History of art and design 2023 brochure by University of Brighton

History of Art and Design

Fashion and Dress History

Visual Culture

BA (Hons)

BA (Hons) History of Art and Design

BA (Hons) Fashion and Dress History

BA (Hons) Visual Culture

Any serious analysis has to begin from the premise that genders, sexualities, races, classes, nations, and even continents exist not as hermetically sealed entities but, rather, as part of a set of permeable, interwoven relationships. This kind of relationality is particularly significant in a transnational age typified by the global traveling of images, sounds, goods, and populations.

Ella Shohat, ‘Area Studies, Transnationalism, and the Feminist Production of Knowledge’, Signs, 26:4 (2001), 1269.

Welcome…

…to the 2023 Graduate Show, featuring dissertation research by students in the History of Art and Design courses at the University of Brighton. This showcase encompasses three undergraduate courses: BA (Hons) History of Art and Design, BA (Hons) Fashion and Dress History and BA (Hons) Visual Culture. For these students, the dissertation is the fulfilment of a year’s intensive research. Topics emerge from students’ own enthusiasms and specialist teaching. Their independent study develops through a range of supported milestones, culminating in this final public presentation.

As you will see, students’ projects cut across time and place, from the eighteenth century to the present, and include local concerns as well as international case studies. The themes cover gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, class and taste, politics and protest, consumption and collecting, craft and technology, structures and their subversion. The images, objects, media and sites include the sacred and the profane, the elite and the humble. Students engage with painting, photography and performance; film and digital media; advertising, periodicals and packaging; architecture, furniture and interiors; historic houses, galleries and exhibitions; fashion, dress and textiles. Students conduct research in libraries, archives and museums, and via interviews and fieldwork. Please take your time to enjoy the fruits of their labour; we are truly proud of them.

If this whets your appetite for pursuing similar studies, our contact details can be found at the back of the catalogue. As part of our wider provision, we offer MA Curating Collections and Heritage and MA History of Design and Material Culture. These enable further depth and specialism and we offer advanced level research to PhD.

Dr Ceren Özpınar (Course Leader, BA Art History and Visual Culture, BA History of Art and Design and BA Visual Culture) and Dr Verity Clarkson (BA Fashion and Design History and BA Fashion and Dress History)

BA (Hons) History of Art and Design

The

Image or

the

Image-Maker: Women in Performance Art

Georgia May Adshead

The 1960s and 1970s were a time of sexual liberation, feminist and civil rights movements emerging across America and spreading across other Western countries. Feminist movements sought equality for women within every aspect of society, with female artists determined to succeed within the male-dominated art scene. Performance art was the medium that female artists were drawn to, exploring female sexuality and other socially taboo subjects. Although performance art was not recognised as a professional medium until the 1970s, artist Carolee Schneemann (1939-2019) had been exploring sexuality and gender within her work since the 1960s. The liberation of the female body in the 1960s and 1970s has helped women take back their bodily autonomy, though there is still progression to be made in the 21st century.

This dissertation examines Schneemann’s more controversial work, Meat Joy (1964), alongside Rhythm 0 (1974) by endurance artist Marina Abramović (1946); exploring the politics of women’s bodies where women across the world are defined by patriarchal societies. This dissertation focuses on the societal context of the United States, where Schneemann grew up, and Yugoslavia, where Abramović was raised. Feminism and equality for women have progressed in different ways within societies across the world, and a starting point for this discussion within the art scene is performance art. Abramović and Schneemann have been described as pioneers of female performance art and have enabled women to embrace and explore their sexuality whilst rejecting the male objectification of their bodies.

BA (Hons) History of Art and Design 7

View of Meat Joy from the “Carolee Schneemann: Body Politics” Exhibition, Barbican Centre, London. Personal photograph by the author. 4 Nov. 2022.

TATE BRITAIN.

“Exposed: The Victorian Nude”, TATE. Tate Publishing. 2001. Print.

