May 3-7, 2005
Thesis Presentations
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| STAR | ||
|---|---|---|
| Author(s): | Luna Vega | |
| Instructor: | Zurkow, Marina | |
| Class: | Final Project Seminar | |
| URL: | http://stage.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/~lv342/thesis/ | |
| STAR is an activist web/video piece intended to question validity of celebrity craze culture. | ||
| Today’s media sphere is overloaded with reality TV shows where audiences are given opportunity to obtain their fifteen minutes of fame. In this ever-growing fame obsessed society, I am interested in understanding and commenting the root of this collective appeal. By mirroring the tabloid media, I hope to dissect created collective stardom space and put forth fame\'s construction. | ||
| Personal Statement: | Prior to coming to ITP, I worked in the television/film industry and gained backstage access to a world I often fantasized about.
This behind the scene access enabled me to become aware of techniques used to create illusions. To my disbelief, everything in the television/film industry was constructed. What was most deceitful was some programming intent to represent real scenarios when in actuality the content was staged. Wanting to question the validity of such methods, I am therefore interested in commenting today’s TV reality and celebrity phenomena in my thesis. | |
| Context: | Arthur Asa Berger in Manufacturing Desire uses the term “teleculture” to stress the cause and effects of television. Television doesn’t just “reflect culture but it also profoundly affect culture… by creating certain kinds of heroes and heroines and neglecting other kinds” (Berger, 64). In today’s ever growing reality tv/celebrity crazed society, audiences are given the opportunity to live there fifteen minutes of fame. Perhaps this rising trend is fueled by shift in power as Douglas Rushkoff’s explains in Media Virus “power today has little to do with how much property a person owns or commands; it is instead determined by how many minutes of prime-time television or pages of news-media attention he or she can access or occupy”(4). Another important aspect of the celebrity status is that today’s hero are differentiated by there “image and trademark” and not through their virtues (Walker, 5).
Andy Warhol foresaw stardom’s commercial application and exploited it through his “Superstars”. Warhol’s interest in creating “Superstars” was a direct commentary on Hollywood’s cookie cuter icons and America’s consumerism society. Andy Warhol’s “Superstars” featured in his underground movies and photographs. His “Superstars” gained notoriety in the art world because of their direct affiliation with the artist. Andy Warhol’s already established name in the art world facilitated publicizing and manufacturing his celebrities. His recognition allowed him to take everyday objects and individuals to transform them into idolized art objects. By exploiting his trademark, he commented and publicized his “Superstars”. He proved that fifteen minutes of fames could be handed to anybody; audiences would be perceptive. Would he have lacked notoriety, his experiment might have been unsuccessful. Additionally, Warhol didn’t analyze elements that proclaimed an individual to fame. What elements make audience accept one celebrity over another? Is it the pre-packaged meta-narrative attached to this celebrity? Additionally, what impact does stardom have on society? Cindy Sherman’s in her “Untitled Film Stills” explores impact of fictional Hollywood character. By re-inventing her identity, she photographs created stereotypical fictional characters. Through her series of photograph, she constructs Hollywood mythological icons. She depicts icons that are very present in our culture. The following explains familiarity her photographs instill while viewing them. Another important elements, she queries is celebrities multiple identities and the relationship between real and fictional personalities. Candice Breitz in her video installation “Becoming” queries this very relationship between personal “real” identity and media’s “fictional” personalities. By juxtaposing, renown Hollywood actresses in specific movie scenes with herself mimicking these icons, she comments on media’s effects in today’s society. Additionally, the title of piece “Becoming” refers to MTV program in which audience can re-perform their favorite celebrities music video. What is interesting in Candice’s piece is how by simply taking specific stereotypical Hollywood movie and re-enacting them, she subtly interrogates her audience about validity of our personality today. Why are we mimicking these actresses? Does Hollywood model dictate our personality? Do audience’s subconsciously replicate celebrated icons? Her exploration of intricate codes that are projected and used by us is well illustrated in her installation. By letting her audience go from booth to booth and watch two juxtaposed sequence, she shows intricate liaison between the real world and constructed world. Candice Breitz installation visits Baudrillard’s hyppereal theory: “It is no longer a question of imitation, nor duplication, nor even parody. It is a question of substituting the signs of the real for the real.” (Baudrillard, 19). However, her installation does not further dissect media’s constructed world. She doesn’t analyze symptoms created by media. Her piece does not critique the media or comment on the construction of these celebrities. Her installation is meant to show simulacras between “fictional” and “real” personalities. Barbara Kruger is another artist who queries society and attempts to show simulacras. Through her work, she unveils meta-narratives by juxtaposing provocative text to photographic clichés. In her video installation “Twelve”, she unveils subliminal messages hidden in everyday conversations. She breaks down actor’s conversation by showing through subtitles what they really think. She reveals to audience media’s manipulation and cultural power. She plays with individual perception of media every conversation can be interpreted differently by audience. She is also concerned in revealing, “imbedded social ideals” held by audience “are simulacra (Miers, 18).” In “Twelve” audience acts as intruder to conversation and doesn’t participate in meta-narrative. Adding a participatory element to this video installation would have been interesting. Overall, none of these pieces mentioned above contain participatory aspect. Because meta-narrative are rooted deep down in people’s mind, it would be interesting to take these pieces a step further and give audience opportunity to participate. The following Internet pieces http://www.cybracero.com/ and Christine Hill’s “A Consumer\'s Guide to Times Square Advertising” http://www.creativetime.org/programs/archive/2004/hill/ contain a participatory elements, which is worth mentioning. Cybracero.com is a smart mob political activist group, which motivates audience to participate through blogs or simply emailing site to friends. This comical website is a subtle commentary on political issue. It is geared towards a specific audience with prior knowledge of website intent. Additionally, overall design helps satirical narrative. Christine Hill’s “A Consumer\'s Guide to Times Square Advertising” is also greatly designed with it’s game like content. This website shows user companies advertising expenditure in Time Square. User, thus, participate in satire by playing along and learning about media expenditure of picked company. Just like cybracero.com, only knowledgeable users can fully appreciate website’s content, which can be problematic. Satire should be more transparent to facilitate audience participation. Additionally, audience should be given ability to alter narrative. While giving audience some restriction, it would be interesting too test audience participation. My main criticism with most of these work are their ineffectiveness to actively include audience. While work is really compelling, audience might feel more enlightened if given opportunity to alter content. Audience participation in pieces commenting media’s effect is probably tricky. Additionally, such work would only engage participation from a specific audience: city dwellers, age group 18 – 45, with average Internet savyness. | |
| Audience: | This piece is mainly geared towards young female audience age range from 13 to 22. | |
| User Scenario: | The goal of this project is to raise audience awareness of the construction of fame and explore the female collective celebrity identity.
This project is divided in two parts: video and web. After watching mock reality TV show, audience is encouraged to upload their own fifteen minutes of fame. Uploaded videos will be than destroyed after 15 days of being online. The user is than forced to re-upload content to re-acquire their 15 minutes of fame. The purpose of the web content is to encourage everyone to upload content in order to step away from stardom stereotypes. | |
| Methodology: | I. what am I making and how?
1. VIDEO Documentation of young females drive to become famous Documentation of crowd reaction to fake “celebrity” through series of stunts Extend construction by creating a mock reality TV show where each participant represents a certain stereotype a. Young Hollywood actress (OC) b. Pop star (Britney Spears) c. Eccentric reality TV show producer Interview each participant about there experience 2. WEB Create a website where user can upload content Content will live online for 15 days Additional takes from video piece will be available Guidelines in how to become a fake celebrity will also be available II. What pre-existing technologies am I using? How am I modifying, extending or combining them? 1. Combining Video and Web Interested in enabling audience participation after viewing of video Enabling audience to participate in narrative Content is experienced more actively III. How did I proceed with the construction? 1. DOCUMENTING PROCESS: Social experiment and putting together stunts Interview actresses and their dream of becoming celebrities 2. CONSTRUCTION PROCESS: Creation of narrative thread to bring out satire Editing style is overly done reality TV show style to augment satire 3. WEB: Create website which can allow user to upload their content Website will have expiration for each video only allowing them to be online for 15 days Use a streaming device which can contain llot of video Enable audience to participate in the narrative IV. RESULTS: what happened when I tested the system, at various points and for various audiences? 1. Audience 1 (ITP) 2. Audience 2 (outsiders) 3. Audience 3 (young women 13-20) | |
| Sources: | Beger, Arthur Asa. Manufacturing Desire. Transaction Publishers, 1996.
Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulation. The University of Michigan Press, 2005. Miers, Charles. Love for Sale: The Words and Pictures of Barbara Kruger. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1990 Rushkoff, Douglas. Media Virus. Ballantine Books, 1996. Walker, John A. Art and Celebrity. Pluto Press, 2003. | |