The most interesting aspect of this Baudrillard and post modernism lecture for me was about the advertising from about the 1950's in America that seeked to address consumer desires and aspirations, rather than showing how the products might be useful.
As the TV show Mad Men is popular at the moment, I could find quite a lot of examples of real adverts from this era (a lot that they wouldn't be able to get away with anymore!) and I found these interesting as they suggest fulfilment as the commodities are made equatable to desires and aspirations.
So here are some examples, that suggest to the viewer that buying a certain product will make them who they want to be, or products that seem to suggest they will improve something maybe unrelated if you buy them.
I looked through so many examples which can be found by accessing these links, but I have just included a few that stood out to me:
This 1960s advertisement for Lucky Strike cigarettes shows a businessman lighting up. The caption on the photo reads, "Big Meeting!" The hit TV show "Mad Men," set in the 1960s, stays true to the time period when smoking was widespread.
These are my lectures notes with added research and notes from the online handout and this was quite a difficult lecture to grasp the concept.
Objectives:
- Baudrillard's positions developed out of a Marxist critique of capitalism
- Baudrillard's analysis of advertising led him to argue that consumer's engagements with commodities had begun to function like a language
- Baudrillard extended this analyse into a fully blown theory of postmodernism
Notes:
- Throughout the late 1960s Jean Baudillard examined how the increased productive capacity of western nations in the post war era, and the rise of corresponding industries of marketing and advertising transformed the structure of consumer experience. - With the rise of consumer society, promotion and advertising began to take on a primary role in determining the commodity's value, and the consumer's disposition towards it.
- B analysed the rise of mass media and thought our engagement with material reality had been superseded by a system of representations that saturate perceptions
- B's version of postmodernism was a hyper real world where what we call reality was embedded in simulacra
[Simulacrum (plural: simulacra) means "likeness, similarity", was first recorded in the English language in the late 16th century, used to describe a representation, such as a statue or a painting, especially of a god. By the late 19th century, it had gathered a secondary association of inferiority: an image without the substance or qualities of the original.]
- In the matrix reality has been reduced to a blank white expanse. Neo questions the reality of the world he lives in.
- Simulacra - pure constructions relate to no reality outside themselves
- Post modern consumers sense the world around them is shaped by simulacra
- B's early writings were grounded in Marxism - For Marx labour is our involvement with the world
- Labour is a concept which encompasses how we shape our environment through our industry
- Labour is the interaction between man and nature
- Man's relationship with his environment determines the character of his consciousness - Industry generates products - When products can become exchanged they are commodities
- Exchange value - each commodity weighed against other, based on quantity not qualitative value
- Expressed through abstraction of use value, one use value is the same as another, to which it is determined equivalent
- Once we have money our contact with the physical world becomes transformed
- Our relationship to the world becomes indirect
- Under capitalism a workers labour becomes a commodity that they must sell in order to live
- The labour you do you have to exchange for money, your salary, so we have to sell our selves in order to survive
- Alienates the worker from the product of his labour, separates
- His work becomes an object and it exists outside of him
- This disconnects the worker from the product
- The labour is valued not by its usefulness but by its ability to generate exchange
- A simple object becomes a commodity, changing into a thing which changes beyond its physical existence
- The transformation of production and consumption can be rooted in
- We could make production more efficient by making assembly lines
- Henry Ford car assembly line - mass production - individual tasks allotted to individual workers, involved cooperation of multiple workers who each contributed to the production of each car.
- The idea that workers have leisure time to consume the products of mass production - consuming the things we are now manufacturing
- Post-war boom in manufacturing lasted until early 1970's
- Demand needed to be made consistent, as so many of each product were being produced, so publicity and advertising were new industries creating adverts to sell these products
- Individual competing adverts sitting alongside one another, acting on the consumer as a system
- A language in itself which is always used to make the same proposal - to propose we transform our selves and our lives by buying something more. Every advert is saying the same thing to us. (John Berger - Ways of seeing chapter 7)
- Advertisements seek to address consumer desires and aspirations, rather than showing how the products might be useful to us
- The idea that a car can take on human characteristics - "no shrinking violet" - by buying the product we expect to place this characteristic on to the product - The product is given a humanly symbolic exchange value
- Commodities are made equatable to desires and aspirations - We think this is how we will find fulfilment
- The system of objects - B claimed that advertising codes products in a way that determines the consumers relationship with them
- Fitting object in to series - its meaning is transferred to the customer
- Focus groups such as in mad men [watch youtube video] were a common aspect of planning advertising campaigns - trying to construct your adverts by who you are trying to sell it too. Two rooms: interview room where the secretaries are made to feel relaxed, even lied to, so they will give honest opinions and another room behind one way glass are a team of advertising creatives who are looking at the consumers feelings in relation to the issues and products they are trying to address and how they might construct adverts around them
- Advertisers find ways to convince consumers that their products will make them happy
- Codified emotional connections generated by advertising props
- The act of buying is not a free form of exchange - two irreducible systems confront one another
- Constant demand for consumer goods as factories are making thousands, so people need to be convinced to keep buying the same things
- The advertising messages take on the character of a language - Objects have social standings
- Needs disappear in to products
- Advertising is almost forcing needs to cohere very closely with products
- The department store - primary landscape of richness - products are arranged so the consumer distinguishes the differences in terms of needs, desires or fantasies
- The display window, manufacturer and brand name play a role in the collective vision
- Linguistic signs are made up of two parts - sound made with the vocal chords when speaking and the graphic marks that configure a word. Inseparable from the signifier is the signified.
