Exit through the gift shop.

Theirry is an artist but is alter ego Mister Brain Wash is not an artist.  Mister Brain Wash is imitating what he has seen other artists do.  Mister Brain Wash succeeded in brainwashing everyone.  He brainwashed the artists that he was friends with, such as Banksy, he brainwashed the promoters and the people building his show, he even brainwashed the people who came to see his show. Theirry loves art so much, he has such a profound appreciation for art and that love for art MAKES Theirry a kind of artist.  Mister Brain Wash is just worried about money and fame and his connections so that the world will name him "artist"  I believe if one is really an artist then one does not need the recognition from anyone else.

I did not understand how he got this money to produce ALL of the artwork, pay the people working for him,  rent out the space for the show.  I'm not sure if he was banking on the fact that his show would give him back the money he invested plus some profit, or he just had a lot of money to blow.

What does he do?! Nothing.  He employs people to do every aspect of his work, the graphic designers change the pictures to MBW's liking, he employs people to build his sculptures, he even employs people to put up his artwork, and MBW is not even there to tell these people where to place/hang his artwork.  MBW is in an interview, not even caring that his show has not come together yet on the actual day of his show.

Banksy does not really like Theirry's work.  He infers that it is meaningless and trivial.  Banksy was very disappointed that Theirry did not take the time to explore himself as an artist, and he also took advantage of his friendship with Banksy (and Shepard Fairy for that matter) and exploited it for more recognition from MBW (himself).  Theirry used Bansky and Fairy's names and reputations to promote his own show and completely misused his relationship with both of them.

Banksy talked about how a great artist, Warhol, made "celebrity" null, void, and insignificant.  And for Warhol (who was renowned already) this was a big feat.  But with MBW doing the same thing, it's like a big joke.  When Warhol created his art it was original and groundbreaking, MBW just copied and mass produced what he saw from the street artists.  Andy Warhol is an artist, Warhol's work represents an era, a time and place that can not be recreated.  When comparing Warhol to MBW, it reminds me of when a pop star from today's music does a cover of a song from the 70s or 80s. It becomes irrelevant to its society.  MBW did a horrible job at portraying what street art is, MBW does not understand art and is misusing art itself.  With time Theirry may understand himself as a artist and with that create something that actually has some source of meaning or hard work.

WasteLand

The argument that Vik Muniz and his wife were having was dealing with whether these people who have been born and raised in poverty and are now working as pickers could handle a temporary taste of an easier life.  Muniz believed that this could help these people by shaking up their brains and making them question their lives. Muniz thought giving them a temporary taste of a better life would bring a positive outcome. 

Though Muniz’s wife thought completely different.  She felt by doing this to these people would give them false hope and make them detest their lives at the wasteland.  She was explaining that the pickers are proud and happy with the work they do at the wasteland and teasing them with a better life could disturbed their minds and force them question themselves and their lives at the wasteland. 

Both sides of the argument point out good and bad things about the situation but I strongly agree with Vik Muniz.  The only thing I worry about with giving these people a temporary better life which was not mentioned would be the jealousy of the other pickers and people in the town.  I thought maybe some of the pickers would look down upon them and almost banish the people who were lucky enough to get the chance to leave the life of a picker even just for a moment.  Other than that I feel that doing this for these people was a great decision.

The people Vik chose were completely tired and worn out from their hard lives. By taking these people out of misery and poverty and showing them a new sense of life gave these people hope.  It lifted up their spirits and encouraged them to do things they have never done before.  One woman even divorced her husband while she was working with Vik, which she was proud of and liberated from by divorcing her husband.  Another women left the picker business to start working at a grocery store after she had this experience.  The older black women went to go work in a kitchen but then realized she missed the people she worked with at the wasteland and decided to go back. 

Even though some of these people chose to leave the life of a picker or to stay, their lives will be forever changed because of that temporary taste of a better life.  This experience lifted up the hearts and spirits of these people and motivated them to do better in their own lives.  Vik Muniz made a great decision by letting these people experience something new and vast. Their lives will never be the same and have changed for the better by simply showing them a better life Vik has given these people inspiration and encouragement for them to achieve a better life for themselves.

