Exercise 3: Others Identity
During Stage 1, you encountered the exercise, ‘Homage’, where you reflected on and made work inspired by an influential practitioner. Similarly, albeit more extreme, this exercise asks you to take on the identity of another practitioner, copying and replicating their work as authentically as you can. Dress up as the person, change your name to theirs, introduce yourself to someone as them, seek to become them and alter your perspective of yourself by embracing the identity and practice of someone else.
But, what are the ethical implications of this? Is it possible to share identity? Are human characteristics of gender, race, age and sexuality replicable in any authentic manner, or would the act risk promoting stereotypes and impinge on people’s identity in a negative or hurtful way? When does mimicking, satirising or replicating become morally corrupt as opposed to demonstrating an appreciation and admiration of the other?
Ethics
Ethical considerations are an important element of your practice and research. Ethics should consider your responsibility to others through the way you gather or present information. This might include data protection issues if you are using primary research or broader ethical issues if you are representing others or using images/language that may be seen as disturbing or offensive. There is more guidance on ethics within the unit resources and the Student Handbook, alongside a number of endorsed courses covering the subject in more depth on the FutureLearn website.
Context: Bieber’s Dreadlocks
The Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieber was the symbol of a complex argument concerning cultural appropriation. Appropriation as a creative device has become synonymous with conceptual art and of testing the boundaries of creativity. However, in the sphere of social, cultural and political spaces, the bounds of appropriation and appreciation can be blurred. In this case, Bieber was accused on social media of cultural appropriation for wearing his blond hair in dreadlocks, conflicting with the historical origins of the hairstyle. In the following news report, the panel discusses what cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation are.
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The book-the story
When Odysseus was cast ashore on the coast of Sicily, he fell into the hands of Polyphemus who was farming sheep and making cheese. The giant shut him up with 12 of his companions in his cave and blocked the entrance with an enormous rock. Odysseus at length succeeded in making Polyphemus drunk, blinded him by plunging a burning stake into his eye while he lay asleep, and, with six of his friends (the others having been devoured by Polyphemus), made his escape by clinging to the bellies of the sheep let out to pasture.
Influence
In Greece we grow up with the myths and the epics of the Ancient Greek religion. Homer’s work, Iliad and Odyssey were part of our school curriculum. Odysseus saga and his longing to find his way home, his adventures and his struggles was always a big inspiration to me. Nowadays, I live my own Odyssey so this story has been reintroduced to me. I look to find many similarities between the legend and my reality. I embrace these findings as a part of my journey to become an understanding of my soul and somehow to give me more strength and peace to carry on and overcome all the obstacles that I encounter.
Recently I had to stay inside a massive factory for almost one month. I was impressed by the loss of identity, especially at lunch time when people quequed (including myself)to get food. People lined up wearing uniforms waiting for their time to serve themselves. I saw that line and the scale of people as an identity loss. I imagined myself as being Nobody. This is the phrase Odysseus used when Cyclops asked for him for his name when Odysseus offered him wine to put him to sleep. At the end of this adventure when Odysseus with his companions managed to escape from the cave shouted his name out loud to the Cyclops.
My work
None (ΚΑΝΕΝΑΣ)
In the cave of Cyclops,
the sheep had fallen into line.
As per every day, they waited for their time to come.
The Good Lord pampered and cared for them
He knew he lived on them,
but even the naive sheep could not do
without the precious presence of Polyphemus.
I also found myself in this cave.
I was amazed at the size of the Cyclops,
I also admired his herd from which he made the best cheese in the world.
I saw how they make it and how they maintain it.
But my mind was to go far away.
Cyclops’ cave was just a stopover. Other ports wanted to tell me about their secrets.
The days passed and I was lost in the abyss of the cave,
waiting for the rock to open and leave.
Cyclops had noticed me but didn’t care,
confident in his strength,
he showed me he could crush me with one touch.
But when he asked me what my name is, I answered him Nobody.
Nobody I am inside the cave with the sheep, outside of it I am still Odysseus.
REFERENCES
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Cyclops”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Jun. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cyclops-Greek-mythology. Accessed 13 November 2024.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Polyphemus”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 May. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Polyphemus-Greek-mythology. Accessed 13 November 2024.
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