Subcultures & Materials

I am looking to marry a medium with the subculture of each decade that matches the time period that it was introduced. Some of these are a bit whooly at the moment (towards the end), but I intend to solidify these choices with some more research.

If I find there is enough variety going on in the 80s I might focus on these instead because the work would be stronger. Niverna and Kylie is a bit weak at the moment.

Current Line up

1960s: Seagant peppers (Beatles) & Felt tip pens/Spiral graph

1967

1970s: Sex Pistols & Collage

At what expense do we pay to use free social media Platforms?

This post is on the presentation I delivered at UWE last Thursday for my self directed research project as part of my MA module. It's designed to help prompt me but for anyone who might be interested the full script is below.

Introduction

I am web designer and I noticed when my clients ask me to make a website, most of them ask me to integrate social media onto their websites.  They want a social media platform to connect with their customers and to promote their brands.

I am interested in whether social media is a good or a bad thing. On one side of the argument, people say that Facebook is good for maintaining a network and social interaction. Others may argue that it is pre-dominantly geared towards selling products and used for financial marketing.

I’ve chosen Facebook as an example because they are the most powerful social network with the most amounts of users.

My question is:

At what price do we pay to use “free” social media platforms in regards to data protection and privacy. Is it ethical to encourage this practice by designing websites for clients with integrated social media links.

 Facebook advertising

Iconic covers of 1990s

The 1990s was an arena for both Pop and Alternative Rock styles to flourish, it was difficult to make a choice between the two because they are both very different from each other.

Rage against the machine 1992

Features the famous photograph of the Vietnamese Buddhist who set himself as a act of political protest. But it may problematic for my project because its not a illustration, and the use of shock graphics I believe are overused (in social campaigns like quit smoking etc)

Nirvana Nevermind 1991

Also a well recognised album cover of the 90s era.

Felt tip pen's Artist Research

After using felt tip pens for one of my Punk pieces, I tried to look for other practitioners who similarly use this medium to increase my understanding around this medium and where my work stands contextually amongst other artists.

It was quite hard to find but I've found out that Felt tip pens (as well as coloured pencils) are namely for children. It represents a a child like innocence and naivety. Also, it's a method of teaching "boundaries" at a early age, where you have to make sure you "color within the lines".

image credits: the telegraph (online)

It was difficult to find a artist who use felt tips as most google results displayed buying results for felt tips. These are two artists I found:

Chronology of iconic 1960's covers

I believe the most notable designs were for Beatles, Pink Floyd and the peice (as discussed previously) by Andy Warhole for The Velvet Underground. 

They were both known for their involvement in the Psychedelia scene of the 1960's when Hippie culture was at its height following the social phenomenon of The Summer of love 1967. The stylistic conventions of Psychedelia design is evident in their work.

1966: Beatles Revovler by Klaus Voorman 

I think there is a imaginative, sort of fuzzyness and unknowing quality about this. The use of line is  surreal and abstract, and the combined use of illustrative and added photographic elements makes it feel a bit hap-hazard. It's like a mix of real and the imagined in one place.

1968: Pink Floyd A Saucerful of Secrets Hipgosis

1960's Hippie stylistic conventions

I been looking at illustrations from the book "Classic Albulm Covers: The 60s" complied by Storm Thorgerson.

Here are my notes in spider diagram form:

Notably, I found a common theme running through some of these pieces were the symmetrical quality of them. They even reminded me of Hindu mosaics in a way. The depiction of some characters denotes grandeur or of a higher being. 

Andy Warhol Artists Research

Developing Practice

I am looking at Andy Warhol because he was a significant designer of the 1960's which is one of the music eras I am looking at.

Warhol was best known for his iconic silkscreen print of actress Mariyn Monroe (1962). This piece has become a famous in mainstream culture history and is currently held in the Tate Art Gallery in London.

Also reconised as one of the most iconic albulm cover's of 1967 was Warhol's design for The Velvet Underground + Nico. The design features a printed banana that was peel-able to reveal the pink fruit inside. The Velvet Underground was amongst many psychedelic rock bands in the 60's which was inspired by the hallucinogen LSD and Acid in the music culture scene. 

Process colours experiment

This is a drawing of the Queen found on a £5 note. The guy who ran the "Publication in a day" workshop at UWE liked the juxtaposition between a serious subject matter with felt tip pens. I thought I try to put this into practice for this to see how it would turn out

I tried using process colours (CMYK) to see what affect this would produce and how well it would work with the punk style. It is quite eye catching and the saturated color look art pop-y. (Kind of reminds me of Mariyln Monroe due to the yellow hair)  

I wonder what this would look like if I did a relief or screen printing of this. Try making a half tone of this.

I should try and make remake this several times because with achievement comes hard work, (you're not going to get the best picture the first time round, you need to keep refining it). Also perhaps look at child like drawing tools if you are interested in using felt tips with Punk subculture art.

Music subculture reading notes

Punk

Identifying examples of punk work and Situationalism and Expressionism as a Punk design device: "Use of urban landscape and its contents to subvert or antagonise established order" by using Boldness, heavy type etc

Planning to make some different punk designs using single printed colors half tone. (green, blue, red)

Funk

Did some further reading into Funk, trying understand the core ideas/character of the subculture.

I've identified the design conventions used are: Lively, bright colors, happy, groovy and magazines that I could look at are "WIRE" and "Straight no Chaser". Notable Funk icon would be James Brown. I need to start producing my own designs much quicker!

Punk Collage experiments

Developing Practice in Graphic Arts

I consider this to be the most famous Punk artwork for which I am going to re-invent. This is inspired by the "100 Jazz Posters" by Mytton William, printing company in Bath.

Sex Pistols single cover designed by Reid

My re-designs / experiments

The Queen is less relevant today that she was in the 1970's when she was a symbol of jingoism and patriarchy.

The dominant patriarchal figure these days are the government and the Prime Minster. Punk was about liberation and having a free speech by subverting the established order. (Who was Magarat Thatcher when the Punk sub-culture started)