Big Metaphor: Takashi Murakami Meets Louis Vuitton

Big Metaphor: Takashi Murakami Meets Louis Vuitton

Brian Zhao Zhong

     Would you ever expect that a Japanese pop artist would be able to persuade a general audience to purchase the product of a French based high fashion brand? The response to this question, will be mostly negative because the inner connection of these two entities just too hard to find. Generally speaking, when a customer thinks about fashion, they tend to visualize a front cover of magazine featuring tall, skinny models to sell the product. Also, when people perceive animation, they tend to deviate its content from any materialistic culture. However, this paper is going to tell you that it is possible for an animation to upsell a luxurious handbag. Specifically, contemporary Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami and French high-end fashion brand, Louis Vuitton, working together to produce a legendary line of product, and the success that came out of the video that Murakami composed to promote the collection.

The thematic subject of this paper is going to take you to the magical kingdom of rhetoric and look everything in a rhetorical lenses; in which, this paper will argue that Takashi Murakami as a rhetor, is able to successfully apply the rhetorical situation into his construction of the artifact (promotional short film); if artifact film is like a metaphor, Louis Vuitton would be the tenor and Takashi Murakami’s animation would be the vehicle. In a rhetorical study setting, we are going to mostly explore Murakami’s persuasion technique and analyze how he constructs this metaphor. Before we perform any analytical procedures, it is essential to have some background knowledge.

This collaboration took place almost eleven years ago, as Marci Kwon put it this way “In the year of 2002, Murakami rocketed to prominence with the help of Marc Jacobs, the creative director of esteemed French fashion hour Louis Vuitton. Jacobs commissioned Murakami to design a limited edition series of handbags, which combined the artists sense of color and character with Vuitton’s iconic LV monogram”(Kwon p.46). The short film seemed to be a byproduct of the collaboration; however, it is not the case. Because of the short film it established a more explicit connection for pop art and fashion as Foss refers to as the “commonplace” in the metaphor criticism, its prominent place in this entire campaign is nonpareil. Thus, the collaboration film cannot be underestimated.

The collaboration short film is both an image and narrative-driven video taking place in an “obsession with manga and animation” (BBC 7:52). Specifically, the storyline of the film followed a simplistic path. There are the two main characters – a young girl who is standing at a busy Tokyo street outside of a Louis Vuitton store, and the Panda monster who came directly from the magical land of “Superflat”. Murakami shot this animation in a third person angle that is placed inside the animated store of Louis Vuitton. The girl is texting and wondering around to check if her friends are coming or not. Suddenly, she accidentally drops her cell on the ground, and that is the moment when Murakami’s famous monster figure shows up. Murakami’s animal-like monster first picks up her cellphone and tries to fool her by faking the intent of returning her phone. When the girl tries to get back the phone, Panda monster eats her phone disarming both the girl and audience’s expectation; after the initial shock, the girl becomes angry and starts to punch the monster. Monster is smiling the whole time without any verbal communication. Key point occurs after a few punches – the monster eats the girl as well. While we are still wondering about this odd moment, the girl is on her way to the wonderland of “Superflat” and Louis Vuitton. After going through a LV monogram path, she stepped into a hyper animated space where everywhere the colorful Louis Vuitton logo is seen. There are more animated characters such as small elfin-like angel and gigantic mushroom that can blow the “LV” logo wind. The girl traveled through the space without gravity, which is a clear deviation from the real world. She experienced something dashing and magical. By the time her experience approaches the end, she finally finds a military colored hand that is arranged like a LV logo. The logo is created by military colored arm with a palm at the end, and the phone is in one of the palm. After retrieving the phone, she continuously travels through the space while taking some pictures. She caught the Panda monster bamboos. Then sends a multimedia message to all her friends, and receives an enormous reply on how they don’t believe she gone through this. With the smile of the little elfin-like angel, she transforms quickly back to the same place before where she was eaten by the Panda monster. At the meantime, her friends come and grab her, and right before she leaves the front of the Louis Vuitton store, she opens her phone, there is a piece of bamboo leaf and picture of Panda monster where it concludes the entire film.

Upon finishing the description part of the film, there are a couple instances that are noteworthy. First, the aesthetic appeal that came through the film is sturdy and unique, as an audience, we are merged into the animation as well. In other words, the dashing, magical experience is not only for the little girl, but also for us to taste and grasp. Second, the odd moment is compelling and the narrative is making great sense here. It all seemed that this short film itself has set up a great premise, a fundamental challenge for us to dive into in terms of the study of rhetoric. In this paper, we are going to employ four major different kind of rhetorical criticism, which include, classical, narrative, ideological, and conceptual.

We start off the video by applying the classical criticism that is introduced in the rhetorical criticism reading. First, the overarching telos is to increase both branding awareness and popularity. Aside from the telos, this paper previously did not elaborate what the commonplace really is. In fact, the telo leads us to think of the commonplace: commerce. Louis Vuitton would be easy to consider commerce because they are in the luxury retail business. However, Takashi Murakami is one of the artists who achieves the artistic and commerce level at the same time. As Kwon confirmed that, “a look back at what can now be understood as the millennial art world’s decadent period reveals an overlap between art and commerce that is unprecedented in its degree and pervasiveness.  On the forefront of this exploration is art star Takashi Murakami, who has gathered tremendous amount of fame with entities such as luxury goods conglomeration Louis Vuitton” (Kwon p.27). Based on the commonplace of commerce to link Murakami and Vuitton, the denotative meaning out of the video is trying to say that Louis Vuitton is like a piece of Murakami animation art, they are both sellable. Couple things that this artifact video is trying to sell: magical experience with Louis Vuitton space and the aesthetic appreciation of an art.

