Study Task 3 : Triangulation

L. Mulvey, feminist film theorist, introduces the constructs of visual pleasure in cinema, formed unconsciously through patriarchal society. Mulvey argues that the separation of an audience from the characters onscreen through the cinematic experience plays to ‘voyeuristic’ (Mulvey, 1975) fantasies, and enables the passive objectification of the female form to the active ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey, 1975). R. Dyer and J. Storey in their writing are both referential to L. Mulvey’s argument. Storey summarises the key points within Mulvey’s text, emphasising her use of ‘psychoanalytical theory’ (Storey, 2001) as a ‘radical weapon’ to deconstruct and destroy constructs of visual pleasure in cinema. In contrast, Dyer criticises Mulvey’s argument as a means to develop and support his own.  He contradicts the foundations of Mulvey’s argument in depicting the audience as passive spectators, and therefore cinema purely as a visual pleasure, by arguing that ‘moviegoers also respond actively as individuals’ (Dyer, 1979) to the meanings represented onscreen (Dyer, 1979). Mulvey’s statement of, ‘the male figure can not bear the burden of sexual objectification’ (Mulvey, 1975), is contradicted through Dyers examples of objectification of the male body in cinema. He also provides an alternative view of Mulvey’s idea of cinema providing sadistic and voyeuristic pleasure, in arguing that there is also the opportunity of a ‘masochistic relationship’ (Dyer, 1979) in which the woman star is not so passively objectified. It is important to consider the years separating these two texts in terms of when they were written, and that we would have seen some changes in the way cinema is constructed as well as analysed. Certainly, Mulvey’s arguments may be true to some contemporary cinema today but also be considerably false when analysing strong females roles in films such as Frozen, and the objectification of the male form in others such as Magic Mike. 

Study task 2 : Establishing a research question

Cop Seminar 3 : Triangulation

In this seminar we evaluated and drew links between three texts - Storey, J : "Cultural theory and popular culture", Dyer, R : "Stars and audiences", Mulvey, L : "Visual pleasure and narrative cinema"

KEY POINTS

• L, Mulvey is the primary text. Her is a 'feminist' psychoanalysis' : psychoanalysis is a theory created by Freud, it intends to provides insight, by making making our unconcious thoughts conscious.   
• Main points: 
• Cinema is a mechanism by which to reinforce male hierachy
• Men are active and woman are passive.
• Women are objectified by the 'male gaze' 
• Cinema reinforces male ego - man is representative of all men, so they can project themselves onto the male role. 
• Female also represents the threat of castration - film solves this by either devaluaing women or uber objectifying them so that they cease to be a person. 
• The castration complex is the fear of emasculation. 
• Mulvey is a british, feminist film theorist. 
• R, Dyer - an academic specialising in cinema (particularly italian cinema), queer theory and the relationship between entertainment and represenations of race, sexuality and gender
• Massachistic view - role reversal, examples of women being unaffected by the male gaze. 
• J, Storey - wrote 'cultural theory and popular culture'. He is a professor and author. His article highlights key points of Mulvey's text, and by doing this makes it more accessible. 
• "The pleasure of popular cinema must be destroyed in order to liberate women from the exploitation and oppression of being the 'passive raw material from the male gaze"
• Relationship between writers - Dyers and storey are referential to Mulvey's texts. Her psychoanalysis of cinema forms the basis for their arguments, and they use this to develop their own. 
• Examples of male gaze within cinema e.g. Bond girls. 

Lecture : Research and Epistemology 1

KEY POINTS

• Experiential learning - learning by doing
• YOU and your research are at the centre
• Process is more important than the outcome
• 'its cyclical not linear'
• the aim is to achieve synthesis between practical and theoretical - each component is working/contributing to the other. 
• qualitative research - beleifs, opinions, subjective
• quantitive research - numbers, quantifiable, fact 

Study Task 1: Illustration and Authorship

An evaluation of authorship in relation to the illustrator and designer Jean Jullien. 

Known to inject humour and originality into everything he puts his hand to Jean Jullien is now at the demand of many famous and important clients within the creative industries and beyond. In 'the death of the author', Barthes, R. argues that 'writing is the destruction of every voice' and that 'it is language which speaks, not the author' (Barthes, R. 1968). When relating this to the practice of well-known illustrators such as Jean Jullien, with his visual 'language' (Barthes, R. 1968) now so easily recognisable, it seems valid to question whether his images are no longer being viewed on face-value but in relation to the gravity of his name within the industry.  

If this is the case, surely it provides him advantage over other practitioners within particular settings, as well as changes and influences how an audience value and appreciate his work. Barthes' theory proposed in relation to writing, provides a similar view in that 'to give a text an author is to impose a limit of that text' (Barthes, R 1968). It may be interesting to pose the question as to whether the recognisability of his images makes an audience or client more susceptible to highly rating his work and imposing less critical analysis over the aesthetic or concept. If so, then surely 'the birth of the reader must at the cost of the death of the author' (Barthes, R. 1968), as in order to see an illustration with clear mind who created must therefore be put out of the audience's knowledge. 

