Monday, 10 March 2014

Rationale for Practical Work / Identity

The images explore ideas surrounding the theme of national identity. National identity can be described as an individuals sense of belonging to one nation or state, regardless of citizenship (Ons.gov.uk, 2014) or at a fundamental level as "an awareness of difference, that is, a feeling and recognition of 'we' and 'they'" (Lee, 2012, p.29). It is not an inherited trait, or as Bauman describes an "old-style stiff and non negotiable" identity (2004, p.25). It has been suggested that an individuals national identity stems directly from the existence of common points in people's day to day lives; national symbols, national colours, language and culture, to name a few (Wikipedia, 2014). National identity tends to be most apparent at times where the nation in question is vulnerable, whether it be economically, culturally or militarily. I have chosen to investigate this theme because it ties in with the research I am doing for the  Photography as Representation module.

The triptych depicts signs of national identity in my sisters room. She holds a British passport but was born in Ramat Gan, a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, and has spent much of her life living outside of both these countries. The collection of German and British fighter planes reference the times in which national identity becomes most prevalent. 

With regards to display context, the images will be printed on a single sheet. 

  


Bibliography 

Ons.gov.uk. 2014. National Identity - ONS. [online] Available at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/measuring-equality/equality/ethnic-nat-identity-religion/national-identity/index.html [Accessed: 18 Mar 2014].

Lee, Y. 2012. Modern Education, Textbooks, and the Image of the Nation: Politics and Modernization and Nationalism in Korean Education: 1880-1910. Routledge.

Zygmunt Bauman, 2004. Identity: Coversations With Benedetto Vecchi. 1 Edition. Polity.

Wikipedia. 2014. National identity. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_identity#cite_note-1 [Accessed: 18 Mar 2014].

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