With a more concrete definition of “commonplace”, we continue our discussion of classical criticism. The use of ethos, pathos and logos are quite apparent. This film as a whole is demonstrating ethos because the animation character from “Superflat” is the iconic creation from Takashi Murakami and “LV” monogram print is the most iconic, identifiable image from Louis Vuitton. If we consider the characteristics inside the video, their ethos is more synthetic and artful. Together, both Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami kept a consistent style in presenting their character; they minimized the traditional differences and synthesized, embraced their characteristics into one cohesive piece. The pathos, on the other hand, is the most obvious. Interestingly enough, we mentioned that there are no words spoken in the context of video, all of the emotions are coming from those animated characters; they share anger, happiness and some anxiety. Specifically, little girl is angry because the “Superflat” Panda monster picked up her cellphone and wouldn’t return it; she is happy because the magic world between Louis Vuitton and Murakami is pretty and everything seems dashing; it brings out the anxiety of reality check for the school girl when she is teleported back to the street after her adventure. However, the anxiety can be transferred to the audience who watch this short film. Preciously, the little girl’s experience triggers the anxiety of real world audience to purchase the collaborated product simply because customers might want to experience the luxurious goods shown in this creatively constructed form of animation/pop art. Lastly, the couple odd moments can be consider as logos of the video since some of the incident does not follow the general audience’s expectation. We call it “Murakami” logic, It all starts when the “Superflat” monster eats the girl (transforming her into another world). However, the strange use of logos is making sense in the context of this artifact because Murakami’s genius setting of animation film rather than real film contributes to the video as a whole, as a gateway of introducing the magic world of “Superflat Monogram”.
Not only is Murakami able to persuade his audience to believe in this metaphor by his great use of “Murakami logic”, persuasive emotion and characteristics from both inside and outside of the video, but also, in terms of a narrative criticism, Murakami is a great storyteller in that he constructs a great layout for audience to grab the centurial theme of magical experience. His short films have a great sense of narrative “adherence. The reading conjunction between Coleman and Foss offers a new method to criticize and analyze artifacts; they offered the theory from Fisher and Burke, called narrative approach (criticism). Among three different types of narrative approach, Burke’s ratio-narrative approach, also known as the pentadic criticism, primarily focuses on the crucial elements within the artifact itself. Murakami’s work can be best analyzed in five dramatic elements mentioned by Burke:

     Act: dashing adventure through Louis Vuitton and world of “Superflat”.

     Agent: “Superflat” animation character, Panda monster, elfin-like angel, little girl

     Agency: cellphone

     Scene: busy Street of Tokyo and “Superflat Monogram” space

     Purpose:  little girl retrieves her cellphone while experiencing an adventure.

As Burke mentioned in the process of crafting analysis, there are 20 different systematic pairings for ratios that are crossed in between these five primary terms.  In this case, Takashi Murakami and Louis Vuitton focused mostly in act, scene, agent and agency. When we focus on agent-scene, the relationship between these two terms are in a cause-effect relationship, Murakami employed his “Superflat” character in an artistic real Tokyo setting, agent enabled him to transform the scene later on, into the world of “Superflat x Louis Vuitton”. Meanwhile, agent-scene also offers a platform to further introduce the act. The scene-act relation also impacts one another because of the scene that Murakami creates he is able to initiate the act in the video, which is the dashing, adventurous experience. Lastly, agency-scene worked together to create the advertisement image, because the agency is cellphone, the video is able to use cellphone as a device to trigger the audience into the adventure scene, it formed a familiarity for the audience to keep the object matter in mind so that everything else makes more sense. Here, both Murakami and Louis Vuitton insert their symbolic image into it and make the most aesthetic appeal out of the video.

The five elements from Kenneth Burke not only worked with each other, but also ensured the narrative probability and fidelity as Fisher mentioned in his essay regarding the two tenets narrative “adherence.". This artifact/video has Murakami’s animation theory and genre, it can be taken into any context, and he kept a consistency within this video in comparison to his other artwork. The narrative probability of this artifact “makes sense” because of his consistency throughout it remaining as “Murakami logic” rather than everyday logic. Although the classical and pendatic approach did not mention too much about metaphor itself, the major argument of this paper is still concerned that Murakami, as a rhetor developed this metaphor of: Louis Vuitton is like a refined art piece in world of animation, it is worthy to buy. The classical and pendatic approach is used as an analytical tool to demonstrate why this metaphor worked.

