Assessment No.

1: Image Analysis
Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure embarked on the study of signs in order to explain
language better. He called this study Semiology. Semiotics is copied from the Greek word
semeon which means sign in English. Semiotics is the study of signs in order to explain
language better. It is a powerful tool used to understand how sign systems in mass media can
evoke emotions, associations, fears, and hopes. A sign consists of a signifier the form which
the sign takes, and a signified the concept it represents. In a semiotic sense signs take the
form of words, images, sounds, odours, flavours, acts, gestures and objects. A sign can have a
particular meaning to a person or group of people. Semiotics is one of the main methods for
analyzing media texts and outputs. It is an important part of media and cultural studies due to
the work of Roland Barthes. He based his studies of culture on linguistic models developed by
C.S. Pierce and Ferdinand de Saussure. Barthes applied these models to the more general study
of cultural and visual signs and their meanings. He claimed that a photograph involves a
mechanical process where the image is transferred in to a photographic paper, but as well as
that there is an expressive, human and cultural process that involves the selection and
interpretation of such elements as camera angles, framing, lighting techniques and focus. These
concoctions provide different meanings depending on the culture of both the photographer
and the viewer of the photograph. (OSullivan, 2003, p.27) Ideology then is defined as a system
of ideas and beliefs about human conduct which has normally been simplified and manipulated
in order to obtain popular support for certain actions. (Watson and Hill, 2006, p.128) It is a set
of conscious and unconscious ideas which constitute one's goals, expectations, and actions. An
ideology is a comprehensive normative vision, a way of looking at things, as argued in several
philosophical tendencies and a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to all
members of this society. Ideologies are systems of abstracted meaning applied to public
matters. The study of ideology has Marxist roots, who saw ideology as maintaining the
structure of a society and serving to maintain the interests of the ruling class. He argues that
capitalism involves exploitation at the level of production. Ideological approaches to the media
are concerned with illuminating the ways in which the media assist in the maintenance of ideas
and beliefs that work to replicate the existing social order and the dominance of the ruling
class.
Out of the themes that we were given, I have chosen to talk about class. I will be looking at
pictures by the graffiti artist Banksy and talking about how controversial he is with getting his
point across with his artwork. Banksy was born in Bristol, England in 1975. He is
a pseudonymous English graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter. He displays
most of his art on publicly visible surfaces such as walls. The messages behind his graffiti are
usually anti-war, anti-capitalist or anti-establishment. Subjects in his artwork often include rats,
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apes, policemen, soldiers, children, and the elderly. That message challenges people, it makes
them look twice at the art and really think about what it means. His work can be very
controversial at times, but thats a good thing. It challenges the viewer before the viewer gets a
chance to challenge the art. Here are a few pieces of Banksys artwork that do this to the
viewer:
The first painting is of a man and women who are overweight in a carriage that is being pulled
by a small skinny little boy. The man and women are in colour looking very happy and the man
has a top on that says Feed the world. Whereas the little boy and the carriage he is pulling is
in black and white. The little boy also looks very sad about having to pull these people around.
It signifies that these people are living their lives in colour, always happy with all the money
that they have and pretending that they support charities and want to help out the world when
in reality they dont really care and would rather spend money on a top saying that we need to
help the poor rather than actually doing anything about it. These people are probably wealthy
first class citizens without a care in the world while the little boy most likely comes from a
broken home and has no food and makes his money by pulling people around the city in this
heavy carriage so he can help feed the rest of his family. This painting was on a wall in England
for everyone to see and people were influenced by it as it made them realize that they too
were the same as the couple in the painting, they too would give out about how people in
Africa or other third world countries were treated and say how they needed help but then
would do nothing about it and go about their day the same way they always would.

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The second painting then is of a homeless man sitting down with a sign saying Keep your coins,
I want change. Here we see that this man is tired of living on the streets and that he thinks
that the world needs to change. He probably cant afford to live in his house and couldnt find a
decent job which resulted in him living out on the streets. The message in this piece challenges
the viewer and the message on the homeless mans sign is an unusual one. It is just a painting o
homeless man though, its not real and hes not actually there. Again though, along with the
point above, if a first class citizen saw a homeless person holding this sign they would probably
say that he needs to stop complaining, get up and get himself a job and that getting a few coins
off of people would be better than nothing. That would just show that his sign makes perfect
sense and is signifying that people cant change and will always complain about anything and
everything. Even though everyone does want change and for the world to be a better place, no
one tries hard enough to make it better. I think that if we showed this painting to the younger
generation they would realize that they can make the world a better place when they are older
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and be influenced to get these people off the streets and help them get good jobs so they can
be successful in the future.

The third and final picture of Banksys' work is of a young child and a grown man reacting very
differently to the colourful rain dripping down the side of a building. The viewer first notices the
very successful businessman holding an umbrella walking in whats supposed to be rain, looking
very annoyed and trying to find shelter. Whilst beside him there is a little child with its arms
spread wide looking delighted that it is raining and embracing every drop. The man is also
painted in black to contrast the negativity inside of him compared to the little childs who is
painted orange and happy with life. The two reactions juxtapose each other as the innocence
and freedom of the child doesnt know any better whilst the man looks disgusted that this child
is enjoying the rain and that is business suit is getting wet. In my opinion I think this painting is
showing that no matter how much you have or how successful you are, you will still find
something to complain about which is what I said above in my other points about the other
paintings by Banksy. On the other hand some people can have every little but can still be
incredibly happy with what they do have because they dont know any different and that is
what they are used to.

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In conclusion these paintings by Banksy are all displayed on walls or sides of building for the
public to see and everyone that does see them will be influenced by them and think about the
meaning behind them. When they first look at the graffiti they will probably give out that
someone has destroyed personal property and should be arrested for vandalism, but then on a
second glance they will realize there is a message behind that graffiti and then go about their
day thinking about the hiding meaning behind it.
References:
OSullivan, T., Dutton, B., Rayner, P., (2003), Studying the Media 3rd Edition, London; Hoddler
Arnold.
Watson, J., Hill, A., (2006) Dictionary of Media and Communication Studies, 7th Edition,
London; Hoddler Arnold.
Mullally, A., (2014), Ideology Introduction.

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Hosmer, K., (2013), 3D Mural shows opposite reactions to colorful rain, [Online] available at
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/skurktur-cmyk-mural, (accessed 28th Oct 2014)
Kehrli, C., Cole, R., (2011), Narrative in Art, [Online] available at
http://narrativeinart.wordpress.com/banksy/, (accessed 28th Oct 2014)

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