Part 1: What is the future of music and the arts?

Music and the arts are viewed as something that encapsulates every person and every country, but it can be affected by culture, status and social class. Without access to the arts certain people can be left without its benefits, they allow people to express physical feelings and emotion through image or sound (Eisner, 2002).

Although the arts and music are everywhere, people from different educational backgrounds may have an altering opinion on the arts, as explained by Nick Rankin and Robin Redmond, arts integration is a process in public schools which allows both teacher and artist to connect a subject matter into an art project, or in a music class using art to understand how reading music works (Rabkin, Redmond, 2006). This teaches the children valuable lessons about creating and exploring their imaginations and inquisitive nature around the art of things. Schools with lower budgets may opt for simple low-cost arts, such as painting and drawing which requires less expensive equipment. Artists and teachers in Chicago dynamically improve their curriculum by combining comparable processes in an art form or activity with a more traditionally academic activity, for example, they may pair writing with sketching or reading literature with looking at art (Burnaford, Aprill & Weiss, 2001). The combined subjects engage the same cognitive processes, setting these corresponding processes in momentum to generate a cognitive between the two subjects, deepening learning in both. This kind of work promotes higher levels of engagement, raises students’ intrinsic standards, and motivates students to invest the energy that learning requires of them (Newmann, 2000).

These activities are advertised and so forth based on social class and culture. Those with an in depth understanding with music can fully appreciate its context and content, whereas those who perhaps use music as a passive activity will not fully understand or appreciate it for what it is (Huang, 2019). Becoming accustomed to certain music or songs that certain classes or social backgrounds listen to or immerse themselves in can also deprecate the connections with music, such as classical music being associated with upper classes, and football chants with working class (Bruenger, 2016).

Since, and over, the 20^th century the music industry has become a multimillion-pound industry, based on the means to monetise at every stage of the process, and each part of the industry investigates each sociological and economic class to determine how to make the most money (The Berkman Centre for Internet & Society at Harvard University, 2011). Whereas one person may be able to afford a three-figure sum for a live concert experience, one person may only be able to afford a compact disc worth an average of £10, and now streaming services offer free models of their subscription with the inclusion of advertisements for those who may not be able to afford a £9.99 monthly subscription. These things are taken into consideration by the industry, to capitalise as much as possible even within different economic circumstances (Webster, 2019).

Sony has sold more than 5m units of its PlayStation VR since it was launched in 2016 © Bloomberg

Sony music are looking to, starting in 2021 with ‘Sony Immersive Music Studios’, work on and experiment with the ideas of immersive media using a games engine associated with popular video game Fortnite, as in 2019 musician Marshmello performed a live set to Fortnite players which attracted a virtual audience of 1,000,000 people – with the creation of exclusive merchandise after around $50 (Ingham, 2019). The idea behind the immersive media is that Sony could re-create a music venue experience live event from the comfort of your own home or wherever you are residing, but with large elements of fantasy throughout. This means that some things that would not normally happen during a physical live event can happen in the digital one (Stassen, 2020). Sony looks to use technology to broaden the experience of a live event and take it further without losing intimacy. They hope that the immersive media will expand artist’s creative outreach and capabilities, whilst also expanding creative options associated with design for live music events (Sony Music, 2021).

This could well be the future of live music, with the effects of a global pandemic looming and causing long-term effects. Musicians are a huge part of culture and revenue for their countries, and have not been supported appropriately throughout the pandemic, losing valuable income and risking their business, they have had to find alternate strategies alone (Seetharaman, 2020). The long-term effects of leaving the EU will also cause disruption for live music, with many artists saying they may be unable to afford to travel to other countries to perform (Dray, 2021). The immersive media engine would make it affordable and more possible for people to attend, as they would have a one-time purchase of a headset which are becoming cheaper than ever, and additional costs of the live event, emitting travel and accommodation expenses normally associated with live music, and enabling a connection between real world and virtual (Loureiro, 2020). This could help the social class divide between those usually unable to afford to experience live music and those who regularly attend. By simply putting on a VR headset, you can be transported to a live event of your choice, performed wherever in the world (echoAR, 2020).

