POST 14: Individual Documents on 'Spaces & Exchanges' Notion

First of all, to illustrate the notion Spaces and Exchanges, it is important to define the terms. On the one hand, the idea of space deals with the geographical and symbolic areas that societies occupy and the interactions carried out among them. On the other hand, an exchange is when we give in return for something received – this can be anything from economics, culture, gifts, medical or financial aid. This notion is a nowadays topical issue.The different cultural, economic, sociological and language interactions have shaped and characterised our modern-day world. That’s why I wonder if we can say that the world is becoming a smaller place. To answer this question I have chosen two documents illustrating firstly the development of a global world and then the importance of the virtual world.

Transnational companies- Priceton University -2014

The first document raises the idea of the development of a global world. It introduces one of the two most famous transnational companies that dominate different countries: Starbucks and McDonalds. It was published by the Princeton University and its objective is to show the worldwide distribution of the stores of both companies. Both of them are presented with a world map above their logo that exposes the places were they get their products as well as were their shops are established all over the world. Furthermore on one side we can see a graph that shows the  number of Starbucks stores worldwide, and one the other side the Mcdonald's amount of  sales compared to other fast food chains.

In the first place, Starburcks chain spands across nineteen countries. This can explain why coffee beans can come from one country while milk can come from a different country hundreds of kilometers away. As we can read in the document, Starbucks production connects some of the poorest countries in the world with some of the wealthiest. It follows from this that there are more and more Starbucks shops around the world, and as we see in the graph nowadays there are 6,200 stores worldwide with three new stores opening daily. Moreover, the circles make the distinction of the Starbucks shops by country, for example we have more than 1000 shops in the United States whereas in countries like Australia or China there are just 1 to 24 Starbucks shops.

Concerning Mcdonald’s, what stands out from the map is the amount of restaurants worldwide. Comparing with Starbucks, Mcdonald's restaurants are much more  spread across the world than Starbucks ones. In fact, McDonald's has over 31,000 restaurants in 118 countries. Besides, it is clearly seen in the graph that Mcdonald's surpasses by far the other fast food restaurants.

To sum up, this document depicts the idea that the world is controlled by the exchanges of transnational companies who offered globally standardized food and who stract materials from different countries. To answer the question we can say, that in some way the world is becoming smaller because the same products (or food) are consumed all over the world.

As regards the question of a globalized world we should focus on another important aspect of today's society: new technologies. As a matter of fact the appearance of new technologies has changed the way in which human communicate and exchange information.

This second document is a video that was produced in June 2004 by the University of East Anglia, UK. The video shows how social media can change the world. Moreover it explains that 26% of the Global population from different countries is using social media. That’s why they say that social media are helping to create a global village, mobilizing activism and increasing access to information. It gives examples about how social media helped social changed, like in Jamaica distributing information about HIV or in Mexico where citizens have used social media to report information about drugs. Consequently, social media is a way to unify and connect people all over the world.

Nevertheless, social media reveals also worldwide differences, for instance three fifths of population remains unconnected and even some governments ban websites like facebook or Youtube… Social media has turned so powerful that governments qualifies it as a menace for society and control it. Also, part of world population think that the internet is not relevant to their lives. Although, the video asserts that there are more mobile devices than toothbrushes and that new technologies have the power to change the world.

In short, this video explains that social media is becoming an important mainstay of the exchanges all over the world. It is a way to connect people from side to side. But it has still to evolve because there are some parts of the world that remain unconnected.

To put in a nutshell, we have seen two important powers that control today’s exchanges: the multinationals that shared out the same products all over world and the influence of the virtual world with social media. Both examples show that world is becoming a smaller and standarized place, eventhough there are still deep inequalities with people who continue to be out of this globalized system. To relate this to another notion,we can briefly ask ourselves if this standarization  is erasing people identities creating a uniformed world and if this can be considered as progress.

POST 11: SPACES & EXCHANGES: ¿Qué? A cartoon by Nate Beeler (2007)

Nate Beeler is the editorial cartoonist for the Columbus Dispatch. His award-winning cartoons have appeared on CNN, Fox News, and in such publications as Time, Newsweek. He is one of the most widely read editorial cartoonists, with his cartoons distributed internationally to more than 800 publications. We are going to describe and interpret a cartoon made by Beeler that illustrates immigration in the United States related to the notion of Spaces and Exchanges.