As we dive into the study of metaphor, the subfield of metaphor simile concerned the fact that the comparison is explicit. By containing the world “like” in the metaphor itself. However, if we look into this simile more closely, it is not the fact that Louis Vuitton and Murakami’s animation really are alike, but rather, He applied the method, as we referred to Ideological critique. Murakami’s work in this particular video fits with two terms that Stoner and Perkin argued, this rhetorical critique method: culture hegemony result in a marginalization and the application of legitimization. The Japanese pop culture is reflected in every inch of the video, which offered a platform for the audience to connect, whether it is the busy, chaotic street of Tokyo or the classic flip-style cellphone used in 90s, they are the dominant elements that the audience around the world relates to in their unique culture identification.      
Above all, the art form itself, further exemplifies this iconic Japanese pop culture. However, as a part of the collaboration, Louis Vuitton: a high-end fashion brand appeared less culturally dominant in the video, they just solely provide the logo. In other words, Louis Vuitton’s own culture had been marginalized because of this unique animation form and the way they present their products. But still, Louis Vuitton is the main participant of the collaboration regardless of this imbalance. There are many odd moments in the video that will never make sense without knowledge of Murakami’s “Superflat” theory; he is able to legitimize those odd moments with his creation of “Superflat” characters. The logic behind this legitimization is that he quietly set up the assumption that humans are not animated characters and they are not prone to “crime” like eating one’s cellphone and the girl. People tend to ignore and forget the real world ideology and implicitly agree with Murakami’s ideology as audiences enjoy the video. As previous analysis has argued, he had almost perfect ethos, pathos and logos yet the narrative made sense and was persuasive to the audience, he is able to insert these ideologies to ensure this dashing experience both inside and outside of the video: audiences enjoy the video itself and also willing to purchase the collaborative product.

Lastly, we focus our attention on the Murakami use of icon. The definition of the conceptual oriented criticism is “focused on drawing from case studies to ‘take in’ more meaning for a given concept” (McKerrow & St. John). The interpretation of this concept “icon” can be understood as something that stands out in the video that is illustrated by images, yet those images are comparable to our preconception. In other words, the manipulation of all the different unique elements really showed off in within the image of the video rather than the storyline or content. What makes this video iconic is the fact that it developed a contrast between what we expect and what we actually experience when two different subjects collide with each other. As Jacobs puts it, “we approached the idea of the ‘icons’ of Takashi and the ‘icons’ of Louis Vuitton, being the monogram, and we worked on creating a brand new canvas that had the spirit and presence of Takashi and the history of Vuitton” (Kwon p.47).

The main contrast between Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami is that they are totally differently categorized. Takashi Murakami is a contemporary Japanese pop artist that based his creation in the form of animation, no matter the sculpture, painting or other kind of art, he remains consistent on presenting it with his animation rather than any other art form; Louis Vuitton, a high-end French born brand is focused on luxurious products such as luggage, handbags with their high price and recognizable logos.

If people are still not able to associate commonplace established for these two different brands, consider the collaboration film, Murakami is able to create sets of new images to intertwine the differences and challenge our preconceptions. Specifically, Murakami abandoned the traditional approach to advertisements of the fashion industry, he didn’t hire some photographer along with some skinny tall model to sell their collaboration product, in which, audiences think traditionally as we mentioned in the beginning. Same case with Murakami’s animation, we thought the best the collaboration can do is perhaps have Murakami draw a Louis Vuitton bag to put on his “Superflat” animation character. However, the film proved us all wrong. During the collaboration video, he only uses the Louis Vuitton iconic “LV” logo. He put the logo in the background of “Superflat” experience and often zooms in – a LV hand grabbing the girl’s cellphone, and zooms out again to reinforce those movements when audience see the logos. He is able to give vivid color into the logo so that it does not look plain and boring as in previous advertisements, it is actually the first time someone has tried to insert some colors into the traditional luxury logos. Besides the logo, Murakami still is able to retain his artistic insight and keep animation as a platform to offer this collaboration film. Murakami created the animal Panda to indicate his product of collaboration; Panda inherited other “Superflat” animation characteristics. However, it only appeared on the Louis Vuitton product rather than sold as an individual artwork. Even though the collaboration film is not saying commerce explicitly, the film is targeted heavily on the customer/viewer eyepiece rather than a piece of art with no objective.

To finally evaluate and prove the success of this metaphor/collaboration, we carefully examine the audience reception from several sources. First, the article from Harvard Business Review “Louis Vuitton in Japan” by Justin Paul and Charlotte Feroul confirmed the success of this collaboration. They mentioned, “Takashi Murakami had result in smash hits, boosting Louis Vuitton’s sales in the market” (Paul p.14), “The strategy appeared to be a huge success for the leading luxury conglomerate LVMH, as the Murakami line increased Louis Vuitton’s profits by 10 percent” (Paul p.11). The research exhibit demonstrated that two of six of Louis Vuitton’s bestselling handbags in Japan were designed by Murakami (Paul p.20). Second, just simply focus on the Japanese market, the book by Radha Chadha and Paul Husband examine the Asian’s love affair with luxury product, they said “a staggering 94 percent of Tokyo women in their 20s own a Louis Vuitton piece”, more interestingly, “for Louis Vuitton, the undisputed leader of the cults, it’s possibly a case of too much love – at one point an estimated 88 percent of Vuitton’s global sales came from Japanese consumers”(Chadha p.2). In another article where Japanese scholar Shin’ya Nagasawa mentioned, “based on data published in Luxury Import Brand Market in Japan 2008(Yano Research Institute Ltd. 2008), 6 years after the collaboration production, Louis Vuitton held the top spot for net sales of single brands for FY 2007 with sales of around 165.0 billion yen” (Nagasawa p.17), it is approximately 1.762 billion U.S dollar today; yet that is almost six years ago from today. Just a quick look at Murakami’s product as well, Thomas Loose in his article “Superflat and the Layers of Image and History in 1990s Japan”, he points out that “Murakami constantly refers to his refusal of any distinction between art and commodity, and part of his aim is simply to sell a lot (and he does, with annual sales in the billion of U.S. dollars)” (Loose p.95).

