Postmodern Culture: From the Ground Up

 As students of cultural studies, we examined this photo of 3D sidewalk art:

 

We identified that the image exhibits the characteristics of postmodern style identified by Chris Barker in his text Cultural Studies (2012). Specifically, the image exhibits

1.      “the cannibalization of styles from past and present” (p. 212). The image represents Lego men, a popular toy, presented in a new 3D art medium.

2.      “the loss of authentic artistic style in favour of pastiche” (p. 212). We identified an homage to the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, popularly known as theTerra Cotta Warriors. While Lego men are used in the place of the warriors, there is no sense of mocking involved.

3.      “the breakdown of a firm distinction between high and low culture” (p. 212). There is a strong sense of artistic effort and execution in the piece.  It is “well done.” But everyday items, toys, figure prominently in the image.

4.       “the culture of the simulacrum or copy (for which no original existed)” (p. 212). Drawing on Baudrillard’s “The precession of the simulacra” (1983), we identified that the image “feign[s] to have what [it] hasn’t” (p. 2). The image “feigns” three-dimensionality.

5.      “the fashion for nostalgia in which history is the object not of representation but of stylistic connotation” (p. 212). The image is designed to evoke an archaeological excavation site.

6.      “the transcending of the capacities of the individual to locate him- or herself perceptually or cognitively in a postmodern hyperspace” (p. 212). We identified that the image and medium speak strongly to positionality. Drawing on the work of Massumi’s “Concrete is as concrete doesn’t” (2002), we described the image as requiring persons to stand in a particular point “on the grid” (p.3) to be able to appreciate the 3D-effect of the work. People standing in other positions could not necessarily “see” the effect. The effect relies on disorientation of the person in space.

In as much as we found that the piece met the description for postmodern art, we were also impressed by the medium, and there were moments in which we, quite frank, just enjoyed it! We admitted that we would like to see more work in this medium, but acknowledge that Maine (especially during mud season), may not be an ideal spot for such creations.