INTRODUCTION TO MASS CULTURAL PHENOMENON

Students identified a mass culture phenomenon observed in present-day society and used the theories and arguments presented throughout the semester in order to define, interpret and critique their chosen phenomenon. They presented an in-depth look at the various cultural and ideological factors that influence it and commented on these using theories learned in class, and those identified from your additional research in academic writings.

This second project entailed students firstly providing a hermeneutic interpretation of a visual text of their choosing, and then critically analysing the same interpretation using a selection of the theories studied in VC200. Students were asked to adopt two distinct ‘voices’ when doing this critical analysis, looking at their interpretation with theoretical detachment to identify any ideologies or biases present in it.

Everyone I Have Ever Slept With (1963-1995): An Interpretation and Critique by Marié van Urk (She/Her)

Maria presents a nuanced and thoughtful interpretation of a provocative work by controversial artist Tracy Emin, and arrives at this interpretation by incorporating a variety of different perspectives, including her own. Maria is also able to step back and take a critical look at this interpretation and use the distance afforded by theoretical analysis to gain deeper insights into the work’s meaning, as well as her personal relationship to it.

By choosing a complex work that deals with challenging themes, Maria was able to demonstrate how the subjective meaning of an artwork can be made more accessible and universal through the application of theory and critical perspectives. She was able to contrast her personal and social context as the viewer with that of the artist, and explain how this affects her experience and understanding of the work

The Mass Cultural phenomenon ‘Core’ explored through Grungecore by Kurt Schwimmbacher (He/Him)

Kurt makes an astute observation that Tiktok users tend to typify and commodify particular fashion subcultures by affixing ‘core’ to whichever subgroup and aesthetic that they feel like they belong to. He argues that companies use this phenomenon to co-opt innovations in fashion that originate from individuals, and turn these into products that are easily packaged and sold. He contrasts grunge, which emerged as an anti-commercial and anarchic expression of youth culture at the end of the 20th century, with grungecore, which is an inauthentic and ready-to-buy imitation of the original.

Kurt not only identified an appropriate topic, but he was able to articulate how mass media has been used to change something from a genuine expression of human creativity and turn it into a product that will enrich corporations. He used theories learned in class to show how the use of certain codes allows consumers to feel that by buying a particular product, they also lay claim on the values purportedly associated with it.