Murakami has often being referred as the “Asian” Andy Warhol, as Hebdige mentioned in the collection book “Murakami”, he said, “both Warhol and Murakami gained attention in the art world by positioning themselves as outsider-savants not so much hostile as oblivious to the boundary-making rituals and etiquettes that continue to protect institutionally sanctioned contemporary art from contamination by other forms of production and exchange. Both are seen as radical levelers… art/commodity, art-world/fashionista hierarchies. Both appropriated business as an art form and adopted cooperate branding strategies ” (Hebdige p.20).

Followed by the success of the collaboration, Murakami is not the only artist who collaborated with Louis Vuitton. Just earlier last year, Louis Vuitton collaborate with another legendary contemporary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, it was a huge hit again since the Kusama style is rapidly different than Murakami’s animation, as Marc Jacobs refer to be the “ her hand paint Speedy bag” (Jacobs 0:20) and “polka dot would eventually meet Monogram” (Jacobs line 2). In the future, it would be great to look at this collaboration in a rhetorical lens. As for now, upon finish discuss this artifact, we should have a comprehensive understanding on this big metaphor between Takashi Murakami and Louis Vuitton.

References

Murakami, Takashi. "Superflat Monogram." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Feb. 2010. Web. 07 Feb. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwmsXEncv-0>

Paul, J., & Feroul, C. (2010). Louis Vuitton in Japan. London, Ontario, Canada.

Chadha, R., & Husband, P. (2006). The cult of the luxury brand: Inside Asia's love affair with luxury. London: Nicholas Brealey International.

BBC. "Takashi Murakami – Birth of Superflat." YouTube. YouTube, 08 Mar. 2011. Web. 07 Feb. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE2VgKy5DUc>.

Nagasawa, S. Y. (2008). Marketing Principles of Louis Vuitton-The Strongest Brand Strategy.

Looser, T. D. (January 27, 2010). Superflat and the Layers of Image and History in 1990s Japan. Mechademia, 1, 1, 92-109.

Kwon, Marci. "Modern Art Asia Issue 1: Japan, Modern Art, and Tradition [Edição Kindle]." Modern Art Asia Issue 1: Japan, Modern Art, and Tradition EBook: Majella Munro, Gwyn Helverson, Marci Kwon, Yayoi Shionoiri, Ming Turner, Asato Ikeda, Laura Warne, Kristina Kleutghen: Amazon.com.br: Loja Kindle. ModernArtAsia.com, 2009. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. <http://www.amazon.com.br/Modern-Art-Asia-Issue-ebook/dp/B008QI6HG4>.

Murakami, Takashi, Paul Schimmel, and Dick Hebdige. © Murakami. Los Angeles: Museum of Contemporary Art, 2007. Print.

Jacobs, Marc. "Behind the Collaboration with Kusama." Louis Vuitton, 27 July 2012. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. <http://www.louisvuitton.com/front/#/eng_US/New-Now/articles/Behind-the-Collaboration-with-Kusama>.

From Freedom to Opportunity: The Symbolic Nature of the Statue of Liberty

Daryl Gordon

            On a small island in New York Harbor stands an unusual structure of a mere three hundred and five feet.  Easily dwarfed by the average building in New York City by three times, it might make the modern observer wonder about the role of the Statue of Liberty.  Surrounded by giant utilitarian buildings, one can only wonder from what people and society did “Lady Liberty,” as the statue came to be referred to popularly, come from?  Has she been able to retain the same importance and status in the modern world from the time that she was constructed in the New York Harbor over a hundred years ago?  While she has not lost her status as an iconic part of New York City, and indeed of the United States of America herself, the meaning of the Statue of Liberty has changed from that what was originally intended as a symbol of democratic rule by the people that was to be emulated by the countries of the world especially Europe, to more recently as a beacon for immigration to this country. 

            As the popular nickname “Lady Liberty” suggests, the subject of the Statue of Liberty is a woman; specifically an idealized version of Libertas who was the goddess of freedom and widely worshipped by ancient Romans.  Liberty, as represented by a woman, was quite a common symbol used by the United States at the time when the Statue of Liberty was conceived and created in the late nineteenth century.  This symbol of liberty would have been commonly understood at the time to the average person. 

 

            This monument to liberty was constructed by a Frenchman, Frederic  Bartholdi, and was designed to be completed by 1876, this of course being the one hundred year anniversary of the year that the Declaration of Independence was signed.  It was a joint project between the peoples of France and the United States.  In the United States the base was constructed while the actual statue was constructed in France.  It was brought to its eventual resting place in pieces, and assembled by French workers. Bartholdi said this of his technique used to create the statue:

The surfaces should be broad and simple, defined by a bold and clear design, accentuated in the important places. The enlargement of the details or their multiplicity is to be feared. By exaggerating the forms, in order to render them more clearly visible, or by enriching them with details, we would destroy the proportion of the work. (Bartholdi)

The message of the Statue of Liberty was always meant to be overt, and that is especially obvious from Bartholdi’s remarks on his design for the statue.  As he said, it was to be “bold and clear.”  This is reflected not only in the design, but in the choice of liberty as a lady, as already stated a clear symbol of liberty at the time. 

