Natasha+EE

Feedback on your most recent draft (27/11/13):



Some links to boost your bibliography and references (but you need far more):

@https://www.google.com/search?q=tattoo+meanings&newwindow=1&safe=off&tbm=bks&source=lnt&tbs=bkv:p&sa=X&ei=mAORUuKxOoLn4QSJmIDQBg&ved=0CBkQpwUoAQ&biw=1600&bih=710&dpr=1

http://books.google.it/books?id=1h0Z7aHnQxUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=tattoo+meanings&hl=en&sa=X&ei=EQSRUs06ha3gBKW4gMAD&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=japan&f=false

http://books.google.it/books?id=1h0Z7aHnQxUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=tattoo+meanings&hl=en&sa=X&ei=EQSRUs06ha3gBKW4gMAD&redir_esc=y#v=snippet&q=meaning&f=false

http://books.google.it/books?id=4dMkHu_CwEwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=tattoo+meanings&hl=en&sa=X&ei=5ASRUr2lOYT44QTzg4GADw&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=significance&f=false

http://books.google.it/books?id=4dMkHu_CwEwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=tattoo+meanings&hl=en&sa=X&ei=5ASRUr2lOYT44QTzg4GADw&ved=0CEkQ6AEwBA#v=snippet&q=group&f=false

really good:

= Narrative and Identity: Studies in Autobiography, Self and Culture = [Front Cover] Jens Brockmeier, Donal A. Carbaugh John Benjamins Publishing, Jan 1, 2001 - Biography & Autobiography - 307 pages 1 Review

How does narrative give shape and meaning to human life? And what special role do narratives play in identifying one as a person in the world? This book explores these questions from the vantage points of various human and cultural sciences, with special attention to the importance of narrative as expression of embodied experience, mode of communication, and form for understanding the world and ultimately ourselves. Presenting a variety of perspectives from narrative psychology and literary criticism, to discourse, communication and cultural theory these studies examine the intricacies of narrative identity construction. With contributions from some of the leading scholars in the field, the book highlights the cultural field in which narratives shape forms of life. Using verbal and pictorial, linguistic and performative, oral and written, natural and literary autobiographical texts, the studies demonstrate how the construction of selves, memories, and life-worlds are interwoven in one narrative fabric.

http://books.google.it/books?id=YkfD9N47FdwC&pg=PA147&dq=tattoo+meanings&hl=en&sa=X&ei=5ASRUr2lOYT44QTzg4GADw&ved=0CE8Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=tattoo%20meanings&f=false

The tattoo renaissance Unlike clothing, hair, make up and other modes of body decoration which are transitory and revisable, tattoo is more permanent and powerful, evoking a visceral response from viewers, fascination blended with distaste, even repug- nance (Rubin I988; Sanders I989). As a form of indelible body alteration, tattoo has a long and culturally diverse history.‘ Within its ancient Eastern roots, tattoo enjoyed social centrality, carrying magical and religious associations with prophylactic and curative powers as well as signs of elevated social status. But tattoo's meanings in the West have been primarily negative, aligned with the primitive, the anti-social, the idolatrous. Banned in the third century as a violation of God’s handiwork, Christianity again banned tattoos from the eighth to the tenth centuries as a form of deviltry and a disﬁgurement of the body created in God's image.’ Although tattoo gained brief favor among the American elite in the late nineteenth-century, by the 1920s it had fallen into disrepute, increasingly seen as vulgar, barbarous. taboo — a visible display ofits bearer's psychological or social deviance. By mid-twentieth-century the practice oftattoo was ﬁrmly established as deviant and disreputable in the middle class, public mind: “a symbolic poke-in-the-eye directed at those who were law- abiding, hard-working, family-oriented, and stable” (Sanders I989, p.l9].6 Stereotypic and stigmatizing associations include the marginalized, rootleS$. and  dangerous, for example, drunken sailors, carnival sideshow freaks. convicts.  youth gangs, punks, and bikers, and, among women, tramps and prostitutes.  The contemporary period, however, dating from the mid-l960s, has  spawned a tattoo renaissance whose advocates argue is transforming the  negative and disreputable meanings of tattoo. This tattoo practice tries to move  associations of tattoo from a generally devalued craft to a partially legitimated