To begin with, this cartoon depicts three characters in black and white. On the left  we have two reporters. First, a cameraman dressed with a plaid shirt, is carrying a huge video camera that covers his face. On it there is a sticker with the words: ‘TV NEWS’.  Beside him, is represented a reporter. He is wearing a black suit with a grey tie. He is holding a microphone in one hand and has his other hand in his pocket. Smiling, he speaks to the camera and asks the third character: We’re here live with the 3000 millionth american! How do you feel about this milestone sir? These two characters are interviewing the man who is on the right. Contrary to them, he seems to be scruffy and dirty because he is wearing a cap, a white tank top, jeans  and surprisingly he has no shoes. Furthermore, he has a moustache and the shirt that he wears reveals his chest hair. He is carrying a bag full of things in one hand and a sleeping bag under the other arm. Clinging to his trousers is barbed wire. He seems to be confused and does not understand the situation that is why his only answer is the Spanish question: ‘¿Qué?’ wich means ‘What?’.

It is obvious that with this cartoon, Beeler wants to criticise the treatment given to immigrants who arrive in the United States. First of all, we can deduce through the answer given by the character interviewed that he seems to be a Mexican who has just crossed the border, this is seen because of the barbed wire that usually protects borders from illegal crossing. In fact the Mexico- United States border is the most frequently crossed international boundary in the world. The illegal immigrants are called wetbacks because they have to cross the Rio Bravo that divides both countries. Moreover, with this cartoon the artist wants to point out the fact that sometimes journalists make reality up pretending something that it is not true just for the salce of the show. In addition to this, here the reporter qualifies the situation as a milestone just because the Mexican man has just arrived despite all the troubles that he must have gone through. To sum up just with a little glance at both characters we can see they belong to opposed worlds.

In relation to the notion Spaces and Exchanges this cartoon reveals a current reality: the clash of two worlds, North and South, rich and poor world. Although Beeler illustrates this scene in America this ‘illegal’ migration happens everywhere in the world and not only because of money and work but also because of wars. On the other hand those who are rich and powerful can cross the border easily. As a conclusion this cartoon evinces the idea that with new technologies huge amounts of people are able to see what is happening around the world but just a few react.

POST 10 : TATTOOS & GANGS

Why do you think more and more people wear tattoos (regardless of whether they belong to gangs or not)?

People have been getting tattooed for thousands of years. In fact, historians have found ancient Egypt tattooed mummies. Nevertheless in western world the ones that got tattoed were pirates, convicted people and even soldiers (with the tipical tattoo 'Mother's love'). This was a symbol of social membership of this groups. Moreover, nazis used tattooes to class prisonners in the concentration camps.

Nowadays things have gone further. Pop art and pop music has made tattooes a symbol of distinction or a way of complaint. Singers, football players and celebrities were the first of being tattoed. Mass society and more precisely fans want to look like their leaders.

There are different reasons for which people get tattoed. One could be the importance of appearance, to make a difference or to become fashionable. And if we go deeper there are some people who think that the body is like a temple where your creativity and your personnality can be depicted. To sum up getting tatooed has turned nowadays in something trivial.

The football player David Beckham showing his tatoos

The singer Amy Winehouse a symbol for pop music showing his tattoos

Why do young people join gangs? 

All the gangs are not the same. Their rituals, people they target change from gang to gang. Whereas the reasons of joining gangs are often the same. To joing a gang or a group means that you are not social isolated because to be part of that group means in some way to exist so you are accepted and you become 'cool' sometimes related to peer pressure. Usually, people who joing gangs have lived in a difficult environment with domestic violence in their homes so they have a desire of being protected. This idea is related to a need of food or money and maybe a lack of parent supervision.

Latino gang member proud of his tattoos. That is to say that usually
gang bangers wear tatoos

Advertisement about Gang Life

Advertisement about gang life

What link can you see between both topics and the notion of power?

