As the new semester begins, so too the brainstorming for the new Studio Practice Brief. Tropes, Metaphors Metonymy and Synecdoche – all new words in my vocabulary, and all closely related to ‘cliché’.
Giving this whole thing some thought, my interpretation is that it’s really all related to language, communication and the human condition. It is my belief that people find comfort and security in clichés – belonging to the right group, mixing in the right circles, and in some instances, whether knowingly or unknowingly, actually strive to become a cliché. Obviously, no body wants to knowingly ‘be’ a cliché - so for the sake of human comfort, let's call them stereotypes.
In two recent shows at the photographer’s gallery; Alex Prager: Silver Lake Drive and Tish Murthas; Works 1976-1991, stereotypes and class systems are addressed in both.
Alex Prager’s vintage colour film stills portray the plight of a young blonde heroine (in 50s America), struggling with feeling alone. Looking out at the world through a window – a metaphor for her internal isolation, she ventures into the street only to find that as a face in the crowd, she is still very much alone – surrounded by people comfortable in the knowledge that they belong to stereotype – all 1950’s clichés in their own right.
Tish Murtha, by contrast evidences an honest series of black and white photographs from her days growing up in South Shields, where everyone is in the same boat, albeit extremely poor and very grubby (bath on a Sunday). A glimpse of the economy of the time - social deprivation – a countrywide problem within poorer communities in urban city areas of the 70’s.
In Grayson Perry’s ‘All in the best possible taste’ series, a middle class house wife admits to buying the ‘show house’ on the estate to avoid having to make the wrong decision about styling the interior, likewise, she specifically purchases the black four wheel drive vehicle to fit in with the neighbours.
‘Belonging’ to the right group, speaking the right language and seeing the right shows, whether theatre going or an art appreciator, stereotypes and clichés surround us. Comedians make a living by exploiting these types of personalities – who as an audience we can all relate to.
This security found in Clichés and stereotypes is interesting to me.
Thinking about this with a positive outlook it is comforting to know that there are groups and spaces an individual can fit into if they so desire. There is of course the cliché individual, who doesn’t like to be the same as anyone else – but by their own volition aren’t they also clichés too?
The art world breeds its own type of cliché personalities, such as critics, curators, publicists and even the artists themselves. Other art admiring cliché crowds can often be observed in galleries.
Example; The Matisse crowd at the RA, Fifty something/retired (fabulous financial advisor in the wings), with middle classes accents, arriving for the 2pm showing so as to squeeze in a nice lunch afterwards, before heading home (avoiding rush hour tube) to Hampstead – got in for free because they’re a ‘Friend’ of the RA. Or am I assuming too much?
Stereotyping leads to assumption! Or is it just about trying to understand the wider world, a human trait and need in its own right?
These high prestigious institutions promote this type of thinking with their advertising and star rated, one word, point of sale advertisements – in the hope of snaring the wanna-be art appreciators who like to be seen as knowing something about art. ***** Fantastic!
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