#contextual studies

[k00291501]

Research Notes

[olliemackk]

Glassware & its history.

It isn’t entirely clear to archeologists the exact time that glass appeared in the world, and many have attempted and failed to pinpoint a time period for its discovery. Though glass beads from as far back as the third millennium BCE have been found, glassware truly sprung into popularity during the bronze age. It was massively popular among kings, being that it was able to be coloured and set apart from other wares during the bronze age. It is said that glass was valued at a similar rate to gemstones for ancient Egyptians. Back then, glass was usually opaque and heavily saturated in order to retain its value in its colouring. It was also previously made by crushed quartz as opposed to sand as it is nowadays.

One of the reasons it is so hard to pinpoint its beginnings is that glass was a highly exchanged material. It was often used as peacekeeping and gifts between ancient kings, and would be exchanged both as final products and raw material. Alongside this, the procedure of making glass items is very resourceful. The lack of waste produced by glassmaking makes it harder again to understand its origins.

Glass nowadays is preferred clear and translucent. It is a far more versatile material, having hundreds of different applicants. Ancients liked it as a particular showcase of status in the form of jewellery and molds. However, in the early 1600s it is recounted that the glass bottle and jar industry began with the invention of the glass melting furnace. Glass is now used for countless things, the production using sand instead of quartz now allowing for the more thin variety of glass used in windows and mirrors. Due to the nature of its more widespread production, glass did not retain its royal prestige from ancient Egypt and Greece. However it is now a material that holds value in its usage, as many things we take for granted are made of glass.

[finlaylaverygc]

Zine Plan

Zine Plan

I plan to create a minimalist zine displays then and now images of Glasgow and surrounding districts. The images of now taken by me and the images of then taken by a late family member who took many photos between the late 50s and 70s. Using digital copies of these old film slides of Glasgow I shall scout out and match the locations I find interesting or have some kind of attachment too which has seen a good deal of change since the original slide image was taken. 

I want it to be displayed in the style of a paper movie, much like The Americas by Robert Frank. One image per spread and little captions. 

My images will be presented with a wide angle shot and the older slide layered on top, as shown below in an early test example.   

[martamdxcontextualstudies]

Propaganda: The Big Con

Propaganda. What is it? Where has it come from? How do we change social norms for profit? How do we manipulate public opinion to benefit the interest of the few? How does propaganda shape our world? And who shapes it?

Before World War One, the word propaganda was not commonly used in the English language and when it was, it was mainly used by social activists. The word propaganda often resided with Catholics before it was changed into a political term in the 19th century. This term had then been associated with secret organisations spreading opinions and often lies in order to influence public opinion and to create a bias. This is also when the word started to get a negative connotation surrounding it. 

Although, many believe propaganda is mainly spread through posters, it is much more versatile in which media it presents itself in. Many other ways it is used include: speeches, radio and film. Nowadays, it can be hiding anywhere and affect a much larger group in a shorter amount of time. Especially with the use of social media and influencers, many can now simply voice their opinions and sway a large audience in one sitting. Many politicians also use social media to spread slander and dishonesty, in hopes of swaying the public and winning their votes. And another common way is through advertisements and consumerism.

In 1928, George Washington Hill, president of an American tobacco company, wanted to find a way to persuade women to smoke. In a day and age where World War One had just ended (10 years ago), and women finally had the right to vote, Hill craved for more than he had. At the time it was socially taboo for women to smoke and only permitted for men to do so. A woman smoking at the time was often seen as immoral or as a prostitute. This was until Hill reached out to one of the pioneers of propaganda, Edward Bernays. 

Edward Bernays, an Austrian-American publicist and nephew to Sigmund Freud, is considered to be one of the first to develop the idea of Public Relations. He often used social sciences in order to shape the way the consumer saw a certain product/situation. In order to encourage more people to invest into the tobacco company, Bernays decided to target a demographic that craved something they didn't have for a long time. Freedom. And thus the campaign “Torches of Freedom” was born. This way Bernays linked a product to an idea, an idea of freedom. He used the statement “Torches of Freedom”, as a way to empower women, free themselves and be equals to men. He proceeded to then hire attractive women to march and light their “Torches of Freedom” another way he exploited women’s hopes of a better life at the time and encouraged more to join. Although this stunned many, and many men saw it as a threat,  it was one of the ways women were able to fight against emancipation and to change social norms. It finally became a symbol for rebellious independence, glamour and seduction.