First of all we have seen that being tattoed has turned trivial in western society, because more and more people get tattoed. Whereas, it continues to be a symbol of a social membership and also it is something that makes you different from the rest. On the second part we have seen that young people joing gangs because of their difficulties on their homes, it is a desire of being protected but also it can be related to the idea of becoming cool.
All in all, on both topics we see an illustration of the notion of power very close. First of all we have the idea of identity, of being accepted on both cases. Getting tattoed means to record your identity through different forms of self-expression and within gaing a distinction of the mass society but being accepted in some cultural environments. Similarly, in the case of joining a gang there is always this idea of being part of a group, being accepted.
Moreover, the notion of progress can also be seen in this topics as the idea of being superior to the rest, being different or have more social influence in people because of tattoes or gangs.

Video tattoo covered makeup: 

The man with more tattoos in the world 

The Draw of 'Dead Town'

 1. Gabriel Hinojos is a young man who got out of a street gang 'F13' that stands for 'Florencia 13' in Los Angeles. He is the typical example of a young trying to leave a gang. He went to a tattoo removal center called Ya stuvo the spanish translation for 'that's enough, I'm done with that' (l.2) to get his gang tattoo removed from just bellow the eye. It was the only way for him to stop being part of the gang.

2. As we see in the text Ya Stuvo means '' that's enough, I'm done with that'' (l.2). It is a tattoo removal center in Los Angeles. From time to time surgeons would kindly offer their skills to erase gang members' tattoos with laser. Gabriel Hinojos has gone there 45 times and as the journalist says his reaction was ''He grimaced in pain as the surgeon extracted the ink from the soft skin under his eye'' (l.8).

3. In the context of the article 'Black teardrops' is this symbolic tattoo below the eye that some gang members often have to show that they have been in prison or have killed someone. The more teardrops you have, the more respect you would earn from the gang members. The teardrops could also mean that the gang members don't cry because they are tough men.

4. This short sentence means that Gabriel Hinojos is feeling repented about what he did by joining this gang. It also means that he has a lot of tattoo teardrops because he has been convincted to prison so many times. Gabriel was obviously the meanest of the Florencia 13 gang.

5. The article shows that getting out of a gang is very difficult. Gabriel Hinojos compares this situation to getting a tattoo removed: " slow, painful, scarring" (l.18).

6. Getting out of a gang it is not always possible, as we see in line 18 "In street lore, a gang banger can never leave a really brutal gang like Mara Salvatrucha 13."

7. Nevertheless, getting out of the F13 gang is not easy but it is possible if you have killed the right amount of people and if you have managed to earn drug money for the gang. The article illustrates this fact on line 22: "In practice a gang member like Gabriel can get out of a tough (...) if he has served time in prinson and 'done the work'- shown that he can sling drugs and wield a gun" 

8. On lines 22- 23 Gabriel explains  that escaping of a gang life is extremely difficult. The fact is that when you enter in a gang you leave it the most part of the time when you die or you leave it if you have done the right things like been in prison or sling drugs. It is quite clear that if you stay in a gang for years, knowing all the secrets, you can't leave it easy. Moreover, after having this kind of life, you going to have some problems to adapt yourself to society normal life.

9. At the end of the article we see that Gabriel represents a symbol for all these youngsters that lived the difficulties of a gang life and that cannot leave it because they are afraid. However by reading the last three lines we understood that months later after celebrating his archivement being on the White House with Laura Bush, Gabriel was back in jail. This passage illustrate the idea that leaving a gang is extremely difficult and not always possible.

10. The picture represents the moment when Gabriel Hinojos went to the tattoo removal center Ya Stuvo for extracted the ink from his skin with laser. He is wearing sun glasses but his face expression shows that the surgery is, as he said "slow, painful and scarring" (l.18). This potograph is very significative with the meaning of the article because the expression of Gabriel Hinojos shows to us that he is tough and brave

POST 9: The Draw of 'Dead Town' - A Newsweek article (February 16, 2009) + GANGLAND Video

Go there for a full version of the Newsweek article given out in class.

POST 7: 'Pop Art Myths' and the 'MYTHS & HEROES' Notion

First of all, to illustrate the notion of Myths and Heroes, it is important to comprehend the ideas of ‘myth’ and ‘hero’. On the one hand, a myth can be defined as a popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution, or occurrence, especially one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal. On the other hand, a hero is a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.

This notion can be linked to the Pop Art movement, which emerged in the late 50's and early 60's. It is one of the most liberating moments in the history of art. Breaking the rules of classic art, endorses the new culture of technology and consumerism by representing every manner of objects from visual and popular culture. Every object can become art, that is why this movement brings and end to the division between 'high' and 'low' culture. It includes different styles of painting and sculpture from various countries.

