Cop lecture: Cities and film

Cop lecture: Cities and film

City in modernism

Georg simmel

Dresden exhib 1903

effects of the city on an individual 

Lonely metropolitan 

resistance of the individual compared to being swallowed up

mechanism of the city

how to live/how to be/how to survive

Urban sociology

People had to learn how to live in a city the etiquette and crossing roads safely etc

Guaranty building

Really detailed embellishment on the facade of the building

buildings got burnt to the ground so this fella re-modelled NY

sky is the limit

Manhatta 1921

City of tall facades of marble and iron

Video shows people first coming to Manhattan to start work. Fresh of the boat.

Charles Scheeler

Ford motor company's plant at River route, Detroit

Workers work for minimal wage making Ford cars just so they can spend their wages on a Ford car

Modern Times 1936 Charlie chaplin

Satirical film where Charlie works in the Ford factory and has a breakdown

Performance art

The city in modernism

The beginnings of an urban sociology

The city as public and private space

The city in postmodernism

The relation of the individual to the crowd in the city

Georg Simmel (1858 -1918)

German sociologist

Write 'Metropolis and Mental Life' in 1903

Dresden Exhibiton - Simmel is asked to lecture on the role of intellectual life in the city but instead reverses the idea and writes about the effect of the city on the individual

Urban sociology - the resistance of the individual to being levelled, swallowed up in the social-technological mechanism.

Architect Louis Sullivan (1856 - 1924)

Creator of the modern skyscraper

An influential architect and critic of the Chicago School

Mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright

Guaranty Building was built in 1894 by Adler & Sullivan in Buffalo NY

Carson Pririe Scott store in Chicago (1904) - Skyscrapers represent the upwardly mobile city of business opportunity - Fire cleared buildings in Chicago in 1871 and made way for Louis Sullivan new aspirational buildings

Manhatta (1921)

Fordism - Coined by Antonio Gramsci in his essay 'Americanism & Fordism' (1934)

'the eponymous manufacturing system designed to spew out standardised, low-cost goods and afford its workers decent enough wages to buy them' (De Grazia:2005:4)

Also explored in 'Modern Times' (1936) Charlie Chaplin

'In handicrafts and manufacture, the workman makes use of a tool, in the factory, the machine makes use of him' (Marx cited in Adamson 2010 p75)

Stock market crash of 1929 - factories close and unemployment foes up dramatically - leads to the great depression

Maragret Bourke-White

Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

Flaneur

The term flaneur comes from the French noun which has the basinal meaning of 'stroller', 'lounger'

Charles Boudelaire

The 19th century Boudelaire proposes a version of the flaneur that of 'a person who walks the city in order to experience it' - Art should capture this

Walter Benjamin - Adopts the concept of the urban observer as an analytical tool and as a lifestyle as soon in his writings

Photographer as flaneur

Susan Sontag - The photographer is an armed version of the solitary walker reconnoitring, stalks, cruising the organ inferno, the voyeuristic stroller who discovered the city as a landscape of voluptuous extremes.

Daido Moriyama (1970's) Skinjuku district of Tokyo - influenced by William Klein's work

Flaneuse

The invisible Flaneuse. Women and the literature of modernity

Janet Wolff

The literature of modernity, describing the fleeting, anonymous, ephemeral encounters of life in the metropolis, mainly accounts for the experiences of men.

Susan Buck-Morss - The Dialectics of Seeing: Walter Benjamin and the Arcades Project

Arbus - Woman at a couter smoking NYC (1962)

Hopper - Automat (1927)

Sophie Calle 'Suite Venitienne' (1980)

Venice - city as a labyrinth of streets and alleyways in which you can get lost but at the same time will always end up where you begin

'Don't look Now' (1973) Nicolas Roeg

The Detective (1980) - wants to provide photographic evidence of her existence - his photos are notes on her are displayed next to her photos and notes about him - set in Paris

Cindy Sherman Untitled Film Stills (1977-80)

Here is New York book/exhibition

Weegee (Arthur Felig) - press photographer in the 1930's/40's - signature style is photographing emergencies in the city

The Naked City - book of Weegee's images (1945) - develops into a film (1948)

LA Noire (2011) - the first video game to be shown at the Tribecca Film Festival - Incorporates 'Motion Scan', where actors are recorded by 32 surrounding cameras to capture facial expressions from every angle. The technology is central to the games interrogation mechanic, as players must use the suspects reactions to questioning to huge whoever they are lying or not.

