Final final final

&

Summation

n o i t c u d o r P EGRD6002 Izzy Aaboud

1114797

1

Introduction FMP Proposal FMP Organiser Theory

2

Focus Group Media Influences Visit Experimentation Further research

3

Re-direction Initial Ideas Visit & Refined purpose Experimenting

4

Image designs Layout & Sizes Test Print Audience & Context Final Outcome

ARAB Further refining

Evaluation

INTRODUCTION

1 This portfolio will examine and explore the concept of the ‘Other’ which is fundamental to the analysis of the Arab image in Western media because it underpins society’s implicit understanding of what is normal. The term ‘Orientalism’ used by Said (2003) is of high relevance to the discussion and evidence of misrepresentations of the Orient under the Western critical eye. The exploration reveals an in depth study into Arab stereotypes and how this has created a false representation.

The print medium treats the Arab Image as seriously as linguistic forms yet it includes references to philosophical and political theory in order to inform the reader.

The arrangement of the contents page indicates the chronological order of the process giving a distinct yet creative direction to what will come next.

It should be noted that the portfolio contains some cultural markings as this enables the reader to absorb a sense of Arab culture.

Such visual symbolism enables the reader to tolerate, some ambiguity to allow the inclusion of the ‘Other’ in their construction of the world.

The media is a crucial factor of globally advocated anti-Arab prejudice. In order to assess the importance of this phenomenon, this growing anxiety, the “tenacity of [the] stereotype” (Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008:4) is thoroughly examined using various research methodologies.

The overall feel of the portfolio is decorative, exotic and mysterious since the primary It illustrates the research and design process aim is to reflect the unusual dominant visual of a unique newspaper print that has language contained in the tabloid. It moves been produced in opposition to the visual away from densely printed pages of text and representation of Arab women in mainstream places strong emphasis on the visual, this is media. It could also be considered a potential also reflected in the folio. threat to today’s political dominant discourse.

THE ORIGINAL

Final Major Project PROPOSAL

1 pathway Identity: a) (Visual statement) b) (Behaviour: Norms & Values) c) (Communication: Information) OUTCOMES Publication Layout: Book Style: Photography and Typography The publication will be a piece of graphic agitation.

Aims The image of the Arab Oriental that emerges is determinedly negative and so the aim of the final major project is to produce a book that will educate the audience away from the predominant stereotypes of Arab image that should keep peoples eyes and minds wide open. Often we see headlines or disturbing imagery of Arabs, these false perceptions pervade mainstream media.

By creating powerful imagery that presents a true representation of an Arab vs. the stereotypes it will hopefully break the cuffs of prejudice.

It seems that negative labelling of Arabs and Muslims has become an on-going problem and integral to mainstream Western culture, reinforcing deep-rooted false ideologies in people’s minds: has Islam then “become synonymous with the Middle East, Muslim men with violence, and Muslim women with oppression?” (Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008:4).

Audience & Context It will be deisgned for proffessionals who share an interest in the political dimensions of ordinary life.

RESEARCH & METHODOLOGY - Speakers corner- i.e. billboard, take pictures, feedback - Carry out a focus group - Questionnaires – social media, feedback - Overt Observation All the above should help me discover more about the subject and possibly narrow down my target audience.

- Jameel Prize V&A Exhibition - Science Museum – installation ideas - Films (the dictator) (sex and the city 2) these can be analysed to reinforce argument.

- Contact any super inspirational artists – via email...or interview them.

My influences will come from ad busters, Colour magazine, Peter Kennard, Stefan Sagmeister, Alice Twemlow, obeygiant and more artists yet to dicover.

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE -Publish and position the book in an appropriate context for an intended audience.

-Work out the COSTS! And the best places for printing and so on.

-Plan & Test out ideas – Critically evaluate failures and turning points along the way.

!

RE THINKING THE MEDIUM After some discussion with peers the best medium would be a newspaper as this suits the topic of politics.

Weekly ORGANISER

1 Final print postcards.

Design and finish the

!

portfolio.

finish Mar 29th - Apr 4th

Apr 10th - HAND IN

Apr 5th-10th

Target audeince -

Design & layout - market

Editing & printing mock

Final print newspaper.

Preliminary participant

research companies, costs

ups of the tabloid- testing

Designing and mock ups of

observation study in order

& time.

size, style, composition

postcards.

and layout.

to familiarise myself with the target audience & case

start

study.

Mar 1st - 7th

Mar 8th - 14th

Mar 15th - 21st

Mar 22nd - 28th

Visits - Develop a deeper

Focus Group, film Analysis,

Refine concepts and refine

OH NO

theorists to gain knowldege

insight into Arab culture:

collate newspaper

the proposal in response to

and understanding of the

V&A Jameel prize 3

headlines. Analyse

the research found.

January has arrived

Arab image in Western

exhibiton, Tate, Cities with

various tabloids & current

Begin initial design ideas.

and I’m still writing my

societies and politics.

high population of Arabs...

ideologies.

Photographs, Sketches...

!

!

Reading - research relevant

dissertation ...

Starting Point: Feb 1st - 7th

Feb 8th - 14th

Feb 15th - 21st

Feb 22nd - 28th

The timeline and proposal that was designed during the research, development and positioning project had major alterations because the project idea changed several times. During January the dissertation was completed at a much later date, which limited the time, and so in order to complete both the postcards and newspapers thorough planning and motivation was needed. It also allowed time for visits and various research methodologies, which were crucial to the overall outcome of the piece.

