The idea of noticing media was discussed this week. To bring this into practice we broke up into groups and wandered the city, making a point to note as many different forms of media around us. I took a walk through Melbourne Central (which i might add is my least favorite place in the city) and took time looking places I usually wouldn’t- up above, on the floor and listening.
As expected, most of the media spotted or heard was forms of advertisement. Whether they were hand drawn, moving screens or stickers on the floor advertising was everywhere. When i picked up my phone to check Facebook there were posts encouraging me to download the ‘Kim Kardashian Hollywood’ app. When i went to roll a cigarette there were warnings plastered on the packet. On the train platforms there’s TV screens playing advertisement in a loop. Even when i would just stop and listen to nothing in particular I could pick out different types of music playing from stores, people talking on their phones, the chant of a protest outside.
In the lectorial John Cage was mentioned. He was a composer who is famously known for his piece 4’33”, where he simply sat at a piano for 4 minutes 33 seconds without playing or saying anything. Although the audience were inevitably confused initially ,it encouraged people to listen to the world around them. Just because there isn’t a song playing or a conversation going on it doesn’t mean there isn’t something to be heard. It’s an interesting idea, and one I may utilize in my self portrait assignment.