Some of the other explicit symbolism of the Statue of Liberty is found in the few details of the statue.  One of the first things that the observer notices is that the lady is dressed in a neoclassical toga that evokes strongly not only the ancient Roman goddess of freedom, but hearkens to the Greek idea of democracy that the American experiment was based on.  Not only that, but her crown was decorated with seven rays that represent the seven continents and seas, as she spreads abroad her message of democracy and liberty to the world.  Her right hand holds aloft a torch to the world while in her left hand she cradles a tablet  inscribed with the date   "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI," which of course is July 4, 1776 the day the Declaration of Independence was signed.  At her feet lay the broken chains of tyranny and oppression.  Not insignificant since in 1876 it was not too long after the Civil War had ended, and for many true liberty had been achieved with the end of slavery and its tolerance.  (Moreno)

The clear message is no accident, and reveals the intentions of the originators.  They wanted the statue to be not only a celebration of the achievements of democracy in the United States, but to stand as a beacon to other countries of the world.  An invitation to those governments to emulate what was done in this country.  While the United States was not without its growing pains, when compared to France’s struggle for democracy one can perhaps see the originator’s plea for as bloodless as transition to democracy as possible.  How this message was received and implemented to the other nations of the world could be the subject of its own worthy investigation.

 

There was a definite moral high ground that was being taken when the Statue of Liberty was conceived and created.  Behind its placement is no clear way to profit from it.  At the very least it could be considered something meant merely to beautify her natural surroundings, but it is clear that the intent was more than that.  There is no subtlety in its message, and in the worldview of those who created it.  In ways that bore little need for explanation, it was obvious that the rule of democracy was clearly to be favored by the more stifling rules of other governments found in the world.  The only question was how to let the rest of the world that there is a call for them to cast off their burdensome regimes and instead bestow upon the people liberating freedoms of democracy?  That they chose to convey this through a finely crafted, majestic piece of art shows that there very message in of itself is preferable to any other means a more autocratic government. Their legitimacy is found in the very peaceful and inspiring way that their message is displayed.  It is not compulsory to follow the Statue of Liberty; she merely beckons those to follow her.  She calls.         

           The narrative that the creator of the Statue of Liberty was striving to put forth when people saw the statue is one that declares that man can rule himself, and that the world should look towards this nation as a shining beacon on how to govern. This message was meant to be bold and undeniable as exhibited by its unmistakable size and grandeur. The people of the world would look at her and see that the shackles of tyranny can be broken and they can be free. Freedom is an obtainable state which is better than being ruled by others. The governments of the world should know that self-rule can work and that they should let their people be free to choose their own paths. A republic is better for their nation and for their people. Not only would the everyday people be inspired by the Statue of Liberty’s grand message of liberty, but the very leaders of government all over the world would take heart from the message. Her stern gaze would hopefully pierce the very hearts of these leaders, and they too would be overtaken by the message of liberty. The Statue of Liberty would change lives and hearts all over the world.

The public however changed the narrative. As immigrants traveled to America they would see her standing at the entry way to America. She became to them the symbol of America. The statue slowly became a symbol of immigration into this nation.  Instead of representing the “Grand Experiment” of self-rule it gained a narrower story of those who recognized the greater freedoms and opportunity to be found in this country, and so left everything they knew in search of what would popularly become known as the “American Dream.”  The poor man could come with very little in his pocket, not know the language, or a single other soul in this country, yet that man could be the next Rockefeller.  Anything could happen here because this was the land of opportunity.  On his way into this country and new life she would be waiting there beckoning and welcoming.  The Statue of Liberty became the “Mother of Exiles.” No longer was the original intent found in her story.  She became more a symbol of opportunity than liberty.

            It would not be too much longer than that this message would be further confused by Emma Lazarus’ poem The New Colossus that has come to be associated with the Statue of Liberty.  Few realize that the now famous lines:

            “‘Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!’ cries she

With silent lips. ‘Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” (Lazarus)

Were in fact never a part of the original design of the Statue of Liberty and arguably would upset the original intent behind it.  This addition only highlights though that in its purest form this was always meant to be a symbol of liberty.  Why else would the commonly understood symbol of Libertas be invoked?  It was found frequently on the coinage of that time. (Sutherland) Though the leap to the statue being more associated with immigration is understandable since its physical location is so near Ellis Island, where for decades new immigrants would first step onto American soil, this was more an accident of geography than a deliberate attempt on the part of the originator. 

            Its placement was designed to be prominent in what was and is one of the most important cities in the United States.  Also it was one of the most cosmopolitan of cities that would grasp the statues high ideals and symbolism easily.  In this bustling port many could not help but see this harbinger of democracy.  Ironically this is how its message became confused with immigration.  Instead of emulating the United States democracy then instead the peoples of the world just came here to experience it for themselves first hand. 

            The Statue of Liberty is a good example of an explicit symbol.  The artist that created the piece was very clear in what message it was supposed to convey, and for the most part those who received it understood that message well.  It was only through an accident of placement that allowed for the perception of its message to take on a different tenor.

            This is no more noticeable than to be found in the way that “Lady Liberty” has been popularly portrayed in the national mind as found in television, literature, and movies.  One such portrayal is found in the film Ghostbusters II.  The Ghostbusters team learned that paranormal sprits were feeding off of the hate that was being generated by all the citizens of New York.  Upon discovering the solution to defeating the demons was creating a feeling of goodwill among the denizens of the city so the whole place could be overrun with positive energy, the Ghostbusters knew they would need to invoke a powerful symbol of immense positivity.  Their solution was to animate the Statue of Liberty and make her walk down the street in a make shift parade on New Year’s Eve with a little help from Rita Coolidge’s hit song “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher.”  The visual sight of the statue, come to life, walking down the street in New York evoked enough goodwill and brotherly love in the city that the Ghostbusters were able to save the day.  Lady Liberty proved an effective rallying point just as its creator would hope that it would be, but perhaps in not exactly the way that was originally intended. 

