CREATIVE CULTURES - B) HOW DO I LOOK?

'The male gaze' Recap
The male gaze forms a lens where womens bodies become objects.

Laura Mulvey - How is her theory problematized in 'The Bond Gaze'

Male characters in films control the narrative with their gaze, as seen in James Bond films.
Voyerism, looking without the subject knowing they are being looked at is present in these films.
Traditionally women in their appearance are code for strong visual and erotic impact which implies 'to-be-looked-at-ness.
Voyerism is when one looks into another world, 'investigating the female demystifying her'.
'Scopopholia' means taking other people as objects and subjecting them to a controlling gaze. 
Through 'The Bond Gaze' the notion of the controlling gaze leads to hegemonic ideologies within out our society.
What is missing from her theory?
- The female gaze
- Post feminism, retro sexism
- Women having control
- Hetronormative, assuming we are all hetrosexuals.


Irigaray
Theorist explaing the female voice in sexual imagery, associating images with sexual desires. She describes how we are 'told' to think this way and that 'we' need a clear female voice.

"Men Act, Women Appear" John Berger (1972)

1. The Renaissance: 3/4 gaze
2. The Reclining Female Nude: Horizontal naken women and vertical clothed men, often seen in advertising and painting.
3. Fragmented Body Parts and the Division of Body and Mind: Valie Export
4. Contemporary Advertising: Dolce and Gabbana


Butler
Gender as a perfomance

Case Studies: Dolce and Gabbana 

- Looked at
- In Profile
- Fragmented
- Horizontal and Vertical positions.
- The women are not engaging the viewer, but they are still being looked at. 
- All are in profile view, they are not returning the gaze, example of voyerism.
- Two female sitters are looking at eachother, all four are absorbed. 
- They are sexualised, and disempowered due to their postion

- Although one male is horizontal suggesting a less powerful character, his position is strong compared to the females.
- One male is returning the gaze, emphasising that they are not to be looked at.
- Active and passive in one frame.
- 'Men act, women appear'.

  - Male on the right is returning the gaze, his position is dominant.
- The female appears to be 'groping' the male in a sexualised way.
- The physical contact represents interaction, the returned gaze allows the viewer to become part of the scene. 
- Females have their mouths open which appears seductive.
- Questioning who is on control?



I found the above image the both interesting to analyse, there appears to be a slight falic obsession due to the positioning of each sitter, the females leg on the right acts as a repoussior leading the viewer to see the zip of the males jeans, the position of the text emphasises this. The womens gaze is overted yet their body is 'open' to be viewed.

- The female is the only one returning the gaze.
- She could be seen as an object, although she appears to have control.
- There is an element of assertiveness to her.
- She appears to be 'protected' and faught over, males are involved in 'power play'.
- Female acts a repoussoir, her leg in particular.
- Female is the only naked sitter, which stands out and could be seen as a spectacle.
- Formal anaysis: the tonal qualities highlight her body.

Natasha Walter, Ariel Levy, Cat Banyard all talk about pornified culture.

 - Male leaning over female is wearing sunglasses so his gaze cannot be returned by the female even if she wants to.
- All of the males appear to be surrounding the female, possibly glamourizing a rape scene.

Representations enter our collective social understandings constituting our sense of ourselves the positions we take up in the world, and the possibilities we see for action in it'. - Lisa Tickner 1984

CREATIVE CULTURES - AUDIENCE AND ENCOUNTER: 'THE GAZE'

Laura Mulvey - 1975
- Analysed Alfred Hitchcock films, suggesting in particular that the view point is from a male white view due to the way in which his films were made. 
John Berger - Could also be referenced when thinking about this notion.

'The Male Gaze'
- Andrea Del Castagno, 'Portrait of a man' 1450
- Positioning 3/4, emphasises power.
- Returning the gaze/offering the gaze
- Eye contact, insight into character

     - Alesso Baldovinetti, 'Portrait of a lady' 1465
     - Female in profile view.
     - Emphasis on her body shape, dehumanising.
     - High forehead, represents time period.
     - Representing her family rather than herself.
     - Profile view shows the family crest.
     - Wearing her identity compared to 'being' the identity.
     - 'Object to be looked upon' - Berger.

