Emblems
Ulmer
The basic unit of signification in Lacan's theory is not the sign, but the emblem, given that his counterexample has the tripartite structure of this genre (slogan + picture + commentary). Bradley McGee's death is not clear and simple as the truth, but obscure and complex as the real. Instructions: de$ign a concetto. (Ulmer, 2005, p. 121)Brooks
An emblem, according to Ulmer (2005), functions much like an advertisement, which can often be broken down into a motto (or slogan), a picture, and an epigram (or commentary), a point he illustrates through a description of a Marlboro cigarette ad (p. 122). Drawing on Saussure and Lacan further, Ulmer also suggests that the emblem is a form of choral writing, a gathering of signifiers, meanings, and images rather than a spelling out of or delineating of a single message (p. 125). But the emblem for a MEmorial is not simply an advertisement or a logo; an emblem, Ulmer suggests following an analysis of Maurcie Blanchot's Writing the Disaster, must contain a memory, a disaster, a morality (p. 139). Electronic Monuments, however, comes up short of offering its readers an emblem, either for the prototype (Traffic Sphere) or the unfolding MEmorial for Bradley McGee, Upsilon Alarm. Ulmer gestures towards emblems, but does not draw one up in this work. His mystory, Noon Star, discussed in Internet Inventions and represented on the web, provides the more effective relay or model; his instructions, found in course materials, are concrete and specific.Emblem construction demands a different approach to rhetorical thinking, to electrate thought, than does peripheral construction. Ulmer calls this kind of image thinking "reasoneon". "What is the experience of image reasoning? It is the experience of a neon sign, a metonym for the city as such, evoking the mood of an urban setting with its nightlife and street atmosphere. The electric energy powering the sign joins the actual and virtual cities and evokes the evolving technology whose present manifestations is the Internet" (p. 58). Emblem construction challenges the MEmorialist to pull together as much of his or her MEmorial as possible, to layer the elements in a way that evokes the mood of the project in a memorable and immediately visible way, much like a neon sign. Emblem construction, perhaps more than peripheral construction, is a transferable skill, and one that is already taught in graphic design courses and some English courses. It is a skill and a genre that will be valuable to our students as they start their own business, work with non-profit organizations, join organizations looking to establish or "rebrand" themselves. It may be of value to teachers and scholars as they consider course emblems, emblems and identities for research collectives, departments, perhaps even universities. But approaching emblem construction through a MEmorial, rather than through a graphic design class, might also make clear to students and scholars the potential for embedding memories and morality in emblems. Having constructed an emblem through a MEmorial, rather than through or for instrumentalist purposes, will bring, we can hope, depth, complexity and insight to the process not learned in other situations.
As you will see below, the MEmorial emblems emerged late in the process for many of the students, but successfully incorporated slogans and images. Only Jennifer's emblem has what might be considered an epigram or commentary; of the three elements in the emblem, the epigram or commentary proved to be the most difficult to incorporate.
Virtual Gardeners
Figure 5: The Deadly Race Emblem. Image by Aaron Quanbeck and Robert Becker.
For the Deadly Race, a teddy bear as the central image of the emblem (Figure 5) combined several elements related to the problem of forgotten children. Aaron explained the reasoning behind the connection: "Parents are often cautioned against forgetting their babies in the back seat of cars and one recommendation to avoiding this is to place a teddy bear in the front passenger seat whenever their child is in the back." Bob elaborated on the choice of a specific Care Bear to be used as part of the emblem: "Our choice of Funshine Bear was motivated by, of course its appearance as a teddy bear. However, Funshine Bear also is a symbol of caring about others as, of course all of the Care Bears are. Most importantly, however, Funshine Bear has a sun on its stomach, and the sun, being on fire, is hot. The sun sustains life on earth, but it also creates the heat inside cars. The inclusion of a 3 on the bear, which was Dale Earnhart's car number, becomes a link to the driver and the idea of racing, both as a sport and to symbolize parents' frantic schedules." But as Bob explained, the message is reinforced in other parts of the emblem. "Finally, our connection to the fast-paced lifestyle is achieved through our slogan, 'Slow the pace, stop the race.' Our slogan encourages people to slow down their fast-paced lifestyle and get out of the rat race." Quanbeck and Becker wanted to create an emblem that combined elements from both the existing memorial (Dale Earnhart) and the subject of their MEmorial (forgotten children).
.jpg)
Figure 6: Water Fight Emblem. Image by Kathryn Dunlap.
