Identity through Media and the Arts

Abstract

Media and the arts have always accompanied society: created by people to not only express, but also to influence and define identity at an individual and national level. The unification of Germany after the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 brought together a fragmented nation with a traumatic history and conflicting ideologies. How then does a nation, so eager to emerge from its past, move forward and form a new national identity? In this project, our group is interested in exploring the details underlying how the media and the arts are used to shape, transmit and interpret the German people’s sense of self. Childhood heroes stem from media and contributes to the development of youth identity while the arts provide means to express one’s own identity or examine how others convey identity. The specific questions we hope to look into consist of how the children’s media influences identity, how identity is expressed through street performance and how identity is reflected upon by contemporary visual artists. This project will be conducted in Berlin, a city ideal for research in this subject due to its renowned richness in the arts. Our methodology will consist of interviews, visiting venues of street performances and exploring contemporary art shows exhibiting local young artists. Through our research, we hope to gain a better understanding of the factors driving the formation of German identity after the wall, as well as a unique perspective on how identity is influenced, played out and reflected upon in a diverse society.

1. What roles do Popular-Cultural Icons play in youth development?

1.1. Background

Like Greek gods and goddesses, pop-culture’s super heroes are the modern day mythological figures. Their god-like characteristics and abilities are what make us, the ordinary day citizen, celebrate their existence. Of course, super heroes have a greater impact on us other than giving our imagination a sense of escapism and hope. But, because these fictional characters are products of the media industry, a larger social factor plays a role into giving these figures a reason for being.

With the emergence of industries, consumerism, and the widespread form of propaganda usage in the beginning of the 20th century, caricatures and icons were prevalently used to symbolize or to express an idea. As these forms of propaganda took place and began to develop, not only did their appearance changed and dawned a more detailed facade, but so did their complexity in meaning. With the development of technology, radio shows, and eventually, moving pictures, these super heroes were able to reach the masses because they now had an actual voice and movement. These realistic attributes allow the audience to identify with them, thus building a relationship between human and cultural symbol.

This interesting relationship between fiction and non-fiction is indeed significant when one considers how this plays a role into the process of social conditioning and the acceptance of dominant ideologies. In this project, I aim to examine how fictional superheroes in present day German media, are provoked by real life politics and social settings. I will conduct my research through interacting with German youth and doing close analytical readings of manufactured goods (Toy stores, comic books, advertisements…etc) and what is visually available on the television (popular television series). In doing so, I hope to see the greater picture of the types of celebrated notions amongst German youth and their own set of values and beliefs.

2.1. Question
What or who are the popular icons portrayed in German media today, and what are their characteristics? How great of a role do these cultural icons play in the development of German youths, and what impact does it have on their values and beliefs?

2.2. Daily Schedule
While I don’t have a complete tentative schedule for this, I know that my places of research will have to include:

1) A popular youth setting, such as a school, where I can interview/interact with youth.
2) Different stores and shopping plazas that might offer indications of pop-culture merchandises.
3) Examining a popular television show (Bibi Blocksberg, Das Sandmännchen)
4) A contemporary day art museum, perhaps to see if these icons are incorporated (and even molded) into Art.

Cultural Sensitivity:
Because I have grown up in the American Culture, I have a slight biased perception, interpretation, and even an incomplete understanding about German culture, be it political or social. I also have a presumption that all youths generally like the same thing, therefore I have to consider gender differences, class, and political differences when I research.


3. How is identity perceived through visual arts?

3.1. Background

After the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 and subsequent unification of Germany, a new artistic energy emerged in Berlin that led to its creative spotlight in the international art world. Art became a main form of expression as well as reflection in new Germany. Not only was visual art employed to address social, political and cultural ramifications of unified Germany, but it was also used to reexamine the collective trauma of German history, in particular that of the Third Reich, terrorist activities of the Red Army Faction (RAF) and the dictatorship of German Democratic Republic (GDR). Contemporary visual arts took a new turn in Berlin with the growing popularity of Avant-gardism and other post modern art styles that aims to penetrate the everyday and push the boundary of visual expression. New forms of visual art in post-wall Berlin have played an important role in reflecting and shaping the development of German unification and the formation of a new German national identity [1].

1980-89: Works by Gerhard Richter and Isa Genzken

Reality Bites: Making Avant-garde Art in Post-Wall Germany was the first thematic museum exhibition to examine how contemporary artists have dealt with the social, economical and political ramifications of German unification1. The exhibition was conceived and organized by Dr. Sabine Eckmann and toured in the states. Featuring about 70 artworks created since 1989 by both German artists and international artists living in Germany, the exhibition explored three themes: “Redressing Germany,” “Traumatic Histories” and “Global Spaces.” These themes examine conflicting German self-images, traumatic histories and transnationalism through a range of multimedia from video to photography to installations, assemblage and new media art.

In the early 1990’s, the emergence of renewed German nationalism was perceived as a serious threat where many feared that the violence and irrationalism witnessed during the Third Reich would resurface. In response, Marcel Odenbach created Neiman dist mehr dort, wo er wollte (1990) “No one is where they intended to go,” a video piece that encouraged Germany to consciously consider its past before blindly stepping forward to a new beginning (Fig. 1). Odenbach uses subversive avant-garde montage techniques to provoke unease about German unification and the new German nation.

Fig. 1: Works by Rosemarie Trockel, Imi Knoebel, and Marcel Odenbach’s Neiman dist mehr dort, wo er wollte (1990)

In another piece, artist Manfred Pernice transforms a recovered bicycle rack from former East Berlin into a work of art (Fig. 2). With its red color and outmoded modernist look, the object evokes ostalgie (nostalgia for life in former East Germany). Pernice calls attention the lost of GDR culture as it was obliterated and assimilated into western culture.