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Episode 1315A, Musical guest The Flaming Lips performs on September 11, 2020,

Band the Flaming Lips recently set up a physical concert amid the COVID-19 global pandemic, but the audience members had access to a ‘bubble’ (Savage, 2021). Each bubble held 3 persons each and had enough oxygen for 3 people for up to 80 minutes – although towels were needed inside for condensation. Inside each ‘bubble’ was a high frequency speaker to help prevent sound from being muffled – as well as a water bottle, a fan, a towel, and, if it got too hot, the bubble was refilled with cool air using a leaf blower. Fans who needed the bathroom were accompanied by venue staff once they had put on a medical face mask and stepped outside of their ‘bubble’ (Roberts, 2021). It looks unlikely to be any G.G. Allin, who would cocktail drugs and perform on-stage naked and fight with the spectators, type concerts anytime soon (Mock, 2016).

References

Bloomberg, (2016), Sony has sold more than 5m units of its PlayStation VR since it was launched in 2016 © Bloomberg, Accessed 10/03/2021

Bohle, T, (n.d.), Photo by Tembela Bohle on Pexels.com, Accessed 10/03/2021

Bruenger, D, (2016), Making Money, Making Music: History and Core Concepts, University of California Press, pp 1 – 6, Accessed 09/03/2021

Burnaford, G, Aprill, A, Weiss, C, (2001), Renaissance in the classroom: Arts integration and meaningful learning. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, Accessed 03/03/2021

Dray, S, (2021), Impact of Brexit on UK musicians performing in the EU, Accessed 25/02/2021, https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/impact-of-brexit-on-uk-musicians-performing-in-the-eu/

echoAR, (2020), How Virtual Reality is Changing the Music Industry, Accessed 10/03/2021, https://medium.com/echoar/how-virtual-reality-is-changing-the-music-industry-9b874ee166ab

Eisner, E. (2002). Teaching the Visual Arts, In the Arts and the Creation of Mind (pp. 46-69), New Haven; London: Yale University Press. Accessed 03/03/2021, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1np7vz.7

Eisner, E. (2002). The Role of The Arts in Transforming Consciousness, In the Arts and the Creation of Mind (pp. 1-24), New Haven; London: Yale University Press. Accessed 03/03/2021, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1np7vz.5

Huang, X, (2019), Understanding Bourdieu Cultural Capital and Habitus, School of Art & Design, Guangzhou College of Commerce, Guangzhou, Guangdong, pp 47, Accessed 29/01/2021, https://doi.org/resv11n3p45

Ingham, T, (2019), Marshmello Just Played a Live Set to 10m People in Video Game Fortnite – and That Wasn’t Even The Most Interesting Move He Made This Weekend, Accessed 10/03/2021, https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/marshmello-just-played-a-live-set-to-10m-people-in-video-game-fortnite-and-that-wasnt-even-the-most-interesting-move-he-made-this-weekend/

Loureiro, S.M.C. ed., (2020), Managerial Challenges and Social Impacts of Virtual and Augmented Reality, IGI Global. pp 21, Accessed 10/03/2021

Mock, R, (2016), Performing the Toxic Body, The Arts Institute, pp 2 – 4, Accessed 10/03/2021, http://blogs.plymouth.ac.uk/artsinstitute/2016/05/06/feature-performing-the-toxic-body/

NBC, (2020), The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Episode 1315A, Musical guest The Flaming Lips performs on September 11, 2020, NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images, NBCUniversal Media, LLC, Accessed 10/03/2021

Newmann, F. M, (2000), Authentic intellectual work: What and why?, Research/Practice, 8(1), Accessed 03/03/2021, www.education.umn.edu/CAREI/Reports/Rpractice/Fall2000

Petrović, N, (2020), Augmented and Virtual Reality Web Applications for Music Stage Performance, 2020 55th International Scientific Conference on Information, Communication and Energy Systems and Technologies (ICEST), Niš, Serbia, pp. 33-36, doi: 10.1109/ICEST49890.2020.9232713.

