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Appropriation
Research Essay
Cultural Theory Unit

Kieran McAtamney-Sanders
Rose Bruford College
Sound & Image Design, Year 1


Brief:

Since the early eighties ‘appropriation’ has become common in graphic design. Using no more than three examples, discuss the following:

What is meant by appropriation

The cultural circumstances which have created the context of appropriation as a ‘trend’.

The implications of using appropriation as a means of (re)generating popular music.

Deliverables:

An essay of approximately 2000 words.

Introduction:

In this essay, I will examine the issues surrounding the use of appropriation in graphic design and popular music. In order to do this, it is first necessary to define the term.

What is Appropriation?

Appropriation is defined as: To take possession of or make use of exclusively for oneself, often without permission.
In terms of cultural theory, appropriation is the act of taking a cultural artefact, and reusing it in a difference context, thereby altering its significance and meaning. This can be an image, style, quotation, and indeed any cultural artefact.

Though it has become more widespread in the past two decades or so, appropriation of imagery is not a recent development. One example of this from further back in history is the Nazis’ appropriation of the swastika (previously a symbol of good luck, commonly used on Christmas cards) as their emblem, irrevocably changing its meaning. Neither is appropriation limited only to images, it can equally be applied to styles of typeface and layout. To take another example from the Nazi Germany, the use of ‘Gothic’ typefaces in almost all nazi printed materials, signs and so on. This same style of typeface was later re-appropriated by designers to denote horror. In both of these examples, the imagery thus appropriated has been inextricably altered in meaning in the perceptions of society.

One of the concerns raised by appropriation is the commandeering of cultural imagery from minorities by mainstream culture. One example of this is the popularity of Maori imagery in the form of tattoos, jewellery and other faux-ethnic fashion items, much to chagrin of the actual Maori population. Equally, however, appropriation of mainstream imagery and language by minorities can be empowering - for example the African-American appropriation of the word ‘Nigger’ - previously used by whites as a part of a culture of oppression.

Looking back further still, appropriation is evident in the architecture of the regency period, where the architectural style of the Roman Empire and Ancient Greece were appropriated for all manner of public and private buildings. It is however, in the last two decades or so that appropriation has become most prevalent.

Chapter 1:Cultural Context:

As I established in my introduction, appropriation has been with us for quite some time. However, In the past two decades or so it had become increasingly widespread, to the point where it is a rarity to find any magazine, album cover or poster that does not tip a sly nod to some piece one historical imagery or another. In this Chapter, I will examine the historical and cultural factors that have lead to the spread of appropriation in graphic design.

A key factor in increase in the popularity of appropriated imagery is certainly the development of technology. The Punk movement in the late 1970’s is notable for its use of appropriated imagery in the fashions associated with it. This is in no small part due to the development of the photocopier into a widespread technology. This allowed images to be literally ripped out and re-used (most notably on T-Shirts and posters) - the very definition of appropriation. Since then Technology has moved on at a remarkable pace, and with modern computer techniques it has become a simple matter to acquire and manipulate existing images, making appropriation even easier. Desktop Publishing has also led to far greater flexibility in graphic design, allowing designers to play with various compositions quickly and easily, leading to far greater experimentation, in many cases with appropriated styles.

The social forces behind the punk movement also sowed the seeds for its attraction toward appropriated imagery. Punk was defined by the things it was rebelling against, and what better way to rebel than to assert control over the imagery of the ‘enemy’? This has been true of many sub-cultures since punk, and has led to successive sub-cultures appropriating whatever imagery will most offend the mainstream. In turn, this leads to appropriated imagery finding its way into the mainstream, as the subcultures that produce it become assimilated into mainstream popular culture.

Chapter 2: Appropriation and Popular Music:

Appropriation and music have been closely linked since the advent of punk, through the fashions associated with music. However, with the development of technologies such as the sampler, appropriation in music has taken on a new meaning - the use of existing music as the basis for new pieces.

Of course, appropriation in music did not begin with the sampler - artists have always drawn inspiration from what has come before - Rock and Roll is the result of the appropriation of The Blues by white artists in the fifties. However, the technology that allows musicians to incorporate actual recordings of previous works into their own has taken this to a completely new level.

This can be an extremely rich creative vein for artists to pursue, but also poses the threat of stagnation in popular music. Signs of this can already be seen - records are routinely re-released every five years or so, with a notional remix (often composing nothing more than a faster drum beat). While music remains a massively popular form of entertainment, there is a marked downturn in the number of new compositions that reach the charts.

Conclusions:

The issue of appropriation raises many concerns about the future of a society which increasingly feeds upon itself, recycling the same images, and more recently, the same music. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the use of appropriated imagery; indeed, it can provide a rich source of inspiration, allowing artists in all genres to create new and interesting interpretations of historical works. All this is fine, so long as it does not come at the expense of genuine original creativity - or, worse still, act as a tool of discrimination and stereotyping against minorities.