This timetable also left space for editing the work and making constant alterations after asking for professional judgements and critiquing. All these factors were relevant in creating two collective final outcomes with a well-defined concept, form and meaning.

theory

1 Edward Said (2003) - Orientalism In Western culture the effects of “Orientalism” involves the “Othering” of the East since the “Orient” is Europe’s “deepest and most recurring images of the Other” (Said, 2003:1).

Western intervention in the Middle East has contributed to the claims made about the understanding of the ‘Orient’.

Said reviews the misrepresentations of ‘the Orient’ where every aspect of Oriental behaviour came under the critical eye of the West. He addresses imperialism and resistance to it, thus explaining how and why certain stereotypes have emerged, when the West felt it was their duty to civilise the uncivilised and identify them as Other and inferior. He also discusses how various stereotypes of the Arab emerged and how beliefs and attitudes of the press have engulfed the popular mind.

After reading this book it was clear that Orientalism would be of high relevance to discussion of how political dominant discourse has stereotyped the Arab image.

Other Having started to read theories of representation several theorists kept mentioning the concept of ‘Other’ they expressed fascinations of Other, from differing perspectives. Hall’s (1997) explanation derives from linguistics, language, dialogue, psychoanalytic theory and anthropological theory.

Kristeva (1991) looked at the foreigner amongst people.Therefore the concept of ‘Other’ appeared to be fundamental to the analysis of Arab image in Western media.

“muslim” ARAB

“fear/anxiety” islam “negative” media “concealed identity” ARAB WOMEN “opressed and untrsutworthy”

headress or burka “terrorism and violence”

arab men

FOCUS GROUP

2

ARAB“nothing” culture

I held a focus group where approximately eight people were asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards the Arab. Informal questions were asked in an interactive group setting where each individual was free to discuss amongst other group members. As soon as the word Arab was mentioned the group immediately associated them with Muslims.

If I were to conclude the discussion I’d say that this group reflects the tremendous attention the Arab has suffered in the media, the word Arab is “almost always a term of abuse” (Dyer, 2002:11). When the group were asked what they knew of Arab culture they responded with blank faces; “nothing”.

This indicated that: “…the only way in which Arabs count is as mere biological beings; institutionally, politically, culturally they are nil, or next to nil” (Said, 2003:312).

Their answers only pointed towards the stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims and demonstrated how it has become ordinary to think this way: the were asscociated with terrorism and violence women were consisdered untrustworthy, hidden and oppressed by their male family members.

Another dominant opinion was the fear they had of Arabs and Muslims because they felt that beneath the burka or headdress they had a concealed identity that raised concerns of trust. This sense of fear and anxiousness needs to be addressed.

The zeitgeist, then, is of worry and so it is crucial to analyse what the media is doing in order to raise this concern.

When I think of Arab culture I can’t think of anything

All Arabs are Muslim

I don’t trust pepole who wear veils, it’s like they have a different identity

I don’t trust muslims because of what I see in teh news

When I think of Arab culture nothing comes into mind

All Arabs are rich because of oil

Arab women are controlled by their husbands

Most Arabs are terrorists so I feel uncomfortable around them

Arab countries suppress womens rights they dont treat them well

Honor crimes, domestic abuse, women are socially weak

They start wars and have no human rights, no democracy

They have a backwards way of thinking

MISCONCEPTION MISCONCEPTION MISCONCEPTION MISCONCEPTION MISCONCEPTION MISCONCEPTION MISCONCEPTION MISCONCEPTION MISCONCEPTION MISCONCEPTION MISCONCEPTION MISCONCEPTION

2 Is this YOU?

The ideology behind this film speaks a language of American nationalism: just as Westerners desire, the Arabs fall to the dominant power (Rogan, 2012:8).

2

2012

Torture professionals

Drink their own urine

Arabs live in caves

Arab hooked nose

Virgin female Guards

I kill you jokes

Goats

All associated with Osama

Turbans

& al Qaeda

Beards

Female Arabs – all whores

Oil Wealth

Nudist women – perverts

Violent

Suicide vests

Corrupt

Oppression

Everything is Gold

Aggressive

Self obsession

Lonely

Changing the laws

Oversexed

for personal interest

Prostitution

HIV – STDS

Nuclear weapons

Moustache

International criminals

Dictator

Rude

Israel vs. Arab world

Short tempered

Lamborghinis

Ignorant

Rich Arab

Terrorists

Dirty Arab

Car bombings

Executions

London underground

Uneducated & stubborn

9/11

Idiots

Black magic

Finger pointing

Sexist

Assassinations

Lots of wives

solve all problems

Contradict themselves

Untrustworthy

Hypocrites

Steal the countries

Racists

wealth

Jihadists

& execute those who

Claim to be innocent

disagree

victims of police

Camel riding

Rapists

Very hairy

Pedophiles

Liars

Bribery

War crimes

Backwards

Media analysis

Al Qaeda links

Gottschalk and Greenberg (2008) Islamophobia Following the research into poeples perceptions of Arabs it was evident that there is an anxiety toward Islam in the West.

This led to reading a book by Gottschalk and Greenberg (2008) in which they refer to similar perceptions as Islamophobia, which “relies on the sense of Otherness” (5). As Said does, they too study European experiences of Middle Eastern Muslims and the projection of Arabs as Muslims in media.

They analyse how symbols of Islam and symbols of difference have been interpreted and represented in society.

The idea behind the film analysis was to expose what the media embeds into our minds unconciously and intentionally.

“Where do ideas come from?” this notion was emphasised by Martha Rosler (1977) she discusses how the myths and stereotypes of everyday life have been printed together forming a seamless envelope of ideology, the false representation of everything thinkable.