Gender Constrictions: How Gender Roles Impacted Anatomy in European Artworks During the 19th Century

Trinity Madden

During the 19th century, certain traits were assigned to the male and female genders that had an influencing effect on anatomy in art and design. These traits included men being viewed as strong, logical and practical whereas women were thought of as weak, caring and obedient. These traits can then be seen throughout artworks of the time with artworks of men being hyper-muscular and in active positions whereas women tended to be painted reclined with softened anatomy.

These traits can also be seen to differ based on the gender of the artist with both the limitations to women’s access to nude models and the societies pressure for women to embody their prescribed reserved behaviour leading to artworks by these artists containing less detailed anatomical features.

Along with these traits, other categories within society such as ethnicity and ability influenced the gender roles and can be seen to influence the anatomy depicted. Those labelled as different either for their ethnicity or their disabilities had their anatomy depicted in artworks to reflect this difference. Within these examples, these bodies have either been hypersexualised with exaggerated gendered anatomy or stripped of their gendered anatomy and therefore reducing these images of people to merely images of difference.

BA (Hons) History of Art and Design 8

Dorothy Tennant (Lady Stanley), The Death of Love. 1888. Oil on Canvas. 22.9x33.3cm.

Unhappily Ever After, Deconstructing the Bride, An Exploration of Cultural Constructs and Performative Features of the Wedding Dress

Katie

Musgrove

Brides face tremendous strain by the wedding industry to conform to traditional societal perceptions of femininity and beauty. Clothing has been demonstrated to have a significant psychological impact on people by influencing their self-perception, actions, and mental state. The bridal gown is more than just an accessory of clothing; it embodies tradition, society, and cultural expectations, generating negative beauty standards and unachievable notions of thinness, youth, and common feminine qualities. The dissertation presents the works of three female artists to challenge these portrayals of femininity: Jenny Saville’s 1992 The Bride, Maria Lassnig’s 2007 The Illegitimate Bride, and Paula Rego’s 1991 Bride. They confront the societal production of the female body through their art, questioning conventional views of what a woman ought to look and act like. These contemporary artists attack the conventional trope of the obedient bride, these artists want to confront the stereotypes that limit women’s potential and promote conventional gender stereotypes. Through their intriguing and frightening illustrations of brides, they offer a disturbing critique of the prevailing narratives and ideals that characterise our cultural perception of weddings and marriage. Displaying unconventional and frequently unsettling wedding figures, these artists oppose the conventional notion of the submissive, young, and conventionally beautiful bride. Art has the power to challenge and subvert traditional constructs of femininity, as well as to create room for alternative depictions of women’s bodies and identities. This dissertation contributes to the ongoing debate in contemporary art about gender, femininity, and representation.

BA (Hons) History of Art and Design 9

Carlos Pereira. Bride in Water. 2011. Carlos Pereira Photography, Lisbon, Portugal.

The Role of Anime in Western Filmmaking

Ivana Simonovicova

Throughout history, Japanese art has played a significant role in the West with anime being no exception. The unique style, diversity of genres, exploration of complex themes, and incorporation of Japanese culture are all features which make anime stand out and appeal to a global audience. Thanks to its popularity in the West, anime plays a significant role in shaping the Western cinematic landscape. Two significant roles of anime in Western filmmaking are identified in this dissertation: anime as a source of inspiration, and anime as a source material for adaptations.

Anime has had a profound impact on creatives like the Wachowskis, Guillermo del Toro, James Cameron, or Steven Spielberg. By closely analysing the impact Ghost in the Shell (1995) had on The Matrix (1999), the first chapter explores the role of anime as a source of inspiration. The Wachowskis took specific scenes and anime techniques and successfully translated them into a live action film. The second chapter delves into the role of anime as a source material for Western adaptations. By analysing the live action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell (2017), the chapter identifies issues linked with adapting a work from one culture to another such as appropriation or whitewashing.

This dissertation aims to highlight anime as a significant cultural export and a valuable source of inspiration, and provide a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between anime and Western cinema.

