Physical Transformations

I have been thinking about cosmetic surgery and generally physical transformation and its media representation and its repercussions for a couple of years.

There are a number of threads I wish to connect here:

-First the ‘need’ to bring medical procedures into a public forum and demystify these procedures tied with the problematic concept of truth in both fictional and non-fictional television whereby graphic representation of in particular bodily spectacle, autopsy, operational procedures lead to some sort of truthful outcome.

-Reality television as means of solving political economy of television and makeover television using deep seated tropes of transformation and beauty within our culture. Further the political economy of television itself a conglomeration of huge corporation who have many tiers of ownership and narrow casted productions.

-A turn in feminism toward transformation physically and outwardly individually rather than collective meaningful change and action

-Normalisation and domestication of invasive surgical procedure – larger scale changes

-Values of entertainment – compelling pull of physical transformation

-The problematisation of aging and with that gender and aging

-Deregulation of medical advertising, rise of cosmetic dental business,

But moving onto a different but just as compelling transformation, watch this Japanese game show where boys cross-dress into girls for the amusement of the host and guest panel and audience made of up mainly Japanese school girls…Cross dressing paradise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJA4Wy6s9fc&feature=related

The Red Shoes and creative obsession...

I wanted to explain the reason why I had used the poster for Red Shoes in my blog layout and had my justification explained by none other than Martin Scorsese who has restored this film for Cannes 2009 http://www.indiewire.com/article/scorsese_on_the_red_shoes_its_cinema_as_music/pem.
He goes on to say:

“[But] this is a film that I love. Every aspect of it [the design, the color],
the way the film’s edited, the movement within the frame and the movement of the
frame, the dialogue, the milieu. "It isn’t as simple as music intercut with
images,” he gushed, excitedly, in that fast-paced way that he speaks, “It has
something else that makes it a piece of music, in a way. That you can run the
film through your head and through your mind and your soul like music—images
come to mind and perceptions of dialogue.”

Scorsese further remarks how the film explains creative obsession:

“This is the one that seems to cast a spell on many people, because it weaves a mystery of creativity and obsession—it becomes a film about the creative drive.”
“The Red Shoes” is crucial because it’s a movie that tapped Scorsese’s creative spirit at a young age and over the years he’s talked a lot about the importance of the film. But, so many people have never seen it...He recalled a single scene that he feels embodies “The Red Shoes.”
Early on in the film, ballet company impresario Boris Lermontov (played by Anton Walbrook) is at a cocktail party where he reluctantly meets a young ballet dancer (Moira Shearer) who he is immediately taken with. He asks her, “Why do you want to dance?” She quickly responds, “Why do you want to live?”

Ah...love it!

Tabula Rasa

This first blog reminds me of all those blank pages that hold such windy promise yet set sail on currents of anxiety about what shape this type of writing should take. I have concept mapped areas of concern and interest: which seem namely to be about myself and my perfectionisting tendencies, but sometimes touch on cultures, fashion, object design, media, gender, technology, performing, music, celebrity, surgery and sometimes all those things at once!