p 147

The idea I have about what I want to develop in my extended essay is pretty much that of the identity reflected through visual imagery – more as individuals rather than groups. Somewhat related to the last task’s essay, I’d rather concentrate in Tattoos and Cosplay. Tattoos because they are something I personally would like to get, even though I am aware that it carries a message with it that I may not intend to send. I think that depending on few other factors (such as age, gender, skin colour, etc) many stereotypes are made and eventually build up an identity, which may differ from the actual identity of the individual carrying the tattoos. I want to pair it up with Cosplay because it is a temporary thing, it is something that people do because they want to impersonate something else – whether it’s a real-life character or a made up fictional one – and somehow shape their identity to that of an existing individual, even if it may be only for a few hours. It sends one message only and it is more likely that there will be other people impersonating the same character, willing to be the same person (with slight differences such as quality and seriousness of the impersonation) whereas more often people with tattoos would rather never see anyone with the same one as it is considered a personal thing. I'd like to research more about the specifics of both. What are the factors that send one message or the other? What are the origins? Why do people wish to make themselves look like something they aren't?

This is a good, but very basic starting point.

Before the end of term I need to have a proper research question form you - rather than just an area of interest as you have given so far. I also expect at least 500 words as an expanded version of this brief text.

Look through all of the other SGBIS art EE pages to get a better idea of how a research question should be structured.

http://artmonkeys.wikispaces.com/Natasha+EE

What specific aspects of the visual and social aspects body art and transformation are you comparing? (beyond just saying cosplay and tatoos)

Remember that if you are doing this as a a Visual Arts essay then you need to choose specific visual imagery and artefacts to talk about in great detail (meaning, formal characteristics and so on)

Mr M

**From the EE guide (p 145)**

It may help if the student defines the topic chosen for study in the form of a more specific research question, followed by a statement of intent that indicates which broad process is going to be used in answering the question. In this way, the approach to the topic chosen may be even further clarified. Some examples of this could include the following.

Topic: Cultural influences on Pablo Picasso’s work

Research question: Picasso: individual genius or cultural thief? Approach: An investigation of the extent to which selected images in Picasso’s work may have been appropriated from other cultural sources.

Topic The influence of Renaissance architecture in Montreal

Research question: Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde, Montreal: a replica of St Peter’s, Rome?

Approach An original investigation into the stylistic similarities in the architecture of these two buildings.

Topic The impact of immigration on an artist’s work

Research question: What is the impact of transcultural experience on the art of Gu Xiong?

Approach An investigation into the effects of migration on a selected artist’s work.




 * Visual Arts Extended Essay:Planning Your Research **

The question I intend to pursue is along the lines of: “Tattoos and cosplay: Do they promote individuality or do they fit people into groups?” In which I’d have to look at specific items from both (Koi fish as a common tattoo along with Naruto Cosplay, for example) and compare to reach a conclusion. The reason for this question comes from my personal interest in both things and the fact that I wish to look further into them.
 * Describe your research question (as it stands now) and the reasons behind your choice: **

For now, my hypothesis is that both things promote both ideas. Initially I thought they promoted individuality (since they are not common) but in the end I have found through asking friends and such that very often it is also about sharing something with a specific group of people - however I am aware that not everybody feels the same, and in fact some do it to rebel against something or be unique, so from that point of view it definitely promotes individuality. On the other hand, it may not matter on the bigger scale what the individual believes of themselves, making the decision of getting a tattoo or cosplaying in a convention just the step to fit into a group. I think that my point of view may change with newfound information and meanings - but for now i’m very settled in the hypothesis that both things are promoted.
 * From the research that you have carried out so far, what is your loose hypothesis/answer to your research question? Explain how you have arrived at this idea and how this might change (including evidence of an opposing viewpoint) **

