Context of Practice: Study Task 4

Mulvey’s essay has been criticised by several theorists, who, as summarised by Norman K Denzin, believed that the essay was far too limited in its conception of the gaze, ignoring alternative models of spectatorship and gazing. There was no positive version of the female character that was put forward, and only a single meta narrative provided that clung to the narrow perceptions of male and female sexuality. There was a refusal on Mulvey’s part to explore an interaction between the spectator and the gaze, or to even explore the idea of a female driven gaze. (Denzin, 1995; page 43). Mulvey’s ignorance in investigating a female gaze is a subject also raised by David Gauntlett in Media, Gender and 

Identity, who states that Mulvey’s denial of the heterosexual female gaze is troublesome and 

problematic, and means that, whilst the argument is an illuminative account of of certain films and spectator positions, it cannot provide a comprehensive understanding of the breadth of Hollywood 

cinema that it intends to. (Gauntlett, 2008; page 42/3) Mulvey herself responded to criticisms of her theory, and her denial of the female gaze, with an essay titled ‘Afterthoughts on Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ inspired by King Vidor’s Duel in the Sun’, with an introduction that attempts to validate her previous argument by stating that she was interested in the masculinisation of the spectator position in relation to the image of woman on screen, ‘regardless of the actual sex of (or possible 

deviance) of any real life movie-goer’ , and the idea that this was being imposed as a primary point of view in Hollywood cinema. (Mulvey, 2009; page 31).

Context of Practice: Study Task 3

Having been asked to identify part of contemporary culture that I view as panoptic, I will be arguing that social media acts as a modern, virtual panopticon. The Panopticon is a building that Michel Foucault identified as an effective tool for a new mode of discipline. Proposed by Jeremy Bentham, it had a Rotunda design, with cells on the sides of the wall spanning several floors. Each cell is open from the front, and lit from the back by a window, and the individual inside the cell faces a central tower from where they can be supervised. 
Foucault states that 'in the peripheric ring, one is totally seen without ever seeing; in the central tower, one sees everything without ever being seen'. The individual in contemporary society simultaneously occupies the virtual peripheric ring, and the central tower whilst using social media.

In the peripheric ring, the individual in the cell is replaced by their online equivalent, the social media profile, which  '...Perfectly individualised and constantly visible'. Just as Foucault states that in the Panopticon 'the inmate must never know whether he is being looked at at any one moment', you are never aware of who may be viewing your posts, feed or profile from the so called Central Tower.

Whilst the individual is in their virtual cell, the central tower is occupied both by friends and acquaintances; whom you feel comfortable sharing information with, and also, unbeknownst to you, members of the public or figures of authority; employers, teachers, members of the public sector, those who you would prefer to not have access to your private life. This is where social media becomes more than a platform for social interaction, and instead your online presence can become something that incriminates you in more serious instances. Whilst the individual is 'seen but does not see' Employees can take advantage of your 'constantly visible' presence and could be tracking you on various social media platforms to ensure that nothing defamatory is said regarding them, and take disciplinary action against you should something negative be said. With this knowledge, you may begin to censor yourself, because as you are in 'a state of conscious and permanent visibility' and anxious that you are being permanently watched, you then permanently alter your behaviour just in case somebody is watching. You begin to internalise responsibility, and discipline yourself, as opposed to being traditionally disciplined by an authority. 

Context of Practice Publication: Project Proposal

Title of Publication : TBC

I intend to communicate the relationship between: Mulvey's theory of the gaze and feminist film theory

I intend to: educate and promote to

A group of: professional, educated women and men who appreciate film and feminist theory, 25 and over.

State the message/concept: A feminist film festival featuring films that relate to Mulvey's theory of the gaze, as well as other feminist film theory.

In order to achieve this I will produce: a range of posters promoting the festival, publications that promote the festival and discuss the film theories, as well as other ephemera related to the film festival.


Action Plan
Research film festivals and their designs.
Research feminist film theory in depth and produce a research table to help me analyse it and use in my work.
Begin to create design ideas.
Get some designs critiqued by peers at the end of the week to see if I'm headed in the right direction.

Context of Practice Publication: Concept Pitch

Here are my concept boards that outline the ideas I have regarding a theoretical 'publication' where I can translate the themes from my essay. I have two main ideas that I would like to receive feedback on. One is a publication that would be read alongside a viewmaster, which would include poster images relevant to the theories of Mulvey. The second concept would be to source feminist film theorists, including Mulvey, and produce the promotional materials and publications for a feminist film festival, which would give me more scope for design, I also think that it has a clear cut target audience.

