Context of Practice 2: Study Task 3

Le murmure du désert grondait à l’infini.

C’est ici que se perdent les nuages. 

Pierre-Antoine Moelo

The following discussion shall cite Pierre's illustration as an example of digital distribution in order to summarise Walter Benjamin's essay 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction' (Benjamin, W, 1936). The essay establishes the notion that 'aura;' being the intangible appeal of art.

According to Benjamin, aura 'withers in the age of reproduction'. He goes on to say 'By making many reproductions it substitutes a plurality of copies for a unique existence,'by which he means that the sense of authenticity inherent in individual artworks is saturated by their reproduction. Pierre's illustration has been created almost entirely digitally, meaning that there is no original artwork. In addition, the image has been optimised for digital distribution; it is in .gif format. The imagery has not been considered for print distribution, thus the only interaction an audience has with the piece is through screen-based media. 

Pierre's .gif is indeed 'designed for reproducibility;' it costs nothing for the viewer to simply copy or bookmark the .gif and view it at their leisure in almost any context. Benjamin suggests that this is a positive aspect of reproduced artwork; 'in permitting the reproduction to meet the beholder or listener in his own particular situation, it reactivates the object reproduced,' meaning that the artwork remains personal and fresh to the beholder in whatever context it is viewed in, rather than becoming stale or aged in a gallery format.

Obviously, Benjamin did not predict how screen-based media would eliminate the ageing effects of artwork, as he suggests;  'Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be.' Artwork that exists on screen is not subject to the ravages of time, while  arguably the screen itself may become outdated and replaced, the art itself goes unchanged.

However it may be noted there is an elitist quality to work existing in a digital environment; it presumes the viewer has access to such equipment, although arguably the vast majority of Pierre's audience exists in the digital environment. To initially view the .gif one must also have a reasonable internet connection which is an additional obstacle to it's viewing. 

Context of Practice 2: Study Task 2

War is Nothing More

Thomas Dellart-Delacroix

The title of the collage 'War is Nothing More' refers to the concise quote 'war is the continuation of politics by other means' as defined by Carl von Clausewitz in his book 'Vom Krieg' (On War). In relation to the image, the artist is insinuating that contemporary wars are an extension of political motivations, rather than moralistic campaigns.
This discussion shall establish whether the aforementioned collage created by Thomas Dellart-Delacroix may be considered as an example of valuable illustration, using supporting references.

Paul Schutzer, the renowned Life magazine photographer captured the original image of a VietCong prisoner who had been bound and gagged by American soldiers. Contextually Dellart-Delacroix's image was created during the Iraq War, which was subject to mass criticism and protest.
The artist is suggesting that the American foreign policy has changed little over the decades, where once communism was a valid excuse for conflict, now the vague evidence of weapons of mass destruction are now cause for war. In addition the design makes the allegation that war is not simply an extension of political motivation, but also commercial.  This supports the view that 'consumerism is running uncontested', and that this work is indeed challenging consumerism 'through the visual languages and resources of design,' (Lasn, K. et al, 2000), thus reinforcing the value of piece.

Further, the collage draws attention to typical products associated with consumer selling, we may observe imagery of tomato sauces, cigarettes and fizzy drinks. This is akin to the listing of products of the original First Things First manifesto which gives examples such as 'slimming diets, fattening diets, deodorants, fizzy water, cigarettes, roll-ons, pull-ons and slip-ons' (Garland, K. ,1964).  The piece is indeed  'a reversal of priorities in favour of the more useful and more lasting forms of communication' (Garland, K. ,1964) as rather than contributing to the system of commerce it instead chooses to satirise it and it's relation to modern conflicts.

Through the use of subversive collage the piece illustrates what the artist has decided is an unhealthy synthesis between business and foreign policy. By appropriating familiar brands as the gag of the victim, the artist may be suggesting that the images crafted by graphic designers are in fact 'helping draft a reductive and immeasurably harmful code of public discourse' (Lasn, K. et al, 2000). 

To summarise, the piece may be viewed as valuable design which challenges the relentless onslaught of commercialism. Rather than aiding it's message it contends it, further it seems to have a lasting effect, it equally relevant now as it was during the Iraq conflict, and it shall continue to provoke viewers to question their countries own role in global conflicts.

   

Life Magazine, 26th of November 1965




Garland, K. (1964) 'First Things First Manifesto', self published
Lasn, K. et al (2000) 'First Things First Manifesto', Adbusters
Poyner, R. (19990 'First Things First: Revisited', Emigre 51
Mau, B. (1998) 'An Incomplete Manifesto For Growth'
Beirut, M. (2007) 'Ten Footnotes To A Manifesto', in 'Seventy Nine Short essays On Design'

Context of Practice 2: Study Task 1

War is Nothing More

Thomas Dellert-Dellacroix

'We have reached a saturation point at which the high pitched scream of consumer selling is no more than sheer noise'

There's Nothing to Do on Mars

Chris Gall

Take field trips 

'The bandwidth of the world is greater than that of your TV set or the internet or even a totally immersive interactive dynamically rendered, object-orientated, real-time, computer graphic simulated environment.'