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Lecture Nine: Identity

Concepts of identity, ‘discourse’ methodology, postmodern theories of identity - fluid and constructed, consider identity today especially in the digital domain

Essentialism - root word of essence, biological makeup of who we are, it’s in our genes, traditional theorist thought this way, historically allowed racism to happen

Post modern theorists directly disagree with this theory

Phrenology - quack science, not biological validity to it, not a real science, an ideal makeup, a picture of good help,based on white skinned, blue eyed person, perfect ratio of different areas if you have the right ratio of each you will have a well based identity, if one is bigger than the other this allows for defects in your personality, maybe make up someone of a criminal tendency

Physiognomy - grade your intellect through the vertical line of your face, from uber intelligence to less intelligent, more a diagonal you have the less intelligent you are, more of a tendency to the animal - these ideas legitimize racism in western Europe

Examples in fine art, racism based on essentialist facial features, Hieronymus Bosch, only vaguely normal people are christ and his follower everyone else is abnormal, it perpetuates antisemitism. Chris Ofili, Holy Virgin Mary - Puts jesus into a more logical perspective, gives the virgin Mary black features.

Historical faces of identity - Douglas Kellner, pre modern identity: personal identity is stable. Born into a pre set of roles

Modern identity: Society begins to offer

Post-Modern Identity:

Identity might be determined by who you marry, the church dictates this, the state, government, where you work all form your identity, these are secure identities, for example Farm-worker is formed by landed gentry, the solider formed by the state. Factory worker as a result of capitalism

Modernity, 19th and 20th centuries, vested identities, people move from the countryside into the city and people become more aware of there identity

Baudelaire - The Flaneur: A gentlemen stroller, walks the streets, doesn’t work, observes society and in turn he is observed, they are out and about, show yourself off, observe and be observed.

The leisure class, a new part of industrialization and urbanization, conspicuous consumption, show of what you wear on the streets show others you don’t have to work and can afford to wear these clothes associates you with a certain identity

The mask of fashion - you hide behind what you wear, the upper classes, show off what they wear, show off there wealth and there acquisitions, the lower class try to emulate what the upper class wear but are cheaper material and are less well made, upper class then try to make new clothes as the gap starts to close between upper and lower class

Georg Simmel: although within modern society you are encouraged to go out and about this is actually a very isolating experience, Alienation that comes with the large spaces of the city

Foucault suggests that identity happens as a result of discourses that happen around us and how reoccurring statement happens such as income, sexuality, age, gender, class but these give rise to stereotypes in the way that people view you

Race, ethnicity and gender and sexuality these are known as the ‘otherness’ this is something that doesn’t match the European white middle class hetrosexual men

Nationality - Nation stereotypes and how national identities for social stereotypes

Vivienne westwood - Anglomania

Las Vegas: Identity in arcitecture do you need to travel to see things when everything is on one places, 73% of americans don’t have a passport. Europe isn’t as a good as disney land, everything is far apart and dirty in disney land everything is in one place and perfect and clean

Chris Oflili, as an artist he draws attention to his race and ethnicitym history of art is based on artists are white european, how to black artists then create there own identity, ofili uses raster colours and Bob Marley’s lyrics drawing attention to black culture, image of murdered black male in the tears, the treatment of the black people within culture

As a teenager he becomes aware that there are no black super heroes, comes up with captain shit, how would a white person view this?

Signs that say what you want them to say, Gillian Wearing, making a comment on stereotypes of how black people are, subscribing to stereotypes

Few black fashion designers and models on the catwalk or in the industry, McQueen, making a statement on black people, drawing peoples attention to it

Ethnicity doesn’t have to be about being something non white, Emily Bates a white textiles artist, she talks about how she spent most of her life having the word ginger shouted at her, she found solace in the image ‘Mary Magdelene’ Religion has a great deal to answer for, Mary is the prostitute, she is ginger, ‘the scarlet woman’ all based on Magdelene. Installation drawing attention to red hair, otherness and being treated in a different way, be white and still be treated in a different way to other white people.

Draws attention to ideas of women being made to look like men, La Garconne - the female boy. Gender stereotypes.

Androgyny, gender stereotypes of how people should look

Mask of femininity , untitled film stills fictionalizes film stills of how women are portrayed in film, suggests how women can hide behind the clothes you were and create an identity

Objectification of women: female artists, everyone I’ver slept with, people she’s got into bed with, not people she’s had sex with, media portrays this as people she’s has sex with and how she is a slag but it includes family and friends, If a male does this it is fine, like Picasso having affairs with his models but when a woman does it is completely different.

Wonderbra - objectification of women, it’s empowering for women, but equally is the advert is saying does it matter that she can’t cook because she has big breasts. Your existence for women is validated by having breasts

The post modern condition: Identity is constructed by yourself, its not something you are born with, he sees life a theatre, yourself is a series of facade you put on, depending on what you are doing and who you meet, you become a multi faceted person.

Identity is something you can strive for and create and is not a result of what your parents did and your genes.

How do we validate of existence in modern times? In places of many people, how do you give meaning to your existence, we are lonely in these spaces, checking your phone gives a validity to you existence.

We use art, architecture and literature to mask the bland world in which we live, a form of escapism, and how modern existence is quite bleak.

These peoples lives are more shit than yours and we take solace in our own lives, Gillian Wearing photographs form Signs that say what we want them to say, Taking people that have a worse life situation than yours, we look down on these people but also feel better in our own lives

Mans place in society, people think about where we actually come from, I shop therefore I am. Barbara Kruger, the family trip to the shopping mall replaces the religious activity of going to church, suggesting a shallowness in society.

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