Task 5 - Lefebvre

Morrisons – Merrion Centre.

Representations of Space – For the most part, the store employs a largely traditional “flow through” layout, with a “mid isle break:” which opens up the opportunity of exposing the customer to more promotional sections. The store has two entrance exits, attempting to maximise the flow of customers, presenting the customer with several possible routes through the store: the illusion that the customer is navigating their own route, and not simply flowing round, may give them the impression that they are in control of their shopping experience, and therefore, in power.

The back wall of the store is lined with butchers, bakers etc, resembling a market place, and emphasising the idea of tradition, and freshness: the customer can then apply this notion to the rest of the store. The checkouts are surrounded with confectionery, playing on the vulnerability of the customer, whilst he/she, is waiting in the queue: magazine isle is also situated close to the checkouts, generally, correctly predicting the customer’s route.

Practice - In having two entrance/exits, whilst it gives the illusion of a more fulfilling, a controlled shopping experience for the customer, it opens up many doors, precisely two, for potential shoplifters: for example, the alcohol section is situated very close to an exit.

The idea of the customer navigating their own route through the store, causes congestion, people bumping into each other etc, providing a sometimes claustrophobic experience. People see friends whilst shopping, and stop to chat in isles, transforming the store from a supermarket, into a social space.

Representational Space – The idea of a supermarket being a social space, rather than a shop, is one that will work in favour of the store: when browsing, a certain spot where they talked to a friend about a particular “happy” subject, may sway their decision when debating whether or not to buy a certain product.

Directly opposite Morrisons, is a row of cash machines: hiding the entrance to an unused Odeon Cinema. Older customers may make associations of enjoying films in the past at the cinema when they are drawing cash out, the happy memories possibly jeering them take more money out than they usually would: spending more in Morrisons, and the rest of the Merrion Centre.

Task 4 - Essay Ideas

For my essay, I want to look at the the relatinship between celebrity culture and religion, and whether or not, one has replaced gthe other.

In my argument, I intend to:

• Explore the social functions of religion

• Apply these to celebrity culture

• How has celebrity culture integrated religion?

• How celebrity culture functions, and celebrity obsessives

Foucault, M (1977) Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. ST. Ives: Penguin Books

I feel that many of Foucault ideas can be applied clearly to religion, and intend to examind how it can be applied to celebrity culture

Marcuse, H (1964) One-Dimensional Man. London: Routledge

In particular, looking closely at Marcuse’s concept of “repressive desublimination:” can this be applied to the relationship between celebrity culture and religion?

Rojek, C (2001) Celebrity. London: Reaktion Books

Provides a critical reading on celebrity culture, looking particularly at celebrity obsession, from a range of sources.

Marshall,D,P (1997) Celebrity and Power: Fame in Contemporary Culture. Minneapolis: The University of Minnesota Press

Provides ideas from a range of theorists, looking at celebrity culture in a much broader sense.

Task 3 - Semiotics

The cover as a whole, on a denotational level, serves as news report the Falklands War, whilst it has overall connotations of victory and unity.

The first key signifier is the math stead. Whilst it functions as a logo for “The Sun” newspaper, it has clear connotations of being the absolute authority on what is happening in the world, far more so in the eighties, with limited of means of receiving the news, as well as further connotations of “Britishness.”

The two images of ship, and their relationship with the captions below, serve as an extremely effective device in translating the overall message of “victory” to the audience. Whilst the image and captions barely function of their own, the combination of the image of “War Ship,” and “crippled,” and “sunk,” produce very strong imagery of war, explosions, and more importantly, attempts to generate the idea of England as a force to be reckoned with.

“Gotcha,” is the most prominent of all the signifiers on the page. In terms of connotation, it gives the reader a real sense of involvement, almost as if they have participated in the “getting.” Using “Gotcha,” rather than “Victory” for example, clearly acknowledges, and caters for the tabloid readership: it is far more colloquial.

Further contributing to the overall connotation of “victory,” is the opening line of the article: “The Navy had the Argies on their knees last night after a devastating double punch.” The most effective word in this line is “Argies.” Although functions as a word describing people from Argentina, in the context of being in an article on a war, against Argentina, there are clear racial undertones, and ultimately dehumanizes them, by objectifying them and giving them a certain amount of “comedy value,” putting the reader in a position of power. Further reinforcing is idea is “Wallop,” in bold capitals twice in the body text: as the audience is reading the article, this signifier functions as device to give them the impression that they, are also “Walloping” the “Argies”

“Battle for the islands,” serves as an almost branding device for the Falkland’s war, connoting, and reinforcing the idea of the reader’s participation, and calling on them to undertake this participation through reading “The Sun:” reinforced by the signifier “We Told You First.”

However, In contrast, the footer creates a distance between the reader and the war: “£50’000 BINGO! Today’s lucky numbers are on page 20,” giving a feeling of security: “while this all this is happening over there, play our game!”

