mapping the death & rebirth of indulgence (semiofest 2015)
TRANSCRIPT
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture
mapping the death & rebirth of indulgence
1
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 2
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka” but “That’s funny…”
-isaac asimov
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 3
when has culture been most indulgent?
that’s funny
that’s funny
that’s funny
that’s funny
1
2
3
4
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 4
what was the context of indulgence in the 17th century?
1
The Supper Party by Gerard Van Honthorst c. 1619
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 5
indulgence in the 17th century was about late suppers
candles cookbooks music
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 6
indulgence in the 17th century cultivated technique
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 7
2
what was the context of indulgence in the 18th century?
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 8
indulgence in the 18th century was about status
tea white chinatrade
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 9
the american revolution was about luxury goods
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 10
industrialization & the rise of luxury over indulgence
3
Rowntree Chocolate Factory
2
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 11
technology transforms the structure of meaning(and in turn accelerates the death of indulgence)
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 12
there is a duality to indulgence & luxury
what I know
what I share
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 13
this duality works within a System of meaning
what I know
what I share
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 14
symbol
zeitgeist badge
ritual
we can structure how meaning migrates through culture
“you need to see things this way”
“i’ll have what she’s having”
“look what i have”
“let me show you how to enjoy that”
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 15
patterns emerge and reveal the dynamics of culture
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 16
symbol
zeitgeist badge
ritual
these patterns reveal how new language is formed
“you need to see things this way”
“i’ll have what she’s having”
“look what i have”
“show me how to do that”
the pattern of aspiration
the pattern of dissent
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 17
so what is the cultural story of chocolate?
WW21post-WW2 commoditization
2
3
the birth of Yuppies
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 18
we can map this system to see where language is going next
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 19
the pattern of aspiration
the pattern of dissent
zeitgeist badge
ritualsymbol
chocolate
collective
progressive
analytic expressivecommodity currency
sensationknowledge
chocolate as a cultural system in 2015
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 20
commoditization today and The control of language
Hershey’s ban of British Chocolate Imports 2015
zeitgeist
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 21
new symbolic language emerges as organic gets diluted
Biodynamic Farming
symbol
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 22
wiring new rituals through the cultivation of technique
Vaportini
ritual
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 23
hipsters & the co-opting of language for social status
Mast Brothers Chocolatebadge
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 24
chocolate continues to find itself as it loses itself
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 25
the death of indulgence triggers the rebirth of indulgence(the future of brand management requires a cultural literacy for a more sustainable approach)
death
rebirth
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 26
death
rebirth
a good time for semiotics(because we can structure and learn from this cycle of regeneration)
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture 27
check out our new chapbook
scenarioDNA connecting ideas to culture
thank you.
28
Candy doesn't have to have a
point. That's why it's candy.
- Charlie bucket [Charlie & the chocolate factory]