The ideologies that media outlets (films and news) amplify are always ready to stand for a closer understanding of the Arab world and its workings yet they seem to always hold negative attitudes that dehumanises the Arab. This is clearly supported by analysing The dictator (2012) and Sex and the city 2 (2010). Both films revealed how they reflect and construct stereotypes of Arabs and reinforce these dominant ideologies.

It was really interesting to note all the labels that an Arab was given in these films. Not one of these labels was positive but all very damaging to the their image. Such films seem to have been designed primarily for consuming signs in the semiotic sense, selling connotations and cultural meanings (Sturken and Cartwright, 2001:205-6).

Out of both films The Dictator (2012) managed to underline every possible Arab stereotype you could possibly have.

2

OVERSEXED

This is a development that links in with the dictator’s features. It focuses on the Arab characteristics that are seen in films. His “sharply hooked nose and evil leer” (Said, 2003:285-6) act as a reminder of Arab manipulative behavior. This connotation has been taken from the recognized. The beard carries a connotation that has been taken as a recognised feature of Islam.

TV

2

newspaper

According to Said (2003), Orientalism is a tool that was and still is used by Europeans as a means of dealing with the Orient: “making statements about it, authorising views over it, describing it, by teaching it, settling it, ruling over it: in short, Orientalism as a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient� (3).

This is exactly what seems to be happening in the media presented. The dominance of Arab men in the news also implies that their women are inferior and are not as important.

2

Arab Typography Art (See previous page)

After collating the images of Arab leaders and newspapers it was obvious that even the word Arab had come to be destroyed.

Through experimenting with typography art the effect of the word Arab being run over on stone emphasizes how damaging stereotypes can be. Reducing them down to a word illustrates a rather “crude, reductionist and [an] oversimplified� (Hall, 1997:235) way of forming meaning.

1

Mounir Fatmi

2

Nasser’s Arab calligraphy contained so much sophistication, the composition is what made the design so mesmerising, and this is certainly something that I will consider when designing my article.

The word that we see has been formed in a triangular loop to give the illusion of an echo. It gives the illusion of an endless regress into the infinite.

At the exhibition this image was hung upon the wall with a small screen beside the image on a stand that presented the same word as a continuous horizontal line like a heartbeat on a monitor, which I think, is extremely creative because it not only reinforces his message subtly suggests that belief sustains life itself but also is visually appealing yet simple. Sometimes the simplest designs can deliver the most complex messages.

The inspiring works by Mounir Fatmi - Modern Times: A History of the Machine (2010-2012) strongly reinforces the ideologies of political and religious aesthetic. The Arabic calligraphy serves a visual enduring influence of religion across the Middle East.

Fatmi’s film of the visually mesmerising machine acts as a warning of extremely fast pace of urban development alienating the Middle East, driven primarily by self-interest, the wealthy and powerful. Fatmi’s work is extremely significant to my study as it deals with my most desired discipline fields of Arab politics and religion and interest in ideologies and the mutation of concepts.

2

3

Pascal al-Zoghbi

Nasser al Salem

Pascal focuses on contemporary Arabic typography. The typefaces displayed carry a sculptural quality and has a feel of contemporary design. This is something I’ll experiment since it is aesthetically appealing and expresses how the Arabic language is the cultural heritage of the pan-Arab world.

experimentation

2 Testing ways of designing letters that are in the style of Arabic yet read in English enables the audience to read what is written as well as offering a vision into Arabic heritage. The designs were inspired by the visit to the V&A, which had a contemporary feel, and so these ideas have bee given a modern sculptural quality.

A

2

A R R O R I ST E T

It takes more than a designer or a writer to defeat the LIE.

Following 9/11 a cult symbol immediately emerged with Osama bin Laden’s face as the stencil for all Arabs and icon of Islamic resistance to American domination, false identification of an Arab, a false representation of Islam and the beginning of history’s most extreme hatred towards all Arabs had begun (Rogan, 2012:608).

present

2 S

I

U W

T

P AY

H

2 This was a rough idea for an article page that carried a mysterious quality but it didn’t have a professional feel, it is fairly overcrowded and difficult to follow. The idea was to strictly use black and white because the aim was to produce crisp designs and focus on expressing content through typography.

Although there were elements of the design that carried potential it then occurred to me that powerful imagery was need for this study to deliver serious messages.

experimentation

2

The previous designs were developed further and made clearer to read.

The second page demonstrates how the Arab is being wounded by stereotypes as it cuts through the centre.

The Arabic font style that reads in English was kept as it tells the viewers of the topic and gives a contextual narrative towards what is shown.

Inspiration - Taryn Simon

2 This photograph has been inverted in order to represent a culture that has been darkened and damaged. The henna tatoo has been presented to compliment the theme.

This collection of items represents a part of Arab culture. Some of the items photographed raise questions of what is officially considered to be a threat to authority and security in contemporary Western society.

It reveals the true identity of Arabs whilst exposing the negative labelling of each object. It demonstrates how their culture has been erased, damaged or forgotten. Therefore, the labels attached to the objects act as a mechanism of

Pottery = Backwardness Gold = Rich, Corrupt Arab Camel = Nothing but a camel riding nomad (Said, 2003) Headdress = Opressed

destruction to its true value.

Q’uran = Extremists

2

The Objects you may find in an Arab household...

ARAB MUSLIM

ARAB JEW

ARAB CHRISTIAN

The idea was designed to remind the audience that not all Arabs are Muslims.

Media draws upon images and certain references that are associated with Islam, even though the majority of Arabs are nonMuslim: “the nations with the most Muslims are, in order, Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh” (Gottschallk and Greenberg, 2008:3). The layout of the design has been inspired by Tibor Kalman (1949).