Ambient Ads

SL Pride Bus 2011

Ad Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Stockholm, Sweden

The first ambient ad that I chose was a bus that was used in Stockholm gay pride on August 6th 2011.  The ad agencies involved were Saatchi & Saatchi, Stockholm and Sweden. The objective for the company SL was to bring more people to Stockholm pride.  How they did this is by having people who could not physically be there upload their FaceBook picture and the picture would be posted on either side of the bus in rainbow color.  This was an extraordinary and huge project.  Since it was done on FaceBook, people could add friends or find your friends all online, and the project grew from FaceBook alone.  There were 35, 500 (plus) people who uploaded their pictures, filling up both sides of the bus making this the largest pride today.  The only default about this project is I feel it would be hard to try to find your friend's picture on the bus, especially if it was close to the top of  the bus.  Overall this project was outstanding.

Corelle Dishware

Ad agencys: Grey, China

This ad is a picture of a vending machine filled with Corelle plates that was in set up in specific locations.  The point of this ad was to prove that Corelle's dishes are unbreakable.  So people would come up and select a dish that would drop down for the people to grab like a vending machine.  This ambient ad was a very creative way of showing how durable the plates really are.  The factor that plates were in a vending machine is a brilliant idea to attract people and to make them interact with the product.  I love when products have the public interact with the product because it makes one remember the product when one physically interacts with it.  I saw no drawbacks to this ad and the most impressive fact is that this ambient ad alone brought up Corelle dishware sales by 10% in just one month.

Got Milk? Just do it.

 GOT MILK

Once the famous tag-line “Got Milk” was released it caught on like wildfire.  Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, created this superior tag-line.  The history behind this tag-line is quite amazing.  It was brought up in a presentation board meeting discussing what should the heading be for a particular milk ad.  Then one guy Jeff Goodby said, “ why don’t we just put got milk with a question mark.” Everyone thought it was a dumb idea and one person even said it wasn’t correct and should be do you have enough milk.  

The documentary “Art and Copy” pointed out some attention-grabbing information. For example before this ad milk sales were dropping by 4% each year.  They pointed out how hard it is to sell milk to people since it’s not like Nike or other drinks with different flavors or new styles of shoes.

Once “Got Milk” was used as a headline it created a booming trend all across America.  Masses of print and T.V ads were created based on this simply yet geniuses tag-line.  This tag-line had a huge effect on people and shortly after the ad was released other brands were spoofing or ripping of the slogan. People started to attach this slogan to everything.  Some said “Got Game”,” Got Waves” “Got Fish” “Got Beer” and many more.  This tag-line started a new generation of tag-lines and the phrase “Got Milk” is now perpetually burned in our brains.

NIKE

The company that made the ad campaign “Just do it” was Wieden & Kennedy.  The inspiration for it actually came from a guy who was convicted of murder and before he was executed his final words were “Lets do it”. Wieden herd this and decided he really liked that as a tag, but wanted to change the “lets” part, from there the famous tag-line “Just do it” was born.

Nike’s mission is to inspire people to participate in sports. The people at Wieden & Kennedy were not expecting the enormous response that they received from this tag-line.  It really amazes me how a simply slogan for a shoe company can encourage people to work out, divorce there husband or ask a girl out for a high school prom.  Once the campaign was released it immediately effected people and changed the way people viewed Nike. This ad campaign revealed how powerful advertising can be when it’s done well.

Ad Agency

      The name of the agency  that I am researching is called Buzzman. The history information was harder to find than I expected.  Buzzman is a small French agency that thinks differently and has opened a new door to advertisement.  Most of their commercials are interactive just like the commercial I choose.  This is one of the most viral commercials on YouTube right now.  There was a great quote that  I found that is posted on their website, they call it the agency's credo  as Bob Thacker, senior VP-marketing and advertising at Officemax, says: "The secret is respecting the consumer. You are interrupting their life. All advertising is unwanted, so if you're going to crash the party, bring some champagne with you" and I believe that is Buzzman's main mission. This company's vision or mission is also to get viewers to interact with their commercials, which I think is brilliant because it makes one remember the product and have fun with the commercial.  It is something that really has not been done except the Old Spice response videos. The location of the agency is in Paris, France and the funny thing is google provided the address and everything but I doubt you need that information.