Cities of the future/past - Fritz Lang 'Metropolis' (1929)

Ridley Scott 'Bladerunner' (1982/2019) LA

Lorca di Corcia 'Heads' (2001) NY - investigates idea of the individual and the relation to the crowd

Public/Private - lawsuit against Corcia

Walker Evans 'Many are called' (1938) - concealed camera

Subculture: The meaning of style - COP 2 lecture

The text which all subculture is formed.

Don Lefts - Subcultures

Hebdige D (1979): 'Subculture: The meaning of style'

"Youth cultural styles may begin by issuing symbolic challenges, but they must inevitably end by establishing new sets of conventions; by creating new commodities, new industries or rejuvenating old ones..."

New commodities

New Industries

Rejuvenating old ones

'Better way of living'

"attempt to suggest to the rest of the world that what they're doing is wrong - a challenge to the norm"

Proposal for an alternate way of existence

A refusal to conform to the expectations of society 

Micro rebellion

Incorporation - Neutralises and sucks back in the subcultures that try to fight against it, using:

Ideological form- Portrays the culture as ridiculous and irrelevant

Commodity form - The process which capitalism ceases on subcultures and makes it a trend which earns profit (capitalism)

The gaze and the media- COP 1 lecture

Berger quote 1972

he's not saying that women are vain, they are forced to carry around an idea of them selves.

Women think that they're being looked at when they're not.

Hans Memling Vanity 1485

 - The mirror is used as a device of justification and moral condemnation. The mirror signifies that because the woman is looking at her self, the audience feel it is allowed to stare also.

Relates to witches and ducking stools.

Mirror and woman in fashion magazine

Woman looking at her self in the mirror - absorbed in contemplation. giving the audience 'permission' to look at her.

Fact that she is not looking back gives permission - The gaze.

Idea surrounding whether people have or don't have permission to look (gaze) at another person, typically women. "invisible observer"

Birth of Venus

No eye contact between the viewer and the female figure allows the audience to gaze at this woman without feeling like they're being interrupted for starring.

'Put a mirror in a woman's hand and you condemn her'

Sophie Dahl for Opium

Overtly sexual. Similar pose to the others. Central focus being her breast/hand on breast.

The image got refused but then the orientation was altered to portrait. 'Less focus on the breast rather than in horizontal orientation.

Titans Venus of Urbino

Differences between this and Mona's Olympia are very subtle.

Peeping Tom starring at the figure. Her face suggests permission to look.

Manet's Olympia

Post modernism - more direct. Less permission etc

Her hand slightly different, shows as if the figure is pushing the audience away. 

More direct, More challenging.
She's a prostitute. Sexual being.

Identify the difference when the gaze isnt and is challenged

Ingres Le grand odalisque 

Guerrila girls - unequally represented
Object too  sexually suggestive to be placed on buses / in public

Manet - Bar at the Folies Bergeres

Open pose. Bar maid.
Incorrect register of perspective. Showing the bar maid's role is to look open and friendly, but in actual fact, that is now how this woman wants to be.

Man's face standing infront of her.

Redefining the way in which reality is portrayed from realism.

Odd view points

Jeff Wall - picture for women 1979

Modernist version of Manet's work ^
Containing the artist/photographer - Jeff Wall

Typical of Jeff wall to divide the picture up into 3rd. Golden ratio in use. Mini images similar to Manet's

exactly in the middle of the frame is the camera. All the curves and angles of the room lead to the central camera. '4th wall'

typical of post modernism - active viewer

Coward  R - The look 1984

The camera has even more power rather than the style of Manet's paintings etc

Typical of an underwear advertising project. Everyone is ignoring the woman, when she's clearly aware of the audience watching her.

Normalising the idea of nudity in a public place.

Eva herzigova Wonder bra 1994

Giantess, 'Hello boys' Traffic jams. Disrupting the flow of the city.

