Re-worked essay.

How does Panopticism link to branding within the fashion industry and what impact does this have upon society? 

This piece of writing will discuss how modern day branding links to Panopticism and how this is impacting upon us as a society in particular ways in terms of how we view each other and the judgements we make. It will begin by looking at the Panopticon, what it was and the impact it had when it was first created and then go on to Panopticism and how this  theory was created from the Panopticon structure and the things people learnt from it. It will also look at the examples of modern day panopticism that surround us today, so the theory can be further understood and then go on to discuss branding and the impact logos have upon us to have made branding such a huge necessity within what has become a very panoptic society. There will be a focus on how it impacts upon our identities, stereotypes and ways in which consumers are encouraged to buy into brands. It will then summarize by discussing the direction in which branding and consumerism is heading and deciding wether panopticism will always play a part in this. 

The theory of Panopticism comes from the circular building which was designed by Jeremy Bentham and built in the late eighteenth century known as the Panopticon. The Panopticon contained a central observation tower and separate ‘cells’ around the outside of the building where people would be kept. These cells were placed in such a way that the person being held was unable to see anyone around them and the people who were opposite were too far away for any form of contact, leaving them completely alone. The concept behind the building was that the person being kept within the Panopticon could be seen but would not know when or if they were being watched from the central observation tower. Bentham produced this structure in such a way that it could have a number of uses, 

   “punishing the incorrigible, guarding the insane, reforming the vicious. confining the suspected, employing the idle, maintaining the helpless, curing the sick, instructing the willing in any branch of industry , or training the rising race in the path of education: in a word, whether it be applied to the purposes of perpetual prisons in the room of death, or prisons for confinement before trial, or preintentiary houses, or houses of correction; or work-houses, or manufactories, or mad-houses, or hospitals , or schools” 

(Bentham, 2008, P1).

Due to the nature of the design of the Panopticon it was believed and proved that it could have so much power over those kept within it that they would be mentally trained to behave in a better manner. The Panopticon therefore was described as, “a laboratory; it could be used as a machine to carry out experiments, to alter behavior, to train or correct individuals” (Foucault, 1977, P66). Once this correction technique began to work on people, the central tower didn’t necessarily have to be occupied because the people being held would still think they were being watched once this fear had been placed upon them enough. 

          “In fact, in it’s most explicit practices, imprisonment has always involved a certain degree of physical pain” (Foucault, 1977, P16) 

This part of the text best describes the effect that the Panopticon would have, the prisoners would feel some kind of physical pain because they are being kept away from everything and everyone. Food would be rationed and conditions wouldn’t have been the best. The psychological effect of the  Panopticon is likely to have reduced crime committed at the time because once prisoners had gone through this ordeal they would come out of it a better person. 

Panopticism is a social theory that was developed by French philosopher Michel Foucault. To summarize the theory, it is the idea that people can be controlled and made to act in a certain way if they are in a situation in which they could be under constant observation. In the same way that the Panopticon corrects peoples behavior, Panopticism also corrects it but not necessarily permanently and this is because with the theory people are only being watched under certain circumstances and in certain places, not constantly. The term “Visibility is a trap” (Foucault, 1977, P64) perfectly describes Panopticism because people have no choice but to behave in a certain manner as there may be consequences if they fail to do so. This visibility is what gives Panopticism it’s power and ability to have such a huge impact upon people. Although the theory has been around since 1977 if not before it still exists within modern day. Examples of modern day Panopticism include, swimming pools, university lecture theaters, CCTV and open plan shop floors. Society is also a main form of Panopticism but takes less of a physical form with one of the main elements being how conscious we have become because we are constantly being watched by each other. 

One element in particular that makes society watch each other more than ever is the fashion industry because society has become something within which everyone feels the need to follow the ‘trends’ and buy into the latest brands so that those who are watching are impressed by what they are seeing. “Consumers believe a brand ‘speaks’ to them in some way, and represents a lifestyle they either have or aspire to” (Campbell, 2003, P8). The idea that a brand represents a lifestyle is exactly what the consumer is looking for because they can create a certain image of themselves that may not be true but doesn’t matter to them as long as they impress and are in keeping with the trends. The more popular brands tend to be up market because they create the impression that the consumer is quite sophisticated and shows they can afford the finer things in life, which is some what an achievement in society. Brands have become so established within our society that they can add a huge amount of value to an item that may have not much difference to the unbranded equivalent, yet society continue to fund this because we dress to impress and want to be noticed along with aspiring to this ‘ideal lifestyle’.

