Weekly Briefing: Representation And Diversity
Updated: Nov 9, 2020
Tuesday 20th October 2020
What we should currently be doing:
- Research- linked in learning tools, learning new tools and softwares
- Practising hands on research using softwares
- Set mini briefs- improving responses to past briefs (idea creation), documenting
Challenges I would like to set myself:
- Brainstorm ideas for past briefs and competitions to improve my idea creation and initial idea generating.
- learn how to improve my digital illustrations and learn how to animate
- Join some life drawing classes - understanding how to draw anitomically could improve my overall skills and also creating quicker, experimental drawings to help me let go and be more creative
-Improve photography and lighting understanding
- Perhaps creating mini recipie card to bring all these skills together
Adobe Max Conference - October 20-22
- all around the world lectures and conferences about improving as a visual communicator
Representation And Diversity:
-Is the key to a rich life
-Kanye West and Taylor Swift argument at the music awards show- there are two conflicting arguements with the incident; that a young white woman has one this award as opposed to Beyonce suggesting there is an issue with representation and diversity in award shows and that Kanye a dominating male has just stolen the spot light from a young woman suggesting an issue with representation.
- Greyson Perrys Great American Road Trip:
-in this series perry talks about George Flloyd and the black lives matter protest whilst also visiting Atlanta city. In Atlanta they speak about how there isn't a minority mindset, however in other places you would due to the lack of diversity and representation. Some women also speak on the show and explain that women are a lighter skin tone due to rape in history and that white men see them as something to conquor and to prove that they are not racist by dating them. I found this talk really shocking and upsetting to see that this is still an issue and that black culture is dismissed.
- Representation can affect our expectations and ambitions in life
- "Give us a smile" - Leeds animation workshop
- This short animation uses street humour and media stereotypes to show the struggles of a woman from being constantly sexualised by men and by seeing the pressures in the media and in consumerism to look perfect and desireable. In the animation you watch a woman walking down the street and becoming increasingly distressed and uncomfortable with her own body.
-Jane Austen on ten pound notes
-there was a debate over the lack of representation of women which lead to the uk adding women onto their notes.
-Chiamamanda - Ted talk - story teller
-we should all be femininsts. "the higher you go the less women you see" - shows the lack of representation of women in the workplace. This was acceptable in the past as the leaders needed to be strong which leans in favour of men however in this day and age we need leaders who are creative, innovative and intellectual which could be male or female. She also speaks of gender pay gaps
-The danger of telling a single story and representation. She grew up in Nigeria and used to read British and American books where they would drink ginger beer and had blue eyes. She had never experienced any of this but would write books just the same as she was vulnerable and impressionable. She didn't realise that people like her could live in books until she found African books.
-Visual Communication-we have the ability to show the world how we want it to be
-Still, The Selfish Giant- Clio Barnard - explored the lack of opportunities in society due to class and status
-Jeremy Kyle Show- 2005-2019
-A performance of poverty which caused pathological status as stereotypes of poverty makes good tv. This would cause the audience to perhaps think they are better than those on tv and unfortunately had serious consequences which led to the show being cancelled
-Aylshat Akanbi - philosopher- The problem of wokeness
- compassion becomes replaced with superiority
-people remind us of our older selves
- seeing people in groups instead of who they are
-identity politics- people want to matter, who suffered more?, competition, get rid of labels
-be honest with ourselves, look inward to understand ourselves to understand others
-don't judge others
-we all want acceptance, love and appreciation
-what is radical is kindness
-we have more in common then we have apart
-explore diversity in fashion:
niomi cambel had to mix her own makeup to match her skin tone and do her own makeup for shoots.
Padlets:
In small groups we created our own padlets and searched for pieces of visual communication that explores representation and diversity. I found it interesting to see how much artwork there was and the variety of styles and forms that explored this topic.
Halpern:
this was a video I came across when I watched virtual London fashion week. I was really touched to see that this designer decided to showcase his work on ordinary people and used his influence to make everyday key workers feel beautiful, special and loved. I also liked the diversity of key workers highlighted in this video from nurses to underground tube drivers and also the diversity of age and ethnicity of each worker.
https://londonfashionweek.co.uk/schedule/95/halpern-the-heroines-of-the-front-line
