Saturday, September 18, 2010

Corporal Windmills- 1st Assignment

Art is an early warning system because if you look at the first image, it depicts the windmills as mainstream brands such as Nike and the McDonalds. The Sony and Windows sign depicts technology, and the Shell sign depict the land. The MasterCard either depicts the clouds or the sun. In my wisdom, I think the image is trying to tell us how technology is increasingly advancing and soon might replace even the simplest of things in nature. For example, every country in the world is promoting the green economical way of saving resources by developing alternative energy sources such as wind and solar energy. The image on the other hand contrasts that thought by warning us or foretelling us of the advancement of mainstream media into every homes. This is sort of confusing but basically, the mainstream media is going to take over everything.

The image also shows our addiction to name brands, technology, and spending. The name brand windmill also depicts our addiction to spending. Although people are trying to spend less, they will spend more instead of saving. What really stands out in this image is the multiple Just do it signs under the image. It may serve as the perspective of this image. It tells the whole meaning of the image without looking twice. The intention of this image is to warn us of the extension of man. This is what McLuhan is trying to tell us by saying Art acts as an early alarm system as if it were enabling us to discover social and psychic targets in lots of time and prepare to cope with them.

2 comments:

  1. I think you have a interesting idea about making the credit card the sun and the just do it signs on the bottom. I interpret it a little differently however, I see it portraying companies attempting to hijack the green movement. One of green movement ideas is that we find ways to produce energy at a local level (along with reduce waste ect). I see this piece as potraying corporations attempts to fit the green movement into their economic model of producing things on a large scale for large areas. I also see it as a potential reference for how companies attempt to advertise themselves through greenwash. Greenwash is a term used to how companies will falsely advertise themselves as somehow "green" while not actually doing anything differently. The credit card may be a message as to what this will cost us by allowing the green movement to be hijacked.

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  2. Very interesting...I haven't thought about how name brands would have came into this subject.I like your idea that said the mainstream media is taking over. I have something different but I think your idea is a good one.

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