Brands create a number of incentives to encourage consumers to buy into them whether this be some sort of offer or a limited edition item. H&M is a company known for giving its consumers an incentive to purchase items, “H&M opens its doors to the world of Roberto Cavalli. The italian designer will create a one off collection for women and men exclusively for H&M. A designer to the stars, he regularly dresses international personalities such as Beyonce, Gwyneth Paltrow...” this is an extract taken from (Superbrands, 2007, P81) which discusses the company and how far it has come. H&M bring celebrity designers into their company to create a limited edition collection because they are aware how society has become so obsessed with branding and how celebrities have a huge impact on what we think of ourselves or a lifestyle we may want, so this technique will prove popular. 

Society can be described as Panoptic because no matter where someone goes they are always likely to be being watched by someone else, society is constantly under surveillance and being judged upon the way people act when out in public. Due to the fact people know they are being watched within society, they act in a certain manner so not to create the wrong impression because the fear created by this particular type of Panopticism is the fact if you don’t act in a certain way you will be judged in a negative way. People, although not all will admit it, value the opinions of others very highly so the effect the Panopticism has may make people untrue to themselves. 

          “Whom do I wish to please, and in so doing whom am I likely to offend? What are the consequences of appearing as this kind of person as against that kind? Does the image I think I convey of my self reflect my true innermost self or some specious version thereof? Do I wish to conceal or reveal?...and so fourth” (Davis, 1992, P24).  

This quote can be applied to branding as well as fashion culture, There is always going to be a variation in opinions on whether or not particular brands are seen as ‘popular’ because everyone has different tastes so effectively when a brand is purchased, the consumer is looking to impress a particular audience, that of those who share the same interests or long for/have a particular lifestyle.  By wearing particular brands are people wanting to create an untrue version of themselves because they are scared the true version will not be liked or will not fit in to what is seen to be ‘popular’ or do people use these brands to express the exact type of person they are and show they are proud of this with no care for what others may think. Due to the Panoptic nature of modern society this has also had an impact on consumerism, 

          “Our culture has evolved into a consumer culture and we from citizens to consumers. Gratitude for what we have has been replaced by a sharpening hunger for what we don’t have. How much is enough? has been replaced by How much is possible?” 

(Lasn, 1999, P63)

this states that consumerism has increased and this increase could easily be down to the panoptic effect we have on each other. It’s as though people in society encourage one an others hunger for these brands that realistically we don’t need. Relating back to the Foucault text it could be said that consumerism causes physical pain because society may feel depressed and hurt if they don’t have these commodities. 

          “I was in grade four when skintight designer jeans were the be-all and end-all, and my friends and I spent a lot of time checking out each others butt for logos.” (Klein, 2005, P27)

This quote could describe the negative impact that consumerism and panopticism together are having on society. Younger generations are becoming increasingly aware of the fact they are being looked at and judged by their peers. Does this influence come from they way in which we are brought up? The younger generations parents may want them to look good too because they feel as though they can be judged on this appearance. We may ask the question when does panopticism within society begin for us, and the elements Berger discusses within his text may have the answer. “Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak.” (Berger, 1972, P7) Berger states a good point in the sense that we begin recognizing things straight away so technically this is a form of panopticism because we are looking and making a judgement, even as a small child, nobody will truly know what they are thinking whilst they are seeing something. They may already be making judgements but not in a horrible sense, just in that of opinion. 

          “Fashion branding will increase in importance as consumer goods and fashion markets become more homogenous through globalization. Logos, distinguishing characteristics, great advertising, merchandising and even thorough employee training are going to be crucial for the survival of mass fashions” (Hancock, 2009, P185) 

This quote indicates that the fashion branding industry will in fact not slow down at any point within the near future but continues to grow with the help of consumerism and society’s need for these brands due to their popularity. In conclusion it can then be said that Panopticism and branding together have made our society judgmental and generally not overall pleasant, people live within fear that they are going to be judged for things they may genuinely like so most steer clear of them and this has no indication of changing as long as brands keep excelling and stay part of the ‘popular’ culture. Society has become mixed up because it can no longer be noticed who is being entirely true to themselves and who is creating the image they want people to see.  

