#conceptual research

[samhortoncop1]

Jean Baudrillard ‘Simulations’ 1983

Jean Baudrillard (1929-2007): French sociologist and cultural theorist combines both Marxist political economic opinions and semiotics (theory of signs) influenced by Roland Barthes; critiquing everyday life in a consumer society, in which, according to Baudrillard, things have symbolic value in addition to values derived from Marxian use and exchange. I decided to research and analyse the work of Baudrillard from his frequent terminology of the ‘Hyperreal’ & ‘Hyperrealities’, linking directly to the context of my essay. Below, I have selected relevant quotes from his 1983 publication ‘Simulation’ to dissect Baudrillard's definition of the ‘Hyperreal’ and how it culturally impacts consumerist society, however, I must consider my neutral approach to the topic without portraying a biased perspective. Although the topic is extremely opinionated and metaphorical, I should stay within the limitations of the essay to provide a third-person examination rather than a manifesto. The quotes/paraphrases below have been specifically selected due to intriguing and correlative values towards the progression of my essay. I believe the quotes from ‘Simulation’ will help communicate the visual creation of the hyperreal from the post-production alterations on the indexical document. I will use a selected amount of quotes in my essay to help introduce the hyperreal. 

Quotes/Paraphrases from ‘Simulation’ 1983

“If we were able to take as the finest allegory of simulation the Borges tale where the cartographers of the Empire draw up a map so detailed that it ends up exactly covering the territory (but where the decline of the Empire sees this map become frayed and finally ruined, a few shreds still discernible in the deserts - the metaphysical beauty of this ruined abstraction, bearing witness to an Imperial pride and rotting like a carcass, returning to the substance of the soil, rather as an ageing double ends up being confused with the real thing)” (pg1). I particularly like how Debord has referenced the Borges tale to metaphorically reference the Simulation, it enables the viewers to gather an instant insight into the context from the first page.

“To dissimulate is to feign not to have what one has. To simulate is to feign to have what one hasn’t” (pg 5). So essentially, Debord refers to the Simulation as the ‘expectational’ in reference to my essay (as I will preserve the expectational as a dominant keyword). Simulations act distinctly towards general consumerism and to ‘have what one hasn’t’, in day-to-day influences from the simulation to be the person you are not, but of the expectational. Subtly subtracting individual features from oneself to appear clouded by capitalistic values; enabling a self-reassurance of comfort within the company of others, status and depiction from others. 

“feigning or dissimulating leaves reality principle intact: the difference is always clear, it is only masked; whereas simulation threatens the difference between ‘true’ and ‘false’, between ‘real’ and ‘imaginary’” (pg 5). Essentially, Debord is explaining that Simulation is almost nothing, weightless to society; it cannot be seen or heard, but it’s movements are unquestionably distinctive. The Simulation creates indistinguishable features between fiction and reality: opposing the normalities of reality to construct a better, uptopia fabricated reality controlled by the masses. In the essay, I do not wish to portray my own opinion upon the topic as it could defy the Third Person system and become an unbiased examination of the hyperreality. I wish to construct an unbiased examination on the hyperreality from the continuous fragments of post-production and it’s contributions/ influences on the consumers. The Simulation appears neither true or false, as it is our norm, unquestionable to the public as the hyperreality is depicted by each and all of us, however, it is whether we are able to distinguish it, like Debord states “simulation threatens the difference between ‘true’ and ‘false’, between ‘real’ and ‘imaginary” (pg5). It appears the same in photography; whether amateur or professional, accessible features are available to all on smartphones to industry software's to morph, alter, edit, remove and include features of the photograph. Although, when the photograph is published online or as a tangible object, the observer (unless stated or visually apparent) reads the image from the first interpretation. It is only when one questions and compares the photograph with common visions of daily life that post-processed truth is revealed. We as observers are unable to depict post-production, unless exposed fully, like photomontage etc. As we are unable to distinguish whether the photograph has been edited or not, we are presented with a photograph that we may depict recognisable features and signs presented in reality so this may appear truthful to the observer through the memorable recognitions of the subject matters. Although, the engine of the hyperreality is in the core of the post-processing, so the observer, unless apparent, is unable to understand the post-processing procedures behind the photograph; igniting the hyperreality from the individual's depiction of the photograph and the comparable features of reality. 

“Behind the baroque of images lies hides the grey eminence of politics” (pg 10). I believe this quote exposes Baudrillard’s Marxist studies from the belief that the purpose of the Simulation is politically driven to use the visual representations capturing the essence of reality to deceive and attract the viewers, to ‘feign to have what one hasn’t’; the expectational. 

