Jean Baudrillard & Postmodernism

Identity

Historical conceptions of identity.

Foucault's 'discourse' methodology 

Place and critique contemporary practice within these frameworks.

//Theories of Identity

ESSENTIALISM (traditional approach) suggests that we all have an inner essence that makes us who we are. Our biological make up makes us who we are.

POST MODERN THEORIST DISAGREE

/Phrenology: different areas of the brain: perfect balance within the brain. different parts of brain formulate the person you are. if one part is abnormally large, on part will be lacking. upsets the balance of your personality.

/Positive Criminology (Lombrosso): criminal tendencies are inherited. looks can determine this.

/Physiognomy: (explicit racism) white European background. can study facial background and study someones intelligence through them. Legitimising racism ....black roots less intelligent due to the slope of face. Straight face= intelligence.

/Physiognomy legitimising racism: Irish Iberian, Anglo-teutonic, Negro

suggests that people facial characteristics relates to where they are from.

Hieronymus Bosh (1450-1516)

The notion that if europe is largely christian then the people who sent jesus to his death are illegal. 

People like this shouldn't have a place in society.

Chris Ofili, Holy Virgin Mary, 1996

Paints the virgin mary as a black african woman. Uses elephants dung in images as indication of his origins. 

//Historical Phases of Identity

/pre-modern identity: personal identity is stable- defined by long standing roles (patriarchal system.. what father does defines what you do)

Institutions determine identity. Marriage... ownership of a wife (father paid man to take daughter off his hands)

'Secure identities'

Farm worker ...land of gentry

the solider ....the state

the factory worker ...industrial capitalism 

You can only move across through marriage.

Charles Baudelaire- the painter of modern life (1863)

Thorstein Veblen- theory of the leisure class (1899) ...don't have to go to work. use conspicuous consumption. wear a dress: suggests you do not work (due to quality of clothes) something to aspire to. shows you have money.

Georg Simmel (1903) the establishment of the modern city

Baudelare- introduces the concept of the 'flaneur' (gentleman-stroller) doesn't allow for the woman to do the job.

Veblen- 'conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure'. The more goods you have, the more it shows you don't need to go to work.

Simmel- Trickle down theory, emulation, distinction, the 'mask' of fashion. work on basis that upper class are seen as wearing the best, lower classes want to emulate upper classes. Upper classes want to distinguish themselves and not want to be linked so change (fashion seasons) 

Suggests that: because of the speed and mutability of modernity.

/modern society: offer a wider range of social roles (factories in cites offer jobs, people move from country to city, rise of social class, people begin to be able to chose their identity)

/post-modern identity: accepts a 'fragmented self' identity is constructed.

Foucault: identity is constructed out of the discourses of culturally available to us.

eg... age, class, gender, educational background, income, sexuality.

race and ethnicity... 'otherness'

/Class: current class system came in with the industrialisation ...introduction of the working class. 

Emulation and distinction between classes. If you are in the upper class you want to maintain the distinction and not let any lower class in.

Mass observation, Worktown project (1937) ...upper class go and look at how the other class live up in Bolton. Typical scenes. Idea of social inequalities at work. Uncultured people going to cinema in day. Children playing with rabbit feet: upper class kill, skin and eat rabbit but thats all lower class are left to play with.

Martin Parr, New Brighton, Merseyside, from The Last Resort, 1983-86 ...documents the world as he sees it: romanticises peoples lives, from point of view of higher class, looking down on lower class. Possibly poking fun at how lower class live their lives. Condescending nature to it.

Bauman... 'Society" reminds one of a particularly shrewd and cunning and pokerfaced player in the game of life, cheating if given a chance, flouting rules whenever possible.'

Shrewd photos capturing roles they don't belong to. 

Las Vegas ...all different identities brought into one place. Can essentially see the rest of the world there. 

//Race/Ethnicity

Chris Ofili, No woman, no cry (1998) ...placed on elephant dung on the floor to make link with his african heritage.

 Captain shit and the white legend. How a black hero my be viewed by a largely white audience.

Gillian Wearing, signs... (1992-3) gave cards and markers to people to say how they are feeling. Advertising campaign created in a similar way (VW). 

Alexandra McQueen ...very little space for black people in fashion. Put black models in african skin clothing. Racist comment? Only link you can make with a black person is animals??  

//Gender and Sexuality

Women underpresentation. Fashion industry: is the work not of women, but of men. ..men design for women. 

Masquerade and the mask of femininity ...Cindy Sherman ...placing herself in the photographs, imitating films ...different scenarios women get placed in within film. 

Sam Taylor-Wood, Portrait (Fuck, Suck, Spunk, Wank), 1993. 

Sarah Lucas, Au Natural, 1994

Tracey Emin, Everyone I have ever slept with 1963-1995, 1995

Female artists have to differentiate themselves as females artists, feel the need to respond to it. 

//The Postmodern Condition

Identity is constructed through our social experience.

Goffman, The presentation of self in everyday life.'

Bauman ..identity is discovered rather than born with.

Hargreaves (2003) Introspection is a disappearing act. (by getting a text message or a phone call, it signifies that you are there)

Kruger... I shop therefore I am, 1987.

Used by Selfridges in their sale, 2006.

Essay Hand In Requirements

Essay ...Visual Research2

I took this picture in the Harvey Nichols store in Leeds to demonstrate the tactfully positioned imagery around the store in a bid to make the customer aspire to becoming this 'perfect man/woman' and live the perfect lifestyle.

Essay ...Visual Research

Open publication - Free publishing - More ikea

I took a trip around IKEA to explore the panoptic measures in place in store and to provide myself with visual aids for my essay. It was evident that IKEA has a strong sense of direction throughout their stores, they take their customers on a journey through the store in the hope that they will find and purchase more than they came for.