Site Investigation

My message is that Barnes and Noble has monopolized “the market of reading”

As I walked around Barnes and Noble all I could think about was how much “stuff” there was. On my way there I expected it to be a typical bookstore, what I realized during the investigation is that Barnes and Noble is essentially the Walmart of bookstores. What I found interesting was the amount of products that at first I was confused as to why they were even there. As I roamed the floors of Barnes and Noble what I realized is that they are selling every possible item related to reading. On the first floor they were selling backpacks and reading glasses. They were also selling DVDs and vinyls which are really other ways of reading as we “read” the sounds and images to create a message. There were also e-books on the first floor, this shows how Barnes and Noble goes far beyond the typical bookstore as it provides readers with a immense variety of reading material as well as products to make reading more comfortable, for example the reading glasses. The amount of “reading aid” in the store is fascinating as it shows how methodical the people behind the store are.  

Because of the large range of products readers do not have to go anywhere else but Barnes and Noble to get the supplies they need. All of this shows how Barnes and Noble has monopolized the market of reading. Barnes and Noble in fact goes even further as they have a cafe upstairs where people can enjoy the magazines and books they just bought as long as they buy something from the cafe. Everything in Barnes and Noble is methodical. All the products have been placed carefully so that the person shopping does not even need to think too much about what else they need to buy. Everything is a system and is strategic. As a result Barnes and Noble have successfully taken over the reading market.

Bridge 1 part 2

Digitized version of Rene Magritte’s Art of Living

What is the content of your artwork and how does it relate to your theme?

My art work is a digitized version of a painting by Rene Magritte. This piece relates to my theme of gender due to the highly masculine symbolism behind the suit, a symbol of male authority and status. While the suit tells us that this is a man in the piece the face on the circle is somewhat more feminine in my opinion which creates an interesting dialogue about gender.

How does the material you used reinforce or strengthen the thematic content of your artwork?

I chose to make my piece digitally. This allowed me to have a wider selection of colors which I carefully selected. These colors in my opinion are typically considered more feminine which I used as a way to create contrast between the masculine imagery. I believe making the piece digitally also made the work more modern which as a result comments on contemporary perception of gender.

If your artwork is to be placed into the general circulation of Visual Culture, where would it go, what would it do, who would see it and where might it end up?

I think this piece would be interesting if it was printed on a large billboard like Felix Gonzales. Because it is digital this allows for the work to be printed or placed in a large variety of locations including online.