Category: Aesthetic

Discursive Essay on Graffiti: Art Form or Vandalism

Introduction

The reason I decided to do an extended project on graffiti is I have a personal interest in graffiti, during my free time I like to draw and do some of my own graffiti work, and also do portrait pieces of famous people using graffiti techniques . I complete these at home on paper and large sheets of mdf board. When I was ten, I went to Berlin for the first time as my dad started working in Germany. I visited many places and saw all the graffiti that was around me in the city. Graffiti seemed to be celebrated in the city rather than removed. I visited galleries and saw the Berlin Wall which was covered in graffiti and now forms the east side gallery which is the longest open air gallery in the world at 1.3km. The wall was used to divide East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. When the wall came down artists decided to paint on it and then it opened in 1990 , 1 year later the wall became protected memorial status. The Berlin Wall foundation even offers guided tours for the public every weekend and specialist tours for children of primary school age. This visit started to make me think about graffiti and how it can be seen by some as art and by others as vandalism. My personal interest has continued ever since and I have spent the last 5 years developing my techniques and reading more about this and have developed a website and social media platforms to show my work to other people. I thought it would be interesting to now look at the question is graffiti vandalism or an art form.

History of graffiti

To give me a better understanding of the origins of graffiti I undertook some research about its history. This is what I have found.

Graffiti is not a modern invention rather it is rooted deeply into the history of mankind. The word graffiti is derived from the Italian graffiare which means to scratch or carve. The oldest preserved piece of graffiti dates back 3500 years and was carved into a wall in Egypt.

A later example would be the Roman city of Pompeii was buried by ash in AD79 during the eruption of Vesuvius and the city was lost then eventually re-discovered. Garucci (an Italian archaeologist) examined and recorded the intriguing carving that he had found on the walls of Pompeii.

The Ancient Greek alphabet is considered to be the first real alphabet made.

The first real graffiti artist to tag was Josef Kyselak, from Vienna in the early nineteenth century, he used a brush instead of using spray cans. He travelled around the Australian empire painting his name on many walls. He also drew on chapels and other buildings.

In 1949 the spray paint can was invented by Edward Seymour in America. The new art form really took off in the 1970’s. The tools needed to create graffiti have continued to develop ever since.

Films also had an Impact on graffiti, old school movies are a good example of this. Trains have been a major target for graffiti artists, and have been for many years this is because they carry the artists name through many city’s and wherever they go. Another form of it is street bombing, mainly consisting of tags.

To conclude I think that graffiti has evolved over many years from early carvings and mark making through to where we are today.

Understanding more about graffiti

Essay on Personal Aesthetic Experience: World of Coca-Cola

My aesthetic experience is about the World of Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. This is a museum that showcases the history of the Coca-Cola company dating back to 1886. During this time, a pharmacist by the name Pemberton from Atlanta created a soft drink that became popular. The museum relocated into its present facilities, the Pemberton Place, in 2007 (World of Coca-Cola, n.d). In this paper I will share my experience at the museum, my evaluation, and interpretation of the quality of what I encountered, and the relation of my encounter to the subject matter of the course.

The Facts, Evaluation and Interpretation of My Encounter

I was happy to have the chance to explore the fascinating history of my favorite beverage brand Coca-Cola on a Friday afternoon. I generated my ticket from the e-ticket kiosk and was ready for the unique experience. In the waiting area, I could hear some of my favorite Coca-Cola jingles through the speakers, which held my attention as I looked at other displays in the room. At the center of the lobby is an international display of seven sculpted wooden bottles, each depicting a different country. When my turn came to visit the exhibits, only the first 15 minutes were guided. A brief history of the Coca-Cola company was told, and I got the chance to peruse through several souvenirs. My next stop was into the fascinating screening of ‘The Happiness Factory’, a documentary about the making of Coke. After the movie was over, it was time to enter ‘The Hub’. My face lightened up when I met the infamous Coca-Cola polar bear, and I stopped for a minute to take a photo with him. The next stop was the ‘Taste It’ exhibits where guests get the chance to taste more than 60 different Coke products from around the world. Each tasting station was separated by continent. I was thrilled to see that Japan had a veggie flavor, which was quite tasty. Next up was the vault, where the ‘secret formula’ for coke is supposedly under lock and key. This secret formula has been guarded since Pemberton created it in the 19th century (World of Coca-Cola, n.d). Next was the ‘Milestones of Refreshment’ exhibit, which is a bunch of memorabilia from Coke’s branding and marketing over the years. I then stopped at the bottle works where I got a glance of the bottling process. A bottle of coke is available for all guests and is picked at the exit. I also visited the massive museum’s souvenir shop, where I got my younger sibling, a Coca-Cola branded polar bear. With that unique experience, I was ready to head home.

Evaluation and Interpretation

From a first-time visitor point of view, the World of Coca-Cola Museum is an exciting place. Apart from the impacting visuals created by some such as paintings and bottles, the cultural aspects inspired me significantly. In my interpretation, the Museum is all about showcasing to the customers and to the world, what has inspired Coca-Cola and its taste. It is not a promotion of art but the use of art to promote the company.