BA (Hons) History of Art and Design 10

A collage created from various scenes from Ghost in the Shell (1995), Ghost in the Shell (2017), and The Matrix (1999). Made by author.

Are the Political Implications of Representation Visible in the Museum?

Irene Zajmann

This dissertation is, above all, the outcome of critical studies research based on the premise that museums have an integral role in preserving monuments, material culture and archaeological sites, thereby influencing collective values and social understanding. The study examines the ideological representation of the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford and the British Museum in London based on the premise that these museums are not neutral frames. Moreover, representation in these museums is in danger of continuing to glorify the British colonial past.

The production of knowledge assigns western colonisers as hierarchical, and devalues social meanings, language, viewpoints, contexts, and the politics of a given region and/or its people. Since these museums inception they have been embedded within and represented by power structures. Politics is linked to the workings of power, so these museums are inherently political. Evans et al. argue that museums have never been neutral and even in their earliest forms, someone had set forth some objects for other people to view and experience.

Who is being seen?

Who has the power to see?

Who is being represented?

Who represents?

I have chosen these two museums as they were initially founded during the colonial period, and there has been some suggestion that these museums continue to promote imperialism. Therefore, this research aims to explore to what extent these institutions have embraced the politics of repatriation through an exploration of Margaret Lindauer and Henrietta Lidchi’s theories of museum history and practice.

BA (Hons) History of Art and Design 11

Empty Museum room. Photo. AdobeStock_43631402.

BA (Hons) Fashion and Dress History

English Folklore: An Investigation into the Role of Folk Stories and Customs in Shaping a Local Identity

Max Harding-Jones

Folklore in its simplest form describes people and the stories they tell. This dissertation explores the localised traditions and stories within smaller communities to show how folklore highlights the idea of a local identity within a global world. Within this global world folklore has become a way for communities to engage with each other and their own histories. The research considers the position of English folklore, specifically as it is often overlooked in comparison to the bordering nations. This is arguably in part due to English iconography being co-opted by the far right as well as the position of England’s role in colonisation. With a focus on local identities, it is also became vital to consider the role of queer identities within the discussion. This dissertation shines a light on the dismissal of LGBTQIA+ stories from outside of the metropolitan and aims to highlight the prominent role of queer identities within folklore as well as within rural settings. It is through queer identities and other marginalised groups that folklore has found a place within the discussion of contemporary narratives. These contemporary retellings have utilised folklore to discuss complex ideas such as gender and sexuality. The research also draws parallels between this influx and the recent Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit and the ongoing climate crisis as being relevant in the desire to look for an idealised past.

BA (Hons) Fashion and Dress History 14

Frank Copper. Hastings Jack in the Green. 2019. Sussex Express.

Historical Dress Recreation: How Social Media Plays a Part

Nhung Hoffman

Social Media is widely used by people all around the world. We are able to have a glimpse into the lives of millions of people who post images or videos on their accounts. Through this medium, individuals are able to showcase their niche subjects and interests for the public to view. One of these niche interests is the reconstruction of historical dress which my dissertation aims to explore.

I explore how social media plays its part in showcasing reconstructed historical dress by looking at three content creators and their Instagram and YouTube accounts. The first creator is Bernadette Banner who recreates historical dress for academic purposes but also as clothing for herself. The second creator is Angela Clayton who recreates historical dress as costumes. The final creator is Cheyney McKnight, from Not Your Momma’s History, who recreates historical clothing as a way to aid her teachings on enslaved African Americans in the United States.

In my text, I investigate the ways in which these recreators display their garments on social media. This includes what types of clothing they recreate and the reasons why they showcase their recreated historical garments online. I also look at how these content creators create a community of fellow-minded individuals through their posts on social media.

BA (Hons) Fashion and Dress History 15

Bernadette Banner. Banner working on her Jolly Holiday gown in a park. 18 April, 2021. Photograph. Instagram. Screenshot by author.

