Dada posters in a post--colony

Niina Turtola, University of Lapland, Finland, [email protected]

Abstract

Graphic design is often seen in the commercial context and is discussed through topics linked
to software and technology. When we look around us we can realise that billboards, banners,
posters and most of the print that surround us in the public space are delivering messages of
marketing, corporations, consumerism and other commercially inclined narratives. This,
however, is not the only way to comprehend the practice of a graphic designer. Graphic design
can take a socio-pedagogical and historical role and distribute alternative messages in the
society which are not linked to money and consumption, unless education, reading and
studying are considered consumption of sorts.

It is obvious that graphic design is a powerful tool that shapes our understanding of reality.
This happens through being exposed to the work. Posters are claimed to mirror societies by
many theorists and most visual communication is mediated by a graphic designer. Thus,
Bonsiepe stated already in 2005 in his speech Design and Democracy that there is an absence
of questioning activities linked to design production. It is yet a relevant theme that research
needs to approach; also in a post-colony where the printed poster is ubiquitous. A simple sheet
of printed paper. A very simple but extremely complex and powerful. There lies an
investigation that this paper will start. The outcome of this paper to share knowledge within the
researchers about creating new meaningful pathways in understanding globally important
practice of graphic design. Art and design are universally important.

Keywords: graphic design, printed poster, socio-pedagogical, post-colony, history

The purpose of the paper is to show through theoretical references, case study and discussion
that graphic designers have the possibility to incorporate socio-pedagogical and historical
motives, as well as questioning activities, in the generally commercial and client oriented
nature of graphic design. As an outcome, I want to create a reader to see that graphic design
does not only prevail in Finland, the rest of the Europe, United States but is ubiquitous. It
functions in the same commercial manner in the public urban spaces in the post-colonial South
Africa, Namibia as in the ‘West’. Researchers need to investigate further, not how things look
or opinions about them, but how ‘things’ are practiced, in which context, and what is
represented: To define what visual reality looks like. Definitions of graphic design are
redefined continuously in each interaction between the printed sheet and the viewer, be it
active or passive relationship.

I will start by defining the terminology. After this I will explain my research position.
Thereafter I will introduce literature to define graphic design and link this to its socio-
pedagogical and historical framework. I will show questioning activities. As a theoretical
framework, I use writings of Bonsiepe, Potter, Müller-Brockmann, Van Toorn, Sontag, to
name a few. It is necessary to introduce also writings from the South-Africa and to bring the
local understanding closer to the reader.

Terminology: Case study, artistic research, DADA, poster and post--colony

I conducted a case study from artistic research perspective. Borgdorff defines artistic
researcher as a study where art practice is central to the research itself and that the creative
process forms pathways to insights and understanding (Borgdoff, 2012, p.145-146). I position
myself as an artistic researcher that conducted a case study in a post-colony. My researcher
position is that of a permanent inhabitant in Windhoek, Namibia, for approximately a decade.
I have been active in the society as artist, educator, performer, designer and as an artistic
researcher.

Case study is defined by Karlsson (2016, p.3) as a single instance and a sample of one
investigation of a phenomenon from a real-life context. She indicates that researchers use
case study to identify what is common about the case study to explain the reader how or
why something happened.

DADA refers to information retrieved from Museum of Modern Art, New York, website:
http://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/dada. ““For us, art is not an end in
itself,” wrote Hugo Ball, “but it is an opportunity for the true perception and criticism of the
times we live in.” The case study is ‘dada’ in nature. It was created not for the posters
themselves but towards challenging seeing and perception about the posters and design in the
society. DADA is a mirror of the society through the case study, that shows the power of
design.

With poster I refer to Müller-Brockmann (1971/2004, p. 22) who writes: “Posters are
barometers of social, economic, political and cultural events, as well as mirrors of our
everyday lives.” Sontag (1970,4) refers to Hutchinson’s definition of posters dictated by the
demands of a service, message, or products and Sontag, herself defines poster artist as “works
for money and tries to please the client”. This definition supports my view on how graphic
design is linked to corporations and commercial entities directly.

