title: Sleight of Hand Responding to the Spectacle of Our Digital Society: Using the Strategy of Détournement to Critique and Subvert Dominant Modes of Representation
Creators: name: Newkirk, Matthew
Publisher: name: Griffith University
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: contemporary art
subject: digital society
subject: capitalism
subject: spectacle

description: This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of art and culture in shaping contemporary society, and offers new insights into the possibilities for resistance and transformation. It investigates how détournement - a technique of subverting existing cultural artefacts - can be used to critique and subvert the dominant modes of representation in the digital age. The research is informed by a number of theoretical perspectives, including that put forward in Guy Debord's The Society of the Spectacle, Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulations, and Marshall McLuhan's Understanding Media: Extensions of Man, and contemporaries who contextualise the Spectacle in our digital society. It explores the role of digital imagery in the construction and dissemination of the Spectacle, as well as the potential of digital art to offer alternative modes of representation and critique. McLuhan's "the medium is the message" posits that the medium through which information is conveyed is just as important as the information itself, as it shapes the way that information is received and understood. This was applied to the project by examining how different forms of contemporary media - such as social media, websites, and digital art - shape the way that the Spectacle is constructed and disseminated in the digital age. Semiotics, the study of signs and symbols, was also used to explore the ways in which visual imagery and other forms of representation are used to construct meaning in the digital age. This involved an analysis of the ways in which the Spectacle is constructed through images and other visual elements, as well as an examination of the ways in which détournement can be used to subvert and transform these dominant modes of representation. Art can be seen as a platform to confront the Spectacle without becoming part of the Spectacle itself. By creating works that challenge the dominant modes of representation and critique the structures of power that underpin the Spectacle, this project demonstrates how artists can use their work to resist the commodification of culture and the manipulation of the masses. At the same time, the practice-led methodology has offered me a space for reflection, critical thinking, and imaginative exploration, allowing for the creation of alternative narratives and visions of the future. This research extends on the previous work of other artists by demonstrating how artists can create works that disrupt the dominant discourse and offer new ways of seeing and understanding the world, particularly in the digital age. Through this process, art can provide a means for individuals and communities to resist the Spectacle and reclaim agency in the face of dominant power structures. However, it is important to note that the use of art in this way is not without its challenges. In order to confront the Spectacle without becoming part of it, artists must navigate a complex landscape of power relations, market forces, and institutional frameworks. As demonstrated in the lived experience of the Save our Studios! campaign outlined at the end of this exegesis, artists must take steps to ensure that their message remains clear and uncompromised. Despite these challenges, art remains a powerful tool for resistance and transformation in the digital age, offering a valuable platform for critical engagement with the Spectacle and a means for creating alternative visions of the future.