“All of Western faith and good faith was engaged in this wager on representation: that a sign could refer to the depth of meaning, that a sign could exchange for meaning and that something could guarantee this exchange - God, of course. But what if God himself can be simulated, that is to say, reduced to the signs which attest his existence? Then the whole system becomes weightless, it is no longer anything but a gigantic simulacrum” (10-11)

“So it is with simulation, insofar as it is opposed to representation. The latter starts from the principle that the sign and the real are equivalent” (11)

I am pleased I decided to analyse the work of Jean Baudrillard, it has developed a greater insight into the Spectacle and Simulations that appear extremely influential to the context of my essay. It has raised questions for the direction of my own essay question and how I can develop the studies further through the adaptation of Baudrillard’s ideologies. 

Word Bank (all definitions are sourced from Google):

Dissimulate: spread (something, especially information) widely.

Simulate: imitate the appearance or character of.

Psychosomatic: (of a physical illness or other condition) caused or aggravated by a mental factor such as internal conflict or stress.

Simulacrum: an image or representation of someone or something.

Omnipotence: the quality of having unlimited or very great power.

Proliferation: rapid increase in the number or amount of something.

Figurative: departing from a literal use of words; metaphorical.

[samhortoncop1]

‘The Society of the Spectacle’ & The Situationists

ALL DEBORD QUOTES FROM VIDEO: USE TO WRITE INFO, NOT QUOTES

‘The Society of the Spectacle’

In 1967, Guy Debord wrote a critical theory of philosophy and Marxist ideologies which he develops and presents the concept of the Spectacle in the book. It is considered an important text for the anarchist Situationist movement, an international organisation of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals and political theorists, prominent in Europe from its formation in 1957 to its dissolution in 1972. Overall, situationist theory represented an attempt to synthesise this diverse field of theoretical disciplines into a modern and comprehensive critique of mid-20th-century advanced capitalism. “The situationists recognised that capitalism had changed since Marx's formative writings, but maintained that his analysis of the capitalist mode of production remained fundamentally correct; they rearticulated and expanded upon several classical Marxist concepts, such as his theory of alienation.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situationist_International)

In relation to my essay, I believe ‘The Society of the Spectacle’ and Guy Debord’s definition of Spectacle relates directly to my use of ‘expectational’, that I’ve mentioned throughout the essay. Guy Debord makes vital links with capitalism and modern consumerism for us to understand the definition of ‘Spectacle’ as the spectacle is surrounding us daily; you could almost reference Jean-Paul Sartre’s novel ‘Nausea’ with the spectacle as this is more than factual representations, the representations form and influence society through the visual guidelines of desired necessities. John Berger summarises this perfectly in ‘Ways of Seeing’, “Publicity both promises and threatens. It plays upon fear, often the fear of not being desirable, of being unenviable. It suggests that you are inadequate as you are, but it consoles you with the promise of a dream” that dream is the spectacle, the expectational. I believe that I should reference the Situationists & ‘Society of the Spectacle’ as there are direct references to the context of my essay; although, I am explaining how post-production (when applied) removes the indexical values of the photograph to alter and reproduce a fake document, contributing to the hundreds and thousands uploaded daily, leaving us to question what is real and what is not; a hyperreality? In ‘The Society of the Spectacle’ Guy Debord’s attitudes are exposed to his perspectives on capitalism and the images representation to achieve the expectational, although, he clearly explains that “The spectacle is not a collection of images; rather, it is a social relationship between people that is mediated by images” (Guy Debord) he is analysing how the endless representations accumulate to the ‘expectational’ of beauty, fashion, clothes, food etc, constantly making you aspire for more. The billboard infiltrations advertisements from corporate companies, aligning in the contemporary cultural sphere, creating products for the consumer to want; from its depictions on television from celebrities, newspapers, online and the culture. I do believe Guy Debord’s capitalist studies are extremely relevant to my practice, as I believe, the hyperreality is created through altered and untruthful visual representations that (subtly defy the indexical) to later deceive the viewer and wrongly informed the viewers of the overall window of the photograph. If the window has been post-produced, the viewer perceives the other side of the window differently, through the layers in which the subject has been hidden. I will analyse how purposeful and intention post-production on photographs, especially portraits or general photographic identity, ultimately creates the hyperrreality of the expectational. First, before the photograph the model would apply makeup relevant to the shoot and relevant to the high-end glamour of modern society, to allow the magazine to present contemporary fashion, or also applies to amateur photographs ‘selfies’ ‘group  photos’ etc, the person in front of the camera acts differently when the camera is positioned towards them, the model is revealed - so when the viewer depicts the image, from the model’s pose and the makeup appliances and the clothing, it is to create a jealousy among the viewers, a desire for the profit of the  consumeristic values benefitted from the jealousy. The photographs of the model appear on billboards, online and social media, newspapers/editorials, books, films, musicians, all contributing to the ever growing one-way directional tide of culture. Once we, we’re taught that everything is real life (tangible), we become confronted with the advertisements, with the clothing in films, with the makeup in magazines, with the hair products of a musician and become enwrapped in a social bubble of desire; this is who I should be and who I want to be. This is the spectacle. I believe that the spectacle defines the expectational and I will summarise this further in my essay. 