The term postcolonial is difficult to define in a simple manner. The term has both historical
and ideological significance. Postcolonialism is a critical theory focusing on colonial
experience from the colonised society’s point view, semantically post colonialism means
something that has a concern only with the national culture after the departure of imperial
power. This case study brings DADA to people who might feel ambiguous towards it due to
historical reasons. If I spoke about DADA as a white Caucasian female researcher, the words
would be linked to me, not to the information, potentially. Streets are public spaces that offer
individuals the choice to read, or not to read.

Literature review

Bonsiepe (2006) discusses the alarming absence of questioning activities in the design
discourse. He indicates that academia still offers a space for this type of endeavour, whereas it
seems otherwise slightly problematic to start a dialogue in the cultural context. Bonsiepe also
points out that designers aspire towards two minutes of fame and mentions design coffee table
books that exempt readers from intellectual efforts. Design with democracy is not enjoy
popularity as discussion. Whereas the word “fashion designer” is rather sexy (my word choice,
not that of Bonsiepe). Bonsiepe says that design is distanced from intelligent problem solving
and moving towards quick and obsolete boutiquization of the world universally. I agree and I
am starting a dialogue through the posters.

50th anniversary of the Warsaw International Poster Biennale, in June 2016, write on their
website; “The Poster Remediated will explore how the conventional poster is undergoing
rapid transformation in an age of ubiquitous digital screens and social media. It will show that
the internet has not – as some commentators have suggested – killing off the poster. But the
medium is being changed by digital technology”. With this citation, I see emphasis on what is
conventionally being discusses: technology, and technical aspects. It seems secondary to
discuss the art of posters and the content. Why are posters being made and with which
purposes? Is graphic design only submissive to a third party? The thinking mind behind the
posters as art? To answer a brief? This is a text book example discourse stuck in technology.
Also, Crowley (2016) discusses – digital poster in the same context of Warsaw Biennale. The
focus should be on ‘What?’ rather ‘How?’ and ‘Why?’.

Van Toorn states (Poynor, 2008,79): “The problem of design today is that it is more fascinated
by the visual, as a realistic imitation or decoration, and not by the image as a subjective
narrative and interpretive element.” A designer cannot adopt a position of a neutral
intermediator for Van Toorn (2015, 22). He (2010, 46-47) pleas “not to lose contact with
social reality, to maintain an open eye and a critical mind for the conditions in which we
produce, and for the effect it has on the recipients. He advises us to strive for dissident
behavior and to accept more dissonance in the process. Van Toorn continues “a language use
that liberates us from the forms of domination that design and its concepts still exercise
today”. Van Toorn, in Critical Practice, (2008, 79) offers alternative ways of thinking to be
embedded into the everyday commercial practice of design.
The DADA posters show the potential and news ways of becoming an active citizen.
Graphic design is guerilla advertising, where anyone and everyone is manipulated. I wil
come to this later.

Economou (2012, 39) writes that “the visual media encourages and reproduces a culture
where ambitions of glamour, sexualisation, and material wealth provide social status and
recognition over “traditionally” valued concepts such as education, family values, work ethic,
and civic duty”. Sounds like the ‘West’, does it not? It is. Van Toorn (2010, 46) writes about
‘reality’ and that “presentation is missing an authentic point of view and a form relating the
unearthed material to our experiences in reality”. Therefore, poster mediated our new
potential realities as well.

South African designer Mac Garry (2008, p. 9) claims that graphic designers can do what
they want. Spiekermann (2006, 165) says on the other hand that artists express themselves,
not graphic designers. Mac Garry (2008) seems contradicting himself in his writing as he
publishes a text book about graphic design, yet the focus, in my opinion in personal opinions
rather than theoretical. Hence, he (2008) also states that are no rules but then shows the basic
universal rules of graphic design that are universally identified. Reader must be confused. We
need to perform criticism to what we read and what we believe. If the establishment is vague,
how can we?Maybe it is challenge to simply learn to question.

MacAvery Kane writes: “Graphic design serves as a filter through which much of our
communication is disseminated. Graphic designers find themselves in the unique position of
being gatekeepers of information as well as providing a mirror that reflects contemporary
culture.” Designers are juxtaposed; how can they earn a living and offer positive alternatives
all at once.

