CAM: Interpreting art at its finest!

On Friday, October 24th, 2014 I visited the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) in Downtown Raleigh. It was unlike anything I've ever seen before. Each art piece was presented in its own unique way and quite frankly, I was amazed by how much beauty I saw. My overall feeling of the exhibit would be that I was intrigued by the variety of such cool art!

Visual Analysis
After looking through the entire exhibit, the piece that stood out to me the most was the one with the red sandpaper that was put on a large portrait canvas.

 


Title: Shape Shifter
Artist: Jennifer Allora (b. 1974, United States) and Guillermo Calzadilla (b. 1971, Cuba)
Date:2013
Medium: Used sandpaper on canvas mounted on aluminum
Size: ~14 ft tall x 9ft wide

Stylistic Period/Culture/Context
The "Shape Shifter" art piece is originally from Latin America and it was created in 2013. This was the first exhibit I saw as we went around with our tour guide. It is important to note that the region of Latin America is considered "third world" meaning they don't have a whole lot of resources like North American countries do. The sandpaper reflects the culture of where the piece originates from because most of Latin America's inhabitants are hard workers striving to make a better life for themselves.

Subject/Iconography
The artwork represents the sandpaper as being the center focus of attention to the piece. It shows history, culture, and perspective according to the techniques used by the artists when looking at it up close. According to the curator, the sandpaper came from a variety of construction sites where objects were obviously sanded down continuously. Each piece of sandpaper came from a different place, so each piece has its own unique history which I think is so cool! The idea/concept of the canvas is to show how one object that no one would ever think had any value to it, could be used to create an art form that is beautiful to others.

Style/Technique
I am sure that when the artists sent the piece over to the museum, they specified to the curator that it be put under lights. The lighting in this piece is above, which sort of puts it into the spotlight and really makes the color and texture of the sandpaper show. The form of the piece is set in portrait orientation as if it was a masterpiece painting being shown to the public. The shape, being that it is in portrait form, is rectangular. I also noticed how each piece of sandpaper used was also set in portrait orientation.The color of the piece is overall a sandy red (as is the color of sandpaper), but there are some pieces of sandpaper that are a darker red than others. This depends on how faded the sandpaper was. The texture of the piece is coarse and gritty, for the most part. In some places where the sandpaper was faded, it felt more smooth. I personally think artwork that has different textures is really cool because it makes the work unique. I think that if the art was arranged in landscape format, it wouldn't look as appealing because I would just look at it and say, "Oh, that looks like a brick wall". 
Significance/Function/Purpose
The purpose of the artwork is to show that an every day object has a different cultural meaning to some cultures as opposed to ours. I personally think that the sandpaper symbolizes a culture where people work hard to make a living. Another interpretation of the piece can be said that the sandpaper symbolizes the amount of work or quality that has been put in to building or crafting something, wherever the sandpaper was used. The places where it has faded shows that. I also got the feeling that the color of the piece served the purpose of resembling love, in particular, the number of hands that used the sandpaper to create a piece of work as well as the artist's love for recognizing this on a canvas. Politically, I think the piece might reveal ties to Communism because one of the artists' is from there. Red is a color that is most associated to Communism. Socially, it reveals hard work ethic or on the flip side, maybe some kind of controlled labor. I think the title of the work, "Shape Shifter", signifies the rearrangement of the sandpaper in a unique way. The pieces are all mixed up and that adds onto the variety of the the work. Even though the shape of the work is the same, the "shifter" part signifies that the sandpaper is arranged to show different angles of perspective such as: Why are they arranged all over the place? What is the significance of the lighting in reflecting darker shadows on the bottom of the piece? What if the color of the sandpaper was blue?

The Seven Deadly Sins in Advertising

Customized Nike Free 5.0 iD $135

In this advertisement, you see an example of a customized Nike Free iD Running Shoe. The deadly sin being used here is lust. Nike's website lets the consumer use their interactive website to customize a shoe to fit anyone's style.