Implication of this style of advertising. 'Laddism' Laddette' Fashionable to not be bothered whether you were being objectified. "I do not want to be portrayed as a sexual object"

The quote on this ad refers to the fact that she knows people are watching and she is playing along with the impact of her nakedness

Coward R 1984

"-Coward, R. (1984)- The profusion of images which characterises contemporary society could be seen as an obsessive distancing of women… a form of voyeurism -Peeping Tom, 1960"

Peeping Tom - Murderer and filming women in the moment of death

She is saying that there are real world consequences of objectifying women this way

Male images 

Gender Ads. Created by a lecturer.
Shows examples of the objectification of both men and women

'the number of ads in the section of men were very small in comparison to women'



Men not challenging the gaze - I feel this comes down to psychology and the sense of masculinity and also the ways in which women generally want to feel feminine etc and if a male was not fighting back against the gaze, it would look like he had been beaten etc,

This style of the gaze is not applicable for both genders. 

Marilyn: Willian Travillas dress from the seven year itch (1955)

Looking at the way which female bodies are portrayed in film etc

rather than being an active driver of the plot and having a role, women were only there to be looked at rather than being treated equally as men and having a similar role.

All results down to sexism and opinion based

Active male and passive female

Jane Campion

Griselda Pollocks Lecturer at UOL - Old mistresses

There were women painters but we don't necessarily know about them

Judith Beheading Holofernes 1620 - Psychical way. the woman and the painter is really powerful

Women Marginalised within the masculine discourses of art history

It will always continue unless it is addressed

"Women are supposed to be marginalised"

Cindy Sherman 

Partially clothed female, but the posture of this woman is different to the ones seen before int he paintings, but the vertically orientation shows the woman being sat up rather than laid horizontally.

We're not invited to objectify the body, the woman folds her hand under her face, in a fist like motion.

Holding a mirror but not using a mirror, no indication of vanity or an invitation 

The way Cindy Sherman works is that she makes poses look artificial and awkward to perturb the viewer and challenge the gaze. 

Celebrity emerging, using sunglasses, no return of the gaze inviting the viewer to look without feeling judged.
I'snt a paparazzi image.
Special access. Different to the others due to sunglasses on the face rather than a mirror in the hand.

Barbara Kruger 1981 - Your gaze hits the side of my face

Piece of graphic design post modernism.

The quote referring to the statue of a female's face in which her cheek is the body part in the fore-ground of the photograph rather than her full on face.

Sarah Lucas Eating a Banana

Challenging the gaze

Due to the fact that women may feel self concious eating a banana in public, so this YBA is

Self portrait with fried eggs 

Masculine pose with eggs on chest to challenge the conventions

Tracey emin - money photo

Tracey Emin trying to portray the fact that she is only interested in the money in the art world, where generally this is known by all

Reality television

 Big brother, all seeing eye
editing means that there is no reality
Contestants are aware of their representation 

Passive role for the viewer - voyeurism

The truman show 1988 director Peter Weir 

born into a film set and a reality show

Gets to the sky and realises that its not the sky, its a stage set and he's trapped

"looking is not indifferent. There can never be any questions of 'just looking'"

Caroline Lucas MP in June 2013

Wore a t shirt saying no more page 3 to the House of commons and got told to cover it up.

Criado-Perez - Report abuse button on twitter

Trying to get women's faces back on bank notes after thingy Fry's face was removed


Lucy Ann Holmes received threats after trying to end page 3

Virinia Wade won wimbledon 30 years ago and her win was overlooked by Andy Mury's win in 2007

Susan sontang on photography

"To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed"

Identity - COP 3

Historical concepts of identity

Foucault's 'Discourse' methodology

Post modern theories

physiognomy

Phrenology

Animal aspect of the brain

Fred Perry presents 'Subculture' (2012) Director Don Letts

Fred Perry presents 'Subculture' (2012) Director Don Letts

6 ten minute films - Fred Perry, a key figure of the Mod subculture

"possibly the most prevalent subculture of nowadays is possibly the 'Hipster'"

Meaningless things

Consumerism 

No challenges 

Subcultures first established after the war

Rock and roll - Early 50s. Movies started this eg. Rebel without a cause, Teenagers from outer space. Marlon Brando - The wild one

Teddy boys - Youth culture (Juvenile delinquents), First time Men began caring about their looks etc

Draped jacket, Posh shoes. Waist coat, "every opportunity to accessorize was taken. Edwardian.


"what could you work with if you didn't have money or education - You could work with the music system"

"The got good at trousers"

political stand point of the teddy boys - conservative, badly racist.

