OUGD601 - Practical synergy

The essay asks the question 'How does graphic design interpret electronic music culture?' and throughout the study, research shows how appropriation is crucial in allowing graphic design show the worth electronic music has beyond its function. It is evident that electronic music relies heavily on appropriation, and in turn it allows electronic music to continuously move forward and evolve.

In chapter one in the essay I discuss the visual culture of Kraftwerk including the highly original and influential albums Autobahn, Trans Europe Express and The Man Machine. This particular investigation focuses on the album packaging which was produced with the same attention to detail as the music. From this investigation it shows why Kraftwerk used appropriation, as it was to prompt a better future, and change perceptions of German identity following the war. They achieved this by appropriating imagery from the cultures of the 20s, 30s and 40s; in a nostalgic manner yet prompting a promise of a better utopian future. It was a concept that ‘aims to fuse utopian notions with nostalgic images to create an aesthetic tension that confronts the present’ (Poynor, 2003). It can be seen in Autobahn with the confrontation of Hitler’s ‘prioritised project’ to maybe show an era of social transformation following the war. Even more so in The Man Machine, with Kraftwerk’s retrieval of Lissitzky as he had once reflected utopian desires and futuristic anticipations.

It allowed Kraftwerk to use historical alternatives which contrasted to the modernist models which were dominating the industry at the time. As a result, Kraftwerk stood out musically and aesthetically.

Therefore, for my practical I wanted to use this concept of fusing utopian notions with nostalgic images to create tension which subsequently creates aesthetic tension in the present. However, for my practical I wanted to reimagine Kraftwerk in the 'present'. So in my practical you can see I appropriate the same themes such as the autobahn, Trans Europa Express and constructivism. Yet in styles more appropriate for today while still rejecting the modernist models that exist in today, just as Kraftwerk did in the 70s.

I believe I achieve this through the use of tape cassettes and overall aesthetic of the covers. Firstly,
the tapes which can be considered a nostalgic medium of music today. Additionally, tape production in music today has  a collectors item tag associated with it, whoever purchases the tape obviously appreciates the music but also the packaging with it. It is considered rare and a piece of music to be cherished unlike a file stored on a streaming service. It can also be argued that tapes may have a surge like vinyl has had in recent years, and the practical questions if Kraftwerk would be ahead of the curve if they were releasing tape music today.

Secondly, the design of the covers differ to most techno albums of today which mostly adorn an image of the artist in ambiguous manner. I wanted each cover to tell the story of the original while not replicating, distorting or imitating it. I feel all the themes are appropriated in nostalgic manners while imagining each niche theme in todays world.