 

            Does the Statue of Liberty today represent what it was supposed to when it was built? Yes and No.  To people who want to be free all over the world the Statue of Liberty is seen exactly as its creators intended.  The statue though has gained a new life in a symbol of immigration to America, something that it was never intended for. Its creators wanted to export the American style democratic republic to the world, but to many today it is a symbol of importing people to America.  Beyond that it is a symbol of hope to those who come here in search of the “American Dream.”  She represents all the good that is to be found in this land which is exactly why in Ghostbuster II she became such an effective symbol of goodwill capable of making an entire city overflow with good feelings in a city that is world renowned for being rude.  Even though the governments of the world did not en masse adopt an idealized style of democracy the broader objective to create a rallying point that would gain worldwide recognition was certainly achieved.  When considered in that context it is hard to consider that the Statue of Liberty failed in its goals and hopes.

References

Bartholdi, Frédéric A. Liberty Enlightening the World. New York: Root & Tinker, 1884.

Cleveland, Grover, and George F. Parker.. :. The Writings and Speeches of Grover

Cleveland. New York: Cassell Pub. Co, 1970.

Khan, Yasmin Sabina. Enlightening the World: The Creation of the Statue of Liberty .

Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2010.

Lazarus, Emma, and Josephine Lazarus. The Poems of Emma Lazarus. Boston and New

York: Houghton, Mifflin and company, 1889.

Moreno, Barry. The Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia. New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster,

2000.

Sutherland, Cara A. The Statue of Liberty. New York, N.Y: Barnes & Noble Books,

2003.

Ivan Reitman, Bernie Brillstein, Gordon A. Webb, Joe Medjuck, Michael C. Gross

(Producers), & Ivan Reitman (Director). (1999). Ghostbusters 2 [DVD]. United States: Sony Pictures

 

 

Husky Stadium, Rhetorically Speaking

Brian Hawn

My artifact for this paper is one of the most prominent and storied venues in the world of college football today, Husky Stadium located on the University of Washington campus and the shores of Lake Washington. In this paper I will argue that Husky Stadium is much more than just a sterile building. In fact, Husky Stadium has created a second home for the audience by constructing a deep relationship built on everyday American values, with the specific purpose of ensuring it survives as long as possible. To do this I will provide you with three key points throughout the paper. First we will explore how the natural decaying of the stadium over a long period of time has turned itself into much more than a building in the fans’ eye. Second we will highlight the original design of the stadium itself, and how through consubstantiality the stadium has identified with the fans. Last we will dive head first into the everyday values that are represented in Husky Stadium and how those values intertwine among the fans inside the stadium to create a protagonist and antagonist. But before getting to the meat and potatoes, let’s start with an appetizer to help you get a more developed picture of Husky Stadium.

 

This first thing you notice is that the stadium creates a sense of awe and sheer strength when you approach it with its massive twin cantilevered roofs hanging over the upper decks of each side of the stadium. It is as if the stadium itself is waiting to envelope you in its cold grey steel with its metal jaws hanging over the edges of the field. The location of the stadium, right on the shores of Lake Washington with a view on a clear day of Mt. Rainier, makes it one of the most scenic locations of any stadium in the country (BleacerReport.com, Scott). The history of the stadium itself, the iconic nature of its structure, and the success of the team on the field has brought droves of people to this artifact. For many people they will look back on it with fond memories as fans, for others they will speak of the great feats they have seen in the stadium, some will lament the losses of their teams in the stadium. However, for most, they will speak of the beauty of the stadium with the backdrop that it presents for the game itself, and the noise that rains down on them like a monsoon.

This tidal wave of noise comes from the overhanging roofs on both sides which create a foreboding warning for the opposing team, one you will not see anywhere else. As this ESPN story states, “The cantilever roofs that cover the north and south grandstands have become famous for their unique look and the reverberating effect that deflects sound from below back down onto the field” (ESPN, Booth). I can remember going to my first game at Husky Stadium with my father when I was ten years old, walking into the stadium, hearing that noise coming from the stadium and crowd, and seeing the view; I knew in that moment that this place would be special for me. To this day I go to every game knowing that I have so many memories in this building that no one can ever take away from me; that is why I chose this stadium as my artifact.

Family and Religous Representation

For six or seven Saturdays in the fall I make the short trek down to Husky Stadium with my fiancée. Quite honestly it is very similar to getting ready for church on Sunday mornings. We wake up early, watch other college games from around the country, get dressed in our specific game day attire consisting of a great deal of purple, and pack onto the bus with other fans who have likely gone through the same process that we have. As we arrive at the stadium a sea of purple engulfs the stadium from all sides, excited for the opportunity to get together with friends and family to cheer on our favorite team. For 18 years I have gone through this same process for every home game of the University of Washington Football team; as I said, my father took me to my first game when I was ten years old and I have not missed a game since. I remember vividly watching games with my dad from our cold metal seats in Husky Stadium and yelling at the top of my lungs to try and help the team in any way I could. And now, 18 years later, I am going to every game with my fiancée and we are developing our own memories that will last us a lifetime.