Authenticity on Screen: The Representation of Regency Era Fashion in Film Adaptations of Austen Novels

Martha McChesney

Jane Austen’s novels are some of the most adapted literature in western film history. Published in the early 1810’s, her stories focus on young women within Regency society, their turmoils with romance, and importantly, their marriage. The progression of women’s rights and our understanding of women’s place in society changes how we read and interpret Austen’s stories. Adaptations of her novels show a modern understanding of society, incorporating modern expectations and attitude into an historical society.

This dissertation focuses on two recent Austen adaptations, Emma (2020) and Persuasion (2022). Both set in the Regency era, they show different viewpoints of the fashion, society, and story. An authentic adaptation is the focal point of this dissertation; a film that respects Austen’s work while creating fashion that is accurate to historical Regency fashion, creates an authentic film. The importance of the visual entertainment that films create is important for deciding the authenticity of both Emma (2020) and Persuasion (2022)

The research in this dissertation judges how each film creates Austen’s story, and Regency society, and defines their authenticity, focusing on heavily on the fashion. Created as a relatable, modern take on Austen’s novel, Persuasion (2022) attempts to mix modern and historical influences in both costume and character. As visual entertainment, Emma (2020) incorporates the key elements of a colourful film while prioritising the importance of showing class, style, and personality through fashion in the Regency era. This dissertation compares both these adaptations to gauge how films authentically portray the Regency, and Austen, and how costume research can allow the film to become an authentic representation of Regency fashion.

BA (Hons) Fashion and Dress History 16

Liam Daniel. “Emma” cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt with actress Anya Taylor-Joy. 2020. Emma (2020), Dir. Autumn de Wilde. Arri Alexa LF Camera. Aspect Ration 1.78:1. Focus Features.

An Eighteenth-Century Pocket And Heart-Shaped Token: A Material Culture Investigation Of Emotional Interactions With Magick

And The Supernatural

Katy Meade

Invisible supernatural forces were suspected to inhabit the earth, air, fire and water in the early modern period in Britain. Ghosts, fairies, elves and witches supposedly caused harm by mystical means, although, witches were considered to be the greatest threat to people and their homes, due to their abilities to raise and direct energy; and these anxieties surrounding the supernatural persisted well into the eighteenth century. Ordinary people used ‘magickal’ thinking every day, through their emotional interactions with the supernatural, by ritually recycling their heavily worn clothing to use as lightning conductors for malevolent forces, people sought to magically fortify themselves and their homes.

The dissertation aims to reframe magick and the supernatural as frivolous subjects, by proposing that they are instead complex and worthy of attention. The research unites two thematically linked objects, a deliberately concealed pocket discovered within a wall space in a house, in Abingdon and a heart shaped textile token from the London Foundling Hospital. The two artefacts are studied through two different forms of magick, one that is protective and the other which is imitative and draws on similarities between two things that resemble each other. The dissertation is an investigation of how the self is distributed through mundane and everyday things that are not inherently magickal, such as a pocket or pieces of cloth, to explore how the objects are transformed into spin-offs of their maker or wearer, as they gain new forms of magickal power.

BA (Hons) Fashion and Dress History 17

Detachable pocket, back view, 1740-1770, block printed linen, Abingdon cache, Museums Resource Centre, Oxfordshire County Council. Personal photograph by the author. 30 Nov. 2022.

Harry Styles: American Vogue, cross-dressing, and masculinity

Isobel O’Brien

Harry Styles is a well-loved popstar who is known both for his song writing as well as his fashion which pushes against the ideas of what is acceptable for a man to wear. In December 2020 American Vogue chose the enigmatic Styles as their cover star, the first man to ever grace the cover, in a ball gown. The cover received a lot of attention and the responses ranged from those who praised Styles and Vogue to those who condemned the cover, claiming it threatened masculinity. This is not the first time in history that a man has worn a dress or a skirt, however Styles wore a dress traditionally worn by women from a design from a womenswear collection. Some, such as actor and Broadway star Billy Porter claimed that Styles was the wrong choice for such a momentous cover, that all Styles had to do was to be ‘white and straight’ while Porter had to fight to get to where he is as an openly gay, black man in the industry. I intend to look at why it is still controversial for a man to wear a dress in the West when women do not receive the same backlash when wearing trousers. This dissertation also explores the possible reasoning behind why Styles chose to wear elements of traditional men’s and women’s evening wear in the same outfit and why.