Relation of My Encounter to the Subject Matter of the Course

Through my aesthetic experience at the museum, I was able to immerse myself in visual art. Some of the art present at the museum include the sculpted wooded bottles at the lobby representing different countries, a stature of Pemberton mixing coke ingredients in a bowl, hand-carved bottles by David Olyman, and other artistic drawings on the walls. Through the course, I have learned how to perceive and interpret art. The two stages are generating a global impression of art and aesthetic processing (Bell, 2017). The first process included my first impression of the art. This revolved around the elements of art, namely, line, color, texture, space, light, and shape (National Gallery of Art, n.d). The second process was to develop an aesthetic appreciation of the work. This process expanded my knowledge concerning the work’s compositional features and organization.

Conclusion

Visiting the World of Coca-Cola Museum presented me with a unique aesthetic experience. Some of the experienced include an international display of seven sculpted wooden bottles, a stature of Pemberton, hand-carved bottles by David Olyman, the pop culture gallery, and drawings on the wall. This encounter made me immerse myself in various works of visual art.

References

1. Bell David R. (2017) Aesthetic encounters and learning in the museum. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 49(8), 776-787, DOI: 10.1080/00131857.2016.1214899. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00131857.2016.1214899
2. National Gallery of Art (n.d.). The Elements of Art. Retrieved from https://www.nga.gov/education/teachers/lessons-activities/elements-of-art.html
3. World of Coca-Cola (n.d.). Explore Inside. Retrieved from https://www.worldofcoca-cola.com/explore/

Hello Kitty as an Example of How Cuteness Contributes to Consumer Culture: Essay

In modern societies, artists or manufacturers use elements of cuteness that are pleasing to create mass consumption. Merchandise that is worth millions and is sold across the world is partly due to its appeal of being ‘cute’. In this case, a recognizable animated character, Hello Kitty, is famous for representing what is known to be cute. Cuteness is an aesthetic category that uses its elements to create mass consumer culture and attract consumers. The cute aesthetic of Hello Kitty has enforced it to become a mass commodity to which individuals have an effective response.

According to Sierra Ngai’s, ‘The Cuteness of the Avant-Garde’, cuteness has become an aesthetic response to certain kinds of commodities. Cute objects play the role of being a commodity in consumer culture. Cuteness contributes to consumption, therefore supporting the relationship between people and commodities. It solidifies the way people consume commodities. Different people relate to cute commodities in different ways. An individual’s experience is based on their feelings for these objects instead of rules or regulations that they follow. For example, one can experience helplessness, whereas another may feel dominant compared to the cute object. However, both of these feelings are based on their experiences with this aesthetic. The ability of an object to be cute manipulates consumers to participate and purchase as it produces a feeling of powerlessness and approaches one as unthreatening. For example, one can view an object and immediately feel a desire to protect the cute object. A cute object that appears vulnerable can attract a consumer to its commodity. Cuteness can be judged based on its physical features. For example, if the object is soft or small, it will induce motherly feelings. Cuteness and its elements persuade a consumer to produce a response to consume mass commodities.

The small character, Hello Kitty, is a cute commodity that powers consumers to purchase and contribute to the consumption culture. Hello Kitty is considered to be cute because it displays the centrality of anthropomorphism. Hello Kitty has features that represent babies. For example, she is a cat that has large eyes and a round face. Most of the facial features are simple, and in this case, Hello Kitty does not have a mouth. She also wears her signature outfit, including the red bow that resembles average baby outfits. However, it is to be noted that an excess of personification can have a negative impact on the cuteness factor and shift the attraction away from the object. Being too realistic can change the cuteness factor and fail to align with the requirements that are crucial for mass consumption to occur. Generally, Hello Kitty is shown to be small, round, and soft which are all features of what one considers as cute. The Hello Kitty franchise includes several modifications that are considered to be cute. All Hello Kitty products demonstrate a character that is innocent, naïve, small, and vulnerable. They perpetuate a feeling of protection and safety in the consumer, which further causes them to purchase these items. A sense of duty is received by consumers that are attracted to the cuteness appeal of Hello Kitty. The cute elements of Hello Kitty are crucial to provoke the senses of consumers to contribute to this commodity in consumption.

Consumers react differently when experiencing different objects. In addition, some consumers may feel positively impacted by cute objects. In order to understand the relationship between individuals and their consumption of cute products, one must define the significance of the representation of cuteness. According to Ngai, cuteness can be projected as patriarchal views of what beauty should be defined as. The need to provide protection and safety to a cute object because it projects vulnerability and innocence is an element of patriarchy. Defenselessness and helplessness are characteristics of being cute and drive consumers that apply these views to purchase this commodity, hence increasing mass consumption. The urge to care for an object due to its characteristics creates dominance in oneself. This is similar to how one may feel towards their child. Consumers are unable to differentiate between the quality of the object and the feelings that they are receiving due to the sociological perspectives behind it. Consumers may consider objects cute, and their attraction to them may be impacted by their own significant views that aid in consuming the product to increase consumption.

The concept and elements of cuteness being an aesthetic category are used to create objects, such as Hello Kitty, as mass commodities that cause an impactful response from individuals towards consumption. Cuteness contributes to the consumption culture as it is one of the main reasons individuals may purchase an object, therefore making it a commodity. In this instance, Hello Kitty is used as an example of how cuteness plays a role in influencing individuals to increase its consumption. The innocence and unthreatening aspects of Hello Kitty align with its infant-like features driving an effective response from individuals that perceive it as cute. One’s own values, preferences, and experiences impact their reaction toward the cuteness aesthetic category, which contributes to consumption leading to the creation of cute commodities.

Reference

1. Ngai, Sienne (2012). ‘The Cuteness of the Avant-Garde’. Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, pp.53-109.