(absolute beginners, Nottinghill riots)

Rockers at the same time as the teddy boys.

Leather jackets, Utilitarian clothes (Marlon Brando), Bikes, fighting (american culture but Englisized) BSA bike. 

Media is fundamental for subcultures as the culture pick up fashion ideas from people they've never met.

"fear aspect of subcultures is very useful as people don't understand their stand points but do it anyway"

Mods and rockers fighting at Brighton.

Each youth culture has a sensational element that the media jump on

Essence is that the cultures are elitist 

British did the best at exploiting subcultures due to it being an island.

Fred Perry

Paul weller, Damen Auban

Amy Winehouse range

We are modernists (stylists)

oct 14th 1957

Vesper - european movis

bum jacket

"finding your tribe through style"

Mod is started by men, Male led things.

Male fashion - Mascara, eyeliner, walking cane, limp wrist (camp)

David bowie, Mark bowlan - looking androgenous

1966 Tiles Club-9 Oxford street

Amphetamine - drug culture

"Ready stead go" Tv show. 'Your weekend starts here (more modern than top of the pops)

British like to be tribal and like to go to war - Hench the fighting 

1st, 2nd, 3rd waves of Mod

The Who and small faces becoming corrupted 

Hippies began - Psychedelic branch of Mods

Skin heads branched off Mods - Refusal basis

Mod isnt extreme 

"Fred Perry shirt is a pinacle of design - Simple yet complex"

Multiculturalism was always going to take route firmly in Britain due to Britain's past

Rude boy culture 

Bands such as the specials, Genres such as Mento and Scar

Skin heads

Working class kids, Early set of mods.

Younger brothers of mods

Hard no surrender, militant working class mods

Cool, underground, subversive things

Hardly anyone knew about them for a while then it exploded

No racism from skinheads, Happy in their subculture. They knew they were cool

Style, musical thing

Brought Black people and white people together

Skin head look came out of American Ivy league 

Hair cut short because they loved astronaut haircuts

Scar music and reggae 

"Can inspire moral panic" 

Swailers became once skin heads were publicised but it all died down by end of 60s

Skin head revival in the 70s - Became more of an Hitler youth, Salutes and such

Left wing skin heads, right wing skin heads and just general skin heads

Soul boy

Related to Mods

Northern soul

Soul boy in the south, Different types of people

Blue and soul book

Black echos

Russ Winstantly

Wigan, Pilgrimage. Casino all nighter

 "you had to go to it, not it to you"

Southern soul

Black people were finding more courage to express themselves through fashion

"we love these clothes, we're gonna wear them if we can afford them, we'll get the money some how"

Essex and Kent - Separate soul scene - Jazz funk

Chris Hill + Froggy

Very multiracial

Rave scene

Warehouse parties

1970s

House, club culture

Punk

"I want to scare people"

David bowie

Art school - Post modernist idea

Malcolm Maclaren

Every colour had a reason and context behind it. Red white black, shocking pink etc

Montage of all that has gone before it
'Safety pins and spittle'

Didactic

DIY Punk

Women bands - The slits

Johnny rotten

Feminist ideas were acted out

Punk came out of subcultures who adored reggae etc

"Ya Yabby yabby yo, chant the rebel sounds"

'Togetherness of the outsider'

Sex pistols

Filth and the Fury

Ended after that

Extreme end of it all ended and it became perceived as a pantomime

Literature, Art fashion

Steve Jones

The specials

The clash

Solidarity between young blacks and young whites growing up on london council estates

The specials summarised the UK

Thatcher

Two Tone - Masks, skin heads and rude boys


The  beaten generation

"my dog sleeps on Fila (Sports brand)"

Coventry boys

Casuals

Movement led by fashion and football

Liverpool - dominant football team

81- late 80s

Party, music and Ecstasy

Acid house

Monday night raves

Football hooligan was dead due to drugs

Replaced by Ravers

Ravers

Acid house, Manchester

Sound, light and pharmacy

Chicago and New york music based

Miners strikers

Rave killed kids 'dressing up'

Babies dummies

Jungle music

Rave could be the end of all cultures

90s

Brit pop

Possibly last definable culture

Retro enthusiasts

Backwards looking

Guitar anddrum ethic

Rock edge