Eat. Love. Consume.

by Seth Owens and Melody Chow

Audio File

        There is nothing more quintessentially American than the supermarket. It is here where Americans can exercise their most pleasurable freedom-- the purchase of products. It was with this in mind that we determined to record the process of shopping at a supermarket. By assembling these sound bytes, we discovered and documented the power of consumerism over American society.
We begin our shopping trip with the one thing everyone needs: food. Starting from infancy, food becomes our most basic desire.  However, food has become, like almost all other products we consume, a mass produced commodity that we see only in its final form. In "The Smokehouse," Rohan Anderson builds a smokehouse to prepare his own food. Every cut of meat comes pre-packaged, vacuumed sealed, and declared as "farm fresh."  This marketing ploy has hoodwinked our nation into believing the products are naturally produced and organic.  This lie is fed to citizens at a very young age, and is constantly applied to them throughout their stages of life.  
        As our process piece continues, we enter the toy aisle. The marketing strategies here are geared towards young children using playful music and loud noises.  From a tender age, kids want the latest, newest, and best toys. The new, shiny toys whisper promises of fun and adventure if they are bought and played with.  They convince our children that they must have the newest toy in order to be happy.  This pattern of thinking is not only observed in the prepubescent stage of life, but during the teenaged years as well. 
        We continue past the children’s toys towards the electronics section. We mature out of children’s toys and move on to video games and movies. Movies, music, and video games litter our houses, and take up most of our time. Tirupathi Chandrupatla writes in his poem “Himalayas” of the ranges where the gods reside. No longer do we revere the ranges of the gods, but instead we worship the palaces of technology that store the latest model of Nintendo console or newest iPhone series.  People will camp out over night at an Apple store in anticipation for the "next best thing."  Little do these consumers know how tangled they have become in a web of lies and marketing ploys.
        We finish our process with the sounds of the purchase; the satisfying beep of the checkout scanner blares and we are free to leave the store, shopping cart laden with food, toys, and electronics. Our child is delighted by gifts that have been bought for them, and we ourselves are happy with the purchases made.  Consuming is our happiness and happiness is our consumption.  The process depicted in this project is meant to act as a mirror for our lives through which we can analyze our guzzling nature.  To staunch our consuming desires, we must recognize the deceptive strategies used to trick shoppers into products.  Once one understands how one is being deceived, one will learn to ignore the brainwashing messages used today and overcome their gluttony.  

     During our audio piece, "Eat. Love. Consume.," subtle, quiet words like "fresh," "new," and "next generation" are heard.  They are said in a monotonous, computer-like tone reminiscent of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey.  We included these sound bytes to act as the subliminal messages found in persuasive media today.  These sound clips are used in the same way the lyrics of "Fitter Happier" by Radiohead are stylized.

"Fitter Happier" by Radiohead

Rebellion vs. Conformity

Honor Code Notice: Men must now shave their eyebrows.

"ANNA, SHUT THAT RACKET OFF!!!"

The last of the sunlight trickled over the horizon.  The workers headed home.

He told her to put on lipstick. So she did.

Jonestown- Nov. 18th, 1978: 918 die when forced at gunpoint to drink cyanide Kool-Aid.

.......................................................................

     Throughout history, there have many major instances of rebellion and conformity.  Institutions like government and schools desires to have its citizens abide by their laws.  But when these rules are delineated from, a small revolution has been sparked.  Rebellion incites change while conformity encourages complacency.  In these tiny stories, rebellion and conformity are discussed and represented in picture form.

     Honor Code Notice: Men must now shave their eyebrows. I had wanted to come up with a funny tiny story that poked fun at the Honor Code. Yet, it is serious in motive.  I wanted to question what would happen if BYU's Honor Code really were to change, who would comply with it and who would not?  Would there be punishment for rebellious behavior, or would we just be barred from the Testing Center? Today, some individuals (men in particular) find the Honor Code strict enough.  They will grow their luscious beards out during the summer, enjoying their masculinity at its peak.  Yet, these men will return to school in the fall baby-faced for they can no longer relish in the splendor of their own facial hair.  If men at BYU are so willing to rid themselves of their beards, would not they be just as compliant to shaving their eyebrows?