BA (Hons) Fashion and Dress History 18

Photograph taken by Tyler Mitchell for Vogue magazine for the December 2020 edition. Harry Styles wears a blue lace gown with a black tuxedo designed by Alessandro Michele for Gucci.

Violence and Desire: An Exploration of Queer Identity in Julia Ducournau’s Body Horror Films

Sid Upton

In recent years, the representation of queer identity in cinema has become increasingly diverse and nuanced, with more filmmakers exploring the complexities of non-heteronormative identities in their work. One director who has gained attention for her unique approach to this topic is Julia Ducournau, whose body horror films Raw (2016) and Titane (2021) have been praised for their visceral, boundary-pushing depictions of sexuality and gender.

The feminine urge to consume human flesh is something Ducournau is unafraid to explore in Raw, a coming of age depicting the chaos caused as a young woman succumbs to her supressed cannibalistic urges. Whereas the volatile science-fiction drama Titane, is the story of an androgynous serial killer with a sexual attraction to cars who takes on a quasi-transgender identity to escape the authorities and discovers who they truly are. Two narratives that are, in short, about the female body and how that body interacts with the world around it.

This dissertation explores the representation of queer identity in these films, focusing on how Ducournau uses the horror genre to challenge conventional notions of gender and sexuality. By analysing key themes in her films, such as transformation, desire and the grotesque, I demonstrate how Ducournau’s work offers a bold and provocative commentary on contemporary queer identity. Through this exploration, I gained a deeper understanding of how horror cinema can be a powerful tool for exploring and expressing marginalised identities, and how filmmakers like Ducournau are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in this genre.

BA (Hons) Fashion and Dress History 19

Still from Raw. Justine gets a nosebleed. dir. Julia Ducournau. Wild Bunch, 2016.

BA (Hons) Visual Culture

Diasporic Narratives of Self-Expression: The Visual Culture of Female Middle Eastern Identities

Martha

Doyle

For any individual, moving from one culture to another can be a completely unique and often, a challenging experience. The physical, cultural and emotional implications associated with migration have been invested in the contemporary works of artists Shirin Neshat and Mona Hatoum. Both share a passion for storytelling through their works, which convey their personal experiences of moving from the Global South to the North.

Stories of voluntary and involuntary exile frame the works of both Neshat and Hatoum, referencing their countries of origin and comparing them to where they situate themselves today.

Neshat’s childhood in Iran was affected by a feeling of disconnectedness from those around her. After moving to the United States to study art, she found that this feeling of disconnectedness remained. The effects of the Iranian Revolution in 1978 separated her from her loved ones for over 10 years. Neshat’s works illustrate her struggle settling into both Iranian as well as American culture.

Hatoum tells her story of taking a short trip from Lebanon to the United Kingdom in 1975, when she is suddenly confronted by the news of war breaking out at home. She is left ‘stranded’, manifesting themes of disconnectedness, exile and isolation into her works.

These artists draw on their experiences of feeling displaced and separated within society, two themes tied strongly to the term ‘diaspora’. Diasporic narratives presented by the two artists call attention to the inequalities and injustices faced by these minority groups.

This dissertation explores two works from each artist to understand the feelings and experiences associated with diaspora.

BA (Hons) Visual Culture 22

Shirin Neshat. Rebellious Silence, part of Women of Allah series. 1994. Gladstone Gallery. Accessed April 3, 2023.

