Following the completion of my WRIT1 Research Proposal, I’ve taken some time to reflect on the assessment as well as the Constellation experience to date. In particular, I’m looking at the ideas, methods and critical positions I have uncovered through constellation studies and my own research, discussing them in conjunction with what I have learnt from them in an attempt to iron them out, so they can be laid flat and unloaded from my (now slightly cluttered) mind to within this document – closing the Level 5 Constellation chapter and preparing the way for my Level 6 dissertation work.
My research proposal consisted of a 5,000-word assessment that would serve as the foundation for my dissertation – acting as a document to select key literature, artists and work and discuss them in conjunction with each other and my thesis. It took some time to iron out the thesis I submitted for my research proposal, and it very well may change again when it comes to writing the dissertation, but I settled on the following:
Examining the Visual Language of Punk and its Influence on Graphic Communication – Then and Now
The subculture of punk has been something that has consistently been an interest of mine but I found when it came to this proposal I had only really scratched the surface of punk. My knowledge prior to this assessment consisted of the years I grew up listening to punk artists, ranging from the late 70s to now, as well as some punk ephemera and books that I had acquired. However, I was given the chance to expand my knowledge by doing some of my own research during constellation at Level 4.
During Level 4, my knowledge of the culture expanded when writing a 3,000-word assessment based on the constellation studies I had. I learnt about postmodernist theories and Roland Barthes, which provided a new way of thinking about how we perceive things – and I was able to apply this knowledge within my research proposal, discussing how punk and punk art is postmodernist in nature, rejecting realities and normalities and demanding that it be critiqued. My Level 4 assessment had a different focus – I was picking apart the myths of punk subculture rather than focusing on its visual language, but I was able to reference back to my assessment and apply some of the material I had researched and discussed there to my research proposal, such as Ian Moran’s essay on the D.I.Y. nature of punks, or Bestley and Ogg’s anthology of punk ephemera displayed in The Art of Punk. I was able to take this a step further in my research proposal by considering more material – notably another book that focussed on the foundations of the punk visual language. Oh So Pretty: Punk in Print 1976-80 by Toby Mott features a huge collection of printed punk ephemera, similar to that of Ogg and Bestley, but with Mott’s collection I was able to identify another critical position on punk’s relationship with graphic communication – the way Mott perceived it was entirely different to how I did, as his experiences as a punk living in 1976 are totally different to that of mine. This concept was put forward by Roland Barthes’ in his Death of the Author theory – that all meaning and intention behind a piece of work is lost when the artist puts the work forward, and it is entirely up to the audience to create meaning depending on their own experiences – and this is something I briefly touched on within my research proposal.
At Level 5, I examined the philosophy of senses, and how our senses come into how we perceive, critique and create design work. These study groups consisted of discussing works of art beyond what we see at a physical level – considering how art is heard, felt, smelt and even tasted. This study group taught me that art is not two dimensional – art transcends the realm of physicality, existing as a thought, an emotion, even a muse. I took some of the concepts and ideas we discussed in this group and thought about them in relation to my research proposal, considering how the punk visual language can be interpreted beyond a physical level. The nature of punk appears through thought – an attitude to be had; through emotions – a culmination of anger and resentment against a larger system; and a muse – a means of escape and artistic expression for people who may not be equipped with the tools of the privileged.
After submitting my research proposal and reflecting on the nearly two(!) years of constellation studies, I find myself progressing. Where before I took punk for granted, enjoying the music and appreciating the art, I didn’t look closely enough at the technicalities and mechanisms deliberately put in place. This research proposal combined with the concepts and lessons learnt from constellation has opened my eye to just how visual languages work, how one can convey entire messages and statements through graphics, music and clothing. I will now forever be mindful of this when designing my own work, realising that every piece of art I create and every brief I complete will not just exist as a physical solution to a problem – it will carry significant power outside the realms of physicality. I will always be appreciative of the many who have come before to define this visual language. Graphical communication is one of the most powerful tools in the world, and one only needs to look at the punks of 1976-80 to see just what art can do.
BA (Hons) Graphic Communication - Journal 