Rabkin, N, Redmond, R, (2006) The Arts Make a Difference, The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 36:1, 25-32, DOI: 10.3200/JAML.36.1.25-32

Roberts, M.S., (2021), Band stages unique ‘space bubble’ concert to get COVID-creative, Accessed 16/02/2021, https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/coronavirus/flaming-lips-band-space-bubble-concert/

Savage, R, (2021), Flaming Lips stage unique ‘space bubble’ concert in Oklahoma, Accessed 16/02/2021, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55794674

Seetharaman, P, (2020), Business models shifts: Impact of Covid-19, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Diamond Harbour Road, Joka, Kolkata, India, pp 2, Accessed 25/02/2021.

Sony Music (2021), Madison Beer Creates Ultra-Realistic Immersive Reality Concert Experience with Sony Music Entertainment and Verizon, Accessed 10/03/2021, https://www.sonymusic.com/sonymusic-labels/madison-beer-immersive-reality-concert-experience-sony-music-entertainment-and-verizon/

Stassen, M, (2020), Sony is Building a Team ‘Dedicated to Reimagining Music Through Immersive Media’ – Using Fortnite Maker Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, Accessed 10/03/2021, https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/sony-is-building-a-team-dedicated-to-reimagining-music-through-immersive-media-using-fortnite-maker-epic-games-unreal-engine/

StockSnap, (n.d.), Child playing piano with adult, Image by StockSnap from Pixabay, Accessed 02/03/2021

The Berkman Centre for Internet & Society at Harvard University, (2011), Rethinking Music: A Framing Paper, pp 89 – 100, Accessed 09/03/2021 Webster, J, (2019), Taste in the platform age: music streaming services and new forms of class distinction, Information, Communication & Society 2020, Vol. 23, No. 13, pp 1909 – 1924, Accessed 10/03/2021

Looking at Stereotypes.

In general it is easy to stereotype people with specific features or that belong to a certain group. This also falls into design.

When presented with a chosen subject to work on it is too easy to take the research you find to create something so precise that it reaches a point in which it becomes almost a stereotype in itself.

The way to avoid this is to really take the research gathered and flip it around, change the finer details while still remaining true to the information collected.

This Guardian advert from 1986 proves how a shift in point of view, from a generally negative outlook on an individual, can drastically change the outcome of a situation. The same principle can be applied to design.

The Guardian’s 1986 advertisement, titled Point Of View shows a skinhead wrestling with a man for his briefcase from one angle, then cuts to the full picture which shows the individual is in fact saving this man from falling bricks.
This advert won a gold Lion at Cannes.

The Guardian’s use of a stereotyped character in the advert was to visually express to the viewer and their audience that their publications were not biased or incorrect, that they always looked at the full picture – not just one side of a story. By making the skinhead (who in 1986 would vastly be stereotyped as a nuisance in society) the hero in the visual story it shifts the audiences perception of the individual and his actions. It really makes them think about their own thoughts, and most importantly it makes an impact.

In my work I am planning to look at punk women, but I do not want to focus on the masculine or aggressive connotations associated with them, instead I want take them out of that context and put them as individuals into a surreal situation. For example, one may find a woman who is a punk and take footage of them in a club, I want to change that and put them somewhere unexpected.

In 2016 Neville Brody designed the typeface for an exhibition all about punks, and instead of being the stereotypical ransom note type that is associated with the punk movement he created something more uniform.

Neville Brody’s typeface/visual identity for PUNK LONDON.

Sex Pistols visual identity created by Jamie Reid. A very typical visual style associated with the punk movement.

Brody’s approach to the Punk London exhibition in 2016 defied the expectation that the design would be reminiscent of the DIY visual identity associated with the original punk movement, instead it was clean and precise but with its own twist.

This approach almost shocks the audience as it’s unexpected, almost the opposite of what the original punk visual identity looks like. This brought it an amount of attention and became part of the exhibition itself.