Below, I have displayed key quotes by Guy Debord (The Society of the Spectacle) and other relevant quotes to create an insight into the context examined.

John Berger “Publicity both promises and threatens. It plays upon fear, often the fear of not being desirable, of being unenviable. It suggests that you are inadequate as you are, but it consoles you with the promise of a dream”

4. “The spectacle is not a collection of images; rather, it is a social relationship between people that is mediated by images” Guy Debord

“It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth” The Matrix  

“In the spectacle, which is the visual reflection of the ruling economic order - goals are nothing, development is everything. The spectacle aims at nothing other than itself.” 

“The spectacle is able to subject human beings to itself because the economy has already totally subjugated them, it is nothing other than the economy developing for itself.” 

“When all experiences of the real world are distilled into images do images become real beings too? Dynamic fictions that provide the direct motivations” Guy Debord 

“For one to whom the real world becomes real images, mere images are transformed into real beings - tangible figments which are the efficient motor of trancelike behaviour. Since the spectacle’s job is to cause a world that is mo longer directly perceptible to be seen via different specialised meditations, it is inevitable that it should elevate the human sense of sight to the special place once occupied by touch; the most abstract of the senses, and the most easily deceived, sight is naturally the most readily adaptable to present-day society’s generalised abstraction.” 

“So long as the realm of necessity remains a social dream, dreaming will remain a social necessity. The spectacle is the bad dream of a modern society in chains, expressing nothing more than its wish for sleep. The spectacle is the guardian of that sleep.” Debord referring to the effects of capitalism 

“For the spectacle is simply the economic realm developing for itself - at once a faithful mirror held up to the production of things and distorting objectification of the producers” 

“On the contrary, it is the very heart of society’s real unreality. In all its specific manifestations - news or propaganda, advertising or the actual consumption of entertainment - the spectacle epitomises the prevailing model of social life” Guy Debord

“The language of the spectacle is composed of signs pf the dominant organisation of production - signs which are at the same the ultimate end-products of that organisation”  Guy Debord

“The Spectacle cannot be set in abstract opposition to concrete social activity, for the dichotomy between reality and image will survive on either side of any such distinction. Thus the spectacle, though it turns reality on its head, is itself a product of real activity/ Likewise, lived reality suffers the material assaults of the Spectacle’s mechanisms of contemplation, incorporating the spectacular order and lending that order positive support. Each side, therefore, has its share of objective reality.”

“But any critique capable of apprehending the spectacle’s essential character must expose it as a visible negation of life - and as a negation of life that has invented a visual form for itself”

“this state of being envied constitutes glamour, and without social envy, glamour cannot exist” John Berger Ways of Seeing

Constant Nieuwenhuys ‘New Babylon’, 1959-74 - Source: cup2013.wordpress.com/tag/constant-nieuwenhuys

Constant Nieuwenhuys (1920-2005) was a Dutch artist and one of the founding members of the Situationist International formed in 1957. He is also known for his utopian project, New Babylon, started in 1956 and on which he worked for nearly twenty years. Constant was one of the theoretical drivers behind the Situationists alongside Guy Debord (1931-1994) and it was a widening gulf between their two positions that eventually led Nieuwenhuys to leave the group in 1960. The project New Babylon, is today considered an exemplary expression of the Situationists' take on the city. Designed around the abolition of work, New Babylon was a city based on total automation and the collective ownership of land. With no more work, citizens were free to move around, with, New Babylon inspired by a gypsy encampment and designed to facilitate such a nomadic lifestyle. New Babylon focused on the social construction of space with every aspect of the city controllable by its citizens in order that they could construct new atmospheres and situations within the given infrastructure. It was a dynamic environment that could easily be adapted and changed, allowing inhabitants to explore their creativity through play and interaction. That the whole of New Babylonrested on a technological dream that can no longer be fulfilled has been commented on often, but as Francesco  Careri of the group Stalker/Osservatorio Nomade has commented, perhaps a change in thinking is required that sees New Babylon as already existing within the voids and fissures of the contemporary consumerist city.