Bibliography;

Bentham, J. (2008) Panopticon; or the inspection house, Milton Keynes, Dodo Press.

Berger, J. (1972) Ways of seeing, London, Penguin.

Crowther, D & Green, M. (2004) Organizational theory, London,Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. 

Davis, F. (1992) Fashion, culture and identity, Chicago and London, The university of Chicago press.

Entwistle, J. (2000) The fashioned body, Cambridge, Polity Press.

Foucault, M. (1977) Discipline and Punish, London, Penguin. 

Giddens, A. (2009) Sociology, Cambridge, Polity Press.

Hancock, J. (2009) Brand story, New York, Fairchild Books. 

Klein, N. (2005) No Logo, London, Harper Perennial.

Lasn, K. (1999) Culture Jam, London, Harper Collins. 

Lyon, D. (2006) Theorizing Surveillance: the panopticon and beyond, Devon ,Willan Publishing.

Superbrands. (2007) Cool brands, London, Superbrands (UK). 

Tungate, M. (2008) Fashion brands: branding style from Armani to Zara, London, Kogan Page.

Vaid, H. (2003) Branding, London, The Illex Press Limited. 

Yurchsin, J & Johnson, K. P. (2010) Fashion and the consumer, New York, Berg. 

Lecture twelve; globalisation, sustainability and the media.

- Media as a propaganda device.
- Globalization: The dominance of one culture over the rest of the world. 
- Mcdonaldization: The domination of the fast-food restaurant over the world. American capitalised business dominating. 
- Marshall McLuhan: "Social guru" New technologies are extending our own senses. 
- The media has de-sensitised us from the pain of others. 
Sovereignty; 
- Challenges the idea of national state. 
- Cultural imperialism: forcing your values on someone else. Building an empire. The global village structure is shaping different countries. 
- Certain companies control a whole culture eg. Time Warner. The American way of thinking is spread around. 
- New corporations divide the world into categories based on where they will get the most money. 
- Media power could be thought of as a new form of imperialism. Spreads a message that certain things are good. 
- To be on television gives us celebrity status and is seen as desirable. 
- Certain countries follow the 'trends' of others. 
- Rupert Murdoch: owns a lot of UK news so has the power to influence people. This becomes dangerous because we don't know what is 'true'. 
- Biox biofuel plant, Canada (sustainable).
Alternative clean fuel
Renewable
More expensive to produce
- The fuel is none polluting but the factory causes pollution. 
- Nothing sustainable can be had within capitalism. 
- To promote themselves, companies try to be eco friendly. 
- Mcdonalds' green rebrand was to make themselves look eco friendly. 
- Saving the planet is impossible under a capitalist model. 

Lecture eleven; The production and critique of institutions.

- Museums played an idealogical part in society. They give induviduals a sense of belonging. 
- If your paid by someone else to do work you feel disconnected.
- For Marx, capitalism created a clear class divide.
- A voice is made of different constructs based on varied opinion.
- Your place in the world is socially constructed. 
- Core structure for ideology for Marx is the fact everyone brings different views to the table. 
- The Louve in Paris; idealogical institution of belief.
- On the opening of the gallery there was a festival set to bring everyone together. 
- Free and equal access was granted to those who had never experienced these wonderful things. 
- A politician claimed that the opening of the gallery would quiet the political storm. 
- It served a political purpose as well as one for bringing people together. 
- Marx's ideology had a clear political function. 
- Mythologies; Roland Barthes. He analysed elements such as magazine covers and discussed the predjudice in society. 
- Ideology looks at how natural elements have formed to become historical. 
- The idea that women are caring and men are strong is an ideology created by society. 
- Different people in different situations can construct ideology.
- Our place in the world generates our beliefs. 
- The great exhibition at crystal palace 1851. Generated spaces for exploration, broadcasting power. Exhibitions like this created a sense of belonging. 
- Panopticism links because one of the core functions of the space was that you behaved in a certain way.
- Modern art began to address the induvidual with the art space due to elements such as layout. 
- The status of art in the 20th century was being contested because it was being drawn away from society. 
- Art began to communicate through graphic design to fit with social change. 
- Colour, shape and characteristics began to become emotive based on how the artist may feel. 
- Colour could capture feelings that were felt when the artist interacted with nature. 
- An important element of modern art was that it was set out in a certain way to create an emotional impact. 
- Art becomes about visual elements now instead of something that is linked to society and politics.
- Life is made up of getting things done. The art gallery was a space in which people could escape from life. 
- From all ideologies together we get a set of social values. 
- The dada movement rejected all the values that were previously felt. It was anti art and came about around world war one. 
- Dada 3 was a magazine created to possibly influence others. No form of positivity comes from this. 
- "There's nothing naturally pleasing about an art work" It's the way the art work is conveyed. 
- Art is based on induvidual expression and expects a response from others. 
- Duchamp is trying to prove that art has become seperate from social life eg. 'Bottlerack' piece. 
- To fully appreciate colour in artworks they need to be placed in the right space eg. bright white rooms/galleries. 
- The architectural structure of galleries began to guide people around them. 
- Most elements were removed so galleries became minimalist and artworks could fullfill their full visual potential. 

