IWA 5

Every society has its set of rules, not only actual written laws, but also set of rules of how people should behave culturally. Part of these rules is fashion. Somehow there is a set of norms Just like how someone might not agree with your beliefs, they could also disagree with how you and your clothes match. People cannot just wear what they want; there can be many differnet contexts for “crimes” of fashion, such as race, gender, class and nation or a combination of these, for example the Zoot Suit Riots, where the Chicanos commited “crimes” against the majority of not only fashion but also all of those categories.

I had a vivid experience of myself commiting a crime of fashion and – I suppose – class. It happened years ago, when I was still in junior high. Social hierarchy amongst students is largely based on “popularity” or “coolness.” What happened to me one day was that my t-shirt with the brand name Esprit printed on it was made fun of by one of the cool kids (he and I are on good terms now). “Esprit boy,” he called me in an almost condenscending tone. I was definitely not in his caliber of cool, so in turn I felt embarassed for wearing something that he thought wasn't suited for me and for not “knowing my place.” Although I wasn't completely sure what my classmate honestly meant when he said that to me, but I was quite sure that he did not think highly of me in the first place, as he bullied me sometimes. He probably thought that I wasn't cool enough as a person to even “understand” fashion. Needless to say, it felt like he was “putting me in my place.”

People generally dislike or fear being looked down upon, and thus a lot of people who aren't confident enough or not friendly with the popular students will not experiment daringly with clothes. After my incident, in fear of being called out again, I tried to tone down what I wore to not stand out as much. Especially in secondary school, being truly fashionable seems to be reserved for and synonymous with the cool, at least according to them. On the other hand, people with power and authority often like to act high and mighty. Like during the Zoo Suit Riots, where the Chicanos were stripped of their clothes, the sailors who were the people in power could not stand the Chicanos acting like they were not inferior to them (or even superior to them), and tried to “put them in their place.”

In society, people are constantly reminded of how to be normal. But, normal does not equal natural. “Normal” fashion is the images conveyed by culture, media and the people in power that most people think is the right way to dress or strive for. However, clothes and fashion is essentially all fabricated by humans. I am not saying that being natural is not wearing any clothes, but instead it is people wearing what they truly want to. Of course, that can pose problems, such as indecent exposure, inappropriate statements, etc. At least nowadays most people in most developed cultures are quite content with what manufacturers and designers had to offer despite being part of a system that has to be maintained. It looks a little bit like “ignorance is bliss.”

Personally, what I care most about is what people think of me, so I don't mind wearing something to suit others' standards as long as I look pleasing/acceptable to them. Although that Esprit incident during junior high did not seem like such a big deal at first, it probably subconsciously greatly influenced my decisions in dressing up. For some of the people who want to make strong statements with their dress and challenge the norms, such as cross-dressers and zoot suiters, there will still be people who are irrationally opinionated about what a certain race, gender, class, nation, age, etc. should or should not wear, and will hate on them. Dress is part of what somebody looks like and unfortunately, many people judge others based on their looks.

IWA #4: Kenneth Tin Kin Hung’s tinkin.com

From the “about” page of his website, Kenneth Tin-King Hung is originally from Hong Kong, and he now resides in New York. He is a renowned contemporary artist who “through various media I aim to explore the nature of digital comunication while touching on issues such as identity, politics, sexuality and power. My media includes Hi-Definition video animation, video game, digital graphics and mixed-media installations.” I think Kenneth is mainly exploring and communicating a new artistic medium. It is something that I have never seen anyone done before to his extent, as he pieces together political cartoons, posters and various pictures, etc. into thorough statements. It might kind of be analogous to say, doing a research essay, except Kenneth uses pictures and animation and aesthetics.

http://www.gaszappers.com/play/anwr/

One of the pieces of work by Hung was the “Arctic National Wildlife Refuge” game. In this game you take on the role of a polar bear, who can utilize a number of attacks (such as clawing) to destroy oil barrels that fly at you (and damage you if you don't hit them first). Finally, as the final boss, you fight a oil refinery with George Bush's head attached to it. Not only did I enjoy myself, I also felt like a sense of interaction. Kenneth effectively uses this game to sort of guide his audience and promote his views on protecting wildlife. There is a “Facts” section at the bottom of the page, which states that Big Oil, backed by the Bush administration continulously try to open the Arctic Refuge (in northeast Alaska), and that this will without a doubt harm its wildlife, especially the polar bears. I suppose the only flaw that it has is that the page doesn't state what date these events were occuring. But someone could definitely easily look that up. Nonetheless A.N.W.R was a creative project that I think is much more effective for trying to convey a message than say, a plain news article. A.N.W.R is also not the only game in the “Gas Zappers” series; there is also a game where you try to block greenhouse emissions, and another game where you must save Venice from a tsunami. You also control polar bears.

http://www.tinkin.com/arts/obama/

Another one of Kenneth's projects that I am examining is “In G.O.D. We Trust,” one of the videos that we saw in class. This animation really struck me with its very unique yet still accessible style. He seperates the video in to sevem acts, where in each act president Obama is portrayed as a differnet religious diety or prophet, and also in a different chronological phase of his presidential career. According to Kenneth's statement also on the page, he says that the various dieties and prophets that president Obama transform into represent his attempts to heal the world. He remixes several religious diagrams by incorporating elements (by using pictures) of the “current political and economical climate.” What I liked about this project was that even though the video itself was pretty difficult to understand, Kenneth thorougly explains each of the seven acts on the page and all of the key players, events of the scene. By combining brilliant images that are sure to leave an inpact on any audience, he sparks curiosity without being too ambiguous, and even leaves room for further contemplation. Also, by portraying seven different dieties/prophets, I think Kenneth hopes to reach out to a bigger audience. Next, his style allows people to look out for and recognize the pictures of people or things or places that they are familiar (instead of describing them directly with words) with which allows for people to more easily relate to the video.

Kenneth Tin-Kin Hung's videos and games not only provide insight and entertainment for people, they also open up a door to new forms of expression.