Task 2 - Avril and Adorno

Adorno divides music into two distinct categories: Serious and non serious: with serious music relying on the whole to function and demanding concentration from the listener, whereas non-serious music relies on repetition: both within the piece of music, and in its role within society “,one need only repeat something until it is recognised in order to make it accepted,” and offers near instant gratification.

Adorno states that they underlying characteristic of all non-serious music is the idea of “standardisation:” essentially all non-serious music is actually the same., and “pre digested.” In the field of non-serious music there is no innovation, and nothing new ever introduced, resulting in the same response from the listener “: structural standardisation aims at standard reactions.” Non-serious music must be both stimulatory and appear naturalistic: this is can be achieved through a sense of nostalgia, stemming from childhood, “genuine and pseudo nursery rhymes are combined with purposeful alteration of the lyrics of original nursery rhymes in order to make them a hit.” Within this music “extravagances are tolerated only insofar as they can be “re-cast” into this natural language.”

However, in order to be successful and be “plugged”, new music, must appear “new,” and needs to contain an element that sets it apart from its predecessors “, endowing cultural mass production with the halo of free choice,”

“the publisher wants a piece of music that is fundamentally the same as all current hits and simultaneously different from them.”

Adorno refers to this as “pseudo individualisation. ”  Adorno argues that one of the tools central to the veil of “pseudo individualisation” is “name bands,” with popular music becoming “ a multiple choice questionnaire.”

In regards to the “customers” of non-serious music, Adorno presents them in such a way that they appear subhuman:

“to become an insect , a man needs the energy which might possibly achieve his transformation into a man.”

“Customers” of popular music are described as “jitterbugs”, who are “attracted passively by some given stimulus, such as light,” or music.  Adorno presents the idea that “jitterbugs” are in a cycle from which they cannot escape:  they go to work, they are bored, they avoid any effort in their leisure time, they begin to crave a stimulant, they listen to popular music, are stimulated, and then they are bored again, and they go back to work, and the cycle repeats: “escape is impossible.”

“Escape provided by popular music actually subjects the individuals to the very same social powers from which they want to escape.”

Avril Lavinge - Complicated

In the music video to “Complicated” by Avril Lavinge, the viewer is presented with a traditional “non serious” song, which attempts to stimulate, through blatant use of “pseudo individualisation.”

The video begins with:

“S’up Boys… Hey Dude, you wanna’ crash the mall?

Immediately, the viewer is presented with a “star” that appears “non traditional.”  Avirl not only skates, but she hangs around with boys instead of girls!

Whilst the structure of the song is standardized, as is the subject: relationship problems, it is presented in a way that appears “new,” through attempting to hijack the “skater” subculture. Avril, herself, appears powerful, presenting an extremely condensed version of the ideas present in the “riot grrrl” movement. Whilst those featured directly in the video appear “orginal,” they are all subjects of the commodification of subcultures.

Avril, and her friends then engage in a rampage, fuelled by hate of the “norm” and conformity, through a hub of consumerism: a device which both simultaneously mocks consumer culture whilst “plugging” the product.

Although the video clearly places itself in the market, with an underlying theme of rebellion: speaking clearly to angry adolescents, the song is standardised and fits, directly into the “pop hit “ category. It appeals to a much larger demographic: with teenagers seeing the video on the TV, and adults listening to it on the radio, as a “break up” song:” with the opening line of the song being “life is like this,” the older audience may feel as though the song sympathises directly with them, forming a strong, yet non existent connection.

It is both stimulatory and naturalistic: the song employs repetition throughout, coaxing the listener into whistling the tune, and telling all their friends about it. Both groups feel the music speaks to them directly, therefore, feeling compelled to invest in the product.

Task 1 - Panoptocism

As soon as a visitor sets foot within an art gallery, the process of self-regulation begins: they immediately “become the principle of their own subjection.” The visitor lowers the volume of their voice, slows the pace of their walk: running is out of the question. There are no warnings or requests on display, it is a given, when you enter an art gallery, you must act in this way.

As they enter an exhibition space, they may choose to put their hands behind their back, lean backwards and nod at the paintings in approval, they need to show that they appreciate, and understand the “art.” The visitor does not want to look, and feel like an idiot. Even if the visitor does not find the work on display interesting, they’ve already entered the room, they can’t turn around: they need to complete a full lap before they even consider exiting.

Although many galleries employ gallery assistants, they are not always present. In many cases the gallery regulates through an “omnipresent and omniscient power.” Helping to achieve this is the scale of the rooms. Through displaying in an enormous, well-lit white space, the gallery demonstrates one of the main ideas behind the panopticon, which is that “power should be visible and unverifiable.”

Through displaying in this kind of space, with many of the work being unprotected and well within touching distance, the visitors are almost being dared to do something wrong, but they don’t, “visibility is a trap.” When the visitor is in a space of this scale, they are in a state of “permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power.”