We can often see propaganda in most of the products we use. Consumerism is generally often used to control society. In this day and age where inflation is through the roof. We are all often attempting to save every penny, every dime we can. This is when big deals such as black friday and cyber monday can strategically not only encourage people to spend more money, but also to distract from everything else going on in the world. Black Friday in particular doesn’t have one of the best origins. Although many people correlate the day with thanksgiving and christmas shopping, the origin actually has a little less in common. One of the first times we’ve ever heard this phrase was in 1869, it was created by a severe plummet in gold prices that eventually caused a market crash and affected the American economy for a long time to come. In later times, it then had many correlations with other negative events such as in Philadelphia when people crowded the streets in hopes of finding post thanksgiving deals, ultimately leading to mass chaos. Police had to deal with traffic jams, accidents and shoplifting. Because of the negative implications surrounding black friday, it was attempted to be renamed to “Big Friday”, something that seemed more joyous. However, that didn’t stick as many companies referred to the day as red-to-black profit. Nowadays, events such as black friday are often used to feed into capitalism. People fight over items that might have not even been reduced too much, over spend on things they don’t really need and usually because of the mass chaos it ensues, many are often scrolling through social media to see footage of the chaos, ultimately distracting them from real life situations. Another example of consumerist propaganda is the pink tax.

Pink tax markets universal products specifically to women, often at a much higher price point. From razors, hairbrushes, personal care to even face masks. Products marketed for women are at a much higher price point than those for men and are often labelled as more sensitive or fragile and state that “women are more concerned about personal care, so they’ll be willing to pay more”.

Other than capitalism, one of the most recent instances we have of political propaganda, comes from the Russian v Ukraine war. Disinformation such as: manipulated photographs, state propaganda and deep fake videos are all used to intimidate and gain advantage over the other country. Another fairly recent example of propaganda and mass disinformation surrounded a first responder team in Syria, the White Helmets. This group was known to save thousands of lives everyday as they worked on the first aid frontline of the civil war and even had a Netflix show. The information around the White Helmets is quite messy, many believing they have been nothing but a PR stunt to paint the western world as heroic when in fact it was all staged (this claim was more often made by the Russian and Syrian government in hopes of painting them as the good guys). Some believed they were real but intensified their videos in order to gain more of a shock factor. Others were shocked that they had decided to film a video surrounding the mannequin challenge, where whilst pulling a boy out of rubble they are frozen mid-rescue, this creating a surge of more people questioning the truth. 

A lot of the time propaganda is filled with ill intent, often benefiting the organisation/individual behind the disinformation over the viewer. We see it everyday. We see it everywhere. But we are rarely ever able to recognise it. From distractions, emotional manipulation and self-guilt these are all tactics used by those behind the creation of propaganda.

Referencing:

Dedaić, M.N. and Nelson, D.N. (2003) At war with words. Reprint 2012. Edited by M.N. Dedaić and D.N. Nelson. Hawthorne, New York: Mouton de Gruyter. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110897715.

Delgado, J. (2022, May 9). Propaganda today: how has it been transformed to continue manipulating us? Psychology Spot. https://psychology-spot.com/propaganda-today/

Beck, A. (2022, November 15). Platforms of Propaganda: How Social Media Sites Facilitate and Spread Disinformation. MIR. https://www.mironline.ca/platforms-of-propaganda-how-social-media-sites-facilitate-and-spread-disinformation/

Dirty British propaganda war against Syria exposed. (2020, October 16). The Communists. https://thecommunists.org/2020/10/16/news/dirty-british-propaganda-war-against-syria-exposed/

Wesolowski, K. (2022, April 28). Fake news further fogs Russia’s war on Ukraine. dw.com. https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-fake-news-thrives-amid-russia-ukraine-war/a-61477502

Hadjimatheou, B. C. (2021, February 27). Mayday: How the White Helmets and James Le Mesurier got pulled into a deadly battle for truth. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-56126016

Vaughan, D. (2022). Why Is It Called Black Friday? [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-it-called-black-friday.

HuffPost UK. (2019). You Probably Don’t Know The Dark Reason ‘Black Friday’ Got Its Name. [online] Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/black-friday-history-why-is-it-called-black-friday_l_5d951322e4b02911e1154386.

Highsnobiety. (2016). How Consumerism Is Used to Control Society. [online] Available at: https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/consumerism-social-control/.

Edward Bernays | American publicist. (2019). In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Bernays.

