Do the right thing

HEAT WAVE


The element I am going to identify in the movie by writer-director Spike Lee film is the Heat wave. And I'm going to discuss how it contributes to the structure and development of the film.
From the very beginning of the movie, Mister Señor Love Daddy (Sam Jackson), the DJ at local WE-LOVE radio, who provides another form of running commentary, announces at the beginning that it's going to be the hottest day of the year as the heat wave had hit the neighborhood. And as the movie continues it shows people in that community struggling with the heat.
It contributes pretty well because the movie starts with a fight at the Sal's Famous Pizzeria, is owned and managed by the Italian American Sal (Danny Aiello), with a local activist Bugging Out (Giancarlo Esposito) complaining about the photos on the wall of fame and calling Sal a racist. Then he gets banned from the Pizzeria where he starts a plan to boycott Sal's Pizzeria.
Like the Heat wave was heating up, the conflict between the black people and other italian american were heating up as well.
Mookie always tried to keep it cool and trying to make peace, but as a one individual, there wasn't much he could do than trying.

A Heat wave and literal word relates to danger, where as in real life a heat wave could lead to huge destructions such as causing a fire, which leads to loss of property, business and lives.
This was well delivered in the film as the heat up of blood and anger between Sal and his trouble makers heated up, it lead Sal to lose his control which ended up breaking the stereo of Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), that made him lose his temper and attacked Sal and the fight was started.
The fight lead the cops to arrive and since the heat of the fight was so bad that lead to Radio Raheem's death. This made the black people turn against Sal for the reason of his death. Mookie by breakin the window of Sal's pizzeria lead to people to ruin the place and caused a fire during the fight that burnt down Sal's pizzeria, lost his business and a place built with his own hand with hardwork. And Mookie struggle with his life and earning to support his girlfriend and baby boy lost his job, Radio Raheems lost his life.

As I mentioned above how a Heat wave can lead to a fire, destruction of loss of property, business and lives where all shown well in the film...

The color and contrast of the film also showed very clearly the element Heat wave, such as the three old black guys sitting in a background with a wall painted red, the most of the indoor and outdoor sceneries was orangish color that emphasize the color of fire.

Commodity

"In classical political economy and especially Karl Marx's critique of political economy, a commodity is any good or service produced by human labour and offered as a product for general sale on the market. Some other priced goods are also treated as commodities, e.g. human labor-power, works of art and natural resources, even although they may not be produced specifically for the market, or be non-reproducible goods."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_(Marxism)

Though today a commodity is a good or service put out on the market to be exchanged with money, during ancient days a commodity was an exchange of goods to goods or service to service.

For example goods like gold, silver, copper etc., were trade with coal, iron, timber. And also exchange of labour.

Looking at an artist's work as a commodity;

Jackson Pollock

As an artist he was the person who works were based on the abstract expressionist movement. Which wasn't well valued among the consumers who bought his paintings. His work scored for their uniqueness. As his way of working on paintings as gazing at the blank canvas until the picture reflects on the canvas from his brain then start painting by spilling of liquid paint in various motions using sticks, towels, buckets etc., according to his feelings and image on his mind.

His method became a famous and valued among consumers for the style and energy of his physical and mental expression applied to his work.

A commodity becomes successful when it meets the right marketeer. In Pollock's case his wife was the one who promoted his work to the art market and found the right dealer for Pollock.

he was an individual art maker often contrast to other artists such as Andy Warhol, he had people under him to work for him, produced works of mass production, and sold his work to the right people without an intermediate. Jackson Pollock's work was produced to people who valued and admired his work for it's uniqueness and own way of making art.

But there can be difference between an artist and other artists or producer of goods when it comes to define their work as commodity. An artist can have the freedom to make a piece of artwork for his or hers own satisfaction and the it will not be valued as a commodity until it's put out to the market. In this case, the individual will have self satisfaction of making the good or service. Where as when a good is produced or made under a given order or instructions, the producer won't have the same self satisfaction and the good will be put out in the market as a commodity straight way.

According to that all of Jackson Pollock's works were not a production of commodities when he enjoyed it first by painting it and gaining satisfaction from his work produced. There are many other artist who had also practiced the same thing. Other famous artists such as Michelangelo who was under lot of influence by the church and higher powers in his society when he produced most of his work for the church, he worked under order and instruction of the church and higher power, which didn't give him much freedom and self satisfaction when he produced his work. which is similar to mass production of commodities made in factories for consumers satisfaction.

Manaakitanga and Coviviality

http://collection.aucklandartgallery.govt.nz/collection/results.do?view=detail&db=object&id=462

Manaakitanga and Conviviality, I think it's all about human behaviour in a particular community and their usefulness and contribution to their community, and their togetherness and hospitality to the people presented at a particular function or gathering.

As Manaakitanga comes from the culture Maori, it's all about togetherness and sharing upon the tribe or the community they belong to. And sometimes special intvities from other community or tribes.