Task five; the gaze.

‘According to usage and conventions which are at last being questioned but have by no means been overcome - men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at’ (Berger 1972, 45, 47)

Alexandre Cabanel 1863

In the time when this painting came about men definitely had the power and ruling over women. This type of painting would not be seen as provocative in any sense and in fact creates a message about the type of person Venus was described to be with focus on sexuality and beauty. The theory behind the gaze is that women are looked upon but do not look back, this has been presented well in this painting because Venus is covering her eyes therefor has no chance of gazing back, also the way in which she is doing this is almost as though she actually wants to be gazed upon, as though she knew her role at the time. There is clear male power over the painting because she has been placed in a pose in which most of her body can be gazed upon. The cherubs are yet further indication of Venus' characteristics in the sense that they are pure so make this pose seem furthermore innocent.

Eva Herzigová 1994

Within more modern examples of the gaze there has been little changes to the way in which women are presented. In the same way as the painting of Venus, the woman in this advert can be gazed upon but does not gaze back. The main difference that can be seen between the two is the fact that because photography has been used in the advert, the model has a bit more decency to her because photography is seen as provacative in the sense it is 'real'. The other difference here is that the model looks more as though she is enjoying being gazed upon, this may be because it has become the 'norm' for women or is it because women are trying to loosen the power men have over them? However, It connotes that women may feel more confident if they buy this product due to the expression on the models face, so maybe this is just another way of selling the product to its audience by creating an idea. 

Task four; hyperreality.

Universal Studios, America. 

Universal studios in Orlando and Hollywood are both examples of hyperreality in the sense that they take you to a whole other world, a fantasty world, which almost becomes believable because it is physical and can be interacted with, its exciting. Everything within places such as this is exaggerated and makes things we've dreamed of come true in terms of being a part of our favourite films and visiting Hogwarts for example. The reason universal studios can become a form of hyperreality is because certain elements inside are things we've only ever seen in the movies and because we can now actually go and visit these places it begins to make us believe that they are more real and we make connections with the real world. An example that I understand from being a fan of the show is the fact that in universal studios hollywood you can go visit Wisteria Lane within which Desperate Housewives is filmed. Those that become big enough fans of hit tv shows such a this already believe that they can have some sort of connection with the characters in the programme but now with the ability to go and visit the street in which the housewives live on, it makes it more real and seem as though this story could in fact be true. The street itself is actually outside and the houses are exsisting, even the actual cars seen in the show are on the drive ways, so nothing about it will seem fake if you are well enough wrapped up in the storylines and programme. Its almost as though you expect one of the housewives to come out of their house. Due to the fact this street is so realistic you almost forget that it's 'fake' and has been made for filming purposes. Being able to interact with the characters world makes it seem more possible that it could actually be real.

Lecture ten; Deleuze and Guattari and creativity.