[samhortoncop1]

Communication: Persuasion & Propaganda Lecture

In the Communication: Persuasion & Propoganda lecture, the information appeared highly relevant towards my essay title ‘How photography has spawned and influenced a hyper-reality without our consciousness’ although, I’m not going to venture too deep into advertising, but I feel the information from the lecture has given me an insight into the multiple mediums in which influence an ‘expectational’ or ‘image’ that one seeks for a ‘better, more successful life’. 

Persuasion - how we make decisions, persuading the public rather than demanding, the notion of being persuaded every day through items of persuasion embedded in our democratic society. We vote in response to how we've been persuaded. 

Originated in Ancient Greek Society - 'active citizens' / the minority of citizens (not slaves) had to participate in decision making, not only by voting but by standing up and arguing their case. Within a society like that where it is expected each citizen had to participate, being your own advocate, getting what they want out of a dispute. 

Sophists - Rhetoric (persuasion) representing your view in a very persuasive view, sophists they would teach citizens of greek society about how to teach persuasion. Sophists were post-modernists, there is no right or wrong, they would teach it was about the persuasion. 

Propaganda is “information, especially of a biased of misleading nature, used to promote a political cause of point of view” (Oxford Online Dictionaries) physiological mechanisms of influencing and altering the attitude of a population toward a specific cause, position or political agenda in an effort to form a consensus on a standard set of belief patterns. 

The difference between Propaganda and Persuasion; loaded messages to reduce an emotional rather than a rational response to information represented.

 “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organised habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country”. Bernays 1928, connections to Freud, he used his understand of psychoanalysis and the appeal to emotions to create war-time propaganda.

Photography’s relation to Propaganda:

Visual spectacles; a key tool of propaganda, with political and aesthetics.

Hugo Jaeger 1939 Hitler’s Photographer, captured imagery inside the Reichstag and the Third Reich. 

Was advertising working in the early days? How do you get people to buy your products rather than simply cutting the price? It didn’t work terribly well, more verbal communication or friends influence would guide the consumer. Seeing an advert a few days before shopping would increase the influence of the consumerism, or the stronger the advert is the effects would then be magnified. Research began on looking at what makes a stronger ad. “They may not tell us what to think, but what to think about”. A sense in which, adverts frame the bigger choices and frame our dreams about cars, constructing attributes of what we should expect from buying a car, it has marginal effects over which brands we choose.  

When the product is really mundane, intellectually we understand that one is cheaper than the other and they all have the same inside (washing machine powder etc). If we choose the most expensive we believe ‘it must be the best’, if we choose the cheapest we believe ‘they’re all the same just a different box’, and if we choose a well-known brand we ‘feel like we can trust the brand’. No research is being conducted, it’s from the rule-of-thumb of general day-to-day realisations.  

Heuristic - a simple cue or rule-of-thumb method for solving a problem

New, quick, easy, improved, now, suddenly, amazing, introduction - best heuristic mechanisms, persuaded by your emotions it is the same a propaganda, bypassing the need to pursue. 

Peripheral: in the background, at the same time as other things using heuristics - making a decision and doing other things at the same time.

Central: careful and thoughtful consideration of the argument possibly arguing against the message or seeking new information.

Post-Truth Politics “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals tp emotion and personal belief.” Propaganda isn’t a historical, it is happening everyday deceiving the public and general consumerism. 

Donald Trump - ‘president Obama wasn't born in USA’ ‘Obama and Clinton were co-founders of the Islamic State’ - these are lies being repeated in order to appeal to something. Appealing to something people want to hear.“Propaganda is of no use to the politician unless he has something to say which the public, consciously or-or unconsciously, wants to hear” Bernays in Propaganda, 1928. Use repeated, factually irrelevant notions to connect with the viewer, giving them something they want to hear, based on the individual's interpretation of the situation. 

Fashion Photography is propaganda, for the women to look a certain way - the route of success. Within visual imagery,  means it is generally seen as a one-off, each image is a single statement, a single piece of appeal for an emotional response. 

Documentary Photography 'Don McCullin' Bradford series, as an individual image, it still works like propaganda, but it still wants an emotional appeal. Contextually, there isn't no difference between Fashion & Documentary photography, fashion doesn't exist at that level until it is being created artificially, when documentary photography, you are attempting to seek out truthful phenomena's; this really is the kitchen they are living in etc. The essence was there before the photograph was taken, seeking out something in the world that you want to capture.

How are our images presented in the world? The context within the image contributes towards the persuasion or from prangandanist perception. 