- Botticelii, 1470s
- Male, worldly.
- Religious setting, biblical.
- Liberation, escape, the water signifies travel.

    - Ghirlandiro, 1488
    - Female associated with religion, tradition.
    - Domesticated.
    - Stereotypical, virginal.
    - Rossary beads and bible reflect her values.
    - Profile view.

  - Fra Filippo Lippi, 'Double portrait' 1435-45
  - Her gaze is 'glaced' whilst the male's face is is focused.
  - Reference John Berger 'Ways of Seeing'.
  - Representative of a confession box.

- Piero Della Francesca, 'The duke and Duchess of Urbino'
- Female is adorned
- Male clothing is saturated/plain.
- The detail is on his face and on her jewellery.
- Feminised, historical.
- Water illustrates industry and commerce. 
- Escape, compared to the female's background.

           - Barbara Kruger, 'Your gaze hits the side of my face'
           - Connotations of violence.


















The Reclining Female Nude

- Titian, 'Venus of Urbino' 1538
- Seductive posture, gaze is at the viewer.
- Overted view, drawing in the viewer.
- Loose hair = loose women.
- Erotised pose, mythical women.

- Manet, 'Olympia' 1863
- Uncomfortable position.
- Confrontational gaze, alert posture.
- Subject = Prostitute, viewer could be the client.
- Choker around her neck seperates her mind and body.
- 'Covering' herself, less provocative.
- Servant is attending to her, position of power/dominence.

* Composition of both paintings illustrate a clear repoussoir, the bedding draws the reader in.

- Valie Export, 'Tapp und Tast' 1968
- Object to be looked at.
- Performance piece.
- Offers a direct confrontational gaze.
- Subersive.












Analysis of Bio-Chemist article in relation to gender:
The first image/headline is taking a 'professional' take on offering beauty advise. The headline concentrates on the profession of the female and 'recommends' the product; along with this the image to accompany the article is formal, the female is holding a direct gaze making it appear confrontational. You could note that the headline and image are challenging what we view as a female profession, women can be women and bio-chemists.
The second image/headline takes a different approach. The 'Women' as described lets the reader know that she 'Loves' the product, a word we often associate with females and emotions. Along with this her lips are slightly parted in the image which gives a completely different identity to the other image. She is slight turnt to the left which offers the viewer and view of her shoulder line and also illustrates a 'softer'expression which is less confrontational. 
Joan Rivier
- Rivier talks of women in powerful positions, she explains how women often enter hyperfemnine actions as opposed to submissive actions. She bases this on how women are represented, e.g Hilary Clinton being 'professional' and male like but wearing makeup and bold clothes that would be associated with people being very feminine.
- Judith Butler 


Renoir, 'The Bathers' 1887

 - Sexual relationships with this work.
- Always dipicting the female, gaze.
- Viewer is detatched from the scene.
- Non confrontational
- Highly erotised.
- Female/nature/homogenized.

Note: Michelangelo, 'David' 1501-4
- The male nude, strong and vertical, lower levels of eroticism.




What audience are visual representations for now?

- Caillebotte, 'Young Man at his Window' 1875
- Double view point, man is looking a something below.
- Elevated view, looking down at the street/at a female.
- Theatre environment, street is a stage.
- Spectacle, sights of display
- Subject: Man 'looking', active.
- Object: Women 'being looked at', passive.
- Or are we the subject?
- Man is occupying both fields.

- Degas, 'Young Women drying herself'
- Lack of awareness.
- Being looked at, viewer is the voyer.
- She is/could be performing
- Female sitter is almost horizontal, representative of the way females were represented in paintings.

- Caillebotte, 'Man at his bath' 1884
- Lack of awareness.
- Again the view is the voyer.
- He is in a vertical position.
- Powerful body language. 
- Could be seen as quite evocative in terms of perspective.
Note: Many of these paitings present were for bourgoise males so many of their aspects were apparent because of their target audience. For example, the way the male body and female body are portrayed. 

