Constellation – Smells Like Teen Spirit (Overview)

I was excited when I discovered that I would be attending the constellation class “Smells like teen spirit” as I knew it would be something that I would enjoy most due to my interest in analysing media such as films, TV shows, posters, art, articles. etc. I was quite unsure what to expect as I have never attended a constellation class before but after my first session I realised that it was very similar to lessons I had taken during my GSCEs and ALevels. I had previously studied Media Studies and English Literature therefore heavy analysation wasn’t too new for me.

During the two months of constellation classes, I learned a lot about the many subcultures that have emerged across the world in recent years. It has made me much more aware of how our style choices can represent our emotions and stance in society. Many of the subcultures we have discussed convey similar messages to each other even though they visually seem worlds apart. One of the messages that appears frequently throughout is that it’s not always necessary to conform to society and that subcultures are created through the breaking of rules. This is how they are made to be unique and memorable. I admire this as it inspires people to be different and unafraid of expressing who they are. I also discovered that it is possible to take different elements of culture and reconstruct them in order to create new styles. Symbolism is displayed a lot also, this is done through shapes, material, colour and function, as this is how many of the subcultures are able to link meanings and connections to their fashion choices. I also learnt that context is what makes a certain style its own as it shows detail and thought in each element of their clothing, make-up hair and accessories. Many things seem to be carried over between both genders also as subcultures are all about personal preferences and being able to feel as though they can express themselves freely. I liked this aspect the most as there are less restrictions and rules on what is acceptable, everyone is able to be creative and experiment with what makes them feel most confident.

All of the things I have learnt about subcultures have made me realise how I can apply them to my creative work. In Graphic Communication, we create an array of pieces through a range of different medias such as film, posters, banners and animation. As all of these things are heavily analysed by clients, critics and tutors, it is important to include meaning and symbolism to your work just like subcultures. As I work I am always looking out for the smaller details making sure that they have reason and purpose. I also try and incorporate as much context as I possibly can in order to give my work a much deeper meaning. I also realised that sometimes breaking rules can create amazing works of art. Its differences are what makes them unique and different to other people’s pieces. Again, this is how street styles are commonly created and what makes them stand out from the crowd.

 

Throughout my time in constellation I have found referencing a consistent challenge. I feel that I’m always unsure of whether I am doing it correctly or whether my reference is even good enough to link with my analysis. Paraphrasing is also confusing to me as I never know if what I have written is actually a paraphrase or a direct quote. I feel as though referencing as a whole has a very fine line of what is considered acceptable and what isn’t. This made my essay writing a very long and difficult process as it would slow me down, worry me and also interrupt my thought flow. I hope in that future I will come to understand referencing the longer I am in constellation, through practice and help from other lecturers and students.

After attending the classes I realised that I am rather good at breaking down an image/video and being able to analyse them in detail. In most of the lessons I have been quick to pick out certain elements and features of an image/video and have been able to link context and meaning to them. Again, I believe this is because I have experience in this type of analysation through classes I attended during high school. I also learned how to create a column system which is very helpful when moving on to the writing section of our work. This really improved my thought process and gave me more structure as I continued to write the essays.

 

Overall, I have enjoyed the “Smells like teen spirit” constellation class due to its familiarity of analysing images. I believe this was the reason why this particular class was a good one to start me off with due to the fact that it made me feel more comfortable work wise. I have learnt a great deal from the lessons each week and it really opened my eyes on how different fashion styles can be interpreted. It also made me come to realise a couple of ways on how to include the same ideas into my practice. I realised that the breaking of rules is what created certain styles and that it can also give art its own style and make them feel special. Messages that subcultures convey can easily be used in my practice too if I take context and meaning into consideration. If I were to re-attend the lessons I would have asked more questions about the final essays and how they should be structured. This was something I found very difficult as I wrote my final essay as I have never seen an example. I also wish I had asked about referencing in more detail as this could’ve helped me avoid confusion and worry. I think that the next time I have constellation I will try and record (if possible) and make notes of most of what is said throughout each session so I can easily recall past lessons.

Constellation – First Impressions

Towards the end of our induction week, my class was introduced to the subject of ‘Constellation’ which is the more academic section of our course. We were told that it mostly consists of reading, writing and thinking. From what I gathered during this presentation, given by Dr. Ashley Morgan, their main goal is to encourage us to learn how to think more critically and with an open mind. When studying Graphic Communication, it is key to look deeper into our own work and the work of others. Without context, art can sometimes lose its real message or intention, therefore, it is important that we seek out theoretical and historical research.

Starting the presentation Ashley announced that she has a “Tea Theory”. She believes our course is fully represented by each stage of creating a perfect cup of tea. We are the cup, Subject was the milk, Field was the water and Constellation was the tea bag. We were told, “without constellation, really all that is left is watery milk” and that it isn’t actually tea. The analogy was so simple yet so clear. Everyone came to realise that what Ashley was really trying to demonstrate was the sheer importance of Constellation and how we cannot actually immerse ourselves fully without it.

Later in the presentation, we were introduced to a picture of a footpath which seemed to be on a bridge in Wales. On the path, there were painted symbols such as disabled, cyclists, pedestrians, dog walkers and the elderly. Firstly, we were asked to pair up and ‘discuss’ the picture. Now this sounded like a simple task, just to explain the purpose of the signs and its location (everyone else had the same mind-set also). After discussing our ideas with the rest of the class and Ashley, we were shocked to hear that we had over analysed it. In fact, all that was required of us was the picture’s description, which was as basic as “white writing on a grey background”.  We continued to discuss after being asked to now ‘analyse’ the picture instead. Again, we all explained its location and its purpose but unfortunately, we didn’t quite hit what Ashley’s view of the picture was. She began to elaborate a bit more and this opened our eyes to different things in the picture that we wouldn’t have noticed before. After elaborating, we realised in reality, we can’t trust the signs shown as none of them really depict their given ‘meaning’. None of them are literal enough for any of us to be counted as under that particular demographic. It raised questions such as “What if I’m disabled but not in a wheelchair?”. As a group, we all came to realise how we must improve on how we see things in everyday life and how we must look further into those things.

I enjoyed the session as I am eager to learn more about Constellation and how it will help us in the future, how it can change our perceptions of people, art, culture and much more. After this first session alone, although it was short, it was eye opening. I am intrigued to see how it will continue to enlighten us through the rest of our study and how our perceptions can change significantly after each session.