Müller-Brockmann (2004, 12) says posters mirror everyday lives in the society. Repetitive
mirror becomes reality through the repetition. Müller-Brockmann (2004, 12) refers to Bense
who purposes that design exists to glorify and to manipulate behaviour. Posters for Bense
solve problems, but also confront us with new ones. Kepes (1995, 221) writes that: “Posters on
the streets –– could disseminate socially useful messages, and they could train the eye, and
thus the mind, with the necessary discipline of seeing beyond the surface of visible things, to
recognize values necessary for an integrated life.” (1944, 221) DADA poster aim at
manipulating to change behaviour towards reading, art and design.

I have presented literature and thinking that has influenced the case study. I placed a mirror
or posters to the society. Poster carry knowledge and the work has been distanced from the
conventional poster designs.
Case study: DADA posters in a post--colony

Figure 1. The first reader arrived on the 6.10.2016 as I was finished posting the work. The
reader was created. I do not witness people reading ‘conventional’ posters; I have no proof of
that.

Through this case study I want to show the alternative futures of design. The purpose is to
share information and offer a possibility for an individual to learn and to see alternative. I
started by sending an email to approximately 150 people; artists, designers, educators etc. in
Windhoek, Namibia on the October 3, 2016.

“STREETS ARE BECOMING A LIVING LIBRARY!

We have distributed D,A,D, and A (DADA) posters in Windhoek to celebrate the 100 years
of DADA art movement and in celebration of art and design education and practice. This
DADA 'streets are libraries' campaign celebrates the potential of graphic design through a
printed poster in conveying socially beneficial narratives and messages!

What is DADA? Who knows DADA? Who cares DADA? Now people can decide for
themselves, they can make the choice of learning or not learning. We don’t know unless
we learn. Streets are libraries!

Graphic design can approach socio-pedagogical issues and it does not only have to be
concerned about corporate and commercial affiliations. Most of graphic design is doing this.
There are alternative methods the discipline can do to create a larger discourse in the society
about art, design and education and society as whole. We are aiming to create awareness
about design and art visions, that are not linked to corporations nor consumerism. Except if
knowledge creation, reading and learning is considered consuming.

We wish that you will contribute to the awareness building of art, design and education
by printing any of the attached posters and posting them anywhere in your
neighbourhood. Distribute as many as you like!”
I write in an intuitive basis. I think for a long time and then act. I think that we globally share a
common history of graphic design and art. We must write news histories. In South Africa,
students, as a protest towards the local current unhappiness towards systems, I assume, burned
art works and demanded statues to be taken down (Daily Maverick, n.d) in August 2016. I do
not support violence, nor art burning. It reminds me of the history of burning books. Art
history is universal heritage. Decolonising is a new buzz word, but decolonising exactly what
and how?

I worked four years as a government lecturer of graphic design, where else do I start than
history? I took design to where it belongs, streets. I created ephemeral libraries. I was an
advertising agency, imaginary, but real. “What Would Hugo Ball or Marcel Duchamp
say?”: I thought that art history is as important to an art student in Namibia as in Finland.

I designed 21 DADA posters based on text found online. I did not waste time in designing; I
did it in my mind before. I copied texts, printed and made approximately 300 copies to
communicate socio-pedagogical and historical meanings to be viewed by the everyday people
in the City of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. The campaign forced viewers to view the
work as it looked different (see figures 1., 2., 3.). I posted installation to five different sites and
distributed individual posters in the city everywhere. All the different posters and few reprints
of reprinted authentic DADA posters were distributed in five locations. Nothing was for sale
and the project was self-funded. It should have been sponsored by a company. The
experimental campaign carries similar pioneering attempts as the Dadaists undertook to
intervene and question long-held assumptions of what art and design should be.
Figure 2. A local taxi stopped and the passenger to said the words DADA.
Figure 3. “Drop the Shadow, just drop it!” is my advice as a lecturer of graphic design
to beginners.

