Research Proposal
In 1937 Pablo Picasso created “Guernica” thus opening the door for artists to follow in his protest art path. As years passed the most common form of visual protest became the graffiti presence spreading far and wide, with the most prominent being that of Banksy. Today we live in a world very different world than that of Picasso, and even that of Banksy. The physicality’s of art have vanished and visual art has progressed towards a technological era. While Banksy is still a very prevalent street artist, many artists have chosen quicker, more stimulating mediums, such as videos shared on social media. I am very interested in what makes our generation stop in their tracks and really feel moved by something. Our form of communicating important information needs to be more than a 60 second video you scroll past on Facebook. I’m looking to research the most contemporary ways to share information while also looking at what has worked in the past. I want to discover and execute a piece that makes you want to change your lifestyle for the better. There are so many aspects of political protest I am interested in sharing but specifically those of the effects human lives have on sea animals.
I want to answer the research question: How can we use contemporary communication methods through visual art to inform the decisions of new generations? The topic I want to address is that we are a quickly evolving generation and it’s going to take just as quick changes in how we put out promotions, propaganda, and other information to young adults. With social media rapidly increasing we have many different people influencing us through our phones and computers, it’s important for people attempting to share information on pollution, animals, and politics to be using the correct techniques to communicate with us. Some other questions I have are: Should we make sustainability sexy? Which medium are we as humans most likely to respond to? Can we generalize how a person will respond to something they see?
In the 2017 presidential elections there were thousands of respondents reported who wrote “harambee as president”. This fact alone makes it clear that many young people are not taking elections seriously and have no interest in saving animals in captivity. My research relates mainly to myself and people my age who are still trying to figure out their beliefs and are heavily influenced by media surrounding us. My research also relates directly to companies and organizations attempting to influence young adults. My interest is in the fact that it would be helpful for organizations like PETA to know how to target its audience in an effective way. Knowing who your audience is and how they will be most influenced through mediums of video, sound, and installation is a vital aspect for any marketing of a company.
Annotated bibliography
Artnet. “Banksy.” Accessed April 5th, 2017.
http://www.artnet.com/artists/banksy/.
For my research it is important that I make visual observations on how protest artists communicate their messages, there is no better way to do this then to look at the work of Banksy. Many of Banksy’s pieces revolve around war and the use of bombs, he expresses this in a colorful cute way by showing a little girl dressed in pink hugging a bomb or by painting a man throwing a bomb full of flowers. Another technique Banksy uses is large site-specific installations, this be sneaking into a zoo and changing the signs in the elephant cages, or creating a plastic structure around a golden dolphin in Vancouver. Studying Banksy as an artist will give me insight into which visual communication methods are most effective when dealing with topics related to politics, government, and the environment.
Cowperthwaite, Gabriela. Blackfish. DVD. Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite. New York City: Magnolia Pictures, 2013.
The very popular Netflix documentary “Blackfish” is an excellent example of how a serious issue is being communicated through the media of film. This film was capable of starting somewhat of a revolution and turned many people and companies against SeaWorld. The film is responsible to changing some of the laws on how trainers at SeaWorld are allowed to interact with the Orcas. Using this documentary as a source will allow me to look at the effects of documentary’s as a form of communication and the outcomes that happened after its creation.
Miller, Michael E. 2015. “PETA Calls for Walter Palmer to be ‘hanged’ for Killing Cecil the Lion.” The Washington Post, July 30th.
PETA is the largest animal rights activist organization in the world. They have to rely mostly on free advertising and “Thus, we try to make our actions colorful and controversial, thereby grabbing headlines around the world and spreading the message of kindness to animals to thousands — sometimes millions — of people,” PETA said. Peta has used many interesting mediums such as street performance and having models serve vegetarian food. I think it’s important for my research because they are right on track in their experimentation when communicating to the public. It will be interesting for me to do a case study on them where I can analyze different approaches they have taken in their projects.
Shin, Ryan. 2016. Convergence of contemporary art, visual culture, and global civic engagement. Arizona: IGI Global.
Another source to look at…
Referential Artists:
- BANKSY
Orca whale jumping through a hoop from a toilet bowl to a bath tub.
This large installation piece made by Banksy is very literal and very effective. Without even using words he is able to communicate his message even if you’ve never heard of sea world. A lot of is work focuses on issues related to animals in captivity and I am interested in studying the methods he uses.
- PETA
Using a model to promote vegetarianism.
PETA is using a technique that makes sustainability sexy. Using models and playboy references is a way to make people want to go vegetarian. This technique takes away all the serious issues and reasons of why you should go vegetarian and it simply presents you with someone that is attractive and vegetarian. This technique is very similar to companies who use celebrities to promote their brand, if Taylor Swift drinks Coke then you will want to as well.