For me, and thousands of other fans that live and breathe Husky Football, the experience of Husky Stadium is an all-encompassing event that is comparable to a religious experience. The ideology that the stadium creates is the importance of taking care of that which is dear to you; this ideology will be expanded upon later. As you walk into the stadium you can see the wear and tear that it has experienced over the years; layers upon layers of paint peeling off the wooden bleachers in the lower bowl, rust forming under the metal seats in the upper deck, cold water coming out of the faucets in the bathrooms every single game. It is this run down nature of the stadium that endears the stadium to the fan even more; we have seen this stadium grow old right alongside us. The stadium has been alongside me from the days of acne and girl problems as a teenager, to today as I am drawing closer to graduation and the day I get married to my lovely bride-to-be. It is this natural decaying of the stadium itself that naturalizes the overriding belief of the fan that Husky Stadium, and thus Husky Football, is a part of our life just as a worn down cathedral is a part of a devout Catholic’s life. As Barry Brummett points out in his book, Sporting Rhetoric: Performance, Games, and Politics, “Unlike other public spaces, the college football stadium is sacred to the devoutly pious spectators who use them as dwelling places during home football games” (Brummett, p. 227). This quote goes straight to the heart of the connection people feel with the stadium on a deep, even spiritual basis.

 

 

Another example of this connection is a quote from Kim Grinolds, an owner of the fan site Dawgman.com, that shows how Husky Stadium can endear itself to those who attend games there, “She’s not doing well these days: The paint is peeling; the rust is seeping through; the wiring is dangerous; the press box feels like it’s going to fall down. She’s a mess” (Grinolds). You get the sense through this quote that he is talking more about a family member in the final stages of their life rather than an old rundown stadium.

 

This deep connection is crucial for the existence of the stadium and this connection is maintained by the stadium itself through the feeling it creates within the fan. As was evidenced by the quote from Kim Grinolds, many fans view Husky Stadium and Husky Football as part of their family, it is something they love and cherish and the fan will go to great lengths to make sure it is supported. One example of the lengths that the fan will go to in order to support Husky Stadium is to look at it today while it is undergoing a massive $250 million renovation that is overwhelmingly supported by the money that the fan pays for their seats as well as through donations. A recent quote from University of Washington Athletic Director Scott Woodward in the Seattle Times illustrates how much the fan is willing to give to support Husky Stadium, “UW has raised $51 million in private money --- the goal had been $50 million --- with $30 million cash in hand” (Seattle Times, Condotta). Husky Stadium has legitimated itself to the fans. What should a son or daughter do when their parents become elderly and need help? They should do everything in their power to make sure they are taken care of, just as their parents have taken care of them; they should help pay their medical bills if need be, take them in to their home and care for them. Incredibly Husky Stadium has created its own ideology by being so impactful in the life of the fan and by slowly wearing down in plain view of the fan; by legitimating and naturalizing itself as part of the family of the fan it has, in a sense, paid for its own revival.

Rhetorical Tools

At first glimpse Husky Stadium is just another building that houses a college football team; there is not really much else to think about it. However, when you dig deeper and look beyond the metal and paint you understand that there is much more to be told. Husky Stadium as a rhetorical entity displays a dense epideictic discourse with spectators flocking to the stadium six to seven times a year in a ceremonious display with the hopes of raining praise on their beloved football team. The telos, or as Aristotle defined it, “the end to which people (in this case a stadium) strive” (Sourcebook on Rhetoric, Jasinski), of this grand stadium molds quite well with the epideictic nature of the stadium. The stadium itself was built originally with the purpose of expanding to allow more people to come take part in the College Football Saturday’s that were becoming so successful in the University of Washington community, while also helping to ensure that a large majority of the patrons remained dry under the unique overhanging metal roofs that protect them from the Northwest rain. And it is these metal roofs, which are part of the original telos of Husky Stadium, which made it into a stadium known throughout the college football world.

 

            This leads to the premise of the stadium itself: Husky Stadium is a unique Seattle artifact designed to deter rain and bring in fans to support the team; and the conclusion: Husky Stadium is one of the loudest stadiums in America today because of the original goal of protecting fans from rain. The conclusion would not be possible in this case without the premise of the stadium; without the overhanging roofs surrounding the field of play that protect fans from the rain all the noise would escape into the atmosphere, the roofs now act as a noise amplifier that sends the voice of the fans back down toward the field. This delivery that the stadium imposes is what separates it from its counterparts throughout the country, and it is what lasts with people, even if they have attended just one game.

In looking at Husky Stadium as a rhetorical tool it is fairly easy to see that the rhetor has achieved its goal; more than 70,000 people can now experience what Husky Stadium is all about while still being protected from the rain. But what makes this artifact so exceptional is the fact that the original goal of the stadium is no longer the current goal of the stadium; it is as if the stadium itself is evolving. The stadium achieved the current goal of immense noise levels by relying on a rhetorical tool that Kenneth Burke called consubstantiality. Burke defined consubstantiality in his book Rhetoric of Motives as, “A is not identical with his colleague, B. But insofar as their interests are joined, A is identified with B” (Burke, p. 20). Obviously the stadium and the fan are not identical in this situation. However, the roofs that were designed to shelter the fans eventually became a tool for the fans. As they poured into the stadium they realized the roofs that protect them from rain have now turned into noise amplifiers. This joined interest is what allows the stadium to be identified with the fan. And people from all over the world have taken notice as this article from StadiumJourney.com points out, “What is the number one thing you notice in a stadium? Not the food, not the color schemes of the uniforms. It's how loud a stadium is. Trust me, Husky fans have got this down to an art” (StadiumJourney.com, Hollander). Where Husky Stadium was first built to house more fans while protecting them from the elements, it is now seen as a point of pride for the fans that attend these football games to say that they are a part of the loudest stadium in America. In that way the rhetor has achieved not just its original goal, but they have also achieved the current goal in congruence with the fan by using Burke’s idea of consubstantiality.