CREATIVE CULTURES - SITES & SYSTEMS OF DISPAY: AUDIENCE AND ENCOUNTER

What is the purpose of Photography in Malraux's 'Museum without walls'?
- It is used as a key tool in metamorphosis.
- Acts as a service provider, photography is diseminating the subject.
* In the history of Art & Design, photography was not/is not percieved as an important art form.

Out of all of the images of the Mona Lisa: that in the Louvre, postcards, photographs, tshirts, bags etc which is 'alive', which is 'dead', which is 'live' and what make it 'live'?
Talk about this in relation to Malraux and Benjamin.

- In relation to the Mona Lisa itself, I believe the original is 'dead'; the painting is small, it doesn't have an 'Aura' and I believe the viewer/audience find it difficult to get a feel for it. 
- In terms of reproductions of the Mona Lisa, they may not have the 'Aura' but they could be seen as 'live' because they can be touched/consumed.
- It could be said the hype surrounding the painting is 'alive'
- Marinetti would describe the painting as 'live', work by dead people (memory of something), but I would also reference Marinetti in the idea that the work is 'dead' as he describes in'Museums are cemetaries', the artist is dead, the work is in a Temple of Culture meaning most of the other work is by dead artists. The art is 'dead'/static.
- Boudrillard's theory of seeing through a screen would apply to this analysis and in any reproduction of the image, the 'Aura' is shifted from the original.
- The aspect that is 'alive' could be the idea surrounding the Mona Lisa and not the actual object, if the object is removed the emphasis lies on the concept.
- In terms of what 'live' actually means, it could be said that the streaming/photography of the Mona Lisa is 'live.

Walter Benjamin:
Benjamin welcomes the idea of photography emancipating the masses (freeing the people) and argues that it undermines the quasi-magical 'Aura' of the unique work of art by creating a multiplicity of copies in places of a single original. 
What does this mean/what is your opinion in relation to your practice? - Photography
In photography there are no originals and so there is no authenticity to its work, therefore I don't believe there is such a thing as an 'Aura' around a photograph nor is there uniqueness in the first place. Much of photography is based around reproduction and so it could be argued that in order to feel the 'Aura' around a photograph there would be a certain connection between the photograph and the context in which it is being viewed.

AUDIENCE & ENCOUNTER
- Chris Ofili
- Experiencing the work of art/design.
Carole Duncan - Civilising Rituals
Roland Barthe - The dead of the author

1. Prescribed Routes
- Sights of display, galleries etc usually have prescribed routes, especially in Temples of Culture. These are set up so the audience view more 'important' work first meaning if they miss the last rooms/routes they only miss out on less important works.
* The Canon: Describing a well known artist e.g Male, Western, pre 1970s.
* Conical: Famous/important work.
- The way or order in which you see things, the canon and heiraches of taste.
- Who decides what goes into the canon of art & design? And who decides what is good taste?

Carole Duncan (1995)
- She talks of Liminality and the gallery as a ritual ground.
- She discusses how your behaviour changes in a public space to a gallery, in galleries there are different concepts of time, they can be described as 'other worldly', liminal and ritual like.
- The audience is confronted with the 'Aura' of the art work, and so galleries become places of worship.
E.g Work that is placed under spot lights in a gallery have an 'Aura' about them, they become detached and isolated from the everyday; and so the spot light 'tells' the audience where to look.
- White Cube galleries/museums could also been viewed as a ritual ground, the work is framed by the neutral space. Ryan Doherty - Could argue.
- Ritual processions through prescribed routes in the gallery/museum. The audience and viewers have a collective experience there if there is an apparent notion of a route or order.

Liminality
How might you talk about Duncan's theory in relation to Chris Ofili's 'The Upper Room'?

- The arrangement of the paintings is based on the last supper.
- It appears to be one holistic space, the benches act as viewing platforms.
- 'Aura' is created by the intensity of the colours and the way the room is lit.
- It is designed in a church like space, the colours and lights reflect those of stain glass windows in churches.