Jenny Holzer ‘Trusisms’ all the statements seem true, they contradict themselves - statements that look like the come from commercial or advertising, when displayed together, you understand that they aren’t true when removed from context. 

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Jean Baudrillard Studies

Jean Baudrillard (1929-2007) was at once a confounding and playful thinker, who achieved remarkable originality and insightfulness in his interdisciplinary amalgam of sociology, culture studies, media theory, political economy, semiotics and psychoanalysis, all of which contribute to a profound meditation on the character of our “hyper” capitalist age. Jean Baudrillard participated in the attempt to provide a new theoretical framework for the Left which would challenge many of the structuralist and modernist tenets of classic Marxist political economy and social theory. In ‘Simularca and Simulations’ (1981) Baudrillard states in that post-modern society has replaced all reality and meaning with symbols and signs, and that the human experience is a simulation of reality rather than reality itself.

Simulations: fake processes, experience,  or sign that increasingly dominate the contemporary world.

Simulacra: an image of representation

Baudrillard, in particular, suggests that the world we live in has been replaced by a copy world, where we seek simulated stimuli. I can relate to this factor in my essay by expanding on how post-production of photography has removed its indexicality and formed the development of a new reality, in which we are unconscious and unable to perceive, however, influences our attitudes, opinions and how we decode daily life. In reference, the Simulation is parallel with the post-production applicants, constructing and developing the hyperreal - the simulation.

Hyperreality:

“Hyperreality is seen as a condition in which what is real and what is fiction are seamlessly blended together so that there is no clear distinction between where one ends and the other begins. It is entirely simulated and, as a result, more real than real.”

The model of the code does not represent a prior social reality. It creates a new social reality, which Baudrillard terms hyperreality. Hyperreality is a special kind of social reality in which a reality is created or simulated from models, or defined by reference to models – a reality generated from ideas. It is as if, at a certain point of time, we left reality behind, and never noticed until now. We can no longer tell the former reality from hyperreality, and we wouldn’t know if reality returned. Baudrillard does not suggest when this loss of reality happened, but it can be deduced from his work fairly easily. The final loss of meaning happened at some point after the 1960s. Baudrillard sees figures such as J.F.K. and Marilyn Monroe as still having symbolic force. One might tentatively situate the transition in 1973 or 1979 – at the point where neoliberalism takes root. The result is that ‘the real is no longer real’. For instance, production is now primarily virtual – the unreal circulation of values. Cinema is getting closer to an absolute reality in all its naked obviousness. Although the ideologies of Baudrillard appear left-wing or even communist, I believe there is a realism to the topics explained as photographic representation is a predominant factor of society, presenting who we could be and what we should pursue to be, to provides us with the expectation that formulates the reality through the intentions and ideal of the artist. I will adapt the definition of hyperreality into my essay to imply the deceptive fabrications of the real, and how the viewers are influenced and consume the information presented. 

“The media and the official news service are only there to maintain the illusion of the actuality, of the reality of the stakes, of the objectivity of facts. All the events are to be read backwards.”

Baudrillard on the Gulf War “The events that were happening on the front line would bear very little resemblance to what was reported on the news. We get sensational images of missiles being fired and aerial shots of explosions but they were all very sanitised. These reported facts are what lived by the reader or viewer through his imagination and therefore become real”.

[samhortonstudiopractise2]

Context: The Miners Strike

Sheffield Trades Council march in support of striking miners during the 1984 miners' strike in support of the NUM Photograph: Alamy.