For Kathryn Dunlap, the goal was to use her emblem (Figure 6) as a way to
encapsulate her entire MEmorial without making it too complicated.
"The elements I've focused on are the Viking ship, the clothesline
and the water--all the key elements of the project." The emblem's slogan,
"Not a Drop to Drink" alludes to being on a ship (or planet!)
surrounded by water, but none of it fit for consumption. The emblem does
not include a motto beyond the slogan, but it does include a URL for those
who see or pick up the emblem (although not a working URL). Kathryn captured
the spirit of electracy and interactivity through this subtle addition and
by stamping the emblem on a dollar bill, which visitors would (she proposed),
take with them after visiting her peripheral, and then re-invest in a water-warrior
project.
Figure 7: Cast No Stones Emblem. Image by Jennifer Roos.
Jennifer Roos' emblem (Figure 7) of a stony beach was an obvious connection
to the stoning of individuals who marry outside of their faith, but she
added a heart to form yet another layer of meaning. "Since the symbol
was so overt, I selected an image in which the heart was slightly subdued
to represent those who are quietly spreading peace and understanding through
interfaith marriage and/or social action. Ultimately, the stone also serves
to represent the solid foundation of building, just as love, at least in
some sense, is the foundation of peace." Roos' slogan, "Cast No
Stones" is a call to stop public stonings, but as she says, "the
phrase also brings to mind the adage about people who live in glass houses
not throwing stones. I like that image for a MEmorial that falls under the
theme of a global village." Her commentary, a line from Martin Luther
King Jr.'s "The World House" essay, evokes both glass houses and
a global village, as well as Martin Luther King Jr. himself, an effective
layering of peaceful messages.
Figure 8: Eat or Be Consumed Emblem. Image by Landon Kafka.
The impetus behind Landon Kafka's emblem (Figure 8) concerning the dangers
of capitalism was to take advantage of a well-known fast-food empire. "I
basically just wanted to show that McDonalds is a global icon and that they
have some 'control' over the world's population." This imagery also
tied into the Kafka's choice of a bold statement to go along with his visuals.
"The slogan, 'Eat! Or Be Consumed!' is also pretty straightforward.
If you are in a country with a McDonalds, then chances are you live a little
less desperately than most. You are eating and not being consumed."
Consumerism and its impact is the central theme of Kafka's MEmorial, but
through the pictures and its use of the McDonald's arches, the emblem becomes
a quick reference to the negative effects of overconsumption by a privileged
few.
Figure 9: Synapses vs Syntax Emblem. Image by Erik Kornkven.
Erik Kornkven struggled with an emblem (Figure 9), but arrived at the image
of a book that looked like it was being shaken upside down.
"From the book are falling letters and words and there is a pair of
cupped hands underneath trying to catch what they can. The slogan I came
up with was 'What do we lose? What do we save?' I want it to be clear that
I am not against progress, nor do I believe that we must hold on to every
aspect of print culture, but rather I am asking that each of us take time
to think about what we would like to carry over in the inevitable exodus
from print to electric culture." Erik seems to be suggesting that,
like the book in the emblem, our world has been turned upside down by the
computer age and we might be losing qualities of our past, like authority,
organization, and tangibility, that we might not even realize. This emblem
is able to combine image, slogan, and commentary through the addition of
these key qualities.
Figure 10: Defend the Natural Resources Emblem. Image by Niles Haich.
Niles Haich also expressed apprehension with the process of developing an
emblem and logo (Figure 10), an apprehension that came from his previous
failed attempts to construct something similar a graphic design class. As
a result, he decided to go with something that would not require design
skills. "I realize now that this problem of creating oftentimes unsuccessful
logos and emblems stemmed from my own overly-playful, artistic mind, one
which has always tended to favor childish designs versus the more serious
and oft favored ones. These woeful experiences in graphic design led me
to choose a realistic emblem for my MEmorial, one embodied by an actual
picture of me pouring oil over a globe replica." This image became
a galvanizing element for Haich's MEmorial, as he carried this image of
an oil-drenched world throughout his project. His slogan combines a call
to action, "defend the natural resources" with Teddy Roosevelt's
famous slogan "Carry a Big Stick," which functions both as a means
of defense and a link to the existing monument in Haich's MEmorial: Roosevelt
National Park in western North Dakota.
For each of the students, the emblem was a challenging, yet integral part
of their projects that seemed to help them focus on the true message behind
their Memorials. It forced them to evaluate exactly what they were trying
to accomplish as they moved forward with their projects.