The problem with this design is that it doesn’t communicate very well exactly what the message is in an agitated style instead it is very simple almost like a catalogue.

Further research: re-direction

2 Head to Head is Al Jazeera’s forum for ideas, hosted by Mehdi Hasan. The episodes cover probing, hard-hitting questions and goes head to head with a special guest to tackle huge and important issues of our time in front of an opinionated audience.

These stills are of the episodes that were relevant to the study and gave further significance to the study of Arabs in the West. There was a lot of discussion about women and upon reflection it seemed most appropriate to purely focus on women.

Another realisation that this research triggered was the medium of the project.

When considering the discipline field of the subject it made more sense to create a newspaper rather than a book. This would more likely reach a wider audience and therefore more opinionated.

VISIT: defining an audience

2 Preliminary The purpose for visiting Edgware road was to observe people and places in order to become familiar with the audience and experience some Arab culture. Visiting parts of London enabled me to observe what tabloids were being given out that were similar and leaflets etc.

Overall it seemed that people were getting messages across through handing out leaflets in the city with information of their twitter account. But the most effortless way of delivering a message was via a newspaper; if it was too small people didn’t pick it up because it was assumed to be irrelevant.

However, broadsheets and the standard newspaper sizes were being rushed off of the stands outside the stations particularly rush hour.

THE RE-FINED

Final Major Project

3

CONCEPT

INTENDED OUTCOME - Tabloid and Postcards Upon reflection, research and experimentation it has come to my realization that the audience and context must be narrowed down, also the concept and purpose should be refined. Instead of focusing on all Arabs the new focus will be toward females, following the discovery of Head to Head - a forum led by Al Jazeera it seems that women have been misrepresented and are suffering in silence.

Therefore, it should be looked into further so that they are empowered through their social struggle. It also helps to make the design of the tabloid easier as it filters it down and makes it more specific and clearer to follow through. Media generally forces them into categories of oppression, corruption, sex objects and terror. In films they are seen as nothing but sex objects.

The question for me to solve so far is how do you avoid major misunderstandings with such a sensitive topic?

Target Audeince

3

This image defines the intended audience; the medium makes it easier to reach commuters. The reason for this is because the work is aimed at professionals who often commute to and from London, which is a central hub to many people. They are also the most exposed to the everyday mass media influence.

The tabloid will be very visual and so it will need to include text for those politically aware for whom text is still there preferred means of obtaining information and opinion.

The newspaper prints can even be handed out outside the underground entrances or train stations in London.

INITIAL IDEAS

3

Glitch art and typography art was an unusual mix to experiment with but the results were promising and gave a serious impression. The first coloured image reviews the idea of having different identities underneath the headscarf through the connotation of the scattered movement of the glitch.

Female oppression was a most common opinion of Arab women mentioned in the focus group and this was an attempt to visualise a young female wearing the burka.

The pattern covering her face is the false perception that she is almost trapped in what looks similar to a gas mask; this could carry various connotations such as the victims of civil war crimes or lack of democracy.

CONTEXTUALISING

3 These images have been placed into context in order to give me an idea of how they would be viewed in the public sphere.

INITIAL IDEAS

3

Since glitch art represents the distortion of TV, further experimentation was undertaken.

Another dominant opinion that had arisen through research was the anxiety towards Arabs and Muslims. Similar to the previous glitch art ideas this also reflects how people felt that beneath the burka or headdress the Arab Muslim had a concealed identity that raised concerns of trust.

INITIAL IDEAS

3 This is a photograph of an Arab eye that seems angry and distressed and so it was tested out as a front cover. But it wasn’t used as a cover because it is not obvious that is an Arab eye and could easily be misunderstood since the title suggests that the Arab is the enemy and people should be aware.

IMAGE DESIGNS

Skin texture - symbolises the stereotype ‘Oversexed’.

Black Net under water - symbolises the stereotype ‘Oppressed’.

Bloody water bubbling - symbolises the stereotype ‘terrorist’.

Bark - symbolises the stereotype ‘archaic’.

Thorns - symbolise corruption (e.g.torture)

Although the effectiveness of intertextual should be questioned since the reader’s cultural experience of other media texts may be limited (Bignell, 2002: 43), there are recognizable signs in this image to help the reader understand it further. Reading visual grammar is something that people can do at different levels and it is this reason why I have included text as well as image.

The tabloid is very different to ordinary newspapers because the images included work as metaphors rather than realities. For example the title page for terror has been represented by red bubbly water (blood), now if I wanted the reader to immediately react in a stereotypical manner I’d use the twin towers. However, the idea is to step away from these obvious constructions and make people think openly.

E

O V R SE XD E E

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K N O W I N G T H E E N E M Y

!

!

!

!

!

!

A RC H A I C / /

!

TE R RO I S T/

!

!

!

C O R RUP T / /

O P P R ES S ED These textured designs were originally used as title pages, they helped categorise the differing stereotypes and separate predominant attitudes.

O V E RS E X ED

IMAGE DESIGNS

3

These images are an experiment with the idea that an Arabs cultural position has come to be replaced by wealth, luxury, gold and that is all that concerns them. The filter for the photos is a warm orange to compliment the theme of the Middle Eastern culture. Visualizing the concept of wealth as promulgating negative discussions was a challenge.

IMAGE DESIGNS

3

These images depict Arab women as sex objects and supposedly sex obsessed. The images both depict a woman with UAE dirhams stuffed in her bra as a way to ensure that the message is extremely powerful and shocking. A formal decision was made to choose the second image to place into the tabloid as this had a direct perspective that would easily be understood by the reader.

