Hollywood is a district located in Los Angeles. It wasn’t established until 1853 and started out as an agricultural community. In 1900, only 500 people lived in Hollywood. Today it has a population in excess of 120,000. It has transformed … Continue reading
Walt Disney’s Tomorrow Land shows that in 1967 Disney had the idea that the future looked brighter. Although he didn’t get everything right in his video, the world has come a long way since then. He mentions a “carousel of progress” which is true, as there is constantly new technologies and innovations which are changing the world, showing modernity at its best.
In this blog I will be focusing on material culture. Material Culture: “a mode of thinking about history where the past can tell us about the present” (Tolia-Kelly,2009) and show us how much has changed since then. Materials narrate a story which allows us to relive and get a glimpse of life in the past.
Fashionable men walk the streets of Milan
A view from the Duomo shows crowds of tourists below and thematic Italien buildings in the background
One extraordinary city I was lucky enough to visit is Milan. Its modern urban architecture maintains a rich authentic look. This is a fascinating city of high end fashion that exceeds many other cities around the world for the mere fact that it is in keeping with a balance of its past, present and future in a stylish way. It is key when developing a city to preserve the history within the buildings and Milan is a superior example of this. Milan’s streets consist of a modernistic Italian style and dedicated upkeep. Besides being renowned for fashion, Milan is a city which exudes class without going over the top. It is clear the people take pride in their city. Experiences of living in Milan have always remained dominated by the higher class, wealthy people. In the above photographs I took, wealthy dapper natives walk the streets and tourists take in the stunning architecture. The buildings are so finely constructed with elegant detail that they are landmarks in themselves. Continue reading
“Material culture is culture made material;…” (Glassie, 1999, p.41)
All objects of material culture are set in context where they hold meanings, share meanings, communicate through contextual language, and shape relationships and the world around them.
Michael Kwass noted in relation to modernity “…understand the cultural and intellectual transformations that accompanied the spread of consumer goods in the eighteenth century.” (Batchelor/Kaplan, 2007, p.53) Thus, it propelled the move into feminism and female materialism in the city.
Framing the ‘Modern Woman’
Pic 1: On Grand Parade, Cork, c. 1910.
The spatial experience is situated in material culture, whether being internal or external.
“…hats work literally as objects that frame the face, but also provide frames for historical matters and social ideologies that find concrete expression in material culture”. (Batchelor/Kaplan, 2007, p.54)
The spatial change in material culture can be seen here with Cork city as it shifts into urban transformations.
Shift towards the ‘Material World’
Pic 2: Grand Parade towards the intersection with Washington Street, Cork, c.1890.
The images of Pic 1, Pic 2 and Pic 4 are from a calendar by the Day Photographic Collection. The collection contains about 1,500 negatives on both glass plate and 35mm film stock. The photographs were taken by Alec Day, his uncle John Day and his grandfather, the antiquarian Robert Day.
Ladies of leisure
Pic 3: In Cork c. 1954
This picture displays the independence of the woman in society as a self-possessed consumer and cultivating her own identity in the city. The cultural transformation in society as noted by Kwass is evident here with the change in role, style and language of how women are depicted.
Parasol of poise
Pic 4: St. Patrick’s Bridge 1900. Note the parasol carried by the woman in the foreground and the women’s clothing so typical of the time.
The Enlightenment had a major influence on material culture through a shift in human experience. The material progress is “… represented in the rapid successions of styles, institutions, and investment cycles of the modern city…” (King, 1996, p.3)
From this, as can be seen from the picture above, the Beau monde was fashioned, who were, “…the “people of fashion” were designated as those who set the tone of the town…” (Styles/Vickery, 2006, p.296)
Feminisation of Cork city
Pic 5: Droumnagcapple Ladies Shopping in Cork 1940’s.
Above, we see feminisation of the streets where the woman is recreating the city. An example of this is the New Exchange located in London which “…was perceived as a feminized space…” (Styles/Vickery; 2006, p.158).
In integrating gender difference with the rise of women’s consumerism, the emergence of exhibition halls, shopping galleries, and department stores became a widespread commodity in many modernising urban city spaces, as like Cork city during the 19th and 20th centuries. The modern built environment accommodated a change and shift in human experience and therefore imprinted a landscape of a cosmopolitan culture of material consumption.
Name: Rachel Ní Mhuimhneacháin
Student No: 110363061
References:
From my recent research into examining both the material culture and the urban architecture of a city, I was able to get an insight and an understanding of life in Cork city in the past. I was fortunately able to look through old family albums from roughly the beginning of the 20th century and also images from printed books. This gave me a feel for what essence of culture took to the streets of Cork city at that time.
The images which I have scanned below in my opinion portray the city well in terms of transport, architecture and fashion of this particular metropolis area at that time.
A city is the centre of the show which brings together different innovations and this city is forever changing from generation to generation through this large rise of modernity. It is easy to tell the state in which the city is in from the sites, architecture and buildings of this given area.
Kleanthis Schaubert broke down the plan of a city into three different parts. The first is the medieval which was full of chaos and disorder, the second was a modern city formed into proper systems and lastly the structure of a metropolis was organised around science and is very rationale.
“The Cuiser” : Water transporter in the 1960s. Location: South Kilkenny (2013)
Before the periods of economic growth in Ireland many families across the country were impoverished. Material culture was not seen as an important part of life and so was far less developed and modern than it is today. Prevalent numbers did not have running water in their homes and so had to make their way to wells to access water. The object pictured here is what was known as “The Cruiser”. It was a barrel placed on wheels which people used to transport their water. Past generations of my family used “The Cruiser” two or three times a day, walking two miles to and from the local pump to bring water back to their homes.
Glamour magazine, January 2013. Hugo Boss perfume advertisement. (Gwyneth Paltrow).
This image is swollen with aspects of modernity. ‘Modernity involves deep and wide social transformations’ (Ogborn, 1988).
Gwyneth Palthrow is wearing a ‘little black dress’ (LBD). The LBD was created by Coco Chanel and is a powerful symbol of modernity. The ‘LBD’ could be worn day and night and was designed for the ‘modern woman’ – slim, single and childless, who was part of the public. The clothes allowed women to be free celebrating the women’s body. The ‘LBD’ became very fashionable and still is today. ‘Fashion has the scent of the modern wherever it stirs…’ (Wollen, 2003). Continue reading
Playing catch up with modernity!
Geography Assignment
"The past is always a window to the present"
Historical Geography of the City and the impact of modernity on urban life in the 19th and 20th Century.
Historical Geography of the City
Historical Geographies of the City
We aim to bring to light the main aspects of modernity in towns and cities.
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The Influence of Modernity: The City and it's Public Space
Urban Architecture and Material Culture.
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