Deconstructing+Constructions

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 * If Postmodern Civilization is synonymous with Individuality, Humanism, and tangible enlightenment: Then is it just to abolish created conceptions of art, combat sports, race and gender? In class we have participated in passionate discussions about the state of the //industry// otherwsie known as Art. From a cultural diamond perspective, the practical existence of an Artist (producer), what actually constitutes as art (product), how we as individuals value art (audience), and how art impacts and or 'benefits' society {or lack thereof}(social context) have all been debated. Shaping this argument into a high (conservative)-low (liberal) culture dialect can be difficult because it seems at the basis of the argument is the anomaly (money and standards). In regard to art, a conservative may extol art as culturally and creatively stimulating aspects of art which is taught in school, studied in the university and manifests itself in corporate world (museums). Meanwhile, a liberal opponent on this issue will argue that anyone can be an artist, everything is art or shall I say a visual culture, individuals will invest or consume visual culture (clothing, film, music) at their own volition. I have to decided to interject race, sport and gender because these are other socially created concepts that have standards and MEANING thrust open them. Courtesy of Stuart Hall, ethnicity has replaced the socially built ideology of race, but others still believe that race is an intricate part of the individual and has a large part of his or her self-awareness. For sport, some wish to seek to appreciate combat sport for its ability to promote physical activity, community and profit (in the professional setting). However others argue that sport isn't intellectual, projects stereotypes and has became a spectacle in some cases.**

In regard to Art, a historical outlook is given on the entity of art (1st video). Meanwhile the second video highlights the modern art //market//

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Here is a video about the biosocial origins of the concept race, which brings forth the current view of why race is still relevant psychologically:

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This clip shows how Disney capitalizes off of the binary of male and femaleness. It is imperative to recognize that issues sexuality/gender often take the backseat of those revolving around race/ethnicity. It also vital to recognize that notions of socialization are profound during youth (the primary audience of Disney).

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Lastly, a cultural critique on combat sport is given to connect combat to negative social behavior and deviance.

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The Work(s)
The images of representations.

Materiality and Production
Artists emerged as individuals that could not fit in the standard economic ideal of work. This economic alienation transcended into the social realm too, “….They necessarily work alone, detached from social life and interaction and often in opposition to social values and practices” (Wolf, 11). In result, the suppression of art as a profession has ultimately suppressed the artist his or herself. Wolff, Janet. //The Social Production of Art//. London: MacMillan, 1981. Print. Furthermore, music is an important cultural and communicative medium…The importance of music to group identity and social differentiation, then, suggests that musical taste provides a good test for questions about symbolic boundaries (Bethany Bryson, 5) Musically (or for any concept of art), the intersections of class and race in the sense can provide a multi-cultural explanation for my musical tastes: … familiarity with a wide range of cultural styles may serve as a sort of (multi)cultural capital because this tolerance is systematically exclusive and unevenly distributed across educational levels (Bryson, 13).

Bethany Bryson // American Sociological Review //, Vol. 61, No. 5. (Oct., 1996), pp. 884-899. Stable URL:
 * "Anything But Heavy Metal": Symbolic Exclusion and Musical Dislikes **

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Presentation and Market Value
Grace Jones is presented as a postmodern international singer, model and actress. She was a muse of Andy Warhol, worked with and had birthed a child to Jean- Paul Goude. She was a Bond Girl in the 1980's and her career heavily influenced those of Madonna, Kelis, Rihanna and Kelis.


 * **Studio albums** ||~ 10 ||
 * [|↙] **Compilation albums** ||~ 3 ||
 * [|↙] **Singles** ||~ 40 ||
 * [|↙] **Video albums** ||~ 2 ||


 * Notes**
 * [|**^**]**A** This position is referred to the Dance/Urban Top 15.
 * [|**^**]**B** //Nightclubbing// was certificated Gold in Germany in 1992.[|[16]]
 * [|**^**]**C** //Inside Story// was certificated Silver in UK on December 1, 1986.[|[17]]
 * The album //Slave to the Rhythm// enter also in the Canadian Adult Contemporary Top 30 Charts, and reached #18.[|[18]]
 * It is known that //Nightclubbing//, //Living My Life//, //Slave To The Rhythm//, //Inside Story// and //Bulletproof Heart// reached the Germany albums chart, although the actual positions are unknowns.
 * [|**^**]**D** //Island Life// was certificated Gold in UK on February 11, 1986.[|[17]]

Jones is a three-time [|Saturn Award] nominee, a [|Grammy] nominee, a [|Razzie Award] nominee, and a [|Q Awards] Winner. Jones also ranked 82 on [|VH1]'s '100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll' [|[34]]

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Visual Grammar
In regard to modality, the criticism of Grace Jones came from the ethos of "Deontic Modality" thinking. Women should have long hair, androgyny should be deemed as 'weird', sexuality should be conservatively expressed.

Theory / Meaning
Grace Jones represents the deconstruction of a Postmodern Image. The representation of her image prompted the audience to ponder about her ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender role, sense of decorum, or this sense of feral that was placed on her aura. Grace Jones is one that catapulted to success by utilizing her individual epistemology and debunking dualistic thinking embedded within the binary oppositions of cultural traits. Due to strong senses of solidarity and identification, Grace became very popular within the Black and Gay audiences. Perhpaps because these did not react to Grace Jones in a "Group-Think" fashion.

I



**In the music video for My Jamaican Guy, she sings the song in Jamaican Creole which is considered degenerate broken English by some. However she puts on an interesting twist on Gender Roles.**
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"I was unique in that I was a kind of black that white people could accept," she once said. "I was their daydream. I had the worst kind of acceptance because it was never for how great I was or what I contributed. It was because of the way I looked."Lena Horne