IMAGE DESIGNS

3

CENSORED OR RESPECT? These photographs were produced in an attempt to best comprehend the frustration of being labelled as oppressed. However, they do not fully function for the purpose that they were designed for. The image below is the most emotional; her eyes appear distressed and teary. The headscarf connotes that she is a Muslim so the reader is already prepared to under the full story. Although it provides the reader with more information as it reads: ‘censored or respect’ it remains unclear.

FURTHER REFINING

4 IDENTIFIED PROBLEM – The images could be assumed to support the stereotype rather than reject it.

After designing initial ideas, a problem was found; the way in which the designs have been devised through the exaggeration of an existing stereotype could easily be interpreted in the opposite way particularly if there is no text to support it.

Therefore, some further research was made to look into contemporary artists with similar ideas such as Mona Hatoum and Lida Abdul. Another interesting study was the ‘Al-Mutannabi street starts here’ project this gave me an insight into creative book making. After the artist research the conclusion for the refined concept was finally made clearer.

The images featured in the tabloid design portray Arabs within their given stereotypes it acts out how this affects society. Yet these images have been deliberately exaggerated and are highly unnatural, providing a parody of the stereotypes and rising above media immersion, signaling a critical perspective that would have thought Arab women are all the same.

Before

4

After

14

UNVEIL the

ARAB DESTROY the STEREOTYPEs

!

!

4

Before

After

CONTENTS

4

Category of stereotypes

1

11

(a) Terrorist (b) Opressed (c) Oversexed

Conclusion Bibliography

!

!

(d) Corrupt (e) Archaic

!

O P P R ES S ED

O V E RS E X ED

!

!

II. ARAB STEREOTYPES

!

!

I. Annihilating the Arab Introduction: Why Arabs?

Demonising the Enemy Religion Idea or reality?

TE R RO I S T/

!

CONTENTS

C O R RUP T / /

4

divergence vs convergence

?

Each title represents an image that explores how Arabs and Islam have suffered extreme prejudice in the West.

1

The Everday Pollution of Stereotypes

The increasing explosion of visual media in Western societies reveals Western ways of interacting with the world - a “scopic regime that equates seeing with knowledge” (Rose, 2012: 3) so that Western perception and interpretation become “perilously intertwined” (Chris Jenks, 2003, cited in Rose, 2012:1), and the modern view of Arabs comes to be seen as different from what is expected of a normal individual in the West.

2

The Cyclone of Vicious Media 3

Hijacked !

4

False Hope 5

Uniting Two Opposites 6

Opposing Perceptions 7

Separate Identities 8

The Victim 9

Oil Wealth 10

HATRED 11

Gold Plague 12

The Price of Wealth 13

Contamination 14

PAGINATION

15

The diamond pattern signifies Islamic art and it includes a number which indicates which heading matches the image in the tabloid.

Trapped Filthy Rich 16

BRANDED

The Arabs exist only as an occasion for the tyrannical observer:

the

world is my idea Said, 2003: 310

Pollutes your mind.

Everyday life.

4

The Everyday Pollution of Stereotypes (See previous page)

The spread contains two messages: 1. Arab stereotypes pollute your mind 2. Everyday life is a world for the tyrannical observer.

The explanation mark is hair to subtly implement another existing stereotype (dirty/ hairy Arab).

4

The Cyclone of Vicious media (See previous page)

This spread is almost an archive of the everyday life for the Arab. It represents mass observation. The newspapers collated are just a small proportion of what is cornered in on the public. The newspapers have been deliberately duplicated in order to reflect the mechanical repetition of negative headlines that imply utter immersion.

It also questions the notion of equality through the symbolic representation in the public sphere.

ANXIETY

4

Hijacked!

(See previous page)

The context of this design should explain it all; it is explaining how there remains a constant fear, an anxiety toward the Arab even when he or she is not in sight. An Arabic eye has been used to represent that untrusted Other and to further identify the subject Arabic font has been used that reads in English ‘THE END’.

& brr&&rrb b

a

A

r

A

TATIONARYS

STATIONARY

&

SWARDKACB

A

FORWARDS

r

a

b

A

Look Deeper

4 False Hope (See previous page)

There is explanation text missing from the spread. It reads: 1. The shape of the white and black characters are a mix of Arabic style letters but reads in English.

2. These unique serif characters embrace the white space yet the darkness of the letters rejects any opportunity for expansion in the same way that the stereotype eats away at the identity of the Arab.

3. There is an obvious struggle for change but unless people unite and look deeper into the true identity of the Arab the movement for change will remain stationary.

This spread acts as an introduction into media as an ideological tool and looks at the theory of Orientalism. Works from the Jameel Prize 3 exhibition has inspired the design.

Similar the Mounir Fatmi’s ‘Modern Times’ the overall finish reflects the modern view of the Arab is a struggle for the victim.

The calligraphy is beautiful yet its sharp edges indicate danger, it also conveys how change does not yet exist for the Arab as it is STATIONARY this concept is an illusion and it is an art piece that has been deliberately created as an aesthetic trap.

&

English ampersand Arabic punctuation

Can the East and West ever intertwine?

&

&

The ampersand says AND is more, it says you and me, through this ampersand we see the foreigner and I.

4

Uniting Two Opposites (See previous page)

This ampersand is a representation of reuniting enemies. Will the negative attitudes ever shift? Or will Western perception and interpretation continue to be ‘perilously intertwined’ (Rose, 2012:3).

1. Indeed. Before the worst terror attack ever experienced in the West, this was the modern view of the Arab image. Is it possible to fall any lower than nil, could the Arab image be even further belittled and reduced?

TRUE ?

OR

“…The only way in which Arabs count is as mere biological beings; institutionally, politically, culturally they are nil, or next to nil.”

