Art and Design

The social problem with Racism has come to the rise throughout several centuries.

Racism has become a social issue due to the deeply cut ideas that are not easily changeable and have no clear resolving solution.

Out of the many videos related to racism, I came across a video about a western woman putting up her superiority by doing community service for the people in Africa.

In the video, the woman of white ethnicity gives food to the poor and weak African people. The photos of her pulling up and artificially looking happy were shared online on social networks. In my opinion, I think this act was not community service for the poor but rather a way to make herself look like a kind person doing community and service for others and also to express the superiority of the white people.

Since racism was a social custom staying deep in its roots for the past centuries, I think that it is hard to break down everything in one moment. However, blowing up the situation by doing community service without any sincerity to maximize awareness will rather lower the value of your people.

The museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology located New York had an exhibition on why fashion has changed over the past half-century, and how fashion has influenced many people. They had explained this history by displaying a variety of clothes and materials from the 20th century.

To show the changes in fashion, the museum had displayed clothes with the best characteristics that expressed each century.

For example, in the fashion sector for the 1950s, they had displayed clothes made by the famous and trendy designers of that time. This included Dior’s New Look style clothes, Chanel who had returned to the fashion industry, clothed by Balenciaga who introduced the loose waisted silhouette etc. They had shown the clothes that best expressed the characteristics of that century.

In addition, in order to display the great amount of formal clothes existing in the 1950s, they tried their best to show the flow of the century by appointing the show-off and fancy style of clothes called the Belle Epoque.

The clothes separated into different centuries help the visitors to understand the exhibition better. But in order to make the understanding about the flow of fashion clearer to the visitors, they should’ve added explanations about the surrounding environment and the background of designs.

For example, the 1950s was a time when people were divided between sticking to what was established and ones who wanted a new change, and also after the liberation women were open to political rights, rights to work, drive etc. They were able to be in the same status as males.

Through this change in the century, women wearing pants became generalized and a trendy style was created due to the enjoyment in wearing casual wear and formal wear.

I have watched the video Extreme collectors – My Little Pony in relation to my collecting video task.

In the YouTube video, a woman shows the collection a character in relation to a TV show called My Little Pony that she’s been collecting since high school.

It has been said that the total amount of money saved to buy the collection was over $20,000. The reason why she had been collecting the ponies is because during her bad infant period, she had met pony and became friends, eventually letting her find out the way to make true friends. It is also because it became a refuge to escape from the bad reality.

The collection was more than collecting a certain object, it gave her a huge change in life.

In a book called The system of collecting which is related to collecting, they had analyzed the meaning of collection in the object divested of its function, but the woman who had collected the pony said she doesn’t concentrate on the substantive appearance but the personal subjective meaning and value.

Thereby, Pony and the woman have a complementary relationship and in her world, they are objects that hold a completely different meaning to them.

In daily life ambiguous environment functions are endlessly substituted. But due to her subjective meanings, the meanings stay as they are. The meaning of ownership is when things are completed like this and truly define what collecting really is, if we follow the words on another definition of collecting, ‘collecting’ means that somebody loves that certain object. She thinks that the object she collects don’t exist on earth. This is because she doesn’t look at the objects as she sees it but rather adds a meaning behind the object.

To me war is when a country goes through a cruel activity of sacrificing lives of the innocent people for the profit and commandment of the country. I was curious about whether the War Museum would change my opinions on war after collecting various background and opinions from there.

The War Museum sends us the meaning of the citizens’ spontaneous participation and sacrifice as a base of patriotism through the text ‘Your country needs you’. In one section of the museum, they display articles of the people who devoted to their country such as clothes, diaries, medical devices displayed along with the information of the person. Out of all these, the objects that I found the most eye-catching were Elsie Knocker’s diary and Dr. Elsie Lnglis’ stethoscope.

During the war period, which avoided the help and participation of women, these people have argued against the political rights and set up their own hospital. This hospital was used take care of injured people. These women who have sacrificed themselves for the thought of patriotism made people socially in awe and has also made women obtain a higher position. And the actions of the women who have given lots of help as a member of the country made me think differently about the negative thoughts on war.

The thoughts about war being truly self centered and malicious acts has not changed hugely. But my thoughts can change when it comes to the meaning of ‘sacrifice’. The truth is that ‘voluntary sacrifice’ instead of forced sacrifice was able to give huge change in the social aspect and also pass a good influence.

The British Museum showcases many artworks but since I am focusing on fancy shapes and textile techniques these days, I have headed for the African section of the museum.

The African section has works organized by characteristics, for example rabbit, masks, structures etc and divided by their personalities too.

Out of all of these I have chosen the mask and decided to investigate about them further. These objects give a folksy atmosphere and could be the symbolic icon of the continent.

The label explains the beginning origins of the artwork. Due to the monarchy system in Africa in the early 1000s, fancy symbolic icons were made. A variety of human and animal sculptures were made using delicate wood pieces and ivory.

They make masks to express the absolute authority of the ruler and the closeness of the king to God by thinking about the shape of God as they make the masks along.

The masks played an important role in many parts of the African religion, it was also regarded as a scary target of strength.

Before reading the label and text panel, I looked at the mask in an aesthetical point of view rather than it’s role and meaning. After knowing about the history and origin of the mask, I was able to look at it by indulging myself even more. I was also able to see how African art has changed and improved through reading the text.

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