      "ANNA, SHUT THAT RACKET OFF!!!"  When I was in middle school and high school, I vented out my anger using music.  I would come home, blast me some My Chemical Romance or Sharkspeed, while pretending to Joan Jett on guitar.  My mom would be banging on my ceiling from upstairs, yelling at me to keep it down.  This use of music as rebellion has been used throughout history, but during the 20th century, music took on a knew role.  Rock and roll had just entered humanity's consciousness, leaving girls breathless as they screamed and fainted over artists like Elvis and the Beatles.  During the 60s, music became a point for spreading a message of liberation and of drugs, sex, and rock n' roll.  In the 90s, Nirvana came out with "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which was dubbed the "anthem for apathetic kids."  During the 2000s, we have seen a transformation of the content in songs.  More explicit lyrics are allowed, and now homosexuality is openly talked about with singers like Lady Gaga and Macklemore.  Music has been one of mankind's most powerful tools in shattering social norms with consequences which affect generations to come.

     The last of the sunlight trickled over the horizon.  The workers headed home. World War II had a great impact on society in America.  Suburbia was forming, consisting of uniform, pastel houses, white picket fences, and a lawn.  The men worked from 9 to 5, coming home expecting dinner to be made.  The men kept their heads down at work to hold on to their job and provide for their family.  This is a positive example of conformity in which people are following the rules not just for the benefit of themselves, but for the betterment of their family. However, men encouraged certain expectations of women which would soon be broken as feminism comes along.

      He told her to put on lipstick. So she did.  A wife and husband are leaving for a party. He tells her to put lipstick on, even though she has already prepared herself.  The wife is tired of his nagging and constant ordering around, and she decides to not obey his orders.  This picture is related to the second wave of feminism when women still held on to their femininity and took on more "masculine" roles.  It was only upon the return of their soldiers when women were forced back into their kitchen, a position they now felt was not the only one they could fill.  Women could work just as well as men, and began drafting their demands for an equal nation.  Their rebellion has resulted in more equal pay for men and women, an acceptance that woman can be doctors, and the legalization of birth control and other female rights.

      Jonestown- Nov. 18th, 1978: 918 die when forced at gunpoint to drink cyanide Kool-Aid. Jim Jones led his Peoples Temple congregation to Jonestown in search of utopia.  The only thing the members were met with was paranoia and death.  It is a grave assumption to presume that all of the members willingly partook of the cyanide laced Kool-Aid which was administered to them as a way to accepted life.  Jones' Red Brigade patrolled the area, ensuring that the members took their poison or feel the same wrath that befell the murdered Congressman.  Unfortunately, there was not great uprising to resist Jones' wishes.  There were even some extremely willing to drink the Kool-Aid; mothers with infants were some of the first to end their lives.  But some suggested alternative routes to death while children cried and screamed in protest. Unfortunately, only a fraction of the congregation survived, but let it be known that the residents of Jonestown were not all blind sheep walking to their own slaughter.

     This series of photos compares and contrasts rebellion vs. conformity and the effects therein. This it the uniting theme throughout and is visually represented by having all of the pictures black and white except for one color burst.  It has been seen throughout time that complacency does not garner change, only rebellion can.

Music Mosaic

"So Long, Lonesome" by Explosions in the Sky

     Explosions in the Sky is one of my favorite bands. My older brother Dan gave me their album All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone when I was in middle school. Unfortunately, my immature preteen self could not handle the epic awesomeness of the melodic soundscapes Explosions created. Finally, in high school, my underdeveloped mind had ripened to the point where I could bask in the glory of their music and understand the progression of each song. I chose "So Long, Lonesome" because it had the simplest story. When I listened to this track, I imagined "Lonesome" to be embodied by a a friendless boy who lives in a black in white world. He discovers a portal through which he travels to a different dimension where a sun burns orange, yellow, and gold. In awe of the new world around him, the boy explores and comes across a bunch of red balloons which take him to the skies. He soars to the moon and spots another portal through which he returns to his world. Elated by the journey he has taken, the boy shares his experience with his black and white Earth by spreading the colors he observed on his walk-about.

     I achieved this music mosaic using 5x7 canvases and oil paints. It was a very tedious process as I made various mistakes, smudging black over the white areas, the sun, and my face.  I wanted the boy's home to be made up of straight lines to show the unnaturalness of the landscape.  His world is void of color to reflect the lack of happiness he feels.  The boy takes a leap of courage and lands himself in a realm that is closely tied with nature. Note the absence of straight lines and scarcity of black-- I avoided these so as to make this new world feel organic and alive.  My paintings turned out basically how I wanted them to, except for the last one. I wish I had not painted the square sun on the canvas, but then again, the sun helps viewers orient themselves back into the boy's original world.

     "So Long, Lonesome" is but one of the many great songs from Explosions in the Sky. Their masterful orchestration of guitars, cymbals, drums, etc, tells a universal story of humanity that is relatable to all. Check out "The Birth and Death of the Day." You won't regret it.