PUNK LONDON advertisement for Transport For London, by Hemingway Design
(https://www.hemingwaydesign.co.uk/projects/transport-london/)

The use of such a simple visual identity atop of the image of the London Tube worker, Greg Cosens, is vital in the fact that it isn’t using the stereotypical punk aesthetic to speak to the audience, it is instead using the image of Greg to communicate.

Poly Styrene, X-Ray Spex frontwoman, celebrated

Original vector artwork, by Molly Hartley (myself), 2016

I have just read this celebratory article which talks about the new biography (Dayglo: The Poly Styrene Story) for X-Ray Spex frontwoman Poly Styrene. I found the article interesting, not just for briefly looking over her life and the new book, but to think about her as an icon and inspiration for both myself and other young females.

The late Poly Styrene is the main focus on the cover of her biography

On reflection Poly Styrene was a highly commended musician in the 1970s when punk was on it’s high. Although her band X-Ray Spex’s first 1977 album Germ Free Adolescents and corresponding singles sold well and their live performances extremely popular, they were quickly forgotten as they disbanded in 1979, as time passed and the first wave of the punk revolution was over.

X-Ray Spex, *Germ Free Adolescents*, 1978

X-Ray Spex only ever released 2 albums (the second in 1995) but the first one was from that important time period, hence why it was/is so important to many punks – especially female punks. Poly and X-Ray Spex, however, now have a cult following going into the 21st century and are seen as one of the leading punk bands of the late 70s.

As this article states, Poly was an integral part of the punk scene, being a woman and a woman of colour, she brought life to the otherwise white male dominated scene.

“A woman of color, Styrene was known for her stirring voice and prescient songwriting amid the white male-dominated genre of punk. Along with other British female-fronted punk groups such as the Slits and the Raincoats from her era, Styrene paved the way for future generations of women rockers, including the 1990s Riot Grrrl movement in America.”
Poly Styrene has influenced many female musicians, possibly without their realisation.

Poly’s been a huge inspiration for myself all throughout my teenage years and even now into my young adult period of my life, as she never truly dressed or acted stereotypically “punk” – she wore and did whatever she liked! She was just always herself and for that she genuinely holds the true punk spirit. Mixing up the clothes of conformist and non conformist, totally added an edge to her that was sometimes lost with the other women in the scene.

“Although she achieved popularity during punk, Styrene never really identified with that movement but rather saw it as a vehicle to express her ideas. “She was very much a hippie at heart,” says Bell. “She liked the energy of punk but could never subscribe to the nihilism within it, she was to the last a dreamer and an optimist.”
As I had stated, Styrene was never the “punk” conformist the other members of the scene sometimes were.

The new book, Dayglo: The Poly Styrene Story, will look into Poly Styrene’s life, her involvement with the punk rock movement and her later years. The book has been co-written by Zoë Howe and Styrene’s daughter Celeste Bell.

Styrene, whose real name was Marianne Joan Elliott-Said, died at the age of 53 in 2011 from cancer. Almost a decade later, her life has now been chronicled in a recently-published book, Dayglo: The Poly Styrene Story, co-written by Styrene’s daughter Celeste Bell and Zoë Howe. This oral biography draws from archival interviews with Styrene augmented by recent reminisces from X-Ray Spex’s Paul Dean and Lora Logic; the Raincoats’ Gina Birch and Ana da Silva; the Slits’ Tessa Pollitt; Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore; and others. “I was surprised mainly by the people I had never met myself,” says Bell, “but whose lives had been so deeply affected by my mother and her work. Hearing these stories was rewarding, to say the least.”

Looking For The Women of Punk

So, as I look at the punk magazines, the posters, the records, the webpages and on social media – there is a constant and familiar pattern. Everywhere there are male musicians and male fronted bands dominating these spaces, spaces that are meant to be inclusive to everyone. It then becomes apparent – whenever you talk about punk people will mention Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Buzzcocks, The Clash – all of these male oriented.

Really quickly from my memory I wrote down 15 female musicians I could think of that have been an important part of the music scene. I then sketched alongside this list to help identify differences and similarities between the favourite females of mine.