Theorising Media

 

  What is the role of (media) surveillance in assertions of colonial authority? and/or authority more broadly? The idea of surveillance is to watch someone closely, usually when a crime is suspected of being taken place. Just as technology has evolved so has the use of surveillance.  There is a clear link between surveillance and authority, as those that control it and enforce it are always the ones in power. During colonialism there was a use of surveillance where the facts were twisted and misleading to harm or disadvantage certain groups. We can see a similarity with this in todays day and age. We see surveillance and footage in general of individuals be used and manipulated across the media, especially with some news stations, to present a certain message to the general public.  There is no better time to find examples for this then now, especially with what has happened in 2020 with not just COVID-19 but more so the BLM movement. With this we have benefits of media s...

 

  What are the implications and benefits of 'manifestos', lists of limitations or rules for creative practice generally including your own activities? A manifesto is a set of rules set out by an individual or group that have to be followed to be deemed part of that group. A famous film manifesto was the Dogme 95 film manifesto, within this there were rules set out to bring cinema to it's core values i.e focus on performance over special effects. This was a very famous film manifesto and could be deemed successful, but it definitely came with limitations as well as benefits. The main limitation of this manifesto and others similar to it, is it can put you in a box. With 5 - 10 rules all set for you to follow it can be hard to find some uniqueness within that manifesto as there can be little room for maneuver. It can also create an issue with the creatives themselves, as if they are focusing to stay within the criteria of the manifesto, they are not necessarily letting thei...

 

Within self-portraiture there is of course a representation of the individual who made the piece, however this does not mean that in these pieces of work the work doesn't negate from the individuals actual 'self'. A prime example of this is looking at Cindy Sherman's work, where she photographs herself, but in a form that is of course not her true 'self'. Within her work she presents herself in a grotesque manner that defers form the norm of how women are presented in the media. This is an example of a Masquerade, as she is hiding herself with something else. In this case, she is hiding herself with an excess of make up and props. This is one example of how you can hide your 'self' through self portraiture or self representation.

 The idea of 'value' in any piece of art is extremely subjective for each individual who indulges in this craft. This value may be in the work of art itself, a reproduction or not, by enjoying the work of art for what it is. It could also be in knowing that the one piece you have is the only piece in the world, the value being the authenticity of the piece.  There are many different ways a viewer of art can deem the value of it. But, a more objective way of looking at it is the monetary value some artwork hold. The higher the price is a much more objective way of looking at the idea of more value. We see the highest priced artwork is in fact the authentic piece of work, the very first piece. This is due to the fact this original version is deemed to still withhold it's 'aura' and therefore it's true value. So one way to identify 'value' in a work of art is to identify whether it is the authentic piece of work and not a reproduction. Of course that object...