New Beginings

Here I am at last at the start of my BA in Art & Design @ Forth Valley College.    

Still settling back into the way of college life,  I am finding this all a very exiting time.  

I have had a busy time these last few weeks but every minute has been worth it.  In the first block of my academic year I have been doing mostly research and drawing,  I have also started designing.  I have been attending contextual studies seminars which have been very interesting.  They have left me considering many things about the world we inhabit today, our culture and our future.  

Richard Hamelton 1956 vs 2012

I was asked to create my own up to date version of Richard Hamelton's  1956 collage. 

Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?

Here we have a typical depiction of a 1950's modern style home, a portrayal of the lifestyle in those days. 

The template is a image of a modern sitting room from Ladies Home Journal-Armstrons, in open plan with large windows.  Wooden floors with plenty decor on the walls.

We have Irvin Zabo Koszewski winner of Mr La 1954, the image is from 'Tomorrows Mans Magazine. 
The masculine figure of that day , every man child and woman would look up to him as their hero.  The one that protects and provides for their family.  Every Man would aspire to be that man.

The Lady on the sofa is a burlesque Model Jo Baer, the image is from an unknown magazine.
Women where seen as a submissive object of beauty, men would admire them in magazines that where found taboo.  
The Models who in this industry would find they had a sense of power and confidence.   There lifestyle would be seen to be a life of glamour and riches. 
Feminist's found it to be degrading they would argue that this is no life style for any young girl, also that there is a very dark side to this lifestyle.

The Lady in the stairs is using Hoover's latest model constellation, this was a picture from Lady's home journal.  A typical portrayal of a woman's place in the home, mother and Home maker.
The Rug is a blown up picture of a crowd at Whitley Bay beach.  The beach was part of society's culture, to pack up a pick nick etc and spend the day  kicking it back on the beach building sand castles with the children.   Those of all ages would be there enjoying wholesome fun on a sunny day.

On the ceiling is what looks like the moon but in fact its planet earth in black and white, society was very space orientated, commodity's where themed with it, media such as War of the World's came out etc.

There are many more thought's I could ad to this image but lets move on to my updated version of this.

After having a good look at Hamelton's original, I then created my own pastiche of it, updating
it to the present.  I have not covered everything in the original but what I have taken from it seemed the most valid.

I have replaced the nude model with Lady Gaga,  She is a main stream pop artist's.  This image is from Vanity Fair, the fame gallery.  This woman is not from an adult magazine she is very much in mainstream culture.  Seen on daytime television, i.e music channels and has recently produced an advertising campaign for her perfume. 

Here it is if you would like to have a look.


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=az1-oLmxhHQ&NR=1

The lady with the hoover has been replaced by a man hoovering, Body builder replaced by Maria Rita Penteado 4th amateur womens body builder.  This shows how women have had a complete roll reversal in this day and age, some women go out to work and some men stay at home.

Women are portrayed in many ways through the media, such as teen mags and adverts giving society's young girls a profile they feel they have to conform to.

The rug has been replaced it with a blown up picture of a club night Fabric, the club scene is a large part of western world culture, to go out and party till you drop. I.E Drink Culture/ Drug culture derived from the 60's and 70's revolutions.

The ceiling is replaced with a picture of the red planet Mars, which is the center of controversial and media fascination in recent years.  It has also become popular within the world of film and conspiracy theorists, I.E Richard C Hoagland, Mike Bara.  Block Buster films such as recent 2012's John Carter,  90's Mission to Mars, and the Remake of War of the worlds.

The window's  is a busy high street littered with shop after shop, most of them being corporate giants in the world of capitalism.  The society we live in today is very commercially orientated.

So those are just some of the thoughts that where provoked from this exercise.  I will more than likely have more to say after creating my next collage.