- The reflection of the paintings is seen on the viewer making them part of the work/religious space.
- Anthropomorphic, the room and work have a human feel about them.
- Alive.
- As a viewer there is something in the positioning of the work that makes you feel part of it.
- Liminality, not part of everday reality, other worldly.


What has happened to the 'ritual ground' at the Photographers Gallery, London?

- Incorporated a cafe into the gallery.
- Ritual ground has been subverted.
- The space has become a social area.
- There is no precribed routes.
- The space is not liminal, it's relaxed.
- Appears to be an 'everyday', normal space.
Example of Duncan's notion of ritual ground being subverted. Problematized.
- The 'Aura' surrounding the work is effected/lost. Linear.




Roland Barthes - 'The Death of the Author'
" The birth of the reader is at the cost of the death of the author."
- By freeing up the work, not considering the author to be the dominent part.
1. Romantic myth of the lone genius artist: Jackson Pollock.
vs
2. Contemporary notions of collaborative creativity: David Carson.

CREATIVE CULTURES - 'ILLUMINATIONS', WALTER BENJAMIN

'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction'

This essay, written in 1936 has become a standard reference for any attempts to analyse and understand the:

- Interrelation of political, technological and artistic development under capitalism

- His insights are especiallu useful for the political analysis of film.

For Benjamin, Art must not just be evaluted in terms of it's depiction of the social reality of class oppositions; Art must be analysed in terms of it's technique and in terms of it's position.

He wrote that Art must not stand above and outside the context of living social relations; he wanted to see the barriers of competance, the distinctions between artist and audience broken down.

Benjamin talks about mass communication that has been made possible by the arrival of mechanical reproduction.

Mechanical Reproduction:

Mechanical reproduction makes possible the involvement of the masses in culture and politics, it makes possible mass culture and mass politics.

Aura:

In mechanical reproduction, Benjamin believes the uniqueness and authenticity is destroyed.

"In many respects this is a good thing, it looses it's false importance".

Authenticity:

Benjamin believes this is no longer relevant, for example, in Photography it makes no sense to ask for the 'authentic piece.'

Development of Film:

With this, he argues that the audience no longer stand in awe of the work of Art. The very nature of Art is transformed.

False consiousness if maintained.

A false 'Aura' is created.

Film: Benjamin describes film as the only medium that can reproduce the masses and bring them face to face with themsevles.

Facism: He believes that Facism introduces aestetics into political life as a way of giving the masses a chance to express themselves.

Communism: Finally, he feels that Communism responds by politicizing Art, by demystifying the production, distribution, form and content of Art in an attempt to make Art serve the cause of the masses and not vice versa.  

 

CREATIVE CULTURES - PRODUCTION & REPRODUCTION a) LIVE OR DEAD

RECAP/QUIZ:


Simulacrum = Boudrillard
- Referencing something that doesn't exsist.
- Somthing that isn't a true representation of reality.
Appropriation =
- Taking something and modifying it into somthing different.
Intertextuality =
- Text to text connections.
- Quoting/borrowing from another.


Metanarrative = Modernism
'High Art' = Modernism
Kitsch = Post Modernism
Popular Culture = Post Modernism

Theorists:
Lyotard = Metanarrative (one truth)
Baudrillard = Simulacrum
Walter Benjamin = 'Aura'
Bourdieu = Cultural Capital

Our questions to the group:
'What is the central idea of the Bauhaus movement?' 
- Form follows function


'What is another term for Avant-garde?'
- Modernism


Academatization = Art & Design have a formal/academic aspect to all it's studies.