- Consumers psychological attachments with the product are a collective system of signs - B developed full theory of postmodernism
- In hyper reality images take on lives of their own and become templates for new realities - Experience has become saturated by media imagery
- Disneyland prime examples of hyper real landscape
- Play of delusions, overtly fantastical environment within the park distracts attention from the environment outside of it - The twin towers architectural designs ignored that of those buildings around them. They were free of reference to any reality outside of themselves. - The explosions of 9/11 were strangely reminiscent of hollywood movie explosions - B believes progress has come to a standstill
- American psycho quantity of product placements - so many products to generate his own identity [watch youtube video]
- His values are constructed through marketing
- The rise of the advertising industry shaped and regulated customer demand
- Advertisements re-iterate the prospect of happiness through consumption
- Replication of social reality has brought history to a standstill
To begin with, here are some qualities of post-modernist graphic design:
Central features summarised by Thomas & Walsh
*Globalisation
*A post-industrial world of consumption and communication
*The challenging of cultural values and difference - (old social/cultural identities have lost their values, semiotics are not applied, things just exist without judgement) Other features
*The meaning of a piece has to be made by the reader, and each reader will find a different meaning, as designs are visually ambiguous (deconstruction of meaning)
*Ignoring the rules of graphic design, there are no rules
*Past styles/images/type from art and design history are 'borrowed' and used again at graphic designs convenience, as everything has been done before (exhaustion of styles)
*The end of original art - things are reproducible, mass production has replaced hand made
*A jokey, fun, light-hearted attitude has replaced the seriousness
*Eclectic mix of styles
*Complexity and chaos in designs
There appear to be some qualities of post-modernism that are shared with the qualities of modernism, however, on the other hand, post-modernism is the complete opposite of some of the associations given to modernism. Post-modernism provides negative/sarcastic responses to the characteristics of modernism which are seen as being bad.
It is difficult to conclude exactly what post-modernist graphic design is, as everything is so vague, but here are five examples:
The Memphis Group are an influential group of post-modernist designers, known for their brightly shocking furniture designs in a variety of interesting shapes. This book cover announces the new post-modern style. Their work is light-hearted, and their fun approach can be seen on this cover, that features a miss-match of many different shapes, such as with their furniture. There appears to be a structure with this design, but then there are certain aspects that break the rules, such as the red text placed off-centre, and the pattern on the left which is not aligned as the other shapes/patterns are. While the colour is simple, with the use of shapes there is a lot going on in this design, and, like with the Memphis group's furniture designs, it challenges the boring designs that are out there.
This flyer by John Weber relates to the post-modernist theory that everything has been done before, by using the shapes and colours which were used in the designs of the constructivist movement. However, the font used is quite different to the style of typography using in constructivist graphic design, showing a mix of styles. The design ignores the rules of grid and layout, with things placed diagonally, making the text harder to read, as everything is a bit chaotic. The use of only two colours against a lot of negative space should make this image look neat and simple, but instead, there is a complexity to the design. It is quite hard to understand what this flyer is actually about, leaving the viewer to find their own meaning.
Seymour Chwast (published 2004) - A Quarter Century of Innovative Design and Illustration
Again, this book cover shows how post-modernist graphic designers can bring up old styles and re-use them for light-hearted, interesting, but not original, designs. This illustration has been created in the style of pop art designs, which were considered at the time to be jokey, and there is definitely humour intended in this image of a hen wearing a tux. The fonts used are also based on past styles of typography, a style different to what was used in pop art designs, showing an eclectic mix, which ignores the rules of things having to work together for a particular meaning.
This is quite a busy, complex piece, but it doesn't look too over crowded due to the limited colour scheme, and the use of only one font. The heavy use of lines does seem to give this piece a grid, but at the same time, the rules have been broken, with little negative space and the overlaying of a miss-match of different sized images, this piece ends up quite chaotic.