With coal, a nationalised industry, and some British mines unprofitable, coal mining was ripe for repositioning - and even privatisation proposed by Margaret Thatcher's right wing Conservative government of the 1980s. In the early 1980s, the Arthur Scargill’s National Union of Miners (NUM) was an exceedingly strong organisation, with high membership and strong links to the Labour Party. It was also defiantly left-wing and militant, with no compunction against threatening industrial action. The coal industry was ripe for further confrontation between the NUM and the government, and resolutions were passed by various NUM regions to strike if pits were closed for reasons other than geological or resource exhaustion. In 1984, the announcement came that 20 pits were to close, with 20,000 jobs to be lost. It was later disclosed that the government, in preparation for the much-anticipated industrial action, had been stockpiling coal to take Britain through the winter. Margaret Thatcher ratcheted up the pressure by referring to striking miners as "the enemy within". She continually referred to the action as "the rule of the mob". As the strike continued, strains and stresses began to be felt, the workers earned no money and were ineligible for benefits as the strike was deemed illegal; the miners had to rely on charitable food banks and handouts leading to several deaths from starvation. In 1984, my dad left school and got an offer to study at art school, however, he was unable to attend due to the lack of fundings from his family because of the strike. All my uncles and aunties, grandmas and grandad’s supported the strike, not only to save their jobs and pits but to save their communities. Margaret Thatcher was secretly preparing to use troops and declare a state of emergency at the height of the miners' strike – out of fear Britain was going to run out of food and grind to a halt. The police claimed the miners rioted on the 18 June 1984 and that officer’s who were filmed beating miners with truncheons and charging on horses were only defending themselves. Despite the subsequent collapse in the prosecutions for riot against 95 miners, and South Yorkshire police's £425,000 payout to miners who consequently sued, neither the police nor the then Tory government admitted any fault. The Battle of Orgreave in 1984 and the 1989 Hillsborough disaster were both were policed by the same South Yorkshire force under the same chief constable, Peter Wright– the events at the coking plant are still to be investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The present-day South Yorkshire police force has referred itself to the IPCC, with the commission explaining that allegations include assault, perjury, perverting the course of justice and misconduct in a public office. Still to the present day, ex-Miners are unable for employability for jobs and careers due to the criminal records distributed by the police (army) for picketing outside their own pits. My grandad had his ribs broken whilst picketing outside his pit-Wooley Edge in Barnsley, many of the pickets were peaceful demonstrations including women and children, but the police would tactically intimidate the miners forcing them to react, in order for the police to react stabilizing Thatcher’s slogan ‘the enemy within’. Families found it increasingly difficult to sustain themselves and the NUM funds were running too low to pay for pickets' transport. The official end of the strike came on 3 March 1985 when a vote was passed to return to work even without a new agreement with management. The pits closed rapidly over the next few years, and in 1994, the industry was finally privatised. Events like With Banners Held High, Durham Miners Gala, Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign still commemorate the history of the Miners Strike, aiming to bring justice to the miners arrested and to those who dreadfully lost their lives by the police on the picket lines. 

In my still life photograph, I want to portray the miners lamp stood alone in low-key lighting to help emphasise and symbolise the emotions and atmospheres that still haunt families. I want the photograph to represent the tragic events that happened during the strike - by using a subject directly relevant to the strike gives a context but the visual elements help emphasise the interpretation I am striving to portray to the audience. Next, I will begin to organise a test shoot for my objects in the studio.

Photograph from the With Banners Held High 2016 Event.

Photograph of The Miners Strike by Martin Jenkinson 1984.

Two Photographs above from The Miners Strike, by unknown artist. 

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Art and Design - Design Activity 1 // Logo Development Stage 1

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Art and Design - Conceptual Research // Design Activity 1

Successful Brand Logos

The following Logos are so unmistakable, which makes them extremely successful. The thing that all of these have in common is simplicity, the recognizable, not too messy, simplicity. Most of these logos have also been adapted and modernized over time, yet they are still very recognizable,

Milton Glaser – 1977

  Walt Disney – 1953

Rob Janoff – 1977

 Alexander Liepa of…

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Conceptual Research (2,005 words)

The Project Campaign

‘Kaja!’ is a web video-based campaign with the aim to generate awareness and interest in studying abroad in South Korea amongst British undergraduates. Interactive promotional videos hosted on YouTube are the main products of the campaign, print advertisements, a website hosting external links for further information, and a Facebook page will act in supplement. Overall, the themes involved are study abroad, South Korea, and (student-oriented) ‘edutourism’ advertising. Firstly we must recognise the importance of studying abroad to students, and why they should expand from Western universities. Secondly, identify why South Korea has low student mobility rate, and seek for opportunities to effectively advertise it to students. Thirdly, delve into the realm of advertising on how it can shift attitudes with elements of online presence, interactivity, tourism, and electronic Word of Mouth.