Said, 2003:312

FALSE ?

4 Opposing Perceptions (See previous page)

Often there are two ways of looking at most things. The quote selected is a perception that has emerged through the channels of mass communication. It exemplifies the eradication of Arab identity and culture.

It then questions whether the reader has come to view the Arab in this way. The two eyes reflect the two differing perspectives, yet they are attached to symbolise one true perception.

It poses a question of whether the idea of a dysfunctional Arab who cannot cope nor understand the modern world is a myth or truth. Therefore, there are two perspectives: 1 2

That this is just a false ideology That this really is the actual Arab.

These two interpretations are both observing.

The eyes are both the same since we all see the same thing but it is in our minds where the ideologies are embedded.

1. This explores the perceived identity based on what’s on the outside without knowing or thinking to learn about what lies beneath.

2. In pursuit of meaning and satisfaction we are led to objectify persons and address others through the medium of television, which is one of the primary conduits of ideology. Since we experience alienation from ourselves and others, we best comprehend others and ourselves through TV.

WHO IS SHE ?

4

Separate Identities (See previous page)

The design style of glitch art these designs the medium of television always moves explicit connections between ideas and reality. We find trust and pleasure in what we see on TV and have confidence in the content/ messages delivered to us. The images displayed are a lot like viewfinders, the lines over the image focus on the eyes forcing the viewer to look closer, beyond what you see.

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1. This young female is a victim of negative labelling. It reflects how it has caused her great stress and anxiety.

2. She looks into her reflection in a sudden panic because she is afraid of society’s misconceptions.

4 Victim (See previous page)

We see headlines expressing the public opinion of Arab women wearing the headscarf or veil. This image seeks to expose those who suffer from these stereotypes and urges the audience to participate in the diverse figures of truth.

Will this young girl ever discover an ordinary everyday? Can she ever avoid the category, the dystopia the idea that manifests modern societies?

Maurice Blanchot expands on this by stating ‘the disadvantages of a life so publicly and immediately displayed are henceforth observable’.

1. Westerners have taken statements of Arab “undeserved wealth [as] an affront to real civilisation” (Said, 2003: 108). They have become “undifferentiated in their stereotyped qualities, scheming and money mongering” (Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008:114).

2. There exists a predominant perception where we come to see the Arab as nothing but an oil supplier and a nuisance “with the absence of any Arab moral qualifications for owning such vast oil reserves” (Said, 2003:286).

oi

e w l

th l a

4 Oil Wealth (See previous page)

There is a major misconception that all Arab own some sort of oil wealth – the Arab money connotes this wealth and is made obvious as it is stamped to reinforce the belief that all there money is oil money.

The Arab woman is biting into the UAE dirhams whilst staring vacantly to reflect emptiness since they are supposedly nothing but oil suppliers.

The way she is biting into the money and staring suggests a mechanical process that she cannot escape. It is a forced image, which represents the referenced quotes.

frustration An Arab oriental is that impossible creature whose libidinal energy drives him to paroxysms of over-stimulation-and yet, he is as a puppet in the eyes of the world, staring vacantly out at a modern landscape he can neither understand nor cope with.

“

Said, 2003: 312

HATRED

The Oriental knows “no other environment than hatred” (Kristeva, 1991:13); anyone would feel this way if they were seen as a subject matter and classified as a “radically peculiar object” (Said, 2003:98) or creature.

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HATRED (See previous page)

The photo was designed to look strange and stand out as a foreigner “struck by the peculiarity –those eyes� (Kristeva, 1992:1) distinguishing the foreigner and so the observer stares and rejects at the same time yet he is the hidden face of our identity. The foreigner becomes frustrated and hatred arises, this has been emphasised through the text size.

1. Gold is a plague.

2. The visual entertainment and advertising industry depicted Arab rulers with their women of the harem. In films such as The Dictator (2012) critical depictions of Arab women as sex objects obsessed with luxury become constant. But in reality only a minority own such vast amounts.

plague

?

1. The Middle East is almost always being targeted for its wealth and so the Arabs face consequences of war. They are almost being plagued by their very own wealth. Some would rather strip themselves of this wealth to protect themselves from constant military occupation, violence, rape, death and destruction.

2. An Arab’s positions of power through oil, gold and the ‘arrogance’ of powerful politics promulgate negative discussions and offer the Arab a “total absence of any cultural position” (Said, 2003:27).

WEALTH VS

FREEDOM

4 Gold Plague & The Price of Wealth (See previous pages)

The Gold plague image comes before price of wealth because it demonstrates a “greedy, conniving, scheming …” (Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008:123) Arab. Her evil smirk exemplifies the very catalogue of “childish primitive” (Said, 2003:247) behaviour. This is how they are represented in films.

Both these spreads feature a gold chain which focuses our attention on an idea that carries a special power - the false ideology that all Arabs are deceitful and should not be trusted becomes embedded in our minds.

Thus the image functions as a “vacuum into which our Western identity and awareness are pulled… an empty shell that we inhabit” (McCloud, 1994:36). We do not just observe but become the image and unconsciously assume these political mythologies as realities. But this is reversed through the text references, which invert exaggerated the stereotypes presented. The price of wealth explicitly conveys the yearning to vomit this wealth; it strips the false perception and reveals the reality of owning this wealth and its consequences.

TARGET IDENTIFIED: “The foreigner comes in when the consciousness of my difference arises...” (Kristeva, 1991:1)

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CONTAMINATION (See previous page)

The quote explains why distinguishing differences is inevitable. Hall (1997) clarifies this, using the concept of ‘Otherness’ stating, “difference is both necessary and dangerous” (234) and giving four theoretical accounts to explain it. This notion of danger links with the idea that constructing stereotypes can lead to dangerous outcomes.

trapped

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TRAPPED (See previous page)

This builds upon the fear of even socialising with Arabs and Muslims, creating a “distant social experience� (Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008:5) and as a result they become victims of marginalisation and feel trapped by their stereotypes.