During the summer I’ll be in contact with a huge amount of people in Paraguay, and all of them very ‘alternative’. I’ll interview friends who carry tattoos (whether it’s one or ninety two) as well as still interviewing friends in other parts of the world - I’m lucky to know loads of people into these two matters. I was thinking I could also ask other people around them, such as parents and friends to get the opinion of those who don’t live the same lifestyle. What research are you planning to undertake during the summer? (this should include relevant exhibitions, galleries and museums that you plan to visit first hand between now and September) I plan on going to the very heart of my country where some people don’t even speak spanish yet - just Guaraní - and asking about the ritual tattoos and their meanings. Some tribes are still living within my reach and I hope I’ll be able to get some info from them. And as much as I’ll be able to do, I hope I’ll manage to go to a few comicon’s before september to gather some more ideas and such.
 * What other SPECIFIC research sources will you attempt to investigate between now and September (for example interviews with specific artists, critics, curators and other relevant people) **

Cosplay is a recent thing - more or less - and doesn’t particularly go into museums (unless we include just general dressing-up?) so this year I have been to 4 comicons for cosplay (three in rome and one in napoli) where I gathered contacts and such for later use. On the side of tattoos I haven’t undertaken yet any specific real-life research.
 * What research have you undertaken so far?(this should include relevant exhibitions, galleries and museums that you have visited at first hand in the last 18 months) **

(Natasha, 25/06/2013)


 * Hi Natasha **


 * I hope that you are having a good summer. I have been away from my computer for a while, but have now finally got around to checking your EE update on the wiki. **


 * Your plan looks very solid. If you can carry out that research with indigenous people then that would be amazing. Remember that your work has to keep making significant references to specific artworks (including tattoos and costumes). Take lots of photos of people and their tattoos. it would be great to support the 'community' aspect of your hypothesis by including multiple images of the same tattoo or costume being worn by a wide range of people. **

[]


 * This could be contrasted with images (and careful descriptions) of more personal or unique tattoos combined with interviews with their wearers about their significance - and choice of imagery. **


 * You might also interview Ms Andrew about her incredible experience (and the personal significance) of getting traditional 'blade' (rather than needle) tattoo in a Japanese studio where everyone else was Yakuza! She did this at a time when tattoos on non military, criminal or extreme underground people was very unusual - the act itself could be seen as a very individual gesture. **


 * keep in touch **


 * Mr M **

**1/10/2013** Extended essay research interviews: Sir, I have 12 interviews in Spanish of people who cosplay – many of them said the same stuff so I took the five more outstanding ones and paired Enrique Bernardi with Javier Ande and Veronica Franco with Christian Arenales who made the same cosplay (in total 7). I had to develop the notes I had into an actual speech, because they weren’t proper phrases. However, the content remained intact. They are not so art-centered, but I can still contact them to find more links with it – to be more specific. I’m not sure on what exactly just yet so I’ll let you see what I have and then take the next step. As i told you before I don't have any own photos of the cosplayers because I couldn't get them to dress up when I could meet them up, but I can get a hold of them. For the tattoos... I really don't have many pictures. I didn't take many, but then when checking them out some of them are completely blurry and useless, so now I have less. As for the meaning behind them, I have it recorded (in spanish) and have yet to type it up. From the ones that I managed to save, there's two or three that are really similar but have a very different explanation/background, I think I could really use that as a specific art thingy? In any case, sorry for taking so long to send the stuff when you asked for it last week, I got caught up in something else and forgot. PS. The pictures just wont upload so i'll give them to you in a pendrive tomorrow