- Social life as a construct that keeps changing. 
- How induvidual people may consider changing themselves. 
- Deleuze and Guattari are people who examined social change. 
- The idea of a sign is constructed through a pattern of usage to different languages. 
- The assembledge: organisation, fitting together, bringing together. (A formation).
- How is the language system set so that we respond in certain ways? 
- Hoodies form an essembledge of bodies and the language shown through their appearance creates an atmosphere. 
- Events may produce changes in the way that these people are viewed. 
- The tabloids can change the view of these assembledges. 
- Our sense of self is always under construction. 
- The word 'I' is empty and can only be apropriated to different people. 
- For Freud, we are shaped as a child based on the relationship we have with our parents. 

Lecture nine; censorship and 'truth'.

- Indexical qualities of photography include things such as the fact images can be edited. 
- Using films within the darkroom means that images can be manipulated so that they are 'untrue' because different seasons or times of day can be represented.
- Is there truth within photography?  Elements can be set up so you see what people want you to see. 
- Airbrushing and other forms of image manipulation used on magazine covers create false truth but one we are aware of. 
- When does truth within photography actually matter? 
- There was a pool of photographers set for the Gulf war as this was the only way of recording imagery. 
- It was said that the Gulf war was not real but was set up for media purposes. The start of the war was set up to be started. 
- The images produced however, made it look like there was a genuine war and people were actually dying. Censorship; censoring films, art and publications. 
- Morals, what is seen as acceptable. 
- Within advertising is the censoring down to one persons personal interpretation or if one person thinks it, do we all? 
- Are adverts that challenge society wrong? eg. united colours of benneton. 
- Within censorship there is always likely to be someone who objects, and the ASA can withdraw ads if they agree. 
- The difference between art and photography is one is a representation so do they have the opposite morals? Is fine art more acceptable? because it's just a painting so it's not 'real'. 
The Miller test
- Ask three questions to determine if something is seen as obscene. 
- When fine art starts using photography it becomes somewhat more provocative and realistic.
- If artists use their own children is this then seen as more acceptable? The images are like any other family photos but the fact they are scaled and put in an art gallery makes them morally wrong. 
- Who should be protected? artist, viewer or subject? 

Lecture eight; Jean Baudrillard and postermodernism.

- Simularcra uses the same ideas that are seen within the film the matrix. The idea of reality and what is actually fantasy.
- Labour is the interaction between man and nature - the relationship. 
- Under capitalism a workers job becomes a commodity. 
- The value of goods is not set by what is but by its exchange value. 
- Commodities are all weighed against each other so we know how much money we are exchanging them for. 
- When mass production became industrialised there was an issue with how people would be encouraged to buy these commodities. Due to this there was the birth of advertising as a way of showing people what was being produced. 
- Adverts are saying 'buy more things and your life will be complete'.
- The language of advertising always puts across the idea of fullfillment. 
- Advertising was coded to shape the campaigns so they were reaching the correct audience. 
- Focus groups were used so that advertising campaigns directly fitted with the feedback that companies got.
- The world of product was set to fit with the world of need. 
- Under Baudrillards analysis things needed to be consistent to get people to be wanting to buy the same things again. 
- Linguistic signs were made up of two parts, the concept and the sound made when the word(s) are spoken. 
- Eventually experiences become saturated by media imagery. This is where the idea of false reality comes from. 
- Society becomes a 'simulation'. 
- Social events are shaped by media culture. 

Lecture seven; Identity.

- Essentialism
If one part of your brain is larger. another part is likely to be lacking.
- Physiognomy; the study of facial characteristics. A suggestion that you can study someones facial characteristics and tell how intelligent someone is. 
- Chris Ofilli 'Holy virgin Mary' - A black artist trying to fit into something that had white culture. 
- Pre modern identity
- Modern identity 
- Post modern identity
Different as times change/
- Secure identities...
Farmer worker
Soldier 
Factory worker
Housewife
Gentleman
Househusband
- The more valuable goods you have within modern identity, the more you are showing you don't need to work. 
- The upper class want to distinguish themselves from the lower class.
- Identity is constructed out of the discourses culturally avaliable to us.
- Discourses include things such as your age and background. 
- Class, nationality. race, gender, sexuality.
Class; 
- Working class emerges when people move to cities and start working in factories/
'Mass observation' 1937.
Northern people being observed by southern people - shows a divide. 
- Martin Parr; makes the identity of particular countries quite 'jokey' using particular stereotypes. 
Las Vegas; the rest of the world can be seen here through symbolic identity.
- Chris Ofilli uses things from his heritage to show he is proud in his work. 
Gender and sexuality; 
- Tends to be more about women. 
- Women are breaking into a field that has previously been dominated by men. 
- The difference between men and women means that men are praised for things which would be seen as 'wrong' if a woman did the same thing. 
- Identity is constructed through our social experiences. 
- Social networking creates false identity. 