People gathering for a certain occasion and contributing their talents and other values that will be valuable for their community. Sharing of food, thoughts and heartfelt appreciation of all people by singing or and speeches and other activities.

When it's applied to art, it's a celebration of of various artists with many different latents from cooking, decorating, singing, music and dance. Now in the modern world it has even broaden up to togetherness of people who lives together in one nation or country and welcoming people from other countries with the richness and uniqueness of ones culture and community.

At the end of the day it's a valuable massage passed to people how one care for each other by offering the best they got.

According to Maori Culture :

“Manaakitanga is an all encompassing phrase. Manaakitanga is a very
powerful way of expressing how our community has cared for one another,
how Maori and European cultures work together, how we care for our 3 million
visitors a year. Manaakitanga is a feeling, it implies a responsibility upon a
host and an invitation to a visitor to experience the very best we have to offer”.http://www.nzgs.co.nz/download/Manaakitanga.pdf

Conviviality as defined in "The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary",

the English word convivial to the french convive that translates literally as 'live together with' and produce the word conviviere that defines 'a member of a company who eat together'.

This also makes me think as humanity, when people stick together it's more stronger and this can be balanced in a society.

this can be seen from even animals behaviour, how a group of heina's kill their pray and feast on it together and on the other hand the togetherness also will show the strenght of the community or group.

For example in animal documentaries it can be seen, when a herd of cows or other animal is attacked they try to stick together, so they look big and strong and it's hard to prey or defeat on them.

In ocean the small fishes gather in a big formation of the ball or other shape which makes them look huge as one group when it's attacked.

So conviviality is practiced among different religions, races, tribes and even among other living things.

When it comes to an Artist in a community his purpose can be same as either promoting his community and it's people by his work and sharing it with people from other communities, cultures or even country.

So I think the relationship between an artist and the community will be, he or she will get all the support of the community to share their work of art and offer the best of their art with others.

Garry Hill's Voice Ground

Graphic Equalizer

An interesting concept of Visual Art done by Gary Hill which was held at AUT School of Visual Art.

As I entered the dark room with a huge wall screen in front with a comfortable distance from the screen to sit down and enjoy the sound and visual effects of the work.

I found it very interesting as his work was based on sound and it's movements.

As we always known and heard voice can be heard not seen, but I saw the voice in the movement of the sound, it was well presented with white sand that was poured on the surface of the black speaker, that made an added job by the contrast of both color black and white.

Having said the sound can be only heard, but there are ways the new technology had made it possible by human being able to hear and see the sound at the same time.

For example the graphic equalizer does the same job, they create and paint the the sound.But for me this work of Gary Hill was more unique because it's manual and not digital or graphic.

The movements of the sand was highly sensitive due to the voice control, it was well presented and recognised by the patterns and formation of the movements of the sand.

It's also interesting that the artist included only the hands to be displayed, which gives a more uniqueness to his work.

Hands as the visible part of human body and voice as the invisible part, which makes me think the sensitivity of both senses of touch and hearing.

The work of Gary Hill has inspired me with the idea of making sounds to visual art, which can me used for paintings, posters, Music logos, T-shirts etc...

Lecture 1

Reference to first lecture, "How human made art and how art made human"

The documentary we watched, about Venus Von Willendorf, how the artist who made the sculpture exaggerated the human figure with big breasts and buttocks was an interesting topic which makes us to think what made the artist creat that very work of art in such a way, plus to learn more about the cultural and other belief behind it.

As I'vde brought up in an Asian culture, it is different for me how I saw and captured the figure of women in my memory and brain.

As the religious and other cultural belief in my society created the image of women as fragile, timid and elegant. As in today's most of the society and cultures see beauty of the women same way.

The image I chose for my argument is "Supermodel", the figure of supermodel has their own design, image and creation how a women must look.

My argument is base on my knowledge and cultural and philosophical belief, that makes me believe that it is a bit extreme. The figure of female supermodel creation is way to skinnier and unattractive to human beauty of art feminism.

The Long legs, bony hips, thighs, chest and high cheek bones and hollow eyes like a drug adict.

That also effects a lot of women and growing up girls, as in their brian and memory that is how a perfect, sexy women must look.

I totally agree it's beautiful and attractive when women are shapely. As in some culture their have their ideal shape described how it should be, or been branded,

for example: Hourglass, 36-24-36 etc...

Even a lot of supermodels had confessed they had also been a victim of the image and shape as the "Supermodel", they had to go throug lot of eating disorders, taking addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin etc... Sadly in that battle of being the perfect sexy women, they became the sad victims who lost they lives in the most beautiful time of their lives.

I'll finish my argument by saying, I believe the image of a another living being or things is created in our memory and brain by the how the artists of the a certain culture of society put forward the image of it.

That makes me believe art can be use in a fatal way or beneficial way, depending on how it is presented to the people of a society or culture and how they maintain it...

Checkout this link, it's a interesting article I found on the web which links to what my argument and where I got the image from.

http://cravingideas.blogs.com/backinskinnyjeans/2006/11/final_female_mo.html