Intermedia Issues: The Controversy of Depicting Social Concerns Research Paper

Introduction

Art has always been representative of social trends and the need to address societal problems in a unique and profound manner. With the development of the phenomenon of intermedia, new possibilities for encompassing different art tools to create a multi-dimensional perspective on social problems have emerged (Deak, p. 68). By integrating two or more types of media into an art piece, one can emphasize particular ideas that an art piece is supposed to evoke, appealing to audiences on both an emotional level and as a piece of rational thought.

Main body

However, as a cross between an art form and the tool for expressing an artist’s outlook on problematic aspects of contemporary society, intermedia can be seen as quite questionable. The content of intermedia as a middle ground between expressivity and a social commentary may be deemed as far too delicate to be addressed with the help of intermedia tools and, therefore, be seen as the attempt at capitalizing on modern social concerns (Leeson). Therefore, the issues such as poverty, discrimination, and other negative social changes that have been taking place in modern society can be seen as questionable subjects for intermedia.

However, as a method of reflecting reality and exploring how different artistic tools can create an absolutely unexpected yet stunning effect and help to produce a unique art form, intermedia deserves to be discussed thoroughly. The introduction of intermedia principles into art allows creating intersectional art pieces that cross the line between different genres and allow viewers to see a particular idea or problem in an entirely new light.

For example, the artworks by Eleanor Antin prove the significance of using intermedia as the method of highlighting the presence of gender stereotypes in society and pointing out their absurdity. The artist managed to make the statement that was extraordinarily advanced for society at the time, prompting the development of the discussion of gender roles to subvert several stereotypes. According to Viegener, “The very idea that gender was a role, which one might accept or reject, propelled a generation of artists toward work that does neither or work that plays with social roles” (Viegener). However, without the use of intermedia as the method of expressing this idea, the concept of gender would not have been scrutinized critically unless Antin had introduced her intermedia art to the public.

Similarly, the use of intermedia as an attempt at creating intersectional artworks that transcend the boundaries set by art styles and gender contributes to highlighting some of the socioeconomic issues, such as poverty. In her art pieces, Susanne Lacy addressed the social invisibility of impoverished people, tackling the issue of poverty as one of the scourges of society. Remarkably enough, the creation of her art pieces, which involved interaction with the public at some point, proved that there is an inherent problem in modern society and the perception of impoverished and homeless people to the point when they become invisible to the public. According to the account of her art-related event, “In San Francisco, Lacy, dressed as a bag lady carrying several shopping bags, slept in the doorway of the museum as audience members coming to the performance stepped over her” (“The Bag Lady (1977)”). Therefore, the introduction of intersectionalism and interdisciplinary ideas into art by using intermedia helps to structure a narrative that addresses social issues by representing them through a very specific lens. Interpreting a social issue from one’s personal perspective, one can open people’s eyes on a problem that may have been plaguing society for a significant amount of time and needs to be resolved in order to achieve the well-being of community members.

The problem of gender relationships represents one of the major issues that are tackled in intermedia art. Laurie Anderson’s “Language is a virus” combines the use of the vocal filter and a monologue from the perspective of a man to introduce the complexities of gender relationships. The unique representation of the topic and the successful attempt at combining visuals with poignant lyrics helped to shed light on the problem of how gender is reflected in language. The art piece in question exemplifies how cultural information is transmitted with the help of language and tools of linguistic expression to be further integrated into the very bulk of social interactions. Specifically, as Anderson explicitly says that media “keep showing/The same pictures over and over” (Anderson), it becomes evident that the influence produced on language norms by social interactions is reciprocal. As a result, social normativity imprints its standards and stereotypes onto the language and trickles into interpersonal communication, causing its participants to succumb to the biased perspectives that were designed with stereotypical constructs in mind. Thus, Anderson chooses to talk about gender-related issues, the problems of miscommunication, and the role of media in the identified concern by combining different artistic media and creating a unique art piece.

Another art piece that uses intermedia as a method of expression and addresses the problems of gender, “Doll Clothes” by Cindy Sherman features a series of photos of doll clothes and is shot as a mix between a documentary and an animated movie. The addition of the former artistic element allows putting the context of the film into historical perspective and considering the evolution of gender roles and the perception of women in society. The reference to Duchamp’s “Nude Descending a Staircase” and the introduction of a comic tone to it create a unique and surreal impression that puts the movie into a critical perspective, allowing its audience to see its elements as metaphors (Horsfield). For example, the hands that appear in every shot to dress the “doll” also restrict its movements, reducing the autonomy of the character and putting boundaries on its agency, both physical and mental. While these hands can be seen as the metonymic representation of a higher authority, such as parents, the fact that the doll represents an adult woman leads to interpreting the hands as the metaphorical representation of social boundaries that are imposed on women in society.

