Banksy's "I Want Change"

The deep red of the wall in Banksy’s ‘I want change’ street art conveys serious political undertones. On the sign that the homeless man is embracing, is small text reading: ‘Keep your coins, I want change.’ In terms of semiotics, the sign and worn clothes signify that the man is homeless and the environment surrounding him, which is only along the street.

The sign contains punctuation, which gives connotations that the homeless man is educated. A stereotype of homeless people is that they are alcohol and drug abusers, which usually leads the assumption that they are from an uneducated, subordinate social background.

Whether or not this is the harsh reality intended to be represented by Banksy, my interpretation of this sign, is that a larger percentage of society needs to take action towards the homeless to keep them from the streets.

One of the reasons why I like Banksy’s work is that he isn’t reluctant to express his truth.

Banksy's "One Nation Under CCTV"

Banksy is a British graffiti artist that produces his street art to portray his perspective on ethics, culture and politics. ‘One Nation Under CCTV’ for me, demonstrates that no matter where or who we are, we are always being observed and our actions always lead to consequences.

The question that is provoked from this piece of art is: ‘how much wrong must there be in today’s society, for us to be under such profound observation?’ The location of the graffiti is stereotypical of the estates found in Britain. The buildings are not aesthetically pleasing. The ‘no entry’ sign anchors the notion that it is a dangerous place to be.

A sense of realism can be extracted from this street art because as a nation and individually, we will be observed many times in our life span, whether this is for the benefit of others, or due to consequences of our own actions.

Perhaps Banksy is trying to express that we, as a society, lack the freedom that we deserve.

Studio Ghibli's "Princess Mononoke"

This blog will be used to express my initial interpretations of the Princess Mononoke trailer. To start with, non-diegetic music can be heard, which is eerie and provokes an anxious feeling.

A sense of purity is apparent, as natural and mythical shots are used, as the god walks and plants grow up, around his legs and also the small white creatures, almost metaphorically act as light, guiding the warrior and princess.

Juxtaposed to the theme of purity, is the idea of mankind being destructive. The grey represents pollution and the black tar is a stereotypical image associated with pollution. The explosions are abrupt, and the mist reinforces the ghastly atmosphere of war.

“The richest land in the world” gives connotations that the ideological values within the film surround monetary and hegemonic values in the iron industry. The war that is created from such values creates an unbalance between mankind and the force of nature. This is signified by the thunder, which is a metaphor for the angry gods, or alternatively, the consequences of pollution.

The main themes of this trailer are: death, fate, love, nature, mankind and greed. Heroic music (again, non-diegetic) fades in towards the end, implying that the princess and the warrior help nature to overcome the destruction of mankind.

Introduction to Blogging

My intentions for these blogs, is to relate to identity. I want to explore pieces of art which I find compelling, to give and receive constructive criticism for my own pieces of work and also represent issues and objects within contemporary society.

Some of the illustrated blogs, will contain images of various pages taken from my Visual Diary. I hope to give a detailed analysis of the thoughts that I encountered whilst putting together the most vital and personal pages of my diary.

I hope that this will give a more thorough insight into my interests and personality and also to enable me to learn more about myself and express my ideas and thoughts.

Amsterdam Experience

Another significant part of my identity belongs with travelling. Although I have only been to a small selection of countries, I aspire to visit many more and take in the culture and the variations of nature.

Amsterdam is always associated with prostitutes and marijuana, which seems so pessimistic towards the city. However, there was so much more to embrace. The architecture, which you can see to the bottom left of the image, is fascinating. From the 17th century canal rings, to the historical infrastructures, which façade the modern buildings you would normally anticipate with such a popular city.

Dissimilarity from the traditional characteristics of Amsterdam can be indentified from what can only be connoted as contemporary influences on society; for example, the iconography of youth today, alcohol and unhealthy food. Whether or not any of these things are considered as acceptable, or inappropriate, or not particularly valued, each contributed to the whole experience of another culture.

Glamour Exposed

Behind this depiction of glamour is the notion that beauty and glamour are important - such values are ultimately manipulated by the media. There is an iconic relationship between the accessories worn by the model, sunglasses and court sandals (the signifiers), to the concept being signified: glamour.

The foil material was used to represent the blinding lights of the journalists that obsess over latest fashions and trends, worn by celebrities. The collage of printed articles connotates how media institutions reinforce the notion of women turning to such texts, to be offered aspirational templates of perfection, in relation to beauty, fashion and glamour.

It is interesting to explore and create something that is an aspect of women’s everyday lives and how the media can have such a huge influence on how we think and perceive such trivial topics.

Textured Identity

For this piece of work, I will be considering semiotics and how texture can impact the connotations conveyed by the audience. My physical form not only signifies my existence, but it also portrays my personality. Taking into consideration the ideological value, that appearance is important; I shall briefly explore personality through aesthetics.

The use of texture, adds depth to the image, this acts as a metaphor: 'there is more to what meets the eye.' The green space was made from dried grass. Nature is an aspect of my identity as it is something I enjoy being around. The complimenting blue tones in the sky are formed by various pieces of thread, paper and ribbon. This may be for dramatic effect, but it also represents the creativity and imagination that i possess.

In a sense, I feel that this representation portrays society as it is created by many fragments of nature and mankind – both of these influences impact our lives.