This argument may be made redundant when questioning the validity of authorship within illustration, similarly as Barthes, R. poses in 'The Death of the author' with relevance to the written word. The earliest definition of the author is stated as 'the person who originates or gives existence to anything' (Rock, M 1996). With this in mind, one must consider whether illustrators may claim authorship over their own practice as surely their work is a product of their own influences and the world we see around us. Jean Jullien's work is highly relevant to evaluate in relation to this theory, as his images often act as a commentary on current social and worldly issues. Therefore, his work acting as 'a visual collection of commentaries', with the aim of telling 'stories that people could relate to' (Butler, A 2014), surely it is valid to argue that he is not giving 'existence to anything' (Rock, M 1996) but simply reproducing what has already been seen. 

In contrast one may argue that we each view the world, whether with the motivation to be creative or not, through an individual lens. I value Jean Jullien's work because of it's originality, as although it highlights what may be seen to be obvious, it also pushes these issues into new light. 

Butler, A. (2014). interview with the creator of the peace for paris symbol, designer Jean Jullien. Available: http://www.designboom.com/art/interview-with-illustrator-and-designer-jean-jullien-11-27-2014/. Last accessed 25th Oct 2016.
Barthes, R. (1977). Death of the Author. In: Heath, S Image, Music, Text. London: Fontana Press. pg142-148.
Rock, M. (1996). The designer as author. Available: http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/the-designer-as-author. Last accessed 25th Oct 2016.

Seminar : R, Barthes. "The Death of the Author"

What message is Barthes trying to convey? 
In order to gain full understanding of a text, we must not use the author as an explanation, but the let the language speak for itself - in this we achieve the birth of the reader. 

5 main points

• "Writing is the destruction of every voice"
• "The image of literature to be found in ordinary culture is tyrannically centred on the author, his person, his life, his tastes, his passions"
• "it is language which speaks, not the author"
• "To give a text an Author is to impose a limit on that text" 
• "The birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of Author" 

Impact on illustration 

• As illustrators, we are the author of our own images and so take responsibility over the messages we convey within this work. However, almost all art forms are judged subjectively meaning the reader may form their own opinion and interpretation. 
• As young art practitioners we use social media channels - such as instagram and facebook - to promote our own work. Through this we become authors of our own online identity. 

How could this relate to your chosen theme? 
Aesthetics - How does being aware or unaware of the author of an image, influence the way we perceive this work? 

Lecture: Flipped classroom

KEY POINTS

• Traditional classroom is hierarchal - puts the teacher above the students
• Flipped classroom - peer assessment, allows the student to actively engage and learn at a deeper level 
• Started in the 60s - student revolution, 'Egalité, Liberté, Sexualité!' - Jacque Ranciere
• Education is a method of controlling, regulating, disciplining, specialisation and indoctrinating a fear of failure. 
• BUT surely there needs to be a balance - we can not learn only from each other if we do not know anything in the first place. Textbooks, critical essays are written by teachers, professors, people who supposedly know more - surely this is the same, its learning from the written word instead of someone standing up and saying it...

Cop initial ideas / continued thoughts from last year

Themes explored last year: 

• The relationship between technology and mindfulness
• The emergence of print media into a 'golden age' 
• The value of the handmade over digital

Prominent theorists/research: 

• Leslie, J (2013) 'The modern magazine, visual journalism in the digital era' London: King Publishing
• Jamieson, R (2015) 'Print is dead. Long live Print' London, Munich & New York: Prestal Verlag
• Burrell, I (2014) 'Looks good on paper: Forget tablet editions - a new wave of young independent publishers is producing wonderful hard-copy titles' [internet] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/looks-good-on-paper-forget-tablet-editions-a-new-wave-of-young-independent-publishers-is-producing-9139520.html [19/11/15]

prominent illustrators/practitioners within my visual investigation:

• Jake Hollings
• Jean Jullien
• Yukai Du

I found what I wrote about in my essay and explored visually within context of practice last year interesting, however I think within this years module I would like to move onto another subject. Although, most obviously, what I learnt last year through researching and gaining better understanding of these themes still and will influence my work e.g. my preference for the handmade over digital processes. 

Cop Seminar 1 - Module Briefing

KEY POINTS

Themes : politics, society, culture, history, technology, aesthetics 

What interests you practically and theoretically within the practice of illustration? and in the world? 

Submission date : 03/05/17

Deliverables : 

Context of practice blog - documenting critical response to lectures, seminars and study tasks, and independent research carried out for module. 

3 x 1000 essays/critical writing 

Visual investigation on chosen topic, collated in a 70 pg. A5 concertina sketchbook (provided)

For the 70 pg. concertina book, you can NOT rip out any pages but can practice work/make work outside of it before - so it can only include your successful outcomes/experiments.