[photosbyamy]

Say What You See Task

I see a watercolour painting.  In the painting, there is a house towards the right hand side in the foreground.  One side of the house is at a distorted perspective.  This makes it look like it is sliding off of the page.  There is a hill in the background on the left hand side.  There are many trees that are various different shades of green. There is also a small brown fence before the house that separates the hills and trees from a dirt path.  The sky is a pale blue and takes up about half of the painting. Within the blue sky, there are also white clouds. There is a second building which is light grey with a red window amongst the green trees that helps break up the trees. The paint doesn’t go right to the edge of the paper so some white is exposed around the edges.

[miastewarthnd2a]

Wait For It - Crop Task

[cyjammy]

Angel’s Early Struggle

Can we talk about Angel being bothered by Sir Pentious being praised by Charlie? Because I don't think that's been talked about enough if at all.

Angel up to this point and well past episode two puts up a front. His persona empowers him, gives him a shield against his abuser, critics and even himself. Angel's self-imposed egocentrism gives him the opportunity to gain attention whether that be positive or negative. He wants to play the part of a self-assured, overly-sexual porn star because he knows that's how he has to be.

All of this we know already after episode four.

This skepticism and refusal to change is a byproduct of his negative self-image caused by his circumstances. Valentino has ruined Angel up to this point. He allows Angel to continue his self-destructive tendencies and isolated him to the point where his only friend was Cherri Bomb - someone who also enables him. Valentino does this all for his own benefit. Angel is a toy to him - one that makes him money. To Valentino, his feelings are non-existent, what matters is what he can get out of him, how much use Angel is to him.

Whether that be through physicality or being an entertaining plaything, Valentino doesn't care.

When Angel uses his persona, that pleases the person he spends the most time around. Valentino considers him worthy of the little bit of praise he will give before taking it away at the first opportunity. The inconsistent treatment Angel receives from Valentino is traumatic in itself, couple that with sexual and physical abuse and Angel is barely hanging on. Nobody can remain sane from that without having some way to cope.

After all of that mistreatment that solidified Angel's thought process, his fears and insecurities, he finds someone else who gives him attention with zero strings attached through Charlie. Angel is obviously skeptical at first, considering the things Valentino did to him. He knows Hell is unforgiving, that he had already made a mistake trusting a ruthless overlord, so it was a no brainer that he wouldn't trust Charlie, at least not right away.

So Angel emulates Valentino's behavior, he uses Charlie for a free place to stay with minimal intentions of trying to be redeemed. At any opportunity where Charlie doesn't have Angel under watch, he took the chance to do drugs, start fights, and simply revert back to the way he was when he was on his own. Angel does show some kind of remorse, unlike Valentino, before reigning himself back in to pretend he doesn't care.

Even in the pilot you could see the beginnings of character development in Angel. Not everything was as it seemed.

At this point, Angel has no reason to stop this behavior. This is Angel's rationalization: It's Hell, nobody else is going to try Charlie's plan, redemption doesn't exist, why try?

In this endeavor, Angel can't be considered a failure or disappointment. There aren't grave actions for falling short in the Hotel like there would be if he failed Valentino. There is no threat of physical harm, verbal or emotional abuse and manipulation. He may get yelled at by Vaggie and Charlie, but he had just met them, he doesn't care about their opinions or feelings to the point that it would viscerally affect him.

However, Charlie did whittle him down by being genuine. She cares for the hotel’s patrons and her plan for redemption. Charlie stays consistent in a way that Valentino doesn’t.

After a long night of filming, Angel gets to return to the hotel. Charlie and Vaggie are there and Angel stays unbelieving of her plans for redemption. After Alastor joins, Angel also has Nifty and Husk.

He doesn’t have to stew in his misery within the same vicinity as his abuser. He gets to have a distraction and a support system no matter how dysfunctional they may seem.

When Sir Pentious joins the hotel as a spy for the Vees, Angel has to compete for attention where he never had to. Sir Pentious is the patron of Charlie’s dreams. He appeals to her notion of instant conversion by obediently following her orders no matter how nonsensical or small.

Angel continues to put up the same front since it hasn't stopped working for him before. Charlie starts a group activity, Sir Pentious succeeds, and Angel says it's stupid.

Charlie has them act out a scene, Angel is critical of it and Sir Pentious plays the part perfectly.

Charlie freely gives him praise.

Angel has never received praise from Charlie up to this point. At least, nothing direct. Charlie would placate him, use language that wasn't insulting, but those comments weren't compliments.

They were meant to redirect, produce a productive conversation and ultimately help Charlie achieve her goal. She never checked in on Angel's well-being. With everything going on, she was so concerned with her plan that she didn't focus on anything else.

