My thoughts on previous lectures from my first and second years of uni (as I thought I would look back on previous things I’ve learned and apply them to what I’m currently looking at, if relevant):
“In the arts, bricolage (French for “DIY” or “do-it-yourself projects”) is the construction or creation of a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be available, or a work created by mixed media.
Bricolage is a French loanword that means the process of improvisation in a human endeavor. The word is derived from the French verb bricoler (“to tinker”), with the English term DIY (“Do-it-yourself”) being the closest equivalent of the contemporary French usage. In both languages, bricolage also denotes any works or products of DIY endeavorsIn cultural studies bricolage is used to mean the processes by which people acquire objects from across social divisions to create new cultural identities. In particular, it is a feature of subcultures such as the punk movement. Here, objects that possess one meaning (or no meaning) in the dominant culture are acquired and given a new, often subversive meaning. For example, the safety pin became a form of decoration in punk culture.”
Punk Lecture
The DIY aspect of the punk movement is interesting to me, and something I could use when it comes to the practical side of my work. For example, creating my own accessories, sourcing clothes I already have/used clothing, making set design from things I’ve found lying around etc. It could also definitely come to play with styling. As part of what I’m looking at is encouraging the youth to be more expressive, whether that’s with their political views or their creativity, it could be useful to show people how to do so without spending a fortune which would therefore make it more accessible to all.
‘Subcultures represent “noise” (as opposed to sound): interference in the orderly sequence which leads from real events and phenomena to their representation in the media. We should therefore not underestimate the signifying power of the spectacular subculture not only as a metaphor for potential anarchy “out there” but as an actual mechanism of semantic disorder: a kind of temporary blockage in the system of representation. (Hebdige 1979: 90)
Punk Lecture
It’s important to remember that movements or subcultures such a punk are not only about what you wear, how you style your hair or even the music you listen to, but are about much bigger social, political or cultural issues. Often they mean to express the opinions of those who feel as though they don’t have a voice in their current society. The impact of a group of such passionate individuals can have a massive knock on effect not only on the time period they are from, but for years to come. We are still massively influenced by the punk movement today, in many aspects of life, and therefore it is important to know that although being an ‘average person’ making a small change may seem insignificant, if enough of such people do the same thing and momentum gathers behind the ideology, the results can be extremely important.
time to change 