Creating a Protagonist and Antagonist through Everyday Values

The idea of discovering and pinpointing the values of a football stadium certainly seemed daunting; how can an inanimate object have values, or even portray values to the audience? What I looked for in this analysis is the apparent values that are represented by Husky Stadium and how those values interact with and are perpetuated among the very special audience of Husky Stadium. After looking back to past games that I have attended and viewing Husky Stadium over and over again it becomes very obvious which values are represented by the stadium, and these values share a deep connection with the audience itself.

The first and most obvious value that stood out to me was that of friendship on a massive scale, with 70,000 people coming together, wearing their school colors, and engaging in action to do everything they can in their power to will their team to victory. In fact this sense of friendship starts in the shadow of the stadium with friends getting together and eating, drinking, and having a general good time before filing in to the stadium. Another value that is represented by the stadium is togetherness. There has to be some place for the 70,000 patrons in the stadium to sit, and because space is at a premium, seats must be built very tightly and with not much room to stretch out and relax. This lack of space, over the course of many years, eventually allows you to get to know your neighbor on a level that you probably would not expect. And these two values tie in with the last value that is represented through the stadium: excitement.

 

This excitement is also the catalyst of the story; it is what drives the stadium on game days. When there is a close game in the stadium the elements of the story work together beautifully and show a strong narrative probability; the sound in the stadium surrounds you and is amplified by the metal roofs and aluminum seats throughout the stadium, the reaction of the crowd and the euphoria, hugs, high-fives and tears that follow with your new friends around you after a big play are moments that will last with you forever. In a sense, the elements of the story together create the fan as the protagonist in this situation because they help to generate the excitement in the stadium. The way the fans are identified as the protagonist in this situation through the stadium’s story is most easily noticed through the colors and symbols that are most noticeable in the stadium itself. Everywhere you go in the stadium there is purple and gold displayed, or a “W” perched on a wall that stands as a symbol, an identifier, for the University of Washington. Therefore, when you see a fan making noise to help their team succeed, you realize they are sharing the colors and symbols that the stadium itself is wearing as well. You then identify that person as the protagonist in this rhetorical situation. Likewise, this situation also easily identifies the antagonist as well. When the opposing team comes on the field it practically clashes with everything you have seen with the rest of the stadium. The colors they are wearing are wrong, their symbols do not mix with what has been seen throughout the stadium and in the stands, and the attitude towards them from the protagonist does not match that of a friend or family member. This creates an immense amount of excitement in the stadium itself; for the protagonist the enemy has entered your sacred grounds and you must do everything you can to show the antagonist out as a loser. And because of the excitement that the protagonist/antagonist relationship creates, Husky Stadium thus becomes the place to be on Saturdays in the fall.

         By using friendship, togetherness, and excitement together as its values the stadium has helped to develop an environment that can be sustained over and over again by the community of fans that it has created on its own.

 

Conclusion

Now you can see how there is much more to Husky Stadium than meets the eye. Over the years it has developed its own way of maintaining itself and ensuring its existence lasts as long as possible by molding itself as part of the audiences family. Through its unique design and epideictic nature it has given itself credibility in the community by developing shared interests with its patrons through the concept of consubstantiality. And lastly by creating a protagonist and antagonist Husky Stadium has confirmed that there will always be an act to see inside its doors that will draw people to see it played out. What is now evident, as I suggested at the onset of this paper, is that Husky Stadium is not just a building that was erected to hold football games; in fact it is a building that is trying to survive and evolve just as we do.

Work Cited

Booth, Tim. "Husky Stadium Set For Last Game Before Facelift." ESPN News Wire. ESPN, 2 Nov. 2011. Web. 3 Feb. 2013. <http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=ncf&id=7183023>

Brummett, Barry. Sporting Rhetoric: Performance, Games, and Politics. New York: Peter Lang, 2009. Google Books. Google. Web. 4 Feb. 2013. <http://books.google.com/books>

Burke, Kenneth. A Rhetoric of Motives. 1st ed. N.p.: University of California, 1969. Google Books. Google. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. <http://books.google.com/books>

Condotta, Bob. "Husky Stadium Renovation "On Time and On Budget"" Seattle Times. N.p., 25 Jan. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. http://blogs.seattletimes.com/huskyfootball/2013/01/25/husky-stadium-renovation-on-time-and-on-budget/

Grinolds, Kim. “She’s Old, She’s Tired, But She’s Awesome”. Dawgman.com. 3 Novemeber 2011. Web. 5 March 2013. http://washington.scout.com/2/1124701.html

Hollander, Maiah. "Husky Stadium." Stadium Journey. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/husky-stadium-s420/

Jasinski, James. Sourcebook on Rhetoric: Key Concepts in Contemporary Rhetorical Studies. 1st ed. N.p.: SAGE Publications, 2001. Google Books. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. http://books.google.com/books?id=Z4C-maGgYk0C

Scott, Chad. "College Football's Top 10 Most Beautiful Stadium Settings." Bleacher Report. Turner Sports and Entertainment, 30 Aug. 2011. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/824133-college-footballs-top-10-most-beautiful-stadium-settings/page/10

"Tumblr." Husky Stadium. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/husky stadium