Task three; essay proposal.

How does panopticism link to branding within the fashion industry and what effect does this have on society? 

Essay content;

- What is the Panopticon and what was it used for? 

- What examples of Panopticism exsist in modern day?

- How is society Panoptic? and the judgements that are made based on fashion branding. 

- The importance of logos within fashion branding, focussing on a particular logo for more in depth discussion. 

- How identity is now determined by brands we wear and the way society has become due to this. 

- How are consumers encouraged to buy into brands? 

Academic sources;

- Brand story // Joseph Hancock.

Discusses how branding creates an identity for a product, a person and a company. The person's identity is one thing i'd like to explore. It also helps the reader think critically about the message a brand gives, something which most consumers won't do so I could also disucss this. 

- Fashion, culture and identity // Fred Davis. 

Explores how clothing determines your identity and how this communicates messages. This book looks at the sociology behind fashion decisions. Again this links to the idea of identity I would like to explore through branding. 

- Cool brands - An insight into some of Britain's coolest brands // Superbrands.

Gives an insight into particular brands from where they began and why certain decisions were  made. This will give me greater understanding of branding. It also explores certain fashion brands and shops such as H&M and how they are now bringing famous designers in and this links to my idea due to consumerism and the idea that you are judged so consumers will buy into this because it's designer. 

- Fashion and the consumer // Jennifer Yurchisin & Kim K.P. Johnson.

There is a particular section on fashion consumption: Physcographics which explores why people buy and how they are influenced by the people they associate with. This can be connected with the fact that group stereotypes are formed because that group may all buy into the same brands therefor linking to my question because this is an affect branding has on society. 

- Branding // Helen Vaid. 
There is a particular section on logos, something which obviously plays a huge part within branding. It discusses the ideas behind creating a logo and what they can convey. This can be something I discuss within my essay with it being such an important part of branding and one of the main things the consumer looks for when they are searching for branded clothes.


- Discipline and Punish: The birth of the prison // Michael Foucault. 
The section 'Panopticism' explains what the Panopticon was/is and what it was used for, it can be used to back up my current knowledge of the Panopticon and Panopticism and also give me further understanding of it. This is the theory I have linked to my essay idea so having references for this is going to be nescessary. 

Task two; Benjamin & mechanical reproduction.

British government 1939. 

This piece of graphic design relates to the text by Walter Benjamin in many ways because it is something that has been massively reproduced over the years whether it be online or physically. 'Affecting artistic invention itself and perhaps even bringing about an amazing change in the very notion of art' this is a quote that describes mechincal reproduction and what it may be capable of. Although through factors such as the internet it has brought about this amazing change in the notion of art, there is also the arguement that not all aspects are good because mechanical reproduction is taking away the tradition that art holds. This poster i've chosen was produced for the second world war to strengthen morale, there was 2,500,00 copies made and because they were printed this piece of work has technically always been reproducable but not in the way that we know it today. 'One might subsume the eliminated element in the term 'aura' and go on to say: that which withers in the age of mechanical reproduction is the aura of the work of art'. This quote states that mechanical reproduction takes away the aura of an artwork which is a very important aspect that an original has. Artworks have aura because they are believed to be made of uniqueness, creativity, genius, value, mystery, authenticity and authority. When this piece of graphic design was originally created, it had meaning and value in the sense that after the world war it would always be linked to what people at the time went through, it would act maybe as a marker of history for those who knew its true meaning. It also had authority because it was created by the government as a suggestion for how people should react. Due to mechnical reproduction this aura has been destroyed because this poster was re-discovered in 2000 and has become part of popular culture because it has been applied to a range of different products. The aura has been further more destroyed because little of the audience know where it actually comes from and its becoming known for popularity rather than being connected to the world war two. 

Lecture six; cities and film.