Study Abroad Importance

Unfortunately, the benefits of study abroad are not widely recognised or actively communicated to all British undergraduates. In a YouGov survey, graduates expressed that they did not see a connection between career benefits and international experiences (British Academy-UCML, 2012). In response, the campaign seeks to highlight the benefits of studying abroad (in South Korea), for it beneficially impacts student employability, cultural awareness, and themselves as an individual. As the OECD (2013) explains it “allows students to expand their knowledge of other societies and languages, and thus improve their prospects in globalised sectors of the labour market” (2013:32). The British Academy-UCML also voices similar notions, referring to studying abroad as “the most challenging, most rewarding and most fun year of their [students’] lives” (2012:11). Generally, studying abroad gives students a competitive advantage in employability. Yet nowadays, 58% of employers in the UK are looking for higher-skilled graduates that are also “capable of living and working effectively” in globalised settings (British Academy-UCML, 2012:2). Valued competencies and skills such as interpersonal engagement, individual initiative and team-working are ideal for international work (ibid.). Even if graduates remain in the UK, skills can still be transferred to this multi-cultural country where they may encounter collaborative work with people from different backgrounds and countries (ibid.). Culturally, time abroad offers exclusive first hand experiences, and makes students become more informed about the world through deeper cultural insights. They will learn how to “observe without misinterpretation or ethnocentric judgment” (ibid.:2), and gain interpersonal skills for easier adaptation to our growing multi-culturalism. Resulting to intercultural understanding and openness achievement, and potentially diminishing racism and making society better as a whole. Individualistically, a student’s confidence and development can grow. They will become more reflective, self-reliant and self-confident from adapting to the challenges of a new environment (ibid.). The top 3 popular host destinations: USA, Canada, and Australia (OECD, 2013; Carbonell, 2012) do offer these benefits, but at a limit. When students study beyond the West to the East, it is then that they will become more culturally informed and obtain further globally diverse experiences and skills. For they have taken an extra step to explore out of their comfort zone, and face new challenges.

South Korea: The Unexploited Possibilities

South Korea should be considered as an ideal destination choice, if not more for it is increasingly a significant economic player in our high-tech society (Lim, 2012). It is part of the East, different in culture, language, and social values and behaviour. Challenges that can bring forth skills and experiences that no other Western destination can offer. Yet, despite being one of the OECD countries – said to “attract three out of four students” globally (OECD, 2013:32), it is often overshadowed by the top 3 host destinations as aforementioned (ibid; Carbonell, 2012). They are popular for being ‘safe’ options for UK students who lack foreign language skills, do not require contemplation over whether English-spoken classes are offered, and have less risk in agreements cancellation when English was considered as insufficient (Carbonell, 2012). Even so, China and Japan are also part of the top 5 universities representing 76% of total exchange mobility in 2010-11 (ibid.), despite English not being the main language. Therefore South Korea has potential, for there are currently 49 IEQAS (International Education Quality Assurance for Korean Universities) certified universities in South Korea allowing international students to enrol under a Global Korea Scholarship program (Study in Korea, 2014), suggesting that English-classes are available. Additionally, South Korean cities are generally English-friendly. Thus, it should be acknowledged that language barriers are not to be feared. Motivations also play a role in host university selection. In Findlay et al.’s research paper (2010), the desire to attend a world-class institution was the predominant influencer in selection choices. Other significant influences were the opportunity for adventure, and the ability to take the first step towards an international career (ibid.). However, the research was conducted upon full-time international students, not exchangees. Regardless, both groups are likely to have similar motivations. So it is ideal to make light of South Korea’s world-class institutions (QS Top Universities, 2014), adventure opportunities, and international career benefits, all of which the country has. Carbonell (2012) stated that South Korea holds many possibilities for exchanges, but are not fully exploited. Despite interest increase amongst institutions and students, the number of UK institutions offering such opportunities remains low: in 2012, 16 UK institutes offered South Korea exchanges (ibid.). However, this year (2014) there is significantly more: 24 offer exchange with Korea University, and 9 with Yonsei University, totaling to 31 UK institutions who offer exchange with 2 of the top 3 universities in South Korea. The numbers could only rise annually from here on, and the campaign will make sure number of exchanges will rise in accordance. It is possible to ‘sell’ South Korea as an appealing destination abroad. In East and South East Asia, South Korea is highly popular for its media content: film, TV and music. The success is referred to as ‘Hallyu’ or the ‘Hallyu wave’ (Davies and Han, 2011). The Internet facilitated the ability for people in their home country to access such content (Kim et al., 2009), and follow-up information search. There is a correlation between Asian students’ interest in Hallyu and studying abroad in South Korea: some interviewees in Kim et al.’s study (2009) confessed that their appreciation of the Hallyu wave led them to decide to study in South Korea. Proven in 2007, 92.6% of the 49,270 international students in Korea were from Asian countries (ibid.). So (2009) argues that Korean pop (K-pop) is capable in being an effective tool of public diplomacy to impact “foreign public’s perception about Korea as a nation brand through communication its culture and values through entertainment and media” (ibid.:17). Once people become interested, curiosities arise about the country and its language, food, and culture (Kim, 2014). Indeed, K-pop can make South Korea appealing, but it does not always translate positively to all audiences. In the UK, K-pop typically impacts a niche audience. Despite growing emergence of K-pop concerts and showcases at high-profile venues such as Abbey Road Studios (ibid.), media outlets review K-pop critically whilst also acknowledging its power (BBC News 2011a; 2011b; The Guardian, 2012; The Independent, 2011). At most, the public will be able to easily recall Psy’s Gangnam Style, which notably rose to fame through social sharing online (The Drum, 2012).

