just class stuff

1. Wishin’ on a Boot
[then moving on]

2. We are about to
Baudrillard this puppy,
but first… I want you to
think of this video as an
act of public rhetoric.

3. • Who is it for?
• What does it mean?
• Why is it funny? (is it
funny?)
• What cultural capital
makes you appreciate
the humor?

4. • What is the use value?
• The exchange value?
• Symbolic value?
• Sign value?

5. Switch.
We’re going to watch
some videos.

6. PUBLIC RHETORICS.

7. That is… rhetoric for a
clearly defined public
audience. Rhetorical
moves that “say
something” to society
or a particular culture.

8. Behold, again,
the Space
Invader. He is…
I know it’s
cheesy on some
level…
“invading” your
space. His is a
message of art
out-of-place or
respect for craft
lost.

9. Or Shepherd
Fairey, with his
“Obey” motif.
What is he
REALLY saying
to us? That we
should take our
advice from
Andre the Giant?

10. And the high exalted master of the craft , Banksy.
Why does Banksy do these things?

12. Brilliant or simply
sarcastic, prolific and
often vilified, Banksy
uses graffiti to critique
culture in ways that are
at once obvious and
slightly obscured.
What is his point?

14. Sometimes his
juxtapositions are
obvious.
But he does, indeed,
make a point with each
thing he “defaces.”

15. Your task, then…
… is to create a piece of public visual rhetoric and
deploy it.
As I have said before, you don’t need to be so
brazen as to spray paint something. I don’t want to
get you into trouble.
But you want to make something that conveys a
public message that you can place in public space.

16. Suggestions:
1) Think sticker sized. Make stickers and put them
anywhere/everywhere.
2) There are lots of bulletin boards on a college
campus and in a college town…
3) A paint stencil might get you in trouble, but a
chalk stencil is easy to remove. Just make sure
you travel with a camera, because it is also easy
to remove. :P 

17. 4. We have an internet full of public
space and references.
5. This is still publicity work; it’s just a
little off-of-center. So use the same
sorts of strategies you’d use to
advertise or brand.
5. Customize the medium to your
message: what do YOU want to say?

18. Brainstorming! For each prompt, write
for as long as I give you (about 5
minutes), or sketch, or whatever helps
you.
Prompt 1: What are things
that matter to you, issues
you have something very
specific to say about?

19. Prompt 2: Remember that
this is visual rhetoric, so
this needs to be an
argument that is more
about the visual than the
text. What images work
with your chosen message?

20. Prompt 3: Think about
places where your message
could best be heard*seen*.
What can you put there?
How difficult would it be?
How legal would it be?

21. Prompt 4: Think about the
power of memory. How will
you get your message to
“stick” with the audience?
Why will they remember it a
day later? A week?

22. Prompt 5: What can you use
in this space to make this
point? Where can you
access the materials? Is it
cost effective?

23. Prompt 6: What are the
risks of doing this and can
you afford to risk it? If the
answer is no, return to
prompt 1.

24. Armed with these responses, spend
some time roughing out a general plan
for what you want to create and how you
want to deploy it.
You can also get started on the
actual design if you can get that
far.
Due to the weather and our Lynda
timing, the due date for this

25. For next Tuesday:
Make sure you are up-to-date on the
readings. We’ll start by looking at
hegemonic visualism and work to
cover anything that slipped by us these
last few weeks in the missed days
shuffle.