Postmodernism
Is difficult to define and is part of a massive debate.
But if you break it into two parts, we'll try.
Modernity (Modernism) - is principally about order and creating order out of chaos.
So anything non-white, non-male, non-heterosexual, non-hygenic, non-rational etc becomes disorder and must be removed/eliminated from modern society.
It seeks to remove anything that is not part of that hedgemony.
Post (or post-modern) - Can mean lots of things;
- After modernism
- Extending the modern
- Contra modernism (subverting, resisting, opposing, or countering the features of modernism)
- Artistic and stylistic eclecticism (hybridization of forms and genres, mixing styles of different cultures or time periods, de- and re-contextualizing styles in architecture, visual arts, literature)
Totality, stability and order are maintained in modern society through the means of "grand" or "master" narratives, which are the stories we tell about ourselves and our culture.
Our current narrative is a scientific one, but our old narrative was a religious one; we used to look to our religion for the answers to our problems and the acceptable way to behave.
Postmodernism then is the critique (or perhaps deconstruction) of grand narratives, the awareness that such narratives serve to hide the contradictions and instabilities that are inherent in any social organisation or practice.
Postmodern "mini-narratives" are always;
- Situational - They require a series of circumstances
- Provisional - They can change
- Contingent - They depend on certain factors
- Temporary - They don't last
Society is constructed on mini-narratives, if you take things apart, they are very useful to create order, however they might not best serve everyone.
Modernist Idea;
*Humans are material machines. We live in a purely physical world. Nothing exists beyond what our senses perceive.
*Humankind is progressing by using science and reason.
*"Photograph never lies" -- photos and video are windows/mirrors of reality.
*Art fights capitalism.
*Faith in the "real" beyond media and representations; authenticity of "originals"
Post-Modernist Equivalent;
*Post-modernists are suspicious of such dogmatic claims to knowledge.
*Progress is just a way to justify the European domination of other cultures.
*Photoshop: photos and video can be altered completely; and can be a montage (where's the reality?)
*Art is consumed, used, corrupted by capitalism.
*Hyper-reality, image saturation, simulacra seem more powerful than the "real"; images and texts with no prior "original”. "As seen on TV” more powerful than unmediated experience (Beaudrillard's Simulacra and simulation, or The Matrix).
Post Modern style was a reaction against the rationalism of Modernist design, and even against the formal ideals of modern design. Humour and wit became a substitute for established notions of "good taste”, often being more important.
Often mixing things, not necessarily harmoniously. "Stealing" and reusing ideas mashing things together "playing" with art.
Ted Noten
Hates the fact that the industry panders to those wanting to spend on big diamonds. “Jewellery has only to do with status,” Noten declares. “Status at this time is connected with diamonds. I find this a huge pity.”
A link to an excellent article on Celebrity in the world of politics;
http://www.academia.edu/479837/Celebrity_as_a_postmodern_phenomenon_ethical_crisis_for_democracy_and_media_nightmare
further reading;
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/p/postmodernism/
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