- Georg Simmel; German sociologist who wrote about the effect the city had on people.
- Urban sociology; the city engulfing the character.
- Louis Sullivan creator of the modern skyscraper.
- Details on Guaranty building is influenced by the arts and crafts movement.
- Skyscrapers represent the upwardly mobile city of business opportunity.
- Fordism; mechanised labour relations.
- The body was consumed by the factory environment.
- Stock market crash 1929; factories close and unemployment rises.
- Flaneur; what is the role of the body in the city?
- A Flaneur is a man of leasuire, there to simply observe.
- Walter Benjamin explores the ideas of a Flaneur.
- Susan Sontag; the photographer as a Flaneur.
- Proposal of the Flaneuse (female version), "invisible" due to things such as segregation of the sexes.
- The idea of the woman on the street is seen as bad due to things such as prostitution.
- Sophie Calle; Flaneuse photographer who created the people about the city photography series (documentary).
- Venice is a labyrinth city so the perfect location for a Flaneuse observer if they have a target.
- 'The detective' 1980. Sophie Calle hires someone so that she can be observed herself in Paris.
- Cindy Sherman also looks at the woman in the city but more so in the sense that she is trapped.
- Arthur Felig; looks at the idea of the city as a threat and photographs incidents.
- L.A. Noire is based on the idea of the naked city and the city as a threat (video game).
- Walker Evans 'many are called'. Observation within the city through the use of a hidden camera. Portrays the idea that people are alone in the city.
- The postmodern city is a confusing place and has to be negotiated.
- Terrible things are not recognised due to the flow of city life, people continue about their business like they normally would.
- The disruption of the twin towers is the disruption of the american dream.
- There is the idea of the surveillance city due to the dangers the city has.

Lecture five; the gaze and the media.

- Hans Memling 'Vanity' 1485.
The mirror is a device, sinful regard for the woman's self. 
- Alexandre Cabnel 'Birth of venus' 1863.
Both of the above are examples of works using a mirror. 
- Sophie Dahl - Opium. 
Withdrawn from advertising for sexual nature. 
Once the format was changed the vertical format was approved because emphasis changed to the face. 
- The gorilla girls campaign - do women have to be naked to get into a museum? 
- Manet 'Bar at the Folies Bergeres' 1882. 
The idea of mirrors again and how they send a message. 
- Women's bodies are used in advertising through the use of photography. 
- Men are also objectified in advertising. 
- Women are marginalised within the masculine discourse of art history. 
- Barbara Kruger uses the theories of the gaze.
- More modern artworks have the same ideas about women being looked at but in a less obvious way. 
- Reality television gives us the power of the gaze. 
- The Truman show is a film which is an example of the gaze. 

Lecture four; critical positions on the media and popular culture.

Culture? 
- One of the two or three most complicated words in the english language. 
- A particular way of life. 
- Works of intellectual and especially artistic significance. 
- General process of intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic development of a particular society, at a particular time. 


- Marx's concept of base/superstructure links. 


Raymond Williams four definitions of popular;
- Well liked by many people. 
- Inferior kinds of work. 
- Work deliberately setting out to win favour with people. 
- Culture actually made by the people themselves. 


- Anything that aims to be understood by everyone could be described as popular. 


Inferior or residual culture.
- Popular press VS quality press.
- Popular cinema VS art cinema. 
- Popular entertainment VS art culture.


- Popular culture can begin as something which is passed by until it is created by the 'right' person. 


- The physical separation of classes eventually creates own cultures. 


Matthew Arnold culture is; 
- The best that has been thought and said in the world. 
- Study of perfection. 
- Attained through disinterested reading, writing and thinking. 
- The pursuit of culture. 
- Seeks to minister the diseased spirit of our times. 


Leavisism; "Culture has always been in minority keeping" 


Frankfurt school - critical theory; study of culture took place here. 
"The culture industry" This is an idea of culture but more like culture produced in a factory. 


- Culture in capitalism was mass produced. "All mass culture is identical" 
- Culture for the masses. 
- The idea of art as a culture is gone due to art as mass production. 
- Influences cause us to be one dimensional, creating a false consciousness. 


- Popular culture was a threat to the upper class. 
- Working class culture was bad because it 'dumbed down' thinking about political situations. 


- Contemporary culture industry for the working class de-politicises because it makes us think unacceptable things are ok for example, women flaunting themselves. 


- The culture industry is standardised so it does your thinking for you. 


