To jam or not to jam
November 17th 2007 01:37
Pardon the hideous title; it's all I could think of.
So what is Culture Jamming/? Well we first came across this jamming of culture in 1986 when the band Negativland coined it. Basically it means modifying an existing ad so it sends a message that's 100% different to the message it was meant to send. Need an example, okay you know 'The Secret' by Ronda Byrne? Well imagine the book/DVD cover' imagine 'the secret' written in its trademark writing, only instead of a capital S imagine a dollar sign i.e. the $ecret. So now, rather than this being a mystical way to bring everything you ever wanted to yourself, it is implying The Secret is nothing than a money- making venture and thus could very well be a pile of dribble. Need further verification? Check out graffiti artist Banksly, seriously, his art is funny and thought provoking.
But there are more basic examples of culture jamming floating around out there that Gen Y contribute to- most notably on the back of public toilet doors. Writing messages back and forth or scribbling over ads to make fun of them or make them say something else. This is a challenge to the ads that can be seen left, right and centre for which the public never asked but are subjected to anyway. You know you've got a problem when Calvin Klein has its logo at the bottom of its contact lenses so you know if they're "the right way up". Following in Gen X's rebellious footsteps, Generation Nearly There (alphabetically speaking) have decided to make a stand and challenge the big shots.
Want more, how about blacking out the eyes of models so they resemble the living dead? No longer do they wish to sell you a luxury item from the realms of high fashion; now, thanks to a culture jammer of the Gen Y variety, the model is sending message about mental diseases and exploitation. Now, rather than being told what is right or wrong, what is desirable or 'in' Gen Y's culture jammers have rejected these intended messages and decided to tell it like it is.
So what is Culture Jamming/? Well we first came across this jamming of culture in 1986 when the band Negativland coined it. Basically it means modifying an existing ad so it sends a message that's 100% different to the message it was meant to send. Need an example, okay you know 'The Secret' by Ronda Byrne? Well imagine the book/DVD cover' imagine 'the secret' written in its trademark writing, only instead of a capital S imagine a dollar sign i.e. the $ecret. So now, rather than this being a mystical way to bring everything you ever wanted to yourself, it is implying The Secret is nothing than a money- making venture and thus could very well be a pile of dribble. Need further verification? Check out graffiti artist Banksly, seriously, his art is funny and thought provoking.
But there are more basic examples of culture jamming floating around out there that Gen Y contribute to- most notably on the back of public toilet doors. Writing messages back and forth or scribbling over ads to make fun of them or make them say something else. This is a challenge to the ads that can be seen left, right and centre for which the public never asked but are subjected to anyway. You know you've got a problem when Calvin Klein has its logo at the bottom of its contact lenses so you know if they're "the right way up". Following in Gen X's rebellious footsteps, Generation Nearly There (alphabetically speaking) have decided to make a stand and challenge the big shots.
Want more, how about blacking out the eyes of models so they resemble the living dead? No longer do they wish to sell you a luxury item from the realms of high fashion; now, thanks to a culture jammer of the Gen Y variety, the model is sending message about mental diseases and exploitation. Now, rather than being told what is right or wrong, what is desirable or 'in' Gen Y's culture jammers have rejected these intended messages and decided to tell it like it is.
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