Nike's Advertisement for iD Free Runs

The author of this advertisement would be Nike, Inc. The date of the published ad was March 5, 2011. The place where I found this ad was from Nike's Insider website under the Launch Calendar Tab.

The denotative vibe of this advertisement is a beautiful, colorful Nike shoe. It also appears as if it is glowing, in an enhancing way. You see the ad sticks to one color theme of purple, pink, black, and gray/silver. These cultures definitely caught my eye at first glance! Not only is it visually attractive, but the product is centered to show its features. I liked the idea of using a white background to show off the product because it makes the shoes stand out more. The ad is promoting the new Nike Free Run iD and its release of March 5, 2012. Their persuasive technique includes two phrases: "SUPER NATURAL RIDE." and "CREATE THE PERFECT FREE FOR YOUR FEET." The second phrase is in a smaller font size than the first. The top picture is an example of what a Nike Free Run iD pair of shoes would be valued at; $135.

Considering the connotation behind this advertisement, as mentioned in the beginning, it commits the deadly sin of lust. In addition, one may also say that the advertisement accredits pride as a sin. Lust comes into play in advertising by influencing potential customers to desire expensive, good-looking products from magazines, or the Internet. Having an interactive feature on their website makes the advertisement even more attractive to consumers who adore the brand. The language used through diction in this ad conveys hidden messages to the consumers. For example, the word "iD" hints at the idea that when you are persuaded to customize and buy the Free Runs, you can create your very own identity for them. This identity is supposed to be a way of defining who you are and the colors you choose for the lacing, swoosh, etc., plays a role in that as well. Another example of diction is the phrase, "SUPER NATURAL RIDE". This phrase signifies the idea that buying these shoes will bring you much comfort and flexibility to your feet. It makes the inference that Free Runs are the right type of shoe for any activity. The phrase "CREATE THE PERFECT FREE FOR YOUR FEET." implies the fact that Nike is saying YOU have the freedom to create a masterpiece that is the right fit and style for YOUR feet.

With that in mind, Nike also uses pride as one of their sins. Through their ad, they are trying to promote the concept that they're shoes are better than any other athletic company's shoes because of the fact that they let you customize and select a shoe style in which you have the freedom to do so. It is how they go about marketing their product that makes them seem like the "over-the-top" company. Nevertheless, this attracts consumers.

Who is the intended audience? Well, its for the most part athletes, high school students, and consumers who love the brand Nike. High school students would be an example of popular culture that is currently being influenced by social media and Nike's website itself. Then, there's the stereotype that all rich white girls own a pair of Nike Free Runs. They are people of a worker to high class social and economic background. When seeing an ad to customize a shoe, the consumer should know going into it that making something your own, costs a little extra. With the example at the top, the value shows (and that isn't even with tax + shipping!). In my opinion, I think that these buyers sometimes don't realize how expensive the shoes will be and that it where the idea of lust comes into play in an advertisement. It doesn't show the price of the shoe for a reason; instead, they want to lure the customer in. One may also think of the intended audience as people of the poor class who are the ones who tend to be lured in the most by buying things that they don't have the money to pay for. I would say that is an example of deliberate manipulation of an audience.

Cultural knowledge that the consumers may have is the fact that Nike is one of the largest brand-selling companies in the world alongside top competitors like Adidas and Reebok. These companies are known very well all over the world, especially in Europe. Nike's history is quite interesting. The company was started by a nationally respected track & field coach at the University of Oregon in the United States. Today, it makes millions and is a strong economically sound company that makes athletes all over the world extremely happy with their quality of work in making the perfect shoe.

Works Cited

 Insider.nike.com. Nike, 5 Mar. 2011. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://insider.nike.com/us/launch/nike-free-run-id-shoe/>.

Nike. "NikeiD." Store.nike.com. Nike, 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/product/free-id/?piid=36326&pbid=427957000#?pbid=427957000>.