What is Good? About Neal Yard's Dairy

Neal Yard's Dairy is a name that has kept popping up as I searched for information on cheesemongers and information about British cheeses, so I decided to compile some information and images about the shops. It's one of the best sources of British cheeses down in London, and has a very interesting history and a great company ethos, with a lot of focus on the relationship between the farms making the cheeses and the actual shops that are selling them. The website is keen to highlight the wealth of knowledge they have on the different cheeses, with different fact sheets on all of the cheeses on the site, and of course there are the staff in the actual shops that have an incredible amount of knowledge about the different cheeses. It would be great to go and visit one of the stores in London if I can, if only to get some decent tastings out of it. The design of the store is very simple and classic, minimal use of colour is used and they have a very british, serif typeface which communicates a sense of knowledge and the brand's history and credibility to the consumer. Inside the store, the cheeses are displayed alongside either chalk or plastic signs with handwritten type, which is again in keeping with the homegrown, natural feel of the shops. Nothing looks too prim or perfect, and it doesn't look very intimidating or pretentious either.

What is Good? Deli/Cheesemonger Inspiration

For this brief I am interested in creating the branding and identity for a cheesemonger/deli that would be opened in London to appeal to foodies. I have therefore collected some visual inspiration sourced mainly from Pinterest that includes images of shop fronts, the actual branding products and also the interiors of the delis. A lot of the delis use similar typefaces, and again I have noticed that typography is the main focus of the designs, which would be to do with the fact that a lot of the information about the cheeses and their prices needs to be communicated simply through type. The designs are also quite simple, but feel quite high quality and luxe, which shows that what they are selling is gourmet food/high quality produce, and they are focussed on communicating this ideal to the customer.

What is Good? Cheese Packaging Design

Although it isn't my direct field of interest for this brief, I think it's important to look at the packaging design to inform the ideas for branding and identity, as I can get inspiration from the different types and the use of imagery and colour to see what works best and what doesn't when it comes to representing cheese. A lot of the imagery I have found uses classic bold colours, or is simply black and white/cream, and a lot of the visual impact comes from the use of typography and the layout of the typography. Much of the packaging is round, for reasons relating to the cheese being produced in wheels. I'd really like to explore using similar typefaces in my own work.

Essay: Feedback

Mark: Barely passable (a polite way of saying rubbish)
Criticisms: Not enough theory has been applied to the essay to back up the points I tried to make / Too many examples used with only superficial readings
Action plan: A total rewrite is required, with more focus placed on Mulvey's theory and more written about it (at least 800 words), only 2 readings of posters, triangulation with people who criticise/agree with Mulvey.

To say that I was disappointed with this mark would be an understatement, but I get the points that have been made about it. I currently feel slightly overwhelmed with the prospect of trying to rewrite it, particularly on top of the rest of the things I need to do. Some of my notes will still be valid, but I need to source more arguments for and against Mulvey's theory.

What is Good? Cheese Recipes

Some simple cheese recipes I have found on the interwebs that have made me very hungry.

What is Good? Facts about Cheese

I have compiled information about cheese from several different sources, and placed them into this little issuu. Some very interesting things in there if you can be bothered to read it, including a very disgusting fact about maggot cheese, where they purposely get flies to lay eggs inside the cheese. Gross.
Happy reading!

What is Good? British Cheese Research

Here is some information I have found on British Cheeses that I compiled into a booklet format for Issuu. Sourced from http://www.britishcheese.com/

What is Good? How Cheese is Made

Some videos found all about making cheese and the processes involved. 

This first video is pretty boring, but very informative about how delicious cheese is made, and now I'm hungry. 

The second video is a little less boring because it was actually shown on an episode of Sesame Street. Try and ignore the fact that the very lovely, hairy man making a food product to be sold to the public is forgoing all rules about food hygiene in the video. 

What I do now know from watching these videos is that cheese is made from milk (who knew!) and it gets mixed with rennet so that curds can form. Then it turns into curds and whey, like in the nursery rhyme, and the curds make the cheese and the whey liquid gets rinsed off. The curds get kneaded and pressed into moulds, which get pressed down even further to make pretty round cheeses that then get aged for a long time so they can mature into a lovely food product. This explains how some cheese is made, but the process for some other cheeses will be different, such as for brie.

Which is why I'm treating you to another video! (You're welcome)

Individual Practice: Penguin Design Competition Research

Further research into book covers that are relevant to my design ideas for the Penguin brief to redesign The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler. From the research I have looked at, I believe that the best style of cover for me to create would be either photographic or layered. These are the styles I have looked at previously that relate most to mystery genre book covers.

Individual Practice: Penguin The Big Sleep Research

Visual Research I have compiled, both from other entries into this years Penguin Design Adult competition, and book covers that are either mystery based or designed for The Big Sleep. A lot of the visual research already existing feels quite similar in terms of design, and much of it uses photography and bright colour, which to me feels more engaging and interesting. The novel itself is a colourful story so it's only right that it should be communicated that way through the covers. I obviously don't want to trash the other entrant's designs, as some of their concepts and designs are strong, but with my own designs I would like to use more colour, and possibly more imagery.