 * What’s your cosplay?**
 * My main cosplay is Thor, from the Marvel Comics and movies. Although I have tried some others such as Naruto, I feel more comfortable doing Thor. **Enrique Bernardi**
 * o Thor the Great! And Captain America, even if I like better Thor. **Javier Ande**
 * A very, very anonymous The Sims cosplay. (**What do you mean by that?** It’s anonymous because it allows me to be anyone, any combination in the game. I’ve used the most ridiculous outfits in the game for conventions as well as a pixilated paper to fake being in the shower in the game.) **Alejandro Peña**
 * I like to dress up as the female version of the main character of Assassin’s creed, Ezio Auditore. **Veronica Franco**
 * o Ezio Auditore, the greatest game character ever developed**. Christian Arenales**
 * The gorgeous Little Mermaid! **Elena Dey Erza**
 * Storm from X-Men. **Mariana Cáceres**
 * How long have you been doing it?**
 * For about a year now. **Enrique Bernardi**
 * o I can’t remember when exactly I started, but it must be a few months. **JA**
 * Two years? Maybe three. Alejandro Peña
 * Not long! I’d say five months**. VF**
 * o Since I started playing the game, two years ago. **CA**
 * I always wanted to be Ariel, and I’d dress up like her when I was a kid. I’ve been properly doing it for four years. **EDE**
 * Since I’ve had the budget to do so. Next week it’s gonna be three years. **MC**
 * What do your parents think about it?**
 * They don’t care. I mean, I don’t live with them anymore and I do this in my own time, away from them. Enrique Bernardi
 * o My father encouraged me to start doing it. I wasn’t okay and I’d just read comics until late at night every day. Then one day he came home and he told me that he had met a group of dressed up kids at the mall and that there had been a thor. He had talked to them about me and asked for their contacts. It took a while but eventually I talked to them and sorted things out. **JA**
 * My dad finds it funny. My mom thinks it is stupid. They don’t really care, I guess. **AP**
 * I live with my dad and he doesn’t like it much. He thinks that it makes me look too ‘sexy’ for my age. **VF**
 * o My mom doesn’t even know I do it! She wouldn’t approve though. (**Why?** Because she never liked that I played games so much, let alone act like them.) And my dad doesn’t care. **CA**
 * They find me cute! **EDE**
 * My aunt and uncle never liked it, they always told me I was being a child by playing dress up . **MC**
 * What do your friends think about it?**
 * Most of them do Cosplay as well, but the others who don’t think it’s a bit weird. I mean, not specifically my cosplay because it is a popular one, but some others… like the Japanese stuff freaks them out. **Enrique Bernardi**
 * o All the friends I have do cosplay as well, so they like it. I must admit, they’re still slightly better than me but then I get to learn from them! **JA**
 * They laugh! Honestly, it is really funny. Sometimes I don’t even look like a cosplayer but for the green diamond I put over my head. **AP**
 * My female friends don’t understand it, they don’t get why I like a game character so much and they think I’m a slut. I don’t care, I know I’m not. **VF**
 * o They respect me. They all play the game, and I’m not saying it because it’s me doing it, but I do it really well. **CA**
 * They all like it, the girls at least. The guys appreciate it, but in a different way… **EDE**
 * I never asked, but they don’t seem to have a problem with it. I’m glad, cause here in Paraguay it is very uncommon to do something such as cosplay. Although, having a more known character helps. There are a few other Storms around the city and we get along, even though there’s always some underlying competition. **MC**
 * What is your personal view on what you do as a cosplayer?**
 * I enjoy it. It’s like a play, you go on a stage and pretend to be a hero for a good fifteen minutes. If it’s good, then people will cheer. I want people to like it, and to have fun. I usually only wear it for the play – I don’t like going around with it because I don’t feel as appreciated as I am on stage. **Enrique Bernardi**
 * o It helped me get through some rough times and it’s something I really like. Even if it’s just walking down the street in the costume, it makes me feel just like Thor. I’m somehow drawing from him the strength I need. **JA**
 * It’s just for fun. I don’t consider myself a serious cosplayer, but I just try to have fun. It is rather uncommon because real cosplayers have serious issues about taking a specific character and representing it perfectly – honestly, I don’t care. I just want to have a good time. **AP**
 * In all truth, I love it. I love the game, I love the conventions and the meetings. I love being appreciated and understood by other cosplayers. And I think it looks really good on me. I really like going around with the costume and receiving puzzled looks by those who don’t understand what’s going on. **VF**
 * o I think it allows me to gain some respect as well as having the opportunity to scare people off when they see me. And it’s always nice when people appreciate your effort in meetings and conventions! **CA**
 * I always thought cosplayers were only the ones who did the asian stuff, so I don’t know. EDE
 * It allows me to be the character that I admire, to pretend I can save the mutant generation and that I don’t have to go to work in the morning. **MC**
 * When you put on the costume, do you feel like you’re more unique or that it makes you part of a group?**
 * I don’t think about it – I guess it’s not important to me. But if I really have to choose one, I’d probably say it makes me feel more unique. Even though I see other people with the same costume I just assume mine is better and therefore I am a step above, not like them. If someone else has a better costume then I just get bitter about it… On the other side, now thinking about it better, it also makes me part of a group. When I’m on stage, im in a group of people who enjoy the same things and appreciate what I do. I guess in some way it s just both. **Enrique Bernardi**
 * o I like being part of a group, it makes me feel less like an outsider. It’s a bunch of people doing what I like and who like what I do. **JA**
 * Definitely more special! No one ever wants to be a Sim, they all go for more complex characters. Plus, when they realize what I am cosplaying they either laugh or roll their eyes. **AP**
 * It makes me different. It makes me less like my not-so-friendly friends and more like myself and Ezio. **VF**
 * o I never thought about it… probably both. Really, when I put the costume on I just want to show the world how good I can do it, I don’t really consider other cosplayers. But I am friends with some, and I guess from that point of view you could say I am part of a group, because it is so much easier to be with people who actually understand what you do instead of simply saying “Hey, that’s cool.”. **CA**
 * I really don’t care, I just want to be as much like Ariel as possible. When I was fourteen and my parents finally allowed it I dyed my hair red! **EDE**
 * I guess it makes me part of a group. When I go to meetings I always have other people from my same fandom and we often make a group of all the characters – I like it. We’re missing a Professor X though. **MC**
 * Why do you like it and why that specific character?**
 * First off, Thor looks like me. And he’s a badass. He’s strong but not brutal and he has very strong moral concepts. Maybe he’s not the smartest one, but I still like him. **Enrique Bernardi**
 * o He has everything I don’t have and I guess I just simply grew up with him. **JA**
 * As I said before I like it because it is mainly anonymous. I chose it because I wanted freedom and fun. **AP**
 * He’s good looking, he can do anything and the game is just amazing. I know I sound like a brat, but it’s true. **VF**
 * o He’s strong, he’s intelligent and the game is really entertaining. I could play it for hours! **CA**
 * She’s perfect in everything. And she finds the perfect prince. I just wish I could be a little bit more like her. **EDE**
 * She’s strong and she controls the weather! Sometimes when I get mad I just wish I could throw a hurricane at someone or save the world. I always thought she was a lot more than she got credit for, and I don’t have a logic explanation as to why I like her more than other characters. **MC**

