Institutions | Michael Firus

Picture = 1000 words ∴ 4 seconds of 25fps video = 100,000 words.

Tram Surfing

A few weeks ago I participated in a rather interesting shoot. Tram Sessions is an organisation that takes upcoming artists and puts them on Melbourne’s trams to perform their latest tunes. Oh, did I mention they made such occasions into music videos? As a videographer on one such project, I found the un-officious and warm…

Institutions Close to Home

Mowing one’s grandmother’s lawn on a warm Autumn’s afternoon is not generally the situation that evokes an analysis of an institution’s impact on a culture’s development. However, as my gaze lowered I began to realise that the piece of equipment I was using formed a prominent pillar in Australian culture: the Victa lawnmower. The Victa…

Institutions in Popular Culture: Wall Street

Institutions have characters; they have their values, beliefs and floors, much like individuals. Here, I will examine the way popular culture perceives the character of a specific institution through examining a specific media text: Oliver Stone’s 1987 drama Wall Street. (Whether the film reflects reality is not considered here) While watching the film, I noted…