Contemporary Art Concepts

Meshes of the Afternoon

Meshes of the Afternoon was a fascinating film. There seems to be a complexity that I am still wrapping my head around. As I understand it, the code-switching of body to object was present as the roles, meanings, or ‘language’ of body and object merged in the contexts the film was portraying. The objects such as the key, the knife, and the flower seem to be speaking another ‘language’ one that describes the woman in the film.The double-coding was interesting. The key and knife seemed to be merged but created multiple meanings to exist at the same time. The key, a symbol to unlocking, which I associate with freedom, combined with the knife to suggest ideas of danger, domestic obedience of women, and a object that ended the woman’s life. The double-coding of the objects like the knife and key, seem to speak about women’s life in the forties. There also seemed to be double-coding with the telephone. The telephone usually implies communication (and I believe strength is developed with supportive communication), but the phone is also off the hook. This seems to imply an strange situation, one that is not right. The phone off the hook makes me wonder what had happen, probably an unexpected event that would have led to the phone being off the hook. The phone placed on the bed also implies that no one is there to call in the situation- perhaps one of sexual or domestic violence. Hyper signification also relates to the double coding of domestic objects in the film. The multiple meanings of the key, knife, phone, and flower, seem to be portrayed as more important that they actually are. The objects imply more meanings then they actually do. The subversion of normalcy was also prevalent in the film, specifically in the woman’s dream and the repeating of scenes, and the multiple but same woman in the same scenes. The unusual events in the film definitely threw normalcy out the window. However, I also thought, because the film is partially a portrayal of a dream (?), does this mean that the scenes are norm as there is no limitations or norms in dreams, and therefore normalcy actually exists in the film? The filming techniques, such as the close-ups, camera angles, and shot constrictions, add to and emphasize the contemporary concepts discussed above.

Thinner than You

Several contemporary concepts discussed in are readings are relevant in Maureen Conner’s piece “Thinner Than You”. The principle ‘Forming Self ‘ can aid in the analysis of the piece. The piece is an excellent example in exploring sense of self with social and media influences. thinner than you portrays a inner struggle that the artist and many many face. The societal pressures of body image are very influential and often unhealthy. The media also portrays and emphasizes the accepted ‘norm’ of body image. Conner uses these ideas to explore self. ‘Investigating Community Themes’ is also prevalent when considering the piece. Gude states that this principle includes engaging significant issues that are shared in a community. Conner explores an issues that does not only have much meaning for her but for the wider community of females ( specifically females in a society in which the social norms of body image discussed in her piece are relevant). Like Gude suggests art that involves ‘investigating community themes’ is capable of, Thinner than You also urges others to reconsider the ‘status quo’ of body image and pressures to meet the norm in our society. Thinner than You also relates to the principle ‘Deconstructing Culture’. Art that deconstructs culture, as Gude suggests, investigates representations of different aspects of culture. Conner’s piece investigates the representation of women. The artwork is especially moving and somewhat eerie because Conner represents women without actually using a woman or the female figure. The female figure is absent but defined by the slim (and at first glance appealing) article of clothing on a thin clothes hanger object. Gaze is another principle that is effective to use in analyzing the piece. The female is the one that seems to be both the object of looking and the one doing the looking (at least this is how I view the piece- perhaps because I am a female). The female as subject describe the role of women. Women are supposed to be attractive, which is a socially constructed term. In our society thin is attractive. As female as the looker, the competition that we dress to impress others and often many women make significant sacrifices (often unhealthy ones) to be ‘attractive’. As a female looker, the image is very unsettling. Though it seems the meaning of the piece may change when the one doing the looking is male. I wonder if a male viewing the piece would see the piece as an appealing representation of the female. Would men be disturbed by the devastating consequences of being ‘attractive’ that the piece portrays? Using Gaze aids in an effective investigation of the piece. I also think double-coding is relevant in the object (the dress) of the piece. The dress is portraying various meanings simultaneously, some of which are contradictory.  At a basic level, the object is a piece of clothing, an essential object of living. The object also portrays what it means to be female, what it means to be attractive. Social norms are also defined – thin is in. Also the piece defines the sacrifices of meeting social pressures. In conclusion, I have found that discussion or examination of Thinner than You is thought provoking and effective when using the contemporary art concepts discussed in the readings this week.