Why do the streets posters look like Photoshopping exercises (Figure 3.), but not good graphic
design? Is it cultural design and repetition of the convention, started by anyone who started to
Photoshop posters? The word on the streets is that the person is making money who designs
these posters, but is not educated. Does it matter? A clever business man, self-expressionist or
an extension of the client’s arm? These are questions that research needs to approach.

Discussion

The case study followed Bonsiepe’s (2006) inquiry to ask questions through actions and Van
Toorn’s philosophy of design to embed alternative views. I question the surrounding posters
and therefore the poster production. Potter (2002, 53) discusses client brief and its falsity
which leads to my informed opinion that many street posters are ‘surface of the face of things’
(Potter, 2002, 53). Posters can be visual pollution. Sontag used (1970, 4) words ugly, banal
and decadence to describe posters. Self-expression, corporate clients and briefs, or maybe
socio-pedagogically and historically oriented way to develop artistic research? I chose the
latter in this case study to write about. “As the extended arm of the client, it (poster) should
lead viewers to the product and appeal to them in such way that the message finds its way into
their unconscious mind” (Müller- Brockmann (1972/2011, 12). The DADA posters lead to
potential reading.

William & Newton (2007) researched collective memory and how it is formed by a
cumulative effect of media-generated images and events. They write that media delivers
visual images that create a sense of what is normal and acceptable linked to our values,
lifestyles and behaviours. Media, I think, hijacks the idea of reality. Graphic designers
present it visually on a repetitive basis. William & Newton discuss that we think we select
what we see, but in fact our non- conscious memories and predispositions guide us in seeing.
Our intuitive cognitive processes, according to them, receive more information than we
consciously note.

Guffey (2015, 287) writes: “there has been a mistaken idea that global graphic design is
nothing more than the Westernization of design forms worldwide”. I am looking forward to
interesting Namibian styles, that are not repetition of the internet of things. Hand-made
posters might be the solution, but now computer, I know this from four of teaching
experience. Ban Photoshop! “Guffey says that posters are a stubborn and resilient form and
continue to develop in new ways entirely outside the West.” I have seen interesting hand-
made typography in Namibia, but not poster design.

Conclusions

“What software do you use?” Most frequently vocalised words as I say: “I am a graphic
designer”. Convention. Spiekermann (2006, 164) says that the only time people discuss
design is when it does not work. For the same reason, we need to expand our work beyond it.
In this paper, I have shown options how this can be done. The viewer has been fed new
information. By repetition it becomes a norm. Viewer does not like nor dislike, conventional
posters just are there, a wallpaper, like lukewarm water, in my opinion. Outi Nyytäjä, a
Finnish dramaturg and actor passed away in 2017. I never forget a radio interview in 2009 as
she said: “Water needs to be cold or hot, not lukewarm. That is a death sin”. I have no
reference to that except my memories. We can influence collective memory by actions. The
DADA posters in post-colony is a case study conducted by artistic researcher. I showed how
designer can swim against the main stream aiming at creating socio-pedagogical and historical
knowledge potential. I promised an investigation into the simple yet complex sheet of paper.
The poster. Further questioning needs to happen through further research.

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Autobiography
Niina Turtola

Niina Turtola is a candidate at the Culture-based service design doctoral programme at

University of Lapland, Finland. She commutes between Namibia and Finland. She is a graphic
designer by profession and she swims against the stream as it is what typographic artistic
researcher must do, in her case. Turtola studies text and typographic language as material and
as interpretation in the artistic process. She interprets, through typography, already printed
texts in the society, and makes artistic design of them. In her research, the texts are always
interpretation, therefore the design mirrors also the viewer through reaction.

Her thinking practice plays a more important role than actual designing, that is intuitive. The
artistic process leading to an art work is fast as light, almost. She believes in thinking rather
than creating pretty pictures and surfaces, that are too conventional. Turtola has created a
method to create the unfamiliar following a theory of Viktor Shkolsky (1917). Her brave and
self-initiated project is the subject of her doctoral research: productions of fictive Ministry of
Truth and Typography. She wonders why so many graphic designers stick to corporate
practices rather than explore their own artistic practices?