 Nikeinc.com. Nike, 2014. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://nikeinc.com/pages/history-heritage>.

How Do Literary Devices Influence Social Commentary?

Accessed from: http://www.greenwichlibrary.org/blog/teen_central/janeeyre-thumb-323x500-9866.jpg

After reading paragraphs 8-54 from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, I decided to explore how the author used language to influence social commentary. Throughout the chapter, she uses a variety of literary devices such as diction, syntax, similes, metaphors, irony, and Christian allusions. The chapter revolves around three main characters: Miss Temple, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Jane Eyre. The setting is in a school classroom on a one afternoon. Mr. Brocklehurst enters the room and starts talking to Miss Temple, the teacher. The chapter is narrated through the eyes of Jane. You can tell that she is not very fond of Mr. Brocklehurst because she uses this diction, "his absence was a relief to me"(Bronte, Paragraph 9)."A long stride measured the schoolroom, and presently beside Miss Temple, who herself had risen", is an example of diction the author uses through Jane's interpretation of Mr. Brocklehurst as a figure of authority (Bronte, Paragraph 10). Jane uses a metaphor to describe Mr. Brocklehurst as "piece of architecture". I thought this was interesting because I have never heard of a human being described as architecture and so this signifies that he is a part of a rich social class, but is an arrogant, snobby, person.

The characterization of Miss Temple portrays her as a fragile figure who succumbs to authority and also tries to stand up for the children. For example, when Mr. Brocklehurst starts pointing out the wrongs of what is going on with the students in the classroom and tells her how it really should be, Miss Temple responds with, "Your directions shall be attended to, sir" (Bronte, Paragraph 15). Mr. Brocklehurst uses Christian allusions to describe what his mission of raising the girls a certain way is. "You are aware that my plan in bringing up these girls is, not to accustom them to habits of luxury and indulgence, but to render them hardy, patient, self-denying." "Oh, madam, when you put bread and cheese, instead of burnt porridge, into these children's mouths, you may indeed feed their vile bodies, but you little think how you starve their immortal souls!" This example refers to the wrong-doing of Miss Temple in feeding the children luxurious things such as lunch when they did not have any breakfast.

The girls are also required to keep their hair straight and plain, without any style and this is also a religious allusion that the human body is natural. I noticed that the register of language which was used throughout the chapter was in an older style. There were words such as remonstrate which I did not understand at first as well as the syntax of words that were not what I was used to reading. An example of this syntax is, "Of my own accord I could not have stirred; I was paralysed: but the two great girls who sit on each side of me, set me on my legs and pushed me towards the dread judge"(Bronte, Paragraph 39). An example of a simile is, "The kind whisper went to my heart like a dagger" (Bronte, Paragraph 41). This was significant to the connection between Jane and Miss Temple because just before Jane was called out by Mr. Brocklehurst, Miss Temple had whispered to Jane saying that she knew it was an accident. This affected Jane emotionally because she appreciated Miss Temple in her act of kindness.

The irony of the chapter centers on the Brocklehurst family. They come barging into the classroom wearing stylish clothing, furs around their necks, hair in curls, looking very wealthy. These are all things that go against what Mr. Brocklehurst has been preaching for the girls in the classroom to act and appear as. This irony influences social commentary of the Brocklehursts' as members of the upper-class of their society; people who do not respect the poor and do whatever they please without caring. The use of similes show the power of Mr. Brocklehurst's words in emotionally affecting Jane. Syntax influences social commentary by allowing the reader to realize how language had hidden meanings to relate to societal issues during the time period. For example, after reading the chapter, I assumed that the society was controlled by the upper-class and that the school girls were being forced to become conformed to a way of living that made them appear as an "outcast society" from the rest of the characters in the story. I automatically thought in my head, "this isn't right...it's not just" because when I look at the society I live in today, I realize that we are given the chance to live in a world of equality and are entitled to rights. With Jane being an orphan child, she really didn't have a choice of choosing where to live and so she becomes a victim of society.