Qualities of authentic culture; 
- Real
- European 
- Multi - dimensional 
- Active consumption 
- Individual creation
- Imagination 
- Autonomous (independent from the rules) 


- What happens to the cultural value of something when it's reproduced? 

Seminar two - technology will liberate us.

Technology > reproduction > value.
Photography
New techniques


The main thing to be taken from this lecture was that the reproduction of art works devalues them in a number of different ways and this is down to the development of technology. 
During this seminar we were put into pairs and given a paragraph from the text 'The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction' by Walter Benjamin. We had to read the text, discuss what we felt it meant and then feedback to the group and talk about these ideas. Myself and Kirsty were given paragraph four to look at. 

The key points we got from this section of the text were; 

- The value of art changes depending on the context it is in

- If something is reproduced it loses it's uniqueness but art works were reproduced so everyone could have them not just the upper class people

- With photography which is actually the original?

- As technologies began to evolve there was a sense of crisis later to come for art

- Art is treated like royalty because you tend to have to walk up a huge staircase and then whilst walking around an art gallery you talk quietly as though you are treating the pieces with respect

- When it's authority gets threatened by reproduction it recoils in order to try and save itself

- Tradition is changed by this idea of reproduction, it is lost. 

- Art is described as the cult of beauty due to its uniqueness but this has declined due to reproduction

Lecture three; Marxism & design activism.

Marxism is - a political manifesto, leading to socialism, communism and the twentieth century conflicts between capital and labour. 
A philosophical approach to the social sciences, which focuses on the role of society in determining human behaviour, based on the concept of dialectical materialism. 


Capitalism is - control of the means of production in private hands.
A market where labour power is bought and sold. 
Production of commodities for sales.
Use of money as a means of exchange. 
Competition/meritocracy. 


Communist evolution; 
Primitive communism 
Slave society
Feudalism
Capitalism 
Socialism
Communism


Marx's concept of base/superstructure.
Base; 
Forces of production - materials, tools, workers, skills
Relations of production - employer, employee, class, master, slave


Superstructure; 
Social institutions - legal, political, cultural
Forms of consciousness - 'the history of all hithero existing society is the history of class struggles' 


Base > determines content and form of > superstructure > reflects form of and legitimises > base.


System of ideas or beliefs
Masking, distortion or selection of ideas, to reinforce power relations, through creation of 'false consciousness' 
Society = economic, political and ideological. 
Ideology is a practice through which men and women 'live' their relations to real conditions of existence. 
Ideology offers false, but seemingly true resolutions to social imbalance.


The media as ideological state apparatus
A means of production. 
Disseminates the views of the ruling class.
Media creates a false consciousness.
The individual is produced by nature.


How does advertising effect us?
What examples of graphic design could be determined by social or political factors?

Task one - Panopticism.

Thinking about modern day examples of panopticism I have chosen one example to discuss, I will also include quotes from 'Panopticism' by Michael Foucault that link to my ideas. A modern swimming pool is in my opinion panoptic because the lifeguard sits in their chair in the middle of the pool area like the tower of the Panopticon because "the registration of the pathological must be constantly centralised". This chair is high enough so that the lifeguard can over look the whole of the pool area and can be seen by the public swimmers. There are rules put in place that only tend to be followed due to the panoptic layout of the swimming pool because someone is constantly watching to make sure the public are abiding thus links the quote "Visibility is a trap". Panopticism in this case is used as a safety feature because the public are aware that they are being watched therefor they behave in a certain sensible manner. This reduces accidents because the public become docile bodies when attending the swimming pool and automatically behave themselves. "So to arrange things that the surveillance is permanent in it's effects, even if it is discontinuous in it's action" - There does become a point in which the lifeguard doesn't necessarily have to be there because the public self regulate so not to endanger themselves. Unlike the Panopticon however, the public can see each other when in the swimming pool so may be influenced by what others are doing in a negative way. "The first is that of a pure community, the second that of a disciplined society" this could link to the fact that some people know how to behave in modern day society and others are taught through systems such as the panoptic layout. Overall "Bentham's Panopticon is the architectural figure of this composition" because the way in which the swimming pool is laid out could have come from the ideas of the Panopticon.

Foucault, M. (1977) Discipline and Punish, London, Penguin.