Daily Mail front page covering the 2011 London riots. 9 Aug. 2011. The language used by the headlines works with a picture that conforms with easily recognised “riot tropes” (fire, property damage, masked youths, etc.) to impart a specific message about the events. Photo: © Associated Newspapers Ltd.

Don’t Always Believe Your Eyes: How Does Context Affect Our Understanding of News Photos? Kevin Hayes

There is a popular idea that photographs are, in some way, factual documents. Even today, when most people are familiar with the concept of photoshopped, manipulated pictures, or even AI-generated imagery, a photograph accompanying a news story still maintains an air of authority and can lend credence to the report.

By combining my professional experience as a newspaper picture editor with analytical work by writers such as Roland Barthes and Stuart Hall, this dissertation examines how our understanding of what news photographs show can be (subtly) affected by the context they are placed in. Headlines, position on the page, captions, and other pictures used alongside a news photo can actively change the reader’s interpretation of what an image shows.

As well as looking at images used in newspapers, this study will also explore what happens to the meaning of news photos when they are displayed in art galleries or used by artists in their work. It will focus on Canadian artist Stan Douglas’ photorealistic images of the 2011 London riots. By comparing them with newspaper coverage of the same event, it will discuss how photographs are used to produce meaning.

By exploring these topics, this work aims to make readers question how they understand news photos and decide when they should or should not believe what they are told by them.

BA (Hons) Visual Culture 23

Rethink, Recreate, Reclaim: The Perspective of First Nations Australian Contemporary Artists

Renee Keeffe

The painful effects of colonisation on First Nations Australian contemporary artists and the ability to maintain their cultural identity have rippled down subsequent generations, and this work examines that phenomenon. The key rising themes of these First Nations artists include invasion, stolen generations, racism, and loss of identity, all of which have been profoundly affected by colonial discourse. These artists continue to rethink, recreate, and reclaim their identities. As a result, the negative past has created new, complex social structures and ideologies involving postcolonial and cross-cultural identities. This study delves into the creative process of three First Nations artists whose work is influenced by the ever-evolving cultural landscape surrounding them. Their modern aesthetic and outlook both owe a debt to this. The aesthetic of mass production, mass media, and global culture has permeated First Nations communities and altered how they view their practices, culture, and representation. Gordon Bennett, Destiny Deacon, and Michael Cook are just a few artists that have used themes of racism, invasion, and identity loss to create a shared visual story. The effects of this intergenerational trauma have broadened the viewpoints of these creatives by compelling them to question their existence in global visibility and encouraging them to rethink, recreate, and reclaim their identity continuously. Incorporating post-modern and postcolonial theories and global cultural contexts, these three artists are clear examples of these concepts. Their works, which draw from various cultures, focus on the challenges of racism and the search for their own voice.

BA (Hons) Visual Culture 24

Michael Cook Invasion (Laser Girls), 2017 Photograph, Inkjet print, photo paper, 81 x 120 cm

Photograph. Web. JPEG Image courtesy of https://artinthestreets.

‘Art or Vandalism’: A Study of the Role of Graffiti in Society since the 1970s

Ellie Taylor

Graffiti is a controversial subject. Its visual intervention in public space is freely accessible, allowing anyone to voice opinions. It has been called everything from urban blight to creative expression to a commercial product. The most common phraseology used when discussing graffiti is to inquire whether it is ‘art or vandalism’. The dissertation is not aiming to answer this subjective and unwinnable debate but rather unpack it and look at the broader position of graffiti in two cities.

The first chapter of the dissertation takes a historical approach, primarily analysing the 1970s and 80s New York City graffiti culture and early practitioners, such as Dondi, shown painting in the image. This chapter helps the reader understand the movement’s principles and where mainstream attitudes towards graffiti originated. The rest of the dissertation focuses on contemporary Brighton, a city with little scholarly research on its graffiti scene. I investigated the places graffiti occupies, legal and illegal, to discover the positive changing cultural attitudes and negative normative constructions towards graffiti. Throughout the dissertation, participant-based research is interwoven - an interview with a Brighton-based graffiti artist and questionnaires with a Brighton councillor and renowned urban scholar - to show graffiti’s complex perspectives and ambiguity.

