Spencers Lecture: 30th October 2015

Geissbuhler piece poster 

Poster Analysis: From this poster I get that the two fictional characters King Kong and Godzilla represent Japan and America. The fact that they are holding hands looking towards a sunset which appears to be the Japanese flag suggests to me that this piece poster is about a war which happened between America and Japan. This is a poster which represents peace. The films characters themselves also may link into this since King Kong and Godzilla were both classed as monsters in their films. However in this poster it seems that the two monsters are at peace with one another. 

Activity: "Think of three things you associate most with Japan" 

My answers: Mount Fuji, Pokemon, Cherry blossom 

I found this activity fun as it demonstrates how a culture or place can have different connotations connected to it that we think of when we hear or see the place. I find it quite amusing how I have picked completely different things which all connect to this idea of "Japanness". 

"The theory and appeal of Giant Monsters" Jase Short

I really love this artwork because of it's how real it looks on the page even though it's obviously fictional, I'm sure there is a bigger meaning behind this art work maybe what appears to be the monster in the background represents a culture, nation or entity. Something bigger that what we are that we are hiding from. Whether this be more symbolically driven in the fact that it represents global warming or whether it be more politically driven by representing a huge nation or past war like Germany, Russia or America. However if it was something to do with this I would think that he would have made the connection a little more obvious by adding some politically driven style. 

I would prefer it if the monster wasn't actually symbolic at all and the fact that we think that it's symbolic of something else or has a bigger meaning expresses how we read into things too much instead of taking things for what they are and what they appear to be a giant fictional character in a wood.  This also relates to the First things first manifesto that we did in one of Rob's earlier seminars where the message was very much that we as designers have our talent wasted on toothpaste commercials we are designing for a meaning rather than designing for the love of design.

Empirical texts: (The Distinction between saying and showing) In other words when you go see a film the first thing you go for is the entertainment of actually watching the film and seeing some form of action (Godzilla destroying a city), but there is also something else we can read off it some form of political or social happening that is going on which can be much more serious. Subconsciously we are being given two stories through this primary idea of entertainment which we are buying into. 

 I could apply these empirical tests in my practice by creating posters and using a hidden meaning behind something else. Symbolism and semiotics are important in defining and describing something political and important through visual techniques such as characters and illustrations told by films and graphics alike.