Hey Y’all, Max here.
Before I begin let me ask you a question. Do you really know what’s going on? Are you in control or do you just think you are? Have you ever considered that the powers that be don’t have your best interest in mind? If you’ve ever had these thoughts then great, you’re already well on your way to breaking out of the matrix. If not, it’s about time you understand what dystopia is.
Maybe this was a misleading introduction, because I have no intention of explaining dystopia. If you really wanted to know, you could open another tab and have the answers before you in seconds. What I will write about in this blog post is the project we wrapped up just before winter break, Dystopic Art. Yes, we eventually made art but I’ll get to that later.
We would read dystopic literature, make connections to the real world, and then show these connections through a display of conceptual art at the Winter Exhibition.
Everyone would be reading a novel that featured a different dystopic world. The options were 1984, George Orwell, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, The Long Road, G Michael Hopf, and Brave New World, Alduous Huxley. I had previously read 1984 in grade 8 ( ask me how much of it I understood ) and bits and pieces of Fahrenheit 451. I was given Brave New World to analyze, which was fine because it seemed the most interesting to me. The book was actually very good. My biggest takeaway from it was when you looked at B.N.W and 1984 side-by-side, lots of interesting things are noted. The former ( written nearly 20 years before 1984 ) predicted a future where we would become dumb, ignorant, and vain because nothing we do matters. We have choice and freedom, but not really. 1984 is the polar opposite and predicts oppression and control through a strict system that keeps the people in check, making sure they are not even able to think independently. Both novels emphasize the fact that the people are puppets as long as they belong to a whole, a collective, a mass. This would be an important part of my display.
I made a couple connections between this novel and things I know, or things I researched. You can find that all below.
I also had to make an annotated bibliography, that I’m 95% convinced I did wrong. Mr. Harris if you’re reading this I’m sorry I didn’t revise.
John Locke and his political philosophy
Individualism vs. Collectivism
Alduous Huxley and George Orwell: Heaven and Hell
Where does the conceptual art come from, you may ask, and how does it play into Dystopia. And I have no idea. But I’m glad we decided to use it as our medium, because I always appreciate when PLP allows us to create art to present knowledge instead of say an essay. Anything visual is more interesting and draws people in, and also allows me to express myself in a way I know how to.
One thing we looked at that stuck with me was the exhibit All We Want is More by Tobias Wong. Tobias was an artist from Vancouver, who specialized in his own brand of conceptual art, often including elements of consumerism, sexuality ( he was gay ), and surrealism. He tragically died in his sleep not that long ago.
Tobias Wong: All We Want is More <— reflection
I am no expert at understanding conceptual art. I do consider myself an artist but my experience lies with work that understands itself, as in a finished piece has a message that is communicated through it’s visual elements. That being said I am always open to learning. I knew a little bit about people like Marcel Duchamp beforehand but I’m glad to say I learned a lot about conceptual art during this project. I also learned that I can’t stand people who are closed minded to art, however it may appear. Just because it’s not immediately obvious what the message of a piece is, or even what it is, there is no need for one to loudly declare that it’s stupid. I mean, at least be open-minded! I’m looking at you, Cole.
So, what did I do? What did I make?
I really wanted to communicate the idea of individualism. Standing out. Being yourself. I wanted to do this by showing a rebel, a punk, whatever you want to call it. It might be a bit stereotypical but it’s the best way I could think of communicating my message, and having my conceptual art be able to understand ( although in retrospect maybe it was too easy to understand.. ). I decided to use a medium I know well, fashion. I made two outfits, one being the rigid and proper business suit and the other being the exact opposite. Just to be clear I didn’t make these from scratch with my own patterns and fabric, I thrifted and distressed clothes and also stole a suit jacket and pants from my dad.

I think it was a pretty great Exhbition. As with all exhibitions I didn’t have exactly what I wanted to say to visitors in mind, but as the night went on I got sick of saying the exact same thing. I think I could do this in my sleep. It was also my last winter exhibition, which is wild. I’ve done five of these already.
The driving question for this project was essentially the same thing as for the horror project , just about dystopia. “How can art shine a spotlight on the dark sections of society?”
I feel similarly about this as I felt about the horror unit. Horror as a genre is a way to communicate a message, and that message reflects society and what people at the time were thinking, and fearing. The difference is that I feel dystopia is more political and is less focused on individual issues. It is a reflection of a society that is collapsing in on itself, full of its own uncertainties. For example, the end of WWII brought about 1984. Post-war England was unsure of the future, and so George Orwell painted a grim picture of what the future will look like if we don’t change.
In short Dystopia is a Kaleidoscope of reality, but not on a personal level. Dystopia is what we fear as a collective but are powerless as individuals to change.
Great project