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Cosimo Galluzzi
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
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JBB: An Artblog!
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@valeriankam
The Meta and The Self
in today's class, Nastya noticed that the slogan on my t-shirt is the same as my tumblr nickname and related it to the metapersona concept
my tumblr nickname is actually based on this slogan
and i bought this t-shirt only because i couldnt refrain from ironically addressing my constant lateness for fashion (and not only) classes
idk what to make out of it yet, maybe i'll come up with something meaningful later
i'll submit this instead of my assignments
how week 8 feels...
Maxime Buchi's talk and Polly's presentation on cringe tattoos reminded me of all the tattoo ideas I had over years (mostly cringe or ironic)
so I decided to describe them and draw some shitty sketches in paint:
sort of a tramp stamp with a mexican skull and "memento mori" text
ouroboros infinity sign around a scar
katana on the ribs
I really like small handpoke tattoos, but I don't have specific ideas; I thought of a venus mirror on a neck, a frog, and some geometric minimalist figure (e.g. a pine tree)
another ideas:
phrase nolite te bastardes carborundorum from The Handmaid's Tale
Paul Klee's Angelus Novus
most of these tattoos could be considered cringe
however, i would distinguish cringe in separate categories:
not intended cringe: these are tattoo, which I considered cool at the time of coming up with ideas, but now i understand that its cringe (e.g. katana, infinity-ouroboros)
tattoos which i intended to be cringy, or ironically cringy: for instance, the conscious conjunction of tramp stamp, skull, and pretentious latin phrase creates comedic effect on purpose
i feel that klee's angel sorta falls in-between those categories, since i consider getting a tattoo of it as extremely cool, but some part of my brain tells me that it might not be such a brilliant idea...
i would also distinguish political tattoos (venus mirror, handmaid's tale quote) and just cute tattoos without particular meaning (handpoked frog and tree)
SVEN: Surveillance Video Entertainment Network
by Amy Alexander, Wojciech Kosma, Vincent Rabaud
"If computer vision technology can be used to detect when you look like a terrorist, criminal, or other "undesirable" - why not when you look like a rock star?"
When I was researching for my thesis, I stumbled upon this surveillance-themed art-project, which I found quite interesting in light of our discussions on subcultures and production of the other:
"SVEN (Surveillance Video Entertainment Network) is a system comprised of a camera, monitor, and two computers that can be set up in public places - especially in situations where a CCTV monitor might be expected. The software consists of a custom computer vision application that tracks pedestrians and detects their characteristics, and a real-time video processing application that receives this information and uses it to generate music-video like visuals from the live camera feed. The resulting video and audio are displayed on a monitor in the public space, interrupting the standard security camera type display each time a potential rock star is detected. The idea is to humorously examine and demystify concerns about surveillance and computer systems not in terms of being watched, but in terms of how the watching is being done - and how else it might be done if other people were at the wheel.."
This conjunction of CCTV face recognition system and subculture in this project allows to draw out several points:
the subculture can be dissected on a multitude of traits and signifiers, which belong to these subcultures and can be recognized as such
the subculture does not appear as self-identification from within the subject, but is imposed on a subject from the outside, applying meaning on already existing traits
"negative" characteristics (terrorist, criminal) and "positive" characteristics (rock star) are not distinctive in their construction: in both cases they are imposed upon a person from the outside, forcing them into distinctive categories
The Uniform of Conservative Bimbo: Ekaterina Mizulina Case
One of my ideas for the Fashion and Philosophy essay was to write the second part for my Shaman essay: exploring the persona of Russian conservative activist and politician Ekaterina Mizulina.
I was thinking of exploring the (similar to Shaman) contradiction between her political agenda ("traditional" values, pro-Russia, pro-Putin, anti-LGBT, etc) and her style and appearance (expensive brand clothes with visible logo, plastic surgery, etc), which, as I argue, quite obviously performs Bimbo aesthetic.
I could not come up with the proper thesis around her (I guess she is not as interesting as a research object after all). Here, I will share some thoughts (and slides) that I came up with.
For the context, Ekaterina Mizulina is Russian politician and activist who mostly upholds pro-government, conservative views. Curious is that she is a daughter of another Russian politician: Yelena Mizulina. Her mother is mostly famous for drafting Internet Restriction Bill and Dima Yakovlev Law (denying American citizens adoption of Russian children), as well as for promoting "LGBT propaganda for children" ban and bill decriminalizing domestic violence.
Ekaterina is quite similar to her mother in her attempts of controlling the Internet, although the methods she employs are quite different. The young Mizulina is the head of The Safe Internet League, a state-affiliated organization that tracks and blocks "dangerous content" to "protect the children." The critera for the danger vary from child pornography and animal cruelty to "LGBT propaganda" and "Fakes" (whatever it is...).
What distinguishes Mizulina among other conservative politicians, trying to impose their order in the Internet, is that she acquires not only immense political power but also social capital. She is very popular on the Internet, both among her haters and supporters.
What is more important, Mizulina is beloved by her primary target audience: children and teenagers. There are thousands of fanart, which she posts on her Telegram channel. The art vary from cute and harmless to outright reiteration of her political points.
Interesting, that there was a similar instance of Russian female politician's rise to the Internet fame: Natalia Poklonskaya (or Nyash-Myash). The ex-Prosecutor General of Crimea, she was mostly known for the memes and anime fanart of her.
Although the cases are pretty similar, I find the important distinction: while Poklonskaya did not participate in her success on the Web, Mizulina is actively involved in creating and influencing her Internet meta-persona through her Telegram channel and interaction with audience.
In regards to her style and self-presentation, Mizulina resembles American female conservative politicians and influencers: soft feminine business-casual style combined with confident (borderline agressive) way of speaking.
However, Muzulina's femininity is more concentrated and hyperbolized. Her style is much more flashy and over the top, in comparison to her American collegues, mostly sticking to "quite luxury" looks.
As I already mentioned, I did not developed this project too much, although I hope to complete it in future.
I mostly think about the Bimbo and Bimbo aesthetic as a uniform, a conscious choice of style and a part of creation of meta-persona and what does this Bimbo meta-persona means in a political dimension.
It is interesting to look the concept of seriality, which we frequently discussed in class, through the figure of uroboros: the cycle of death and rebirth, so to say an infinite interruption.
The seriaity, as we defined it, also bears this relation of eternity and finitude: namely, that seriality presupposes the possibility of the final, and yet it could go on and on.
Many TV shows correspond to such serial structure (which is quite expected, they are literally serials), but the one popped in my head was a cult British sci-fi series Doctor Who. This show is a perfect embodimet of the serial infinite interruption, recalling uroboros image.
What makes this show distinctive is regeneration. The main character (alien called the Doctor, to put it it simply) is able to completely transform their body, while (partially) preserving their essence.
This plot device basically allows eternal broadcasting of the show, which goes beyond mortality of the human beings, since change of actors is narratively justified. Every renewal interrupts the flow, and these interruption anticipate re-birth, rather than definitive end.
Peculiar, that in recently aired 60th DW anniversary special episodes beloved characters from previous seasons returned: the Tenth (now Fourteenth) Doctor (played by David Tennant) and his companion Donna Noble.
Such return is not new for the show, it happened both with Doctors and other characters. The novelty is that Tennant's Doctor now can co-exist with all the following doctors, creating the possibility for him to return at any moment.
This co-existence creates a constant anticipation of rupture and repetition.
