Sunday 9 January 2011

Modernity and Progress, Two Very Different Things


Post or modernism do not necessarily mean advancement and neither are they synonymous of  progress.  It simply represents the passing of time, but this time isn't always moving forward or towards an increasingly developed way of thinking or future with better options, and solutions to long standing questions. 

Even when could be putting people at risk why do we continue to allow speculation to influence our decisions? . How did it become fashionable to disregard evidence? Where is our morality shifting towards and where do we now seek to find answers for our happiness? Why are we oblivious of the real cost that mass consumption is having on our society?

Here, I want to look at two talented individuals who have been able to free think to shape their personalities, both share progressive perspectives and through their work they open doors for others.

American conceptual/pop artist Barbara Kruger, she was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1945 and left there in 1964 to attend Syracuse University. In her work she manipulates popular iconography to reveal the deception of signs. Kruger's graphic work usually consists of black-and-white photographs with overlaid captions set in white-on-red Futura Bold Oblique.

The phrases usually make a bold statement and commonly use pronouns such as you, I, your, we and they. She juxtaposes imagery with text containing criticism of sexism/misogyny and cultural power structures. Much of her text questions the viewer about feminism, classicism, consumerism, and individual autonomy and desire, although her black-and-white images are culled from the mainstream magazines that sell the very ideas she is disputing.
 
She layers found photographs from existing sources with pithy and aggressive text that involves the viewer in the struggle for power and control that her captions speak to. In their trademark black letters against a slash of red background, some of her instantly recognizable slogans read “I shop therefore I am,” and “Your body is a battleground."

To end I will be speaking with Cancer Research Scientist David Mansfield also kin artist and photographer, who believes that it is possible in the future there will be a "Second Enlightening" David has kindly agreed to do a short interview at the end of this post.
 



In both "Your Body is a Battleground" and "You Are Not Yourself" above Kruger reflects on how our own image is destroyed as we seek to attain a look which is marketed by fashion or cosmetics campaigns. Making women of the 21rst century believe that they are not good enough, that unless they consume specific products there will always be someone better than them who does. There is a constant pressure to fight age and any type of body which does not support the ideal, which in cases is a computer altered image that naturally is impossible to achieve.

In I shop therefore I am Kruger makes a comment about our existential position, initially referring to Rene Descartes "I think therefore I am" Kruger now implies that we build our identity through material possessions.



The images below speak of women's place in society through out history, making religious and patriarchal references -  I will leave interpretations to your own devices.





Now I want to ask David Masfield a few questions regarding some of the issues I have mentioned above. I chose him because as well as a scientist he is a practical man one who seeks to find solutions rather than hope for a change. Amongst his posts on SCIBITE he include  MMR and Autism: How The Media Endangered Children for further reading and more information you can access full content of this blog HERE.

Thank you David for agreen to answer some of my questions, first I would like to ask you if you have any comments on the post above.
 
The images seem to highlight those features of humanity or society that need attention: Health, personal identity, oppression etc. All issues faced by women, but presented in distinctly masculine form of bold high-contrast posters resembling government propaganda/public service posters. These issues remain today, perhaps mutated slightly, or in some cases grown. Kruger's message still seems to be landing on deaf ears, others are now trying to shout the same messages.
 
You said you believe that there could be a Second Enlightenment Age could happen, could you tell me a little bit more about that?

Its not so much that I think there could be a second enlightenment, its that I think there should be one. we have become so detached from the workings of the things we operate we cannot see where it is leading us. Renewable energy is a phrase bounced around a lot these days, but is all it really does, bounce around, never making a real impact. The world we have created requires constant supplies of resources, energy, minerals, people, space. Unfortunately these things are all finite in our world. Economies require a state of constant growth to be healthy, but to achieve that you need to constantly consume resources, resources that are running out. I'm not just talking about fossil fuels, precious metals, named such because they are rare, are used in much of our technology, from lithium in your mobile phone battery, indium in your LCD TV, platinum in your car's catalytic converter. Common metals even are running short as developing countries rapidly work to build for themselves what they have seen the west build. Fossil fuels are dwindling, the price rising ever higher as the supply runs out. The world simply cannot sustain this. There needs to be a complete revolution in the way we see the world, you cannot simply mine for more resources when you use them on the scale we do.


Which things do you see in our contemporary society which build themselves as part of a new enlightenment?

Fortunately the seeds have been planted that should eventually provide the fruits to help us when the revolution comes, but that doesn't mean it will necessarily be an easy transition. As I said, people will need to rethink their expectations of the world, perhaps you won't be able to buy mass produced items cheaply anymore, instead you will invest in an expensive but durable item. Great minds will once again be required to solve old problems when the old solutions are no longer available. There are those who already live like this, but they are the minority, convincing the majority to change their ways is the challenge. There are many today who oppose the short term investment of time, money and effort in the long term goal of achieving sustainability. The Luddites of the Industrial revolution opposed progress to preserve what was a sustainable way of life, the irony is today the opposition want to preserve their unsustainable way of life. We need to convince these people now, to ease the transition. If nothing changes they will all be convinced eventually, when our world ceases to function and collapses around us.

Coming from a science background could you offer some thoughts on: why even when lives can be at risk some people continue not to accept appropriate medical treatment or seek alternative medicine?

Superstition has a strange place in human behaviour, perhaps a function of the brain trying to identify patterns where there are none. We try to link events even though they are not related. Sportsmen link a success to a particular action before the event, and will repeat it next time to ensure similar good luck. Alternative medicines often feel natural and healthy, and do help the patient feel better, so they will continue to use them. Unfortunately feeling better does not always mean getting better in the long term. Many people fear the side effects of chemotherapy for cancer for example, and prefer to try something else first, despite drug side effects being greatly reduced in recent years by continued optimisation of drug design. As humans we prefer to take the shortcut, it might work, even though often you end up lost, then back where you started, having lost some time, and starting down the harder path. 

What does it take to have courage to use your own understanding?

Our society has moved from one that took pride in learning, to one that likes to be taught. This leaves us vulnerable to misinformation and misconceptions but also vitally leaves us incapable of using our own reasoning to solve problems. Using your own understanding is always a test of yourself, and testing is something to be dreaded these days, you might be wrong! There is never any shame in being wrong, as long as you learn from it. But as I said, learning isn't fashionable anymore. Knowledgeable people are nerds and boffins and other stereotypes mocked by the majority for using their understanding. It is inherent in those nerds, they cannot live without applying understanding to their world. For the others, it just requires the courage, if you don't test it you'll never learn the truth.

Why do you think evidence hard to accept? 

Humans invest their resources in certain aspects of their life, often these investments turn out to have been bad but there is something in the human psyche that denies this, they think if they continue this investment it might turn around, despite all the evidence against it. This applies particularly to ideas and concepts, when you have spent your life believing something the resources invested in it are so great that to accept it to be false is accepting that you and your life has been based on a lie. Your every interpretation has been twisted by this belief in order to support it, because you thought it was true. Accepting it as false requires a reunderstanding of the whole issue, or in cases such as religion, a reunderstanding of the whole world. While there is a shred of doubt to cling on to you will, because that is convenient and requires no change.

By David Mansfield


By David Mansfield

 And lastly for your viewing pleasure....



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