Marshall McLuhan studies media as a way of understanding why it is that makes us live in the way we do, as a way of understanding society itself. For example, he describes his views on 'printing' as being the act. To print doesn't mean much, but the words which are being printed have a much greater and far more valuable effect and meaning than the printing itself. He discusses the subjective against the objective, the meaning and purpose of the media against the media form itself. He quotes 'reading is a form of 'guessing', as to read you must be able to slightly guess what is coming up, as you don't know what words will follow so you must take a guess at what is upcoming to form the sentence in your head. He was defiantly a thinker! McLuhan states by his own judgment that a good reader is usually a quick decision maker, which stems from his statement about to read is to guess.
McLuhan discusses advertising as the folk art of the 20th Century, claiming advertisement as a corporate art form. The concern of the advertiser is to make an effect, to set a trap to entice people into buying into the product or service which is advertised. These advertisers could be anything from a corporate business to a poet or a painter.
Marshall moves on to talk about the importance of an audience and how without one, the art becomes a 'dress rehearsal' with no meaning. The same way the art form of cricket would have no meaning if the game were played with no public audience.
Marshall talks about the evolution of media and refers back to sport, suggesting the introduction of replays in football and how the audience can now see the process of the sport rather than just the consequences of the play, allowing the public to partake further with interaction.
In terms of architecture, following on from my understandings of McLuhan's views, the building would be the medium, its use would be the message and its important to remember the uses when designing, not just the medium of it. A building can be a glamorous advertisement for its audience; society, but with no use, the medium becomes useless. Buildings need to be primarily functional, their use is the most important thing not the glamourous facades that people want to look at.
The medium influences how the message is perceived.
McLuhan discusses advertising as the folk art of the 20th Century, claiming advertisement as a corporate art form. The concern of the advertiser is to make an effect, to set a trap to entice people into buying into the product or service which is advertised. These advertisers could be anything from a corporate business to a poet or a painter.
Marshall moves on to talk about the importance of an audience and how without one, the art becomes a 'dress rehearsal' with no meaning. The same way the art form of cricket would have no meaning if the game were played with no public audience.
Marshall talks about the evolution of media and refers back to sport, suggesting the introduction of replays in football and how the audience can now see the process of the sport rather than just the consequences of the play, allowing the public to partake further with interaction.
In terms of architecture, following on from my understandings of McLuhan's views, the building would be the medium, its use would be the message and its important to remember the uses when designing, not just the medium of it. A building can be a glamorous advertisement for its audience; society, but with no use, the medium becomes useless. Buildings need to be primarily functional, their use is the most important thing not the glamourous facades that people want to look at.
The medium influences how the message is perceived.
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