Fig. 2: Manefred Pernice, Untitled, 2002

Post-wall artists did not shy away from traumatc histories in Germany’s past. In fact they reflected on historical trauma by going beyond representation and symbolism that was most commonly employed to examine the past. Instead, contemporary artists created narratives to retrieve meaning and attempted to visualized trauma through the use of already mediated image that at times were stripped of meaning and presented as fragments1. This form of expression can be seen in Rudolf Herz’s Dachau, Museumsbilder (1996) (Fig.3), where the artists investigates the role of photography in formulation of German’s traumatic past by recovering, rephotographing and altering documentary images of concentration camp guards from Dachau.


There are many more examples of contemporary artists employing visual arts to reflect upon historical traumas and present day changes as Germany seeks to redefine its national identity. Almost like a reality check, the new generation of contemporary artists looks upon social, economical and political changes and directly mediates the development of a new national identity.




3.2. Question

The future of any nation largely rests upon the emerging generation of youths who are fresh out of school and ready to contribute to society. In Germany, this new emerging generation in their twenties was born towards the end of the era when East and West Germany stood divided by the Berlin Wall. With limited personal or memorable experiences of that physical barrier or the subsequent unification of Germany in 1989, how do contemporary artists from this generation reflect on historical realities of post-wall Germany? How are they dealing with the social ramifications of German unification? This generation will play a large role in redefining German national identity, how are they employing multimedia art forms to explore and reflect on national identity?

3.3. Daily Schedule

To explore the theme of how identity is interpreted through multimedia arts in young contemporary artists in Berlin, I plan on visiting museums and art shows that exhibit young artists. I will be looking for common themes and common employed media popular among emerging contemporary artists. In addition, since we will be closely associated with Humboldt university, I hope to spend some time interviewing college art students about how the theme of national identity is taught, interpreted and portrayed. I will also explore public and street art around Berlin.

Here is list of a few museums and exhibitions showing contemporary art in the month of August

• UDK Berlin – institution of art instruction in Berlin
• Gemeinschaftshaus Gropiusstadt – local art gallery featuring contemporary pieces by local artists
• Cabaret Voltaire - hosts range of art exhibitions providing energye for contemporary art scene
• Hamburger Bahnhof -Museum Für Gegenwart, contemporary collections
• RAW Temple - aimed for youth of berlin
• Kunststiftung Poll – political artists who emerged in the former West Germany during 1960s




4. How do artists live/carry out their identity?

4.1. Background

The Seattle area offers little in the way of busking. Aside from the occasional skilled performer in Pike Place Market (Figure 4), the busking musicians residing the streets dress themselves as vagabonds and do little more than strum chord progressions on the guitar. Thus, I feel that the busking in this area now carries an association with homelessness along with all of the stigmas attached to it.
However, it is not like this everywhere. In other countries, skilled musicians take to busking and perform quality music. During a four-day trip to Spain, for example, I remember seeing/hearing several such performances. My guitar professor also said that conservatory students in England often busked to get some pocket cash2. With Berlin being one of the world centers for the arts, I am expecting that the busking music scene will be of higher quality than that around the UW. If this is the case, I am curious to see if/how the stigma surrounding busking musicians differ between various locations.


Fig. 4: The Slimpickins. An example of one of the more talented busking groups in the Seattle area.

In addition, to observe how one carries him/herself through performance is to study how they convey and live their identity. As a musician, I try to pay attention to what other people do in how they make music. What is the choice of repertoire? How do they phrase melodies? How do they carry themselves on stage? Etc.

Busking musicians are a unique group to study the interplay between performance and identity. Unlike concert “classical” musicians, buskers are not bound by expectations to perform any particular musical genre or style. This gives more leeway for experimentation as well as a wider range of repertoire to play from.

4.2. Question

Are there differences in the stigma/expectations in busking musicians (and perhaps other busking performance styles) in Alexanderplatz compared to a flea market in Arkonaplatz? If so, what underlies it?

4.3. Daily Schedule

In order to explore these ideas surrounding stigma and expectations of street performers, I will look at busking musicians in Alexanderplatz (a public square) and compare them with performers in Arkonaplatz (a flea market). Specifically, I intend to spend ample amounts of time in each location in order to:

1) Observe what styles of music are performed at each.
2*) Talk with/interview bystanders about their expectations and stigmas surrounding the musicians.
3*) Talk with/interview the musicians about what they believe the audience thinks of them in regards to stigma and expectations. If the performers aren’t too busy, I may try to engage in longer conversations regarding how they carry out their identity via music.
4) Attempt to busk at both of these locations to observe bystanders from a performer’s point of view

*As I cannot converse in German, these steps are dependent upon the Berliners’ fluency of the English language

With music being one of my majors, I am naturally drawn to it as a research topic. I know little about how other cultures view music and am curious to find out how their views differ from mine. Aside from illuminating more of the world of busking, my research endeavors will touch upon the ever-important philosophical question of how identity is conveyed to others.

Cultural Sensitivity (Daniel’s biases):
Living in Seattle, I eventually came to associate street musicians with homelessness. In order to conduct my research in an objective manner, I need to dispel this mindset prior to leaving for Berlin. A second bias I hold is that of believing that Western Classical music is the most sophisticated/complex form of music available. Again, this is a viewpoint I need to try and get rid of as it will prevent me from fully appreciating the different forms of music that I will be exposed to.


References
1. Sabine Eckmann. Reatlity bites:making avant-garde art in post-wall germany. Mildred Lane Kemper Art museum, St. Louis. Hatje Cantz Veriag, Ostfildern. 2007
2. Partington, Michael. Personal Interview. 20 May 2009.