Advertising: Shifting Attitudes

The Internet has proven to be a capable medium in promoting the country through content sharing, and quick online searching. So by basing the campaign online makes it cost-effective, easily accessible, and potentially viral. Online advertising opportunities exists since tourists increasingly use the Internet for travel-related research (Alderman and Modlin, 2008, cited in Patil, 2011), much like the aforementioned Asian International students. Also, after exposure to high-impact (interactive) online advertisements, most consumers aged 18-34 shared it on social-networking sites, recommended it to others, and became influenced in ‘shopping behaviour’ – such as visiting the brand’s website to learn more (Baron et al., 2014). YouTube is ideal for sharing on social-networking sites and raising awareness, as proven by Gangnam Style’s viral success. Gallardo-Camacho and Jorge-Alonso (2010) pointed out that interactivity remains low if the user must sign-in to interact, however YouTube annotations (the means to the campaign’s interactivity) does not require it. Advertising has the power to manipulate public attitudes, in this case: generate interest in South Korea, provided it is executed appropriately. As exemplified in Kendrick and Fullerton’s study (2004) on the Shared Values Initiative diplomacy campaign – a series of commercials promoting the positive aspects of Muslim life in America, launched by the US Department of State. Many participants expressed doubt in the believability of the commercials due to its one-sided nature, finding it unrealistically positive and contradictive when news media outlets present Muslims in a negative light (ibid.). Regardless, the main message (boosting US’ image) was received by most respondents; acknowledged positive aspects included commercial objectivity, friendly style and tone, informative, and very specific (ibid.). Fortunately, South Korea has yet to acquire strong negative images, so attitude shifting would be relatively easier. Interactive advertising holds even greater power in attitude shifts. As personal dialogue forms between participant and brand, messages are co-created (Karimova, 2011), thus making them more believable and personal. Baron et al. (2014) claimed that high-impact digital advertisements are powerful tools in influencing consumer attitudes and behaviours towards brands and their products, and ideal for making first impressions. There is preference for full-screen takeover advertisements as it feels more personal and arouses desire to learn more about the product or brand (ibid.). Notable likable elements of such adverts were entertainment and uniqueness, ability to offer a personal experience for the viewer, and educational where viewers can learn something new (ibid.). Similarly, the project will also contain elements of education, entertainment, and the ability to interact and form your own narrative with the option for full-screen takeover. Tourism advertising discourses can also shape knowledge, actions, identities and social relations (Caldas-Coulthard, 2008). The project is similar to ‘virtual tourism’ – a website with highly interactive and sensory experiences, still and moving images, and the ability to control certain interactive elements (Urry, 2002, cited in ibid.). It serves as ‘stand-in’ metaphors for interaction with the mediascape (ibid.), simply a taste of/simulated experience abroad, which the project will provide. Presenting the country and its people neutrally is also a goal for the campaign, as existing oriental tourism adverts are often problematic for they regularly objectify the country and its people as exotic, erotic and “the desirable Other” (Aitchison, 2001, cited in Patil, 2011:187). Caldas-Coulthard (2008) emphasized that we should attempt to disassociate stereotypical sexual images and texts of both genders to change our interpretation of a place and its people. By removing such problematic elements, students can view South Korea and its people more neutrally. Additionally, the campaign’s Facebook page acts in supplement allowing further electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) to occur, which adds significant impact on attitudes towards visiting destinations in terms of subjective norms (Jalivand and Samiei, 2012). People who have studied in South Korea (opinion leaders) can offer their experience-based ‘reviews’ about the country to others. It is also effective since a majority of the student demographic owns a Facebook account. Meanwhile on the offline side, print advertisements posted on campus will feature the best persuasive elements that Decrop (2007) proposes: a view of the destination, long text, logo, and an interrogative headline.

Conclusion

Overall, the campaign has potential to socially help build a more culturally informed future generation, cultivate understanding of our increasingly globalised world, and the possibility to reduce racism. Also, undergraduates would be well-prepared for multi-cultural and/or international employment. Politically, better relations between the UK and South Korea can be formed, as well as provide economic boost to both countries through higher-skilled graduates. The Internet medium is the ideal tool in order to gain effective reach to audiences, provide information, as well as host attitude shifting interactive advertising content. There are opportunities for the campaign to grow in terms of audience. With the addition of more videos and appropriate content changes, it can appeal to British Sixth form/ college students for higher-education abroad, and other countries’ students as well.

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