Tutorial 8- Photography and Words

In this tutorial we discussed various artists and their pieces. We talked about how certain angles of particular works present soviet constructivism. Low angle views where the body is central almost forceably draws your eyes to look straight at the picture. Also, mentioned was how image interpretations change when there is text present.

Lecture 8- Photography and Words

John Heartfield (1891-1968)- Photographer and Graphic Designer
Heartfield was also a dadaist and political artist.

World War 2 changed him and this was the major driver in his art as shown below.

The writing says "Capitalism is robbing them of their last piece of bread. Fight for yourself and your children. Vote Communist! Vote Thalmann!" 
The sympathetic picture and assisted text evoke an emotional appeal to those viewing the poster.

Heartfield used photomontage/collage this means the images were edited together much like how cinema is created.



Barbara Kruger (1945-, USA) studied art and design, conceptual artist, image and text. Themes she covers in her work include feminist issues, critique of consumer society, fractured subjectivity of individuals.

The words used in her pictures help support and communicate the message she is trying to portray to her audience. There are falsities in her work however these narratives she calls are "fiction." She used a phrase from enlightenment thinker Rene' Descartes " I think therefore I am." However, she twists this in her images and adapts it to I shop therefore I am. This supports consumer culture and could explain that women are more likely to impulse buy without thinking about products.

Tutorial 7- Anagrams

I found this exercise quite challenging it is difficult to create words out of your name and create a 150 word story using them. After days of struggling to meet the word limit without using too many words not included in your name, became extremely hard. The underlined words are the one's that are not included in my full name: Melissa Jane Thompson.Therefore, I decided to write a poem and display the story I came up with even though it did not meet the word limit.

Melissa Jane Thompson :

It was very difficult to come up with a pure anagram, I had created names such as Janet Elisa Lee, Phil, Sasha, Elaine, Lisa, Tom.

The list of words I created from my name included: 

This is the poem I created: 

This is the story I came up with 2 similar stories which possibly doesn't make a whole lot of sense but it sets a base as a story: 

Janet saw Elisa, Phil, Elaine and Sasha at the shops. Elisa ate milo, Phil held a pot, Elaine sat on a bench, Sasha's son ate ham. Elaine had shit on her ass and nose and Janet had to mop it up.

Janet met Elaine at the shops. The shops sold pots, milo, mops and lemons. Elaine bought lemons to grow in her pots. Janet invites Elaine to her home, where she ate ham. Janet set Elaine ham. Elaine's challenge was to  hop with her ham.

Miss Janet Lee is all alone, 

Lecture 7- Oulipo

Raymond Queneau (1903-1976)

 - 1924 Queneau met and briefly joined the surrealists
 - 1948 Queneau was a member of the Mathematics Society of France
 - 1950 he joined the College of Pataphysics. The surrealists were also part of this college.
 - 1960 he was the co-founder of Oulipo which started out as a subcommittee of the College of 'Pataphysics.'

"Imagination combines the passion of the mathematician with the rationality of a poet," Raymond Queneau.
This explains mathematics as a form of poetry.

Queneau was obsessed with street language (vinacular). He put a map Zazie Dans le me'tro into a film.

Georges Perec- set himself rules and wrote the lipogram novel A Void (169).


He believed that reality was possible to describe words. This included things we can't say through our language or colours.

He wrote Life a User's Manual (1979) the book had constraints on writing.

Street Art Graffiti

Noe Toe a street artist in Paris created this graffiti masterpiece. I love the artistic motion behind it, the work is a portrait and every detail has been perfected. If anyone can stand there and say this is not street art, it is pure graffiti should roll over in their grave. This does not appear as graffiti apart from the usual tags. The colours in the piece are rainbow like and show a girl from Phuket, provided by the tag. The rainbow colours could represent that there is gold at the end of the rainbow and one day she won't have to live on the streets. The girl looks somewhat happy wearing a slight grin, however her eyes reveal sadness. She is possibly poor and spends her time living on the streets which could indicate why she is on a wall in the streets. The wreckage in the background could represent her country and imply distortion with uncertainty when the painting is first viewed. There is no doubt about it, this is a piece of art only the tags imply graffiti. Although, aren't the tags just there like artists names are inscribed in the corners of paintings?

Tutorial 6- Helvetica Documentary

I found the documentary to be valuable as we do not tend to read into fonts we just accept them. The font being neutral has no meaning itself. Although, helvetica is so common, they described the font as just there and we accept it. If I wrote something in times font it may look like this: frogs dance around the kitchen. This changes the meaning of the message, as people may tend not to believe it. However, if it is presented in helvetica: frogs dance around the kitchen, people are more likely to believe it cause the font is familiar to us. When looked at closely the font is heavy in the middle and needs white space.

Lecture 6- Graffiti and Street Art History

In this lecture we learnt that in Paris 1968 there were street slogans for strikes. The art based on the event was called "Beneath the paving stones, the beach". This was when they ripped up the stones on the pavement and threw them at police. Other slogans included how to think freely in the shadow of a chapel, "Be cruel!" The powe is the street not in the poles, this referred to streets fight for political change.

Banksy recreated this image in his own style by replacing someone throwing a stone, to throwing flowers instead. This shows how Banksy isn't a violent person that only wants to have peace in the world.

Early New York, Subway Graffiti (1972/3-1975- First Movement)

Rebellious kids mainly African-Americans tagged their nicknames on trains for recognition in the anonymous cities. These kids felt like they were missing from the world and just by someone looking at their tag they feel they have been recognised. They used hip hop and rap styled graffiti as it represented their black culture. Although, there was different typography in various places.