This is another busy piece, containing many different layers of a mix of different styles of images and type, which seem to be quite randomly placed, making a chaotic piece, that does not appear to follow a grid. It breaks the rules of graphic design, meaning that what is being communicated isn't completely clear, so the viewer has to make their own mind up. The type is quite small in contrast to the images, and some text is even reversed, making it even harder to read. Also, some images are upside down. The randomness of an image of an upside down dinosaur placed on top of the body of a naked woman gives this design humour, and while it is confusing and ambiguous, it does seem fun and light-hearted.
With post modernism there is a feeling that everything has been done before, there are no original ideas, instead ideas are recycled and re quoted.
Late modernism was born out of optimism, with a view to improving peoples lives, but the rules of modernism actually limited people, preventing individuality.
Modernism was experimental, looked forwards, was original and meant for the individual to advance society.
Post modernism is almost the complete opposite to the associations linked with modernism. Progress is doubted, while a jokey light-hearted attitude replaces seriousness. It is impossible to be original.
The new modern world is seen as a bad route, as people are fed up with technology.
The new hasn't saved us, but made our lives worse.
Post modernism is fundamentally related to modernism, as it is often a negative or sarcastic reaction to the characteristics of the modern world, where modernism is an expression of these.
This crazy construction (Homage to New York) is anti-aesthetic, against modernism, however, it could be argued that there is a truth to materials with the junk. It was a work of art that was designed to blow up and destroy itself, which relates to the idea of new technologies destroying New York.
Post modernism is thought of as starting in the 1960's
Jameson thinks we are in late modernism, and that capitalism is about to fall
Hip hop is an example of post modern music. It is an eclectic mix, a strange modern mash up hybrid. It contains samples of old with new beats.
The idea of a global village started with modernism, now everything is linked, so the idea of an individual nationality is lost
The Pruitt building was bulldozed. It was a social housing project with modernist design. It was based on modernist society values. However, it quickly became a ghetto, rife with crime, drugs and prostitution, rather than building a community. It was a failed Utopian project.
Post modernism believes that modernism got it wrong, and failed us.
Technological determinism proved to be wrong, not everything is improved with new technology. This is proved by the Internet, while it has brought people together, it has also allowed for fraud, pedophiles and crime.
Post modernism is not all negative, it realises that everyone is unique, and everyone should have their own voice. There is a cultural space where new directions can be opened.
Society starts to get confused and lost with the dizzying array of options
The international style of architecture is shown in New York. Every skyscraper is true to form following function.
Park Hill flats in Sheffield are an example of the modernist community, with an aggressive aesthetic. They became slums, but cannot be demolished because the government say that the flats are important examples of modernist architecture. Post modernists have a 'colourful' solution to beautify the flats.
The AT&T building is an example of post modern architecture. It is an irregular skyscraper, mixing the old with the new. The part at the top references the Greek temples.
Post modernist architecture is more human, fun, less serious and individual.
Classical references are updated in a modern way. In this example, the skyscraper grid is turned wobbly and wavy. The building seems to be falling apart although it is brand new. There is bright colour. It is a mix of seriousness with joking.
Prince Charles dislikes modernist architecture and shows bad examples in his book.
Leeds magistrate court is an example of ill thought out post modern architecture, which just looks tired and ugly.
Leeds College of Art building is another example. The exposed pipework inside is a reference to the industrial culture.
People now realise that the modernist belief system was lies, as it was never the whole world's vision, but an elitist unattainable ideology.
Post modernism is an undermining of the structures that have guided us in the past. Without that foundation, people are left confused with a mess of a society. This allows for individual narratives and sub-cultures.
Pop art is often attacked for not being serious. There are jokey examples of the proposed Utopian future. "This must be the place." - An example of a piece that is sarcastic rather than celebratory.
People have no idea what is high or low culture anymore.
Las Vegas is the destruction of modern vision. Modernists would be distraught, post modernists would celebrate.
Dystopia - an ultimate loss of order and self. Failure of human progress.
Warhol is an example of the artist being replaced by celebrity. He was not about creativity, his art was an attack on what it means to be artistic. For example, the Marilyn's contained mistakes and smudges but were still used.
Pollock painted on to canvas with expression, emotion and gesture. Warhol has a jokey attack on this style by weeing on a canvas.
Piero Manzoni has a jokey attack on the art world with his "Artist's Shit", which is literally him selling his poo in a can.
Art seems superficial, all about the money. Everything seems to only have surface value, with no deeper emotional meaning.
Advertising has a greater social effect in the post modernist era than fine art.
People are now defined by material things rather than any greater sense.
Post modernist artists are about mixing high brown and populist.
The Memphis Group are a group of post modernist graphic designers. Their work is a mix of silliness with modernist styles, such as sans serif typography.
David Shrigley's drawings are a jokey attack on art today.
Modernism was always only about the Western world.
It is difficult to conclude post modernism, as everything is so vague.