And now the question is… What is the relationship between these two concepts?

To answer this question, I have chosen a painting entitled ‘Las Meninas’  by the artists ‘Equipo Crónica’ in 1970. It is an acrylic on canvas that measures 200x200 cm and we can find it today in the museum ‘Fundación Juan March’ in Palma de Mallorca.

‘Equipo Crónica’ is a valencian duo composed by Rafael Solbes and Manuel Valdés. Their paintings interpret, analyse and de-codify Velázquez’s work. Also, it belongs to the topic ‘Art about art’ where Pop art artists wonder about the evolution of art.

These are the reasons that describe why Las Meninas of Equipo Crónica are connecting to the notion ‘Myths and Heroes’…

First of all, the painting in which Equipo Crónica are inspired from Las Meninas (Spanish for the Maids of Honor) by  Diego Velazquez on 1656.

The Spanish painter Velázquez (1599-1660) became renowned for his realistic portraits as a member of King Philip IV’s court. Velazquez’s technique of painting was inspired by Baroque. Baroque is the period and the style that used exaggerated motion in order to produce drama and tension in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music. The painting is a portrait of Infanta Margarita, the daughter of King Philip IV, and his second wife Mariana of Austria.

To sum up, the painting's complex and enigmatic composition is an excellent example of how great works of art are made. That’s why we can argue that Velazquez because of his distinguished and personal techniques, is a kind of hero or a myth of painting, that made a unique and unrepeatable work.

An important aspect of Velazquez's work is the Droste effect. That are repeated by Equipo Crónica. The Droste effect (known as mise en abîme in French) is the reflect of a picture appearing within itself, in a place where a similar picture would realistically be expected to appear.

Las Meninas allows the spectator to freely interact with the painting’s various points of view and therefore offers an example of the Droste effect.

Firstly, on the left we see a self portrait of Velazquez painting. On the center of the painting, Infanta Margarita has dropped in to see Velazquez at work. She stops right next to him, at the center of the foreground of the painting, but she seems perplexed. Finally we see a portrait of the royal family reflected in a mirror on the background.

All things considered, we can say that this innovative technique of the Droste effect made by Velazquez it is a well known fact that confirmed the idea of Velázquez as a mythical painter.

Moreover, Las Meninas from Equipo Crónica is a representation of a mythical painting that reuses the droste effect by representing the same characters from Velazquez’s painting and adding some details that give a modern view to the painting. In this way we can see the self portrait on the background of the valencian artists with appearing as like a ball and a float... Definitely, we can link the painting to the Myths and Heroes notion because it is a representation of a mythical painting with very accurate techniques. However, we can also relate the painting with the other notion ‘the idea of progress’ because of the alteration of the traditional home with the appearance of new technologies  like the TV set, lamps...

As a conclusion, I would say that Equipo Crónica reuses Velazquez’s techniques and characters from his painting Las Meninas. Yet, it seems to me that what they really do is to represent a photo of an ordinary modern family at home. They are seeing just before  going to the beach.

Personally, I like the painting and I think it is innovative and humorous to give this new look to a mythical  painting like the Velazquez’s one. Nevertheless, to put it differently I think this painting is transgressive because instead of localising the painting in the king’s home, Equipo Crónica depicted the family in the living room and instead of representing the shelves with books they choose to put there the TV set. So, it is maybe a denunciation of the culture in today’s society or a denunciation about how the royal family represents. They are supposed to be learned, educated that is why they guide the country but, they are just a family like whatever family at home. That’s why I am convinced that this painting would not  appeal to everyone.

Besides, Las Meninas  is a mythical painting from Spanish culture and more specifically from baroques techniques that’s why a lot of artists homage the painting with their versions of it.

 

Picasso’s recreation of Las Meninas (1957)

Picasso made a cubism version from the original painting of Velázquez.

Dali’s recreation of Las Meninas 1975

Dali made a surrealistic version and what is interesting from his painting is the exchanging of the characters for numbers.

Mingote’s version for Las Meninas made on 2003

Mingote was an spanish cartoonist that drew daily cartoons on the newspapers. This humoristic representation embodied his style without leaving the original Velazquez painting, though one of the main characters, the infant is flying over the retinue