OK Thanks Natasha

You need to start making this work as a Visual Arts EE NOW!!!!. There is no specific reference to any actual artworks/images yet!

You urgently need to refer to my earlier request to //fully// expand on your overview (500 words minimum by Monday 7th October) This must include:


 * an explanation of your research question (what it precisely means as well as why you chose it)
 * You must have some brief history of tattoos and cosplay and then some comparison of the diverse cultures that you are researching within.
 * Then expand upon your current hypothesis over the context/meaning/use of a few specific tattoos (that you have pictures of) followed by the same thing for a few specific recurring examples of cosplay characters.(that you have pictures of)
 * What do you think your key conclusions are likely to be at this point?

Everything that you talk about needs to be backed up with reference to specific visual imagery (taht you describe in detail) How does tattoo A or B look (precisely) ? what does it's style, history, context and content say about the wearer's culture, identity, aims etc (and why?)

Deadlines are here:

http://artmonkeys.wikispaces.com/Deadlines+2013

**GM 03/10/13**

**Suggested structure for main body (reminder from our meeting of 17/10/13):**


 * Introduction **


 * Tattoos (history and diverse contemporary user contexts) **


 * Cosplay (history and diverse contemporary user contexts) **


 * Three case studies compared (based upon your own interviews, photographs and first hand research): **


 * ** Paraguay **
 * ** Italy **
 * ** Japan **


 * Conclusions **

**GM 10/11/13**