Angel doesn't make an event out of it. He states that he's leaving and when the attention is off him he doesn't try to bring it back.

There is simply defeat.

Angel doesn't process these feelings well. He momentarily considers the hotel just as bad as any place in Hell. He considers returning to Valentino. At least in the studio he's the center of attention, he is good at what he does. There is no need to think of ways to be better or earn redemption, he can be a degenerate and a sleazeball all he wants.

While he is certainly being used at least he is of use. He has a purpose and he isn't disregarded because he doesn't measure up. Angel has his part and he plays it well.

So there is that choice to return back to the studio until he is snapped out of his stupor by remembering his reality. There were good moments with Valentino, but those would never outweigh the bad and the downright horrible. The voicemails Valentino left him highlighted that too well.

Angel had no choice but to stay.

But where did that leave him? He felt like a disappointment. Charlie wouldn't see someone as broken as him worthy for redemption. Sir Pentious had that role and he was better in that department. Angel firmly believed that he couldn't change.

Valentino's hold on him remained strong in the earlier months of his departure. Angel struggled with this mindset of self-destruction. He continued to ruin opportunities for himself, but it was so deeply ingrained in him he couldn't stop himself.

So, he goes to cope. He wants to drown his misery away.

And through that he discovers Sir Pentious's true intentions. He wasn't this perfect patron taking Charlie's attention. Angel's skepticism was justified. He didn't have to be perfect nor did he have to try because Sir Pentious was in the same boat as him.

He prioritized his interests over redemption.

And I wish we could have seen the change with a few more episodes because there is no way this distrust faded in a day.

Knowing that there were months of development in between these moments clears up a few things, but it wasn't on screen so we're left to speculate.

Now, instead of being spiteful, Angel is back to acting as he would with anyone in the Hotel. Sir Pentious has been brought down off his pedestal, he didn't have pure intentions, his dreams of becoming a powerful overlord were crushed and he was cluelessly following an untested path to redemption because he had nowhere else to go.

Angel's attitude persists until Loser, Baby. This is the second moment where he realizes that Hell is shit and nobody is better than anyone, especially if they ended up here. Husk is there for Anthony, a guy who isn't putting on a front and just made a few shit decisions.

As the months go on and Angel only has to interact with Valentino in a business capacity, he gains confidence. There's a system in place that's benefitting him, he has friends and a reason for being.

He even goes as far as to defend his new friends - his faux family - against the biggest threat to his wellbeing.

He has hope for the future and I love that all of it was revealed in Season 1. All you have to do is pay attention.

[wonder-worker]

people really do not know what they're talking about when it comes to Elizabeth Woodville's social status, huh?

[kaurwreck]

I need y'all to understand that I am objectively not, nor have I ever been, reasonable. When first learning how to read, the book I chose to use for practice was about how US currency is issued and circulated because I kept asking my parents, and their explanations of the Federal Reserve weren't satisfying to me. By the second grade, I'd exhausted all of the nonfiction in my elementary school library and so started burning through the local public library's instead. My approach to background reading is pathological.

[olliemackk]

Contextual - Editorial.

Discussion of fashion stories within editorial pieces and magazines. Choose one fashion story and describe how it is themed.

Joel Meyorowitz is a well renowned street photographer, distinguished often by the surrealist nature of his photography. Even his standard portrait always has a strange quality to it, outwith traditional styles of street photography. You can definitely see Meyerowitz' style of photography shine within this editorial. The street context of the shots are akin to many of his other publications, alongside the very loose use of a reoccurring theme/storyline.

Joel meyerowitz for Jil Sander 2021

There is a structural theme surrounding this editorial; many of the images portray models standing in square archways and doorframes. The daylight outdoors shots tend to showcase some undersaturated, pale yellows and pinks, while the indoor shots are more neutral toned. There is a bit of a ‘Wes Anderson’ feel to some shots, but I am unsure if it was a purposeful inspiration. The photographs weave inside and outside, as well as during the day and during the night while all showing one of two models. Every shot is of a single person, Meyerowitz never chooses to bring them together for any image. He may be depicting a sense of loneliness, particularly in the nighttime shots. However, I feel some serenity in the daylight images as well. 

The shots change frequently, in fact there is less that stays the same throughout than what changes for variety. Meyerowitz swaps between two models, multiple locations and different outfits. 