PRODUCTION & REPRODUCTION 
Where do you find works of Art & Design?
1. Temple of Culture - Traditional/Classical
- Showing work up to the Modernist period, classical architecture, lots of text, people go there to be 'educated', little interaction.
2. White Cube 
- Audience perception, making sense of the work, if you don't have 'cultural capital' the White Cube style might be challenging to the audience, engaging without effort, 'high modernist'.
- Brian O'Doherty, 'Inside the White Cube', ideology of the gallery space. 
- Set of beliefs, way of behaving, ritual experience. Carole Duncan.
3. Catwalk
- As an exhibition space.
- As a stage/perfomance platform.
- Vivienne Westwood, post modernism/intertextuality.
4. Public Space
- Art on the underground (2007-8).
- Anna Barabel.
- Conceptual.
5. Outside Gallery Space
- Art work bleeding out into the 'public spaces'.
- Audience reposition themselves.
6. Reproduction
- E.g Tshirts, repetition of designs/artwork

** Saatchi Gallery: Offer virtual tours of the gallery, viewing through a screen.


2 Theories:
- Malraux's Museum Without Walls (1947)
- Walter Benjamin's Notion of the Aura of an Art Object (1936)


The oringinal Art work has an 'Aura', when reproduced the 'Aura' is lost. For example in Photography and Graphic Design reproduction is key; it is in essence what the object is so I don't believe this theory applies to all forms of reproduction in Art. Things that are reproduction can often become an Art themselves.


**( Essay Q: Benjamin's theory linked to viewing through screens - Modernist and Baudrillard 'Screened out', simulacrum - Post Modernist)


Malraux: 
- Notion of Museum without Walls.
- Reproduction, don't need to go to a museum to see pieces of Art.  
- Museums/Galleries etc without walls are accessible to the masses through reproduction. 
"Art is everywhere".
- Process of Metamorphosis in Art & Design.
- Starts in Galleries and ends up in the reproduction cycle.
- Reproduced images, context in which you view the original has changed.


Marinetti: 'Museums are Cemetaries (In the Futurist manifesto 1909)
- Not looking back, not reproducing.
- Centered around an ideology and set of beliefs.
- Can span into different disciplines, looking at movement.
- In terms of form, they are traditional but in function they look to the future.
- Short movement.
- Museums hold dead peoples work, and they conform to the traditional themes.
- The art is dead/static.


Picasso said "All Museums are lies"
- One grandnarrative, promoted tranditionally in Museums and Galleries.
"Aura is destroyed when Art is reproduced."

Malraux - " The imaginary Museum" another term for "Museum without walls" 1947
E.g Mona Lisa = Reproduced
- Death of the Author - Barthes


- When Art goes into public spaces from museums the medium that played a huge part in the reproduction process is photography.
- Means by which it occurs, 'Imaginary Museum'.
- Consumption.
- Accessible the everyone.


Malraux:
The work of Art & Design in its orginal setting 
to
The work of Art & Design in the Gallery/ Museum
to
The work of Art & Design mass distributed via photography representation.


- The 'Aura' is made in the production possible theory.
- For Malraux, the 'Museum without walls' is the latest stage in a process of 'Metamorphosis' which began by the Museum. This is a form of Decontextualisation.


What does this mean? & What does it mean when we say that the gallery decontextualises the Art/Design object? Think about it in relation to the Masaccio altar piece:
Decontextualising: Altering the context with each stage as you go through a futher stage of metomorphosis.
- The Alter is decontextualised from the church...
- Recontextualised in the Museum...
- Decontextualised from the Museum...
- Recontextualised in a public space


Homogenized : Making it the same
Decontextualising : In triptics, made into 3 and sent to different galleries. In Driptics, made into 2.


Talk about the 'Museum without walls' with regard to these works. 
What is the effect of decontextualisation on these works?


Richard Long - Photograph

- Making a Post Modern analysis
- The image can be seen or carried anywhere
- Is the Art the imprint in the ground or the photo?
- Looses context if not original







  


















Louise Bourgeois - Sculpture

- The sculpture has been placed in a certain area
- There are several versions of this sculpture
- Audience has no knowledge of context















- Malraux has France's first minister of cultural affairs between 1959-1969.
- Interested in bringing Art to the people/the masses, he set up cultural centers in order to do this. These were full of Art & Design rescources/objects.
- What is the problem with this?
- What is Malraux not considering?
He is giving is personal take on what 'should' be taught which is/will not always be correct.


Bourdieu - 'Cultural Capital'
- Expecting people to understand the Art they are viewing.