Contextual Studies ASSESSMENT task III: MAJOR ESSAY
Choose two artists whose work addresses globalisation and/or commodification. Discuss a single work by each artist. Explain the ideas each artist is trying to represent and how they are expressed.
L.S. Lowry
Industrial Landscape
Michael Rakowitz
ParaSite Project
Globalisation
In it’s most simplified form, the word ‘globalisation’ refers to any changes in the economy that happen as a result of trade and technology. For example during the late 19th century, the Industrial Revolution took place. In this time Britain experienced a boom in trade and began importing and exporting goods all over the world. This is an example of rapid globalisation which has shaped the country and world we live in today.
L.S. Lowry - Industrial Landscape
Laurence Stephen Lowry (1887 - 1976) was an English artist born in Lancashire. Many of his paintings and drawings depict nearby Salford and surrounding areas. Lowry is renowned for painting scenes of life in industrial districts of Northern England. He was seemingly captivated by the goings on of the residents of Salford and it’s ever-changing face. Lowry’s signature industrial chimneys litter his landscapes. He honed his own recognisable technique for painting architecture and landscapes which are swarming with migrating crowds of people (often referred to as “matchstick men”) which makes his style extremely distinctive.
Lowry was a man of simple pleasures who wasn’t particularly interested in politics or economics. He described himself as “a simple man”. His paintings don’t have any underlying meanings. Lowry simply took it upon himself to illustrate life in Salford; a district of Manchester that was undergoing globalisation in an extreme sense. Having an interest in architecture and cityscapes myself, I can really relate to the content of Lowry’s work. The environment where he’d grown up was changing, with factories springing up everywhere. This drastic industrial development captivated Lowry; this focus is illustrated by the bold, imposing silhouettes of the various factories and chimneys scattered throughout Lowry’s unique paintings. Residential and industrial areas became interwoven.
Personally, I feel that Lowry had a unique ability to extract qualities of beauty from an area associated with grime, poverty and pollution, and this translates in his work. Lowry’s hometown of Salford was undergoing a rapid industrial boom at the turn of the 20th century. Lowry witnessed globalisation at its most turbulent and intense. This was the biggest boom of industry in the history of Britain and he captured it as an on-looker, injecting his own charming and distinctive style.
Michael Rakowitz - ParaSite Project
Michael Rakowitz (born 1973) is a contemporary artist from Great Neck, New York. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. His installation art is concerned with poverty, politics and social divides.
Rakowitz’s ‘ParaSite Project’ is a series of installations made from clear plastic bags and such-like, on a 5$ or less budget. The aim of these structures is to provide a shelter for the homeless community of Brooklyn and the surrounding area. Rakowitz exploits external conditioning vents of buildings brilliantly, and uses them as a source of heat and warmth. The shelters have a funnel which channels the warm air to the shelter. Rakowitz designs unique shelters to suit individuals needs. For example in the image I have selected, the homeless man requested as many windows as possible, because homeless people don’t have privacy issues, but they do have security issues primarily so they can identify potential threats. This particular shelter has six windows at eye level for when Bill (the homeless man) is seated and six smaller windows for when Bill is reclining.
Rakowitz’s other installation pieces explore contemporary social and political issues, with a focus on the impact of warfare.
Globalisation is usually associated with positive impacts on a community. An area undergoing globalisation usually benefits from affluence brought into the community through trade - improved healthcare services, education, infrastructure; generally a higher standard of life. However in many cases, rapid globalisation brings it fair share of social problems. Crime, poverty and social divides often occur as a result. Globalisation at a steady rate is often much more beneficial for a city. Studies show that after an industrial and financial boom, communities tend to suffer times of hardship and economic difficulty.
In New York, a high-developed and established megacity, the skyscrapers boast affluence and a thriving financial system. But the reality is that hundreds of thousands of homeless people struggle to find a place to sleep and shelter each night, in this seemingly rich and advanced city.
Michael Rakowitz’s installation art has two purposes. One is aesthetic; an unusual transparent object, larger than a car, attached to a building. An obscure and intriguing example of installation art. But these strange objects of curious beauty serve another purpose. A function. They provide shelter. They are custom-built to suit a homeless individual. Taking into consideration one’s location, one’s privacy, one’s well-being (some older homeless people are less mobile, which requires a more accessible shelter for Rakowitz’s team to design). In some cases, Rakowitz designed shelters with two pods, with an adjoining tunnel for two occupants (they claimed occasionally they get sick of each other and this design would give them the option to retire to their own, private living quarters). In this case, the homeless occupants requested a “dog-bone or bra” styled solution.
For me, the concept of installation art that serves a much-needed purpose for a neglected community at the bottom of a given social ladder is brilliant. New York is a thriving hotspot on the global financial market. Despite having undergone rapid globalisation at the turn of the 20th century, hundreds of thousands of residents are still without a home. Rakowitz’s installations offers a very strong aesthetic and ergonomic function for homeless residents and art enthusiasts alike. I find this particularly inspiring.
Bibliography
"New York: History, Geography, Population, and State Facts —". Infoplease.com.
Word Count: 971 (not including Bibliography)
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