This dissertation calls for a more contextualised and nuanced understanding of graffiti; it highlights how the binary opposition, ‘art or vandalism’, restricts people’s perception of graffiti. It is about time people considered the wider role of graffiti in society’s visual culture and how it brings lively debate to neglected city surfaces.

BA (Hons) Visual Culture 25

Martha Cooper. Dondi painting Children of the Grave Part Three, New Lots Yard, Brooklyn, New York. 1980. org/.

The Appropriation of Found Photographs

Hollie Whitehead

Some artists create artwork from discarded photographs they have found in second-hand shops. They use a process known as appropriation, which involves combining two or more existent objects into a single work of art. These artists transform these types of old photographs to produce new, eye-catching and intriguing artwork.

Philosopher Walter Benjamin explains artwork possesses an aura, an impression of aliveness, a certain quality that can only be experienced when viewing the artwork in person at its specific location. He argues that removing the artwork from its context will cause the aura to be lost. But can the aura be regained by artists who work with found photographs and create new narratives using appropriation?

Artist John Stezaker uses discarded film stills from the mid20th century and collages them with old postcards to create unique imagery centred around the subconscious mind. He described the found images he finds fascinating as having a “strange sensation of its aliveness.” These types of artists build upon the original history by adding an element, creating a new aliveness or aura and meaning to a once-discarded photograph.

Artist Penelope Umbrico is interested in the mass collective and creates her artwork by combing photographs she has found through image-sharing sites online. Physical photographs are not the only ones being lost; digital images being posted on the internet can also become lost in this virtually endless exchange of imagery data. This shift from physical to digital highlights change in what we do with our photographs today. But what happens to digital image’s aura, is it lost?

BA (Hons) Visual Culture 26

John Stezaker. Masks LXV. 2007. Collage. 25.5 x 20cm.

The Understanding and Experiences Behind What Is

Considered Beautiful: A Study of Wes Anderson’s ‘Aesthetic’ in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Luella Worrow

My dissertation highlights the different elements used to create a specific aesthetic the film is recognised for. I study them as objects, but how they are depicted, layered into the film, to understand the reasons behind why the film impacts our idea of beauty in the visuals and story.

Applied to the origin of aesthetic theory, I aim to establish why the film is seen as a piece of art. Originally, aesthetic value was only applied to the physical object, and meant beauty. Connections between classical, modern, and post-modern theory determine how the word ‘aesthetic’ is contextualised. Walter Benjamin says film as a material undermines the experience of the viewer because of the ability to manipulate what we see. I scrutinise characters and the plot, set design, colour, costume, alongside elements like the time-period, and religious aspects. I look at how the physical and methodological elements work together to create the aesthetic in the modern age.

People can find beauty in sadness and tragedy. The stark comparison makes us feel deeply, and impacts the intensity of our feelings throughout the film. Making assumptions due to reference of time periods (such as the main artwork involved in the story’s conflict, Boy With Apple, we take our own knowledge learnt before, about the effect of the war, the sadness, and compare this with the great things such as little love, fantasy, art, and childhood nostalgia, all from this story told to us from a fake book. Themes supported by visual things like colour, and costumes, beautiful or not in their own, make us appreciate the beauty of the story, and the good or evil characters depicted. The film makes us question our morals and what our own reception of beauty really is. Maybe beauty is in tragedy all along.

BA (Hons) Visual Culture 27

Still from the film The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson, 2014.

Dissertation Supervisors 2022-2023

Dr Verity Clarkson

Dr Veronica Isaac

Dr Yunah Lee

Dr Charlotte Nicklas

Dr Ceren Özpınar

Dr Megha Rajguru

Dr Eliza Tan

Dr Claire Wintle

Supervisors

Dissertation