1. Depictions of Arab women as “slaves, sex objects, sex obsessed, despots” (Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008:31) have become embedded in our minds.

2. The entertainment and advertising industry reflect “western appetites the titillating secrets of forbidden places that teasingly promised prohibited sensual delights” (Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008:35).

FILTHY RICH Undifferentiated sexual drive: there is a ‘powerful sexual appetite...characteristic of those hot blooded southerners.

“ Said, 2003: 312

3. The European seeks Oriental licentious sex, unobtainable in Europe and in order for the East to be extremely successful they cater to Western appetite. In a country where women are veiled and males are the majority the secret sex trade is one of the largest.

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Filthy Rich (See previous page)

The harem reappears in films as an extreme reminder of female oppression (Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008:122). The hypocrisy of the Arabs as Muslim is exposed, where naked women as objects of male desire and victims of male power immediately raise the association of the Orient in Western sexual fantasies. The text makes references to the secret sex trade in the UAE.

LOCKED UP

GRADUATE

BRAINWASHED

LOVES SHOPPING

ARRANGED MARRIAGE

SINGLE HONEST

OPRESSED

ARAB MUSLIM

CONFUSED

SOCIABLE

PECULIAR UNTRUSTWORTHY HOUSEWIFE ABUSED

RESPECTFUL BRITISH CARER HEALTHY

INFERIOR SUICIDE BOMBER

INTELLIGENT

DELLUSIONAL

GOOD SENSE OF HUMOUR

SECRETIVE

FAMILY ORIENTATED

DISGUISE

OPEN MINDED

NINJA

HAPPY

CRIMINAL

POLITE

“

“

SEE BEYOND IMAGE

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BRANDED (See previous page)

The image has been designed to raise awareness of the false representations people have of women wearing the burka.

The two lists are opposites and encourage people to look past damaging attitudes.

There is an eye above each list, one is shut and the other is open to signify how people should open their eyes.

CORRUPT ?

TERRORIST ?

OPRESSED ?

READ UP!

& so the distance between the idea and reality of the Arab should ideally be destroyed since there can only be one truth. divergence vs convergence

ARCHAIC ?

It is as if the media deliberately layers fear onto their representation of the Arab stereotype in order to spawn fear amongst the population...

Arab culture and Islam those who only absorb the negative depictions

! WARNING: Do not fall into the shadow of global media.

and indifferences presented to them making understanding impossible.

Chomsky, N. Barsamian, D and Naiman, A. (2012). How the world works. London: Hamish Hamilton.

Your perception should no longer be more than the distance from your mind to your hand.

remains a mystery to

Between the idea and the reality falls a shadow...

Between the idea and the reality appears a light...

Mainstream ideologies remain perplexingly agitated and tense, and

Gottschalk, P. and Greenberg, G. (2008). Islamophobia.

Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

this imagery has shown that media power and dominance endure.

Johnstone, S. (2008). The everyday. London: Whitechapel.

Kristeva, J. (1991). Strangers to ourselves. New York: Columbia University Press.

‘NO, I AM JUST AN ARAB’

Rogan, E. (2012). The Arabs. London: Penguin Books.

decide now.

Said, E. (2003). Orientalism. London: Penguin Books Ltd. Welch, D. (2013). Propaganda. London: The British Library.

Click here to view the digital issuu version of the tabloid - http://issuu.com/izzyaa/

Final Spreads The final spreads seek to reinforce how the everyday stereotypes are insignificant since there is no truth in them. The stereotypes have been disrupted and thrown into question. Having always already seen the stereotypes as an illusion as it happens this tabloid takes it further and uses images and words as a transmission as a panoramic vision enclosed in a newspaper print. It discusses the reality and idea and asks the audience to change their perception.

Proffessional Context

4 After researching my target audience it appears that trains and train stations are the best way of reaching them.

MOCK UPS

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Before the decision was made to create a tabloid, various mock ups were deisgned to test out hard covers and tape booklets, this was done just in case the newspaper design didn’t go to plan.

PRINT RESEARCH

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The companies contacted included sm1, newspaper club, staples and quote me print. After receiving different quotes and prices for the postcards, the best decision was to print with a friend at sm1 for a discount, also the reviews were very good.

Printing a newspaper was really pushing my boundaries and pushed me to do something that is challenging, it taught me about CYMK printing and the guidelines and design process for printing a newspaper.

It also best suited my professional context.

The only struggle had to re-print several times because of the gsm.

PRINTING COSTS & TIMING

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FINAL OUTCOME

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The tabloid is complete and on the news stand which will be placed outside a train station in London. The postcards designed have been made to be placed in an exhibition this enables me to situate my work further in a proffessional context.

The postcards have were created as an alternative to the newspaper. If the newspaper were to be placed in a gallery and the visitor wanted to only take a reference away of a double page spread they could take a postcard instead depicting elements from the newspaper.

FURTHER CONTEXT - adbusters

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There were further contexts that my work could potentially be placed in and so I submitted this email ro adbusters in hopt ot place my work on thier site. But because I sent it off a little too close to this submission deadline I have not yet recieved a reply.

EVALUATION

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During the twelve weeks of this project my ability to work independently has been enhanced and allowed me to form professional judgements in the aesthetic, conceptual and technical decisions made with the newspaper. The detailed analysis and research into this topic was far more challenging than I had anticipated, as there was considerable in-depth detail to discover in order to gain good knowledge of my chosen topic. Orientalism is a complex study that challenged my ability to use imagery as a translation of the philosophical language and theories I had discovered.