In addition, the movie is emblematic of the situation that can be currently observed in media analysis and that is reinforced by the presence of numerous types of artistic techniques in the film. Specifically, the propensity toward projecting current societal concerns onto the symbols and imagery portrayed in the film as opposed to scrutinizing closely the initial intentions of the author becomes apparent in the case under analysis (Kurtz). According to the author, the original idea behind the creation of the piece was comparatively innocent and did not involve in-depth contemplations about the fate of women in a patriarchal society:

I was documenting a piece that I had already made for a film course, but I wanted to bring the doll to life so I shot myself doing all the poses, and it became this goofy little film. It completely ties in to everything I’m doing now because I decided that I liked the cut-out figures more than the film. (Sherman)

Therefore, Sherman’s initial intention was to create something that looked unusual and somewhat comical so that her coursework could be slightly livelier than it was expected to be. However, with the introduction of the movie into the public eye and with its increasing popularity in movie discussions, the picture seems to have gained the status of an artwork that combines an innovative look at gender roles and the characteristics of an intermedia experiment. By reviewing the work from the stance of the Feminist theory, one will be able to see how the application of an intermedia-based element into a work of art transforms it into a critical analysis of the pressure that women experience in their daily lives (Sherman). In “Doll Clothes,” the combination of hand-drawn clothes and backgrounds with the cutout of Sherman’s photo adds a memorable, if somewhat creepy, element to the film and allows for a strong social commentary. Despite the fact that the author clearly had little intention of tackling the problem of social prejudices and gender relationships in her movie, the film implicitly contains a poignant idea since it incorporates the symbols that are typically coded as feminine and place them in a surreal setting. For instance, the fact that the main character browses through an array of clothes that can be seen as unisex, including trousers and sweaters, and finally chooses a dress, indicates the existence of deep-seated stereotypes in society. Thus, the introduction of intermedia tools that might seem as simplistic has helped to pay homage to the first movie to be ever made, as well as outline stereotypes that have been thriving in global society and limiting the choices of women.

A similar approach toward using intermedia in movies to address social issues was used by Matthew Barney in his “Cremaster Cycle.” Including not only drawings and photos but also sculptures, the film adds one more dimension to the artistic process and helps to create a map of the interactions between Barney and other people, as well as the artist and numerous objects that played an important part in his professional development and the creation of his style. Therefore, in the artwork under analysis, the inclusion of intermedia tools helps to build a comprehensive meta-analysis, thus sealing the gap between the theoretical understanding of art and its representation.

However, the exploration of gender is not the only issue on which the use of intermedia art tools helps to shed the light. In his 1976 movie “The Eternal Frame,” T. R. Uthco studies how historical myths are created and supported by media and the people who consume it. In the movie, the actor portraying Kennedy explains that “Like my elected predecessors, the content of the image I present is no different than the image itself” (Uthco). Thus, the movie extrapolates the multiple influences that TV media as had on people and how these influences shape people’s perception of reality. Incorporating the elements of historically documented information and fictional scenes played by actors, “The Eternal Frame” allows the viewers to transcend the realms of reality as they see it and reality as it is portrayed by media, which is in this case represented by the TV. As a result, the inclusion of intermedia tools allows for a critical assessment of the impact that media produces on people and their perception of truth.

Truscott’s work is quite representative of the intermedia genre also harkens back to the problem of gender relationships, tackling the problems of gender discrimination and the crime of rape. However, the endeavor at contextualizing artistic choices is even more obvious in the artworks created by Truscott since she focuses on the content explicitly, incorporating two media types, which are photography and social discourse in its narrow sense, namely, the representation of the concept of rape in modern culture (Czajkowski). Thus, intermedia proves to have particular importance in tackling social debates regarding the issue of violence against vulnerable groups.

Conclusion

Intermedia helps to incorporate different media styles, often combining traditional ones with a more recent ones, as well as making seemingly incompatible artistic approaches and media collide in a single art piece, which allows attracting people’s attention to important issues. The ideas that are incorporated into intermedia pieces are often related to social concerns and the challenges that contemporary global society is facing. As a result, an artist gains the opportunity to zoom in on some of the dilemmas that might seem as controversial and, therefore, invite people to participate in an open conversation. The introduction of a critical angle to the art pieces performed with the help of intermedia tools helps o forward the discussion, whereas the emotional component of such artworks allows appealing directly to audiences to convey the urgency of the problem and the necessity to solve it.

References

1. Anderson, Laurie. “Difficult Listening Hour.” Ubu.com, n.d. Web.
2. Leeson, Lynn Hershman. “Roberta Breitmore.” LynnHershman.com, n.d. Web.
3. Czajkowski, Elise. “In ‘Asking for It,’ Adrienne Truscott Reappropriates the Rape Joke.” New York Times, 2015. Web.
4. Deak, Frantisek. “The Use of Character in Artistic Performance.” The Dumb Ox, vol. 10/11, pp. 68- 70
5. Horsfield, Kate. “Busting the Tube: A Brief History of Video Art.” VDB.org, 2006.
6. Kurtz, Bruce, “Video is Being Invented.” ExperimentalTVCenter.org, 1973. Web.
7. Sherman, Cindy. “Doll Clothes.” Ubu.com, n.d. Web.
8. “The Bag Lady (1977).” SuzanneLacy.com, n.d. Web.
9. Uthco, T. R. “The Eternal Frame.” Ubu.com. Web.
10. Viegener, Matias. “She, Her, I, and Mine.” X-TRA, vol. 10, no. 2. Web.