401: 20 Images

Finding the 20 images made me question the role of modern satire.

What is satire's role today?
How much social/cultural power does it have in different countries?
How do different political leaders use/react to satirical art about them?
Is a cartoon mocking ISIS really worthy of the extreme nature of their atrocities?
How do British people feel about satire? Is it simply a light relief from the unpredictable political climate? And are people too apathetic or angry to see satire as a useful tool against the establishment.



Sun Mu fled North Korea because of famine and now creates satirical works based on his experiences working as an artist under the regime. He reflects the dictatorships idealised artistic style back on to itself with mocking paintings of the leaders but also an optimism about the future using children as a symbol of hope. It's a powerful and heart felt expression of attacking the regime using the North Korean style of painting.

 Laura Benanti on the Late Show impersonates Melania Trump's speech.

Political impersonations are used a lot on US talk shows. They're often funny but do they have the opposite effect of political satire by softening the sometimes dangerous or dark political views of the person being mocked and recreating them as a comic character instead of a person with serious political power?



Is it now that no matter how ridiculous and extreme satirical you try to be, reality will always become the more comical outcome?
Matt Groening used Trump (back in 2000) as the 'most absurd placeholder name we could think of', 'It's beyond satire.' Reality became absurd and Trump may be President. 

  .......????

OUIL401 Investigating quotes

Politics

‘Where is the content? Where is the comment? It’s all about the materials, rather than the message. It’s all about the quantity rather than the quality. It’s all about design doing rather than design thinking. It’s all style over content, function following form. Illustration has withdrawn from the big debates of our society to focus on the chit-chat and tittle-tattle of inner-sanctum nothingness.’
Zeegan, Lawrence

https://www.creativereview.co.uk/where-is-the-content-where-is-the-comment/

The quote is expressing frustration and exasperation of how illustration as a whole has absolved itself of expressing any political comment or having anything of substance about current affairs.

Zeegan explains how illustration as a collective has collapsed into a group of individuals who shun the traditional, tougher aspects of illustration such as competing for commissions and thinking big with their work.

    The problem with this solitary attitude is that illustrator’s unwillingness to compete means their craft becomes stale and lacks punch. A small, inward focused group that congratulates itself with self given briefs is not in touch with more hard line issues in the global society.

The image below, left is an example of how illustration has slipped into a childish, mediocre style that has been allowed to dominate illustration. Zeegan talks about 'style over content' meaning the handmade crafting aesthetic is now the main focus of modern illustration rather than what the materials are being used to actually say.  

Below Top, Molg H. Bottom, Josan Gonzales. These are aesthetically beautiful but also imaginative pieces of illustration. Molg H creates darkly comic work that isn't afraid of dividing it's audience and Josan Gonzales' work is incredibly complex and technically brilliant.

These two pieces of illustration are examples of when an illustrator can push their craft an achieve a successful communication of their humour, personality and individual interpretation of the world. Zeegan seems to be saying that most illustrators are too afraid to push their craft in favour of more naïve, cosy art that appeals to more commercially safe illustration that takes no risks in terms of causing offense or challenging the mainstream blandness of illustration and media in general.

I think the 'Fight the nothingness' fails as a piece of illustration because it is not a bold or strong image which is needed for the message.

Zeegan describes David Shrigley's 'Fight the nothingness' design as an exact example of the bland, apathetic mentality he is trying to protest against.

OUIL401: Studio Brief 1

Studio Brief 1

Quote: 'The history we read [..] though based on facts, is, strictly speaking, not factual at all, but a series of accepted judgements.'

The famous quote 'History is written by the victors' was the first thing that came to mind when we discussed our quote.

We looked at how modern civilisations such as North Korea can create a totally false reality to brainwash it's people into believing a certain ideology.

Knowledge is power in modern society. In the age of the internet, controlling media output is the most powerful tool people can use to manipulate society into the accepted judgements that dictate how society uses it's moral compass.

News channels such as FOX and newspapers such as The Guardian and The Daily Mail have their own political agenda that aims to influence society's political beliefs.

Brexit was a good example of how right wing media can create far fetched or simply false information to stir up xenophobia and racism for political gain.

Perhaps the majority of people have liberal views yet right wing institutions have the financial power to promote right wing views as the mainstream, moral norm.

                              

Left: Phan Thi Kim Phuc in the Vietnam war photo which was briefly censored by Facebook.

Rigth: The pictures of inmates being tortured in a North Korean prison camp.