The information collated from various theorists formally conceptualised ideas and perspectives that were then identified as a specific target audience and so it was an effective beginning to a creative journey, an exciting one that would allow me to test the realities of these theories by asking the audience themselves.

Not only was the theory of Orientalism by Edward Said (2003) of significance but also the documentaries led by Aljazeera such as Head to Head, a contemporary forum of ideas that included relevant episodes including “Do Arab men hate women” and “What is wrong with Islam today”. These episodes refined my concept and were a turning point for my project as it allowed me to narrow down my ideas: my new focus was on Arab women rather than just Arabs.

It gave me more confidence in the subject area because there was more reasoning as to why this study was of high relevance and produced further meanings for producing such a visually explosive tabloid.

The newspaper required an in-depth study into the font styles, colours and composition in order to form aesthetically pleasing pieces. The composition of the tabloid was very important because it carried meaning within it. The idea was to move away from printed pages of text and replace it with visual imagery. This idea stemmed from analysing the power of newspaper headlines. They immediately grab people’s attention, so it then occurred to me – what if I created a newspaper with numerous pages of headlines but in the form of visual imagery, would it be more interesting? The aim was to design a print that would keep the reader fixated; the designs are all open to interpretation because they work as metaphors rather than the actual explanation and so I included explanations or quotes that would further exemplify what is presented.

I learnt about the guidelines for printing a tabloid. When deciding on sizes I asked a sample of people for their opinion, and there were mixed opinions about whether it suited a mini design (180x260mm) or tabloid (289x380mm). Therefore I had to strictly judge in what size the image was most effective and practical for a reader on a train or bus. Since the imagery represents graphic agitation and political art I thought that a larger alternative was best as this reinforced the dominance of the issue. The size chosen was also reliant on an observation that tested how popular certain publications were according to size and this size was easily recognised and proven to be more popular within the specified professional context.

Overall the design layout of the newspaper was a risk to take but succeeded as it communicated its purpose and meaning The textual reference has been kept minimal very well. My knowledge of Orientalism and the theory of Other as well as the grammar to ensure the reader takes in all the details of visual design has increased. Interacting and forms a clearer understanding of what they see. These designs are not photographs and observing my audience and context has expanded my design ideas, which I of real life events but exaggerated discovered during the development stage. expressions of existing stereotypes that symbolise political and philosophical theories The visits and research into contemporary of Arabs. These designs add value and make practitioners have really pushed this project it different from any old newspaper. It carries further in terms of concept, understanding and ideas giving an overall clearer direction. a sense of value and quality: a piece of art that I intentionally designed for the reader to pick up and take home. As with any piece When engaging in a variety of approaches to research methodologies, from of artwork, you’d want to keep it rather than observations to case studies, focus groups leave on the floor of the train. and questionnaires I discovered a better understanding of the professional context Testing the print methods and sizes before and gained further knowledge of the position uploading the artwork onto Newspaper club of my work in contemporary society. was a real learning curve. I learnt about CYMK and how to go beyond the banalities of pagination.

Another fundamental discovery during my development process was the looking at the grammar of visual design.

Following my participant observation I was able to define and understand the appropriate place to position my work in today’s society. However, the professional context could certainly be further expanded but given the time limitations of this study I was unable to design a website that presented this work. Instead I submitted the tabloid PDF to ad busters hoping to display my work onto their website.

The most difficult point of this journey was the very beginning: reading about these theories was very interesting but time consuming and so I struggled slightly with time management. However, I overcame this through focusing on designing one piece that would contain fruitful knowledge, meaning and purpose rather than several less meaningful outcomes. The final piece is very different to what I usually design but it certainly suits my discipline field of political art and graphic agitation. This creative journey has also taught me not to fear breaking boundaries and to be confident with my designs. I will take this journey further by exploring more about publications and contemporary newspaper designs.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Books Ambrose, G. and Harris, P.( 2005). Layout.

Lausanne: AVA. Chomsky, N. Barsamian, D and Naiman, A. (2012). How the world works. London: Hamish Hamilton.

Mcquiston, L. (1993). Graphic agitation.

London: Phaidon.

Farjam, L., Haskell, D., Lippy, T. and Truman, J. (2007). Making magazines. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

O’reilly, J. and Fawcett-Tang, R. (2001).

Experimental formats. Crans-Près Céligny: RotoVision.

Fletcher, A. (2001). The art of looking sideways. London: Phaidon.

Oliver, V. and Poynor, R. (2000). Vaughan Oliver. London: Booth-Clibborn.

Gottschalk, P. and Greenberg, G. (2008).

Islamophobia. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Rogan, E. (2012). The Arabs. London: Penguin Books.

Hurlburt, A. (1976). Publication design. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. Johnstone, S. (2008). The everyday. London: Whitechapel.

Kress, G. and Van Leeuwen, T. 1990.

Reading images. Geelong, Vic.: Deakin University.

Kristeva, J. (1991). Strangers to ourselves.

New York: Columbia University Press.

Rose, G. (2012). Visual methodologies.

London: SAGE. Said, E. (2003). Orientalism. London: Penguin Books Ltd. Welch, D. (2013). Propaganda. London: The British Library.

Films / Documentaries The Dictator (2012) Directed by Larry Charles [DVD] US: Paramount Pictures

Lundelin, K. (2012). World Press photo 12.

Exhibtions Jameel, A (2006) Jameel Prize 3. London:

New York, N.Y.: Thames & Hudson.

V&A