Thinking and Writing

            Carpe diem! Life cannot be fully enjoyed if one does not jump up and experience it.  This sentiment is communicated throughout the film Dead Poets Society (Peter Weir 1989) as a group of teenaged schoolboys are taught how to embrace life by their enthusiastic English teacher Mr. Keating.  Dead Poets Society is set in the 50s, a time when conformity among youth was prized above individual thought.  Symbols arise as the boys try to find their own way to seize life.  Actor Robin Williams portrays Mr. Keating with the perfect balance of humor and drama, while actor Robert Sean Leonard delivers a believable performance as father fearing student Neil Perry.  The push against 50s conformity, symbols, and the actors’ performances emphasize the need for one to consciously take the road less traveled by and celebrate life.

            During an age when the government was cracking down on any foreign idea, the education system of America strove to churn out law-abiding citizens who would enter the work force and keep their heads down.  Conformity is highly valued at Welton Preparatory School and is even one of the school’s tenants.  This was a time when nontraditional ideology and thought were gravely frowned open and subsequently silenced.  In opposition to this, the boys at Welton begin to go against the grain as they form a club through which they can “suck the marrow out of life” and enjoy a break from discipline and rules.  They name this club the Dead Poets Society after the group Mr. Keating had formed while he was at Welton.  The boys sneak out at night, deceiving their teachers who believe them to be in bed, and convene in a rock hollow to smoke, drink, and read thought provoking poetry.  This poetry has an effect on the boys who gain courage to reach for things they never before dared to reach for.  Against the wishes of his father, Neil Perry participates in “Midsummer Night's Dream” while Knox Overstreet tries to win over the girl he loves with a poem.  The poetry Mr. Keating shares and his words of taking control of one’s destiny ignite and desire in the boys’ hearts to follow their dreams and go against convention.  This push against conformity depicted in the film reflected the change of ideology of the 60s.  The youth of America was liberated as freedom reigned amongst the youth.  Drugs, sex, and rock n’ roll became the mantra of this generation, a mantra which the boys at Welton put into practice in their Dead Poets Society, listening to the radio, smoking, and studying the lessons not from their school masters, but from the literary greats of the past.

            The acts of rebellion the boys performed were laced with symbols.  As Society member Charlie Dalton becomes increasingly unruly, he paints his skin red and takes on a new name, “Nuwanda.”  The color red signifies independence, and red is seen more frequently as the boys disobey authority.  Ignoring the orders of his father, Neil dons a crown of twigs and red berries to perform as Puck in “Midsummer Night's Dream.” The color red is seen yet again as Neil abandons his subordinate nature and acts on his own desires.  The crown of twigs and red berries is seen again as Neil is about to commit suicide.  No longer able to cope with an existence dictated by his father, Neil wears the red crown just before he takes his own life.  He resembles Jesus crowned with thorns, although Neil dies for his own convictions rather than for the sins of others.  Rather than die as a martyr, Neil commits suicide, an act some may view as selfish.  Neil’s suicide can be seen as the ultimate act of independence as Neil separates himself from his authoritative father by entering the afterlife.  The red observed in Charlie’s paint and Neil’s crown symbolizes rebellion and a divergence from conformity.  Mr. Keating told the boys to “seize the day” and the color red symbolized the boys’ failed attempts take their lives by the reigns and discover their own paths.

Actor Robin Williams expressed this message of carpe diem as he played Mr. Keating in Dead Poets Society.  His performance was filled with improvised hilarity and deep, emotional drama.  Williams was able to act the part as the enthusiastic, witty English teacher without overshadowing the depictions of the other actors.  Williams received his second Academy Awards nomination for his performance in Dead Poets Society and rightly so.  Williams gave the film the kick it needed to be entertainingly meaningful as Williams eloquently quoted Whitman and Elliot while making the audience laugh with his impression of Marlon Brando as Mark Anthony and John Wayne as Macbeth.  Robert Sean Leonard was another actor who could not be overlooked.  He was the standout actor among the schoolboys and believably transformed his character from an authority heeding model student to a boundary pushing risk taker.  Unfortunately, Leonard’s character Neil could not successfully “seize the day” and stand up to his father.  To escape his situation, Neil commits suicide, a scene which Leonard plays out with the best hints of sympathy and desperation.

            Dead Poets Society challenges its audience to go against the grain and think for themselves.  The symbol of red throughout the film signified the boys’ acts of rebellion and attempts at seizing the days.  Although not all of them came to a complete understanding of carpe diem, they learned in the end how to stand for what they know is truth.  Robin Williams and Robert Sean Leonard were brilliant actors who strengthened the film to make it both witty and deep.  Choosing one’s own path in life may be a daunting task, but an action that is necessary for a positive existence.