[kate-apologist]

i am begging for someone to canonize a little more info about kate's other kid because a deep dive into the wiki revealed the potential they're in the 3-6 age range when she has to go dark (assuming it's around the 2017-2018 time span) which......

the implications??????

to be fair it's based in an aside by kate's half-nephew who might not have been aware of her second kid (unlikely considering him and gordy are besties but hey who knows) that places the potential span of time from 2011 to 2014, when the line in death in heaven about kate being a divorcee is canonized. and of course doctor who canon is more malleable than playdough, so all of it can be taken with grains of salt but still!

i love stories that have kate's second kid being a young adult, i think it's fun (and i've done it all the time) but now i want to see a 2024 return to power kate trying to rebuild her relationship with an at most 13 year old at youngest 10 year old who hasn't seen her for around 6 years. like her grappling with her own terrible relationship with her parents while trying not to do the same to this kid who already probably resents her a little bit for up and abandoning them

i'm pleading i'm begging for more kate content at any given point but cmon that's the same around age that her mother breaks up with the brigadier and they fully separate the parallels-

[ilistentogirlinred]

i call dark academia books fucked up university books and i would say its accurate

[photosbyamy]

IT WISNAE US

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Exhibition Review

How does the flyer/poster advertise the exhibition?

The exhibition was mostly advertised on social media with a picture of the exhibition along with a short paragraph detailing what the exhibition is about.  The exhibition was part of Black History Month which was promoted more as a whole rather than individual events.

What is the suitability of the gallery space? How is the exhibition laid out?

The exhibition is relatively small as it is located on the South Balcony of the gallery.  There is a maximum of 4 images per poster sheet which means that it isn’t too busy to look at.  The exhibition is mostly writing with photographs spread throughout to help the viewer process the information.

How has the work been mounted? Is this appropriate for the work?

The images haven’t been mounted to foambords or framed.  They have been printed onto the poster sheets along with all of the text.  I think this is appropriate for the work as it it based off of a book do it reflects how the information and images were intended to be presented.

Who made the work?

The images within the exhibition are all uncredited – the majority only have a date and/ or a location in the caption.  The images were provided by Alan Crumlish, Jon Jardine, Charles McKean and The Mitchell Library.

Who did they make it for? Who is the audience?

The exhibition was made to educate people on Glasgow’s past – particularly involving black slaves and the slave trade.  The exhibition would be visited by those who want to be educated more om this topic and those who feel strongly about the issues it discusses.

How does it make you feel?

The images make me feel quite solemn as they depict terrible things that have happened in the past in the country I have grown up in.  Certain images make these feelings stronger such as the ones of Trongate and Broomielaw which are both places I pass multiple times a week.  Although the exhibition is showing these horrible parts of history, they do make me feel hopeful for the future as times have changed since the 1700s and although racial problems are very much still an issue if there has been such changes so far then changes can still be made in the future if we keep fighting.

Does the work have a title? Does I make you feel differently?

The exhibition is titled ‘It Wisnae Us’.  Using Scots slang in the title helps set the location in Scotland which makes the images more impactful as it shows the history of this country.

How would I describe it to someone later?

The exhibition is packed full of information about Scotland and the slave trade and dives deep into the historical event from every aspect.  The visual aids along the way help highlight parts of the information and make it more memorable.

Does the photograph make you want to ask questions? What are these questions?

The photographs only act as a visual aid to highlight key information so most questions are answered with the information that then accompany.

Is the photograph valuable? How do you know?

The photographs are valuable as they show part of Scottish history.  Most of the photographs have been preserved since the 1700s so their age alone makes them hold some sort of value.

Is the work for sale and who might buy it?

The work used to be for sale through Stephen Mullens book that was titled the same name (which is what the exhibition is based on) however the book is no longer available.  If the images were for sale then a historian may purchase them to hell uncover more of world history.

What information is available about the artist/s?

As previously mentioned, the images are uncredited so there is no information about the artists available.

Who organised the exhibition and who selected the work?

The exhibition was organised by CRER, a charity that fights for racial equality in Scotland.  The images were chosen by Jon Jardin, the designer of the original book, website and exhibition.

[ofthescatteredstars]

𝙃𝙊𝙒 𝘿𝙊 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙑𝙄𝙀𝙒 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀?

In an amazing twist of fate, both Soup and Orchidus are... all encompassing

it consumes you. thoughts that trace the same memory every waking second. body engrained with muscle memory at even the slightest sound. everything that is the earth reminds you of it. courses through your body like fire, keeps you afloat and wanting, always wanting for more

[chompe-diem]

sometimes i wish i wasnt a guy who gets so exhausted from writing even 1k words in a day's work bc there are fic ideas up there man,,, theyre not Great ideas but they exist at least....

[crowleyanthonys]

.