Tipp-Ex White Out

      The setting of the ad is placed in today's time and in the woods somewhere in France, I'm guessing. The subjects are a couple guys obviously from Europe who are camping and run into a bear.  The main subjects are the man you see in the shot, the bear and of coarse the product Tipp-Ex white out.  The story  behind this ad is that you can write and rewrite anytime with the Tipp-Ex white out.  Once you enable the interactive part of the ad you really get to understand how the company is advertising the product to the viewer. You are able to write as many things in the area the man whites out, letting you have fun with the commercial and remember what product you are viewing.
      This ad was made in 2010 so it is fairly new.  The relation between me and the ad is that I must interact with the ad to activate it.  This ad is obviously directed towards men and women from the ages 15 to 35.  This ad is not effective if you do not use the internet so obviously this advertisement's demographic is not directed to my mom or grandma.
      I choose this ad because I have never seen anything like it.  When I first found this commercial I could not stop interacting with it.  I checked out more of Buzzman's commercials that they did for Virgin sound system and those were just as addicting.  Yes I was persuaded.  This way of advertising is pure genius.  It attracts a wide range, but specific, demographic and is fun and makes you remember the product.
     

Gender Video

My Tide detergent TV commercial - hoodies and cargo shorts

Gender And Gaze

The first thing I noticed about this movie is the camera work feels and looks like it is through the eyes of a voyeur.  The word gaze is fully defined in this film Rear Window, this movie could have easily been titled “the act of looking” simply because it shows perfect examples of how we can watch someone without there knowledge of knowing we are watching them.  In this movie Lisa, Jeffries and Stella at one point all play the same role as a spectator. 

Jeffery plays a very stereotypical role for a man in the late 1950s.  He talks about how women complain too much and talks to Lisa like she could never understand anything beyond make-up and dresses.  This relationship is a very typical male dominant relationship; this was nothing out of the ordinary for a man and a woman of this time era. The only thing that makes this relationship unique is they both are not married yet, which was unusual for both their gender roles in that time era.

Lisa is obviously much younger than Jeffery.  She plays her classic 1950s woman role very well.  She does the cooking, she always wears make-up and she always stands by her man in what he thinks.  Lisa plays the role of the “male” gaze, which is talked about on page 123.  This male gaze is portrayed using camera angles in the film, one great example is when there is an extreme close up of Lisa when we first meet her in the movie, emphasizing her beauty and making her face almost have a glow effect.  On page 123 and 124 they talk about how the woman’s body is to face the camera and she is to look passive.  At the end of the film there is a scene where Lisa is looking very passive and sexual as she is reading a magazine.  She looks as if she is posing for the camera with her body very visible, the shape of her curves are obvious and of coarse she is wearing make-up and is all dressed up to just read a book. When a normal women from today’s era would read a book relaxed and slouching in her loose t-shirt and a pair of sweats.  A great quote on page 126 is “ In Rear Window, she argues, the character of Lisa has her own interpretation of what has taken place across the way, and the film ultimately validates her view.” This is a perfect description of how the gender roles are displayed in this film.

When speaking of Stella’s comment I fully agree with what she says.  While I was watching this film one question kept popping up in my head.  Who is watching Jeffery?  I am strong believer in the saying “if you can see them then they can see you.”  Our culture in America has become prone to the act of looking or commonly known as “people watching”. We love to watch other people but when it comes to our own lives we would rather look the other way, literally. It is obvious how we really are voyeurs since the American culture loves movies so much.  The description of the gaze in psychoanalysis on page 120 explains it very well.  We love to watch other people argue, love, laugh and any other drama in ones life, but we would rather watch someone else’s misfortunes then deal with our own and we would think it was insane to have someone look into our own lives.  When we watch someone else’s life it is a personal escape from our own lives, we may assume things about these people we watch but our excuse is everyone else does it too.  If we were to take one look in our own windows we would be shocked of the misjudgments and assumptions other people make on our lives.

            

Twin Tower Remembrance

      When watching the State Farm commercial.  I really enjoyed seeing all these children of different ethnicities coming together to sing a song that is dedicated to the great city of New York.  It seemed like these firemen had no idea these kids were coming to sing to them, like it was a surprise.  The only thing that really takes away the good in this is the fact that some major company had to stamp its label on this beautiful tribute to New York.
       The behind scenes video was much more heart warming and sincere than the actual commercial.  Who ever was in charge of the productions of this commercial should have released something more like the behind the scenes video.  Actually hearing what the children thought and some of the stories of the composer, firemen, children and I think even the director was much more heartfelt.

      After spending some time in the gallery I was moved by all of the art work.  I was interested in the different ways 9/11 was expressed. I particularly liked the etchings of the Twin Towers.  In the etching I chose there is a lot of movement in this piece.  The smoke in this piece is outstanding, I loved how the artist   portrayed the smoke.  The smoke had evil and twisted looking faces on the outside and in the inside of the smoke was blank faces, which I believe represents the many innocent people that lost their lives.  There was so many people who lost their lives that we were not able to put a specific face to each and every person lost in this tragedy, unlike the terrorist face who we all the remember.

