17 Comments
Jan 21Liked by Dr Victoria Powell

Hi Again

Just to add that I think any discussion of British Identity(ies) has to include our obsessions around having and not having property. I think the art of the 18th and 19th centuries were quite open about this but it appears to me to have been excluded as a subject in more recent art.

I have just remembered Micheal Landy’s 2001 work ‘Breakdown’ as perhaps an exception. Any others?

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Yes, good question. The first artist who immediately comes to mind is Grayson Perry -- his works about class and the things we own that communicate social status. Perhaps Rachel Whiteread too in the everyday stuff that she casts, and of course there was the house in East London that she cast. There must be more. I'll keep thinking.

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Jan 21Liked by Dr Victoria Powell

Thanks for this post. It goes to show that reaching back into the past three or four decades feels simultaneously like the recent past and a very long time ago. I would like to ask Deller when ‘British Identity’ became a catagory or an overarching subject for him. What was the evolution? I guess I must go see more of his work to find out.

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Yes, excellent question... I wonder whether he always intentionally set out to make work about British/English identity or whether it just emerged as a realisation that that is what is the backbone running through his work over time. I imagine the latter?

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Jan 22Liked by Dr Victoria Powell

I saw a show of his at the Walsall New Gallery back in 2006. He seemed to be operating as a sort of anthropologist of subcultures; in this particular case, displaying artefacts such as homemade equipment for tattooing that prison inmates had made out of scavenged bits and pieces. Very specific items and circumstances.

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Yes, maybe that is another minor thread that runs through his work. Or is a sub-theme of British culture/identity

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Jan 17Liked by Dr Victoria Powell

Massive Depeche Mode fan over here. Loved watching the fandom documentary, and also the re-enactment. Your thoughts on them about identity were useful before I started watching. Thanks for making me think!

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Thanks as always for reading, Helen! I also found Leila's comments here really useful when watching the videos.

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Where to start Vic! Another brilliant post, but so many thoughts and questions.

I'm going to lead out by saying thank you for popping Depeche Mode into my head on Sunday, arguably one of the best bands out there, Gore's lyrcis are a psychological wonder around obsession that lead to obsession (another topic for another time!).

The re-enactment of Orgreave by Deller has so many layers, I love how he's weaved the older footage through and we see the 'unfolding' of the re-enactment. What stands out for me as a psychologist is how the 'us and them' develops, something we call in and out group bias related to our social identity. I love how the 'actors' are re-telling their stories as part of the battle preparation -it's super clever, not just for building momentum of the performance, but what Deller has done here is to build credibility (or in art speak provenance) to the performance art, it anchors the whole video for me.

To loop back to your article though, and British values, Dellers work provides another layer to interpret our sense of identity. An ex-miner talks about losing his home, a soldier talks about the orders/ uncertainty around who knew about them, we see a shifting narrative where reality/fear and suspicion co-exist. All of this makes our sense of self or identity less stable, and confusion comes from knowing who is in/on our side, not just reserved for the 80's.

Do British Values provide us with some certainty in an uncertain world, a type of sticky glue to keep things together (if you believe in fabricated nostaglia that is...) is this what makes values alluring to politicians as a vehicle in asserting power over many people?

As for wedging Depeche mode into neoliberalism, what about the enduring popularity of their music against the backdrop of consumption through digital platforms and the surveillance (data collection) that’s comes with it?

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Leila, wow. There's so much in your response, and I wish I had included some of your really insightful comments in my original writing about this. It's amazing to have your thoughts on the psychology of all of this. I just rewatched the re-enactment with your comments in mind, and it's so clear isn't it how the 'us' and 'them' grows through the process of preparation / training for the event. The emotion is palpable in the field and in the calmer interviews off the field. The passion and emotion runs right through it, made even more powerful because some of the men cry, which is a rare thing to see. And this was nearly 20 years after the event. I find it hard and very emotional to watch, and it's interesting I think how it's difficult to distinguish in your mind as a viewer between the old and new events. It really does feel very persuasive.

On British values and political rhetoric, it's fascinating watching how politicians (and skilled speakers) manage to carve out persuasive messages with words, and how you can find yourself agreeing with something that you know isn't what you actually think. The sheer hatred of Thatcher from the miners, wishing her dead, and then the archival footage of her speaking very calmly and gently about the need to reform industry like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth was so interesting to observe. It's true that industry did need to change as the global economy changed, but her demonisation of those men fighting for their jobs and their communities completely disregarded the fact that these were actual people with families and homes that were under threat. I absolutely agree that politicians use simplified/flattened ideas of nationhood and/or identity that seem like 'common sense' to people because they can relate in part to some of it, and then the appeal of how things could be in theory does the rest. On the ground, in reality, it's always more complicated though isn't it.

Love your idea about how to incorporate DM into my teaching with digital platforms and surveillance. I have to say, the first thing I did was check how many DM tracks have been played on spotify this month. Millions. Then I checked where and when their next gig is. DM love / fandom is still very much alive and well.

Thanks for your comments, you've really pushed me on in my thinking!

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Such a great question and what better way to investigate a people than through art. I'm intrigued by the mandatory inclusion of 'British Values' in the UK's national education curriculum and what that really means as well. I wish that the focus of the written curriculum there would include a look at British art as part of the investigation. I'm sure some educators do, but it's disappointingly not required as far as I know. I'll take more time with all your great links. Thank you.

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Don't get me started on the national curriculum, Kate! As a parent governor of a brilliantly led inner city primary school I was in a fortunate position to observe how thoughtfully the concept of 'British values' can be explored with nuance and inclusion in mind. But it does depend on the skill of the teachers in teaching critical thinking and to engage pupils in ideas that aren't black and white.

Thinking about ideas in art in general is always dependent on the teacher's knowledge, confidence and inclination towards this subject and because it's not a priority in the curriculum it mostly gets sidelined. But I agree with you that it should be part of the overall tapestry of a child's education.

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Well that’s positive! And yes, art in the curriculum...hiring specialists and including more resources or PD would help...

We should discuss. Did not know you are a governor! Cool.

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Jan 14Liked by Dr Victoria Powell

As always Victoria, I will have to re-read and review the films because there is so much to learn. I would love it if one day you did a lecture series for a deeper dive into contemporary art, although your substacks are kind of like that as well!

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I'm always thinking about this... but will give it some more thought. Thanks for the prompt!

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Victoria, I really loved reading about your thoughts on Jeremy Deller and will be listening to the Depeche Mode doc while I'm painting today. I love that Just Can't Get Enough stands the test of time!

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Yes! Just Can't Get Enough totally does stand the test of time. What did you think about the DM fans? I thought the whole doc was fascinating and made me laugh a lot. Loved it.

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