used example of commodification and can easily show how something as simple as a poster can be commodified, and explode in current culture. We then focused on the satire of certain forms of political art. In the example we looked at, the "Hope" poster of Obama, was ironically changed to "Drone-killer." Another example of the satire was the peeling posters left around post election, insinuating the "hope" wasn't actual but just a word on a poster.

Visual Ideographs are are symbols used to identify certain things; how a smiley face represents happiness. We spoke about the characteristics; these are ordinary images, with high-order abstractions, that warrant certain uses of power, and are culture bound. It was also added that most of the time these ideographs are easily noticeable. For my example I added an ideograph I found. This work of satire depicts Obama as Uncle Sam, stating "I Want Your Money" instead of the original "I Want You" (to join the army).

[justin-oliver11]

Week 12

For this chapter we discussed postmodernism and defined it as a scope of the changing conditions of knowledge and human subjectivity in the late twentieth century. Three topics stemmed: irony, parody, and pastiche. Postmodernism focuses on globalization, lacking trust in science and technology, surveillance and social control, and lacking trust in truth. Grand narratives that are implemented are doubted by postmodernism. Instead, it promotes relativism and fragmentation.

In postmodern design, its aim is to multiply instead of bringing together. My interpretation of this chapter heavily revolves around irony. The uses of irony are how we see postmodernism's critique of modern design. This idea of seeing outside the box is important for us all to see different perspectives yet decide based on our own beliefs. By using satire as an example, I chose Boston's old State House. The building remains in a bully of a city that engulfs its culture and in a way demands change. The change of technology and traditions are always controversial but this picture proves that tradition triumphs change.

[justin-oliver11]

Week 11

The title of chapter 7 is Brand Culture. This chapter discusses that and more. This chapter starts off by describing the history of brand culture, from the assembly line to modern "brand development" agencies. We then learn the definition of brands; entities that acquire value through consumer experience. The idea of consumer citizenship is introduced and described as the ways that humans' sense of national and community belonging can increase due to participation in brand culture. Branding is emphasized and on every single thing we eat, unless grown in a personal garden or collected through hunting. The abundance of data marketing (taking information from your mobile devices or computers, and placing ads related to the same activity all over your feed) is growing all around us. We see how if someone is to search a product on the web, they have a high chance of receiving emails regarding that product or just see that product more prevalently. Consumerism is defined and the history of the rise in US and european societies. Brand ideoligies are expanded on and their ties to desire. The major topic of culture jamming instigated opposing consumerism, cooperate control of the economy, and wealth concentration.

This chapter sticks out to me in the sense of data marketing. Every single time I get on my phone, there is always an ad that is displayed that either relates to a problem I've had or a product I've discussed or researched. This type of marketing is scary because, although we don't physically have a person watching what we do and sending ads to our specific phones, we have data that acts as a brain describing you and all you've done on your device. This data can show what you like, don't like, and never allows for any transparency. Instead of broader ads, we have ads specially designed for us... If that's not scary there's something wrong... This data collected can almost seem invasive of privacy and lacks integrity of personal products and devices. {Anti-Terrorism Bill (C-51)}

(This picture depicts culture jamming by emphasizing the price of their cheap to make coffees and twists the advertisement to mean something completely different.)

[justin-oliver11]

Week 10 

This chapter describes media as impactful and in every one of our lives. On Mobile Phones, computers, TV's, and in ads all around us. The pervasiveness of media is also expanded on including the convergence of multiple mediums. The chapter then talks about the "masses" and the inclusion and impact of mass media. An example used is the Nazi propaganda video that intended to show "All of Germany" supporting but in reality uses visual aspects to control the perception of any viewers: only showing mass amounts of soldiers and pans to focus even more on the military. The chapter also adds the United States' use of media to support anticommunist USSR during the Red Scare. The point of this media was to target politicians and people of influence to divert any thoughts of possible communism in the US.

My take on this chapter is that this is common knowledge. For years media has been propagating many topics and the use to influence has always been there. Whether its promoting division, promoting earth friendly products, or supporting a controversial theme, the media has always been one step ahead in covering their opinion. What many forget is that media is not always scholarly based and most of the time is 99%+ opinions and promotes emotions for support of their opinion. This chapter is necessary for all of us to understand; expanding on the question of validity in whatever media we consume.