rebel without a cause...

I got a little side tracked on the last post, as I was meant to talk about how my idea of what this competition brief is about was actually cleared up a little bit too! I'm still confused as to what I should be focusing on etc, but thats only because I feel like a hypocrite as well as ignorant.

The word 'Resistance' automatically conjures up stereotypical images and ideas, mainly centered around Politics, but it was the briefs description of politics (with a small 'p') that I didn't understand. No disrespect to the artists, whose work i have just decided to pick on (found via deviantart.com), but it is work like below that I REALLY want to avoid... it's almost too easy to fall into the routine of making something 'look' like it is rebellious or as if it has some deep and meaningful message behind it, but this is what I meant by feeling like a hypocrite.





I have never been one for bringing down the system or sticking it to the man, i'm more of a 'don't rock the boat' kind of person when it comes to some things but after a chat with my tutor I realised that everybody, everyday deals with politics with a small 'p'.... but just to make sure, I googled it a bit to make sure that I fully understood, taken from a couple of blogs...

"In the briefest explanation, politics is about the lives of the ordinary people, and about the daily world they inhabit. This sort of politics isn't about looking good; it's about doing good. It's not about making pronouncements; it's about getting dirty and helping out. If Politics is talking the talk, politics is walking the walk."

and...

"Yet, we exist in a world where we are constantly being sold on the idea of our having the freedom to define ourselves. We are barraged with advertising that urges us to express our individuality...by purchasing a car or .mp3 player or jacket that is made in lots of 100,000. We are told the stories and shown the images of people expressing themselves in one way or another for the last 50 years of Pop Culture. Hippies, Beatniks, Protesters, Generation X'ers, Xtreme Sports Enthusiats and Green Advocates...images all of who we can be, to be individuals. Maybe they are genuine expressions for some. Maybe they once were. But, when they are blasted on billboards, advertising, movie sets, TV shows and Internet ads - they are industrial images of definition: mass produced to define the individual in terms that society desires.

So, for years I have asked myself how do I define myself as an individual - in my own terms? Is that even possible? I don't invent any words, in fact I need to use words that were invented by someone else so that I can be understood. But, the choice of words is mine. That, I should own. I should be able to choose when and where I choose the words and images to define myself. So, should you."

I keep thinking of the Borg from Star Trek...




mmm.....

But the main thing is I'm thinking of looking at the way in which I resist during my everyday life and then applying it to a larger field if needs be. The main idea offered to me as an example is the fact that I ride a motorbike which in some ways is a rebellion against public transport or driving a car as it was a personal choice of mine...

Whilst googling more keywords/phrases I discovered this interview with a "celebrity" (i've never heard of him) on the introduction of ID cards which could be an idea I work around... maybe look at the idea of trying to remain anonymous... using disguises... (i'm immediately reminded of Amelie)...





the main thing is, I want to include humour in my work... whatever i decide to do/create.

There are a couple of different ideas and directions I can go in, as with me I like to imagine what a final piece may look like before I'm even into the project, but before I start posting any these ideas I will run them by my tutor to make sure I'm not just coming up other versions of stereotypical imagery...