“Show… reveal… deconstruct” ( Es Devlin, Abstract, 2017)

(Shabazz, 2013)

Based on these three words, I have selected a variety of images representing the postmodern mindset. The first shows an insight into the new hip hop subculture erupting in the 1960s through photographing people experiencing and representing this new shift of expression. I’m interested by the documentary style of this piece, as it doesn’t seem to be shot in such a way that the photographer is putting forward a negative viewpoint of this culture. Shebazz seems to be impartial, just observing and showing this scene to the world, giving it visibility and a human nature through the natural expressions on their faces.

(OBEY Giant, 2015)

The second reveals the idea that media can be a tool to stop people thinking about their current circumstances. This is a very postmodern idea as it is doubting and questioning a culture that has been put up with and accepted for years. In terms of the style, I am really interested in the minimal and dull colour palette that allows the poster to convey that almost autonomous and blind following being commented on. The use of bold text and decoration involving a border is reminiscent of retro 1920s design which gives a nice symmetry and order to the piece.

(McCoy, 2015)

The final image deconstructs different design elements by cutting up images, overlaying them with text into a design that is verging on difficult to read. These two posters are very visually engaging, drawing you in and capturing your attention to try and look at every element of the poster. I really like this style of working as it is so different from my work that is usually clean cut with each element sticking to its place in the grid with very little overlapping. McCoy says “during my college years there was a big cultural shift, a revolution of sorts…” (McCoy, 2015) which can be really shown in the work that is taking elements already being used in design and using them to try and create something new and interesting.

Bibliography

OBEY Giant (2015). Sedation Pill Metal. [image] Available at: https://obeygiant.com/fine-art/sedation-pill-metal/?tax=1&tax_name=medium_art_category&term_id=101 [Accessed 14 Nov. 2017].

Shabazz, J. (2013). Recapturing the infancy of hip-hop in New York. [image] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/02/movies/jamel-shabazz-street-photographer-a-new-york-portrait.html [Accessed 14 Nov. 2017].

McCoy, K. (2015). [image] Available at: https://designtraveler.wordpress.com/2015/04/19/katherine-mccoy-thoughts-on-design-writing/ [Accessed 14 Nov. 2017].

Abstract. (2017). (documentary) Directed by M. Neville. Netflix.