Mass Culture. Due Monday 19th

1.      When thinking of the Theory of Homogenized Culture, I researched commercials online and the best example I came up with was a commercial from the 1970s by Coca-Cola.  This commercial describes the theory very well, by showing everyone united, equal and happy as one whole group and of coarse they are all drinking Coca-Cola.  The main problem with this theory is when everyone is the same then there is no diversity or cultural uniqueness.  This commercial implies world peace but it contradicts accepting uniqueness not only with the fact that everyone is only drinking Coca-Cola but everyone can speak clear english.  The song that is playing with this commercial is sung by a group of people that only speak english and the voice that stands out is a very clear speaking and lovely sounding female who can sing fairly well.  This shows the ignorance of Mass Media as well.

2.      When thinking about the Mass Culture Statement I found it to be very true because how can we enjoy the existence of diversity in cultures when everyone is the same?  Without discrimination there would be no uniqueness in sub cultures or in cultures.  On page 40 in our Popular Culture book I found a section that talks about Folk Art the grew from below. It says, " It and was a spontaneous, autochthonous expression of the people, shaped by themselves, pretty much without the benefits of High Culture."  It also explains how Mass Culture is created from above, from businessmen who obviously create their art mainly to make money and only concerned with personal gain.  The Mass Culture will always be a selfish monster but we have to accept that this mass culture and mass media help create jobs and is a large part of our country bringing in money from all over the world.

Elements and principles

Elements:

Batman and Robin to the rescue - Julian Beever

This chalk drawing is representing the element of value.  The value in this piece is so well done that it gives off the illusion that it is real or 3D.  The artist Julian Beever does this 2D chalk work  yet makes the eyes believe it is popping out of the sidewalk.

Escaped Conviction - Alex Pardee

This drawing shows a great example of the appropriate use of the element color.  This drawing would not be as appealing and effective to the viewer without the color.  The element color provides so much to this drawing and with the color produces other elements like line and movement.  Alex Pardee is a contemporary artist who makes graphics characters and uses color to his advantage with his pieces.

Weeping Woman with Handkerchief - Pablo Picasso 

The element I focused on in this painting is shape.  Pablo Picasso is known for cubism and using shapes to create people and objects in his work.  In this painting there are many different shapes that give the painting a abstract view.  The use in shapes to create her nose help flatten the piece but gives it a geometric appeal.

Principles:

Marilyn Monroe - Andy Warhol 

This very famous piece by Andy Warhol shows a great use of the principle emphasis.  It is obvious with the use of repetition what the artist wanted to emphasize.  Each time you look at this piece something new can be emphasized whether it be the hair, lips or even color.

Untitled - Salvador Dali 

This piece by Salvador Dali is a great example of the use of space.  The way a viewer's eyes move around the piece because of the way it was constructed is a fantastic use of space.  The space in the middle of the piece is interesting also, mostly because there is so much going on in the piece, the middle of this painting is the most calm, which usually is the opposite in most pieces.

Starry Night - Vincent Van Gogh

This piece by Vincent Van Gogh is a great example of movement.  The whole painting has so much movement the town, the dark black shadowy figure on the left, the stars and especially the clouds.  the diagonal movement in this piece makes the viewer's eyes move over the whole painting.

A piece of art that I found to be valuable is the loch ness monster made from trash bags and is setup in the streets of New York.  How this artist, Josh Allen Harris, sets his work apart from other artists of today is the fact he uses the elements of New York City such as subway vents to bring his art to life.  Harris' artwork is very valuable because he makeshifts trash bags to become animated creatures.  He lets people view his artwork without charge, and I believe the art is valuable somewhat based on the fact that a buyer of art could not necessarily buy this art piece and make it look magnificent in ones own home, such as it does on the streets of New York City.

The shock factor

When I think of shocking images I immediately think of the media in our society.  In our society, shocking images make a huge impact.  Shocking images can work in both positive and negative social outcomes.  For example one of my favorite music artist builds her career on shocking images. Lady Gaga is constantly raising eyebrows and just one example is her fabulous meat dress.  That dress got her a lot of media attention, probably raising her record sales and merchandise. On the other hand she probably lost some fans and upset animal protesters.  I would say, overall, the shock factor is more positive than negative in the media field, simply because in the entertainment businesses more attention is never a bad thing.