The Way We Live Now: Manic Street Preachers

My main inspiration for my The Way We Live Now project came from this music video by the Manic Street Preachers. The song Nat West-Barclays-Midlands-Lloyds is from their album Generation Terrorists. The whole album is a politicised focused theme with the album's songs regularly incorporating a critical focus on global capitalism and the struggles of youth. For a lot of my research, I have focused on many areas of the 'status quo' such as political issues, rioting, big brother, social division, poverty and economical issues.

What I find most inspiring about the album are the lyrics of Richey Edwards. I'm often drawn to his work and also himself as a person. One song that stood out to me in particular was Nat West-Barclays-Midlands-Lloyds. Apart from its obvious title, the lyrics are very much questioning the banking system, and how we are controlled by them and money.

Carried away with useless
advertising dreams
Blinding children, life as
automatons....

Black horse apocalypse
Death sanitised through credit....

They give then take away,

repossess and crucify
The more you own the more you
are, lonelier with cheap desire 

"Black horse apocalypse" speaks volumes. Its an obvious link to the logo of Lloyds Banking and also is a metaphor for the 'hypothetical' apocalypse we are currently in. How much we are controlled by the banks and how they affect our own lives and lifestyle. This lyric is also very relevant to the news today as it was recently announced that Lloyds Band will be closing down a number of branches, with a loss of 9,000 jobs. "They give then take away, repossess and crucify"

This is also echoing the downfall of the banking system and the recession, the 'apocalypse' we are currently in.

"The more you own the more you are, lonelier with cheap desire" Suggesting the poor are only valuable to the rich if they are profitable to them.

The visual to this video was just as inspiring for me. I think the use of the Gas Mask is visually captivating, as well as how they use the surroundings and use of clothing. A gas mask is a very clever object to use for metaphorical purposes. This video tells a very symbolic story.
At the beginning of the video, we see a man in an all-white suit, washing his hands and looking at himself in the mirror. He seems to be washing himself. Maybe to destroy something, something of contamination or stain. White represents purity and fresh, something he may want to keep, or become. This is a very interesting concept, considering the song is an anthem against capitalism.
The man is then seen in a derelict town center where the words 'CLOSING DOWN' and 'LAST DAY' are seen on an empty shop window. He is surrounded by other similar buildings while he is dressed in a suit, and paired with a gas mask. This can either be a statement that the man in the suit, surrounded by a broken down society is protecting himself from this world he is not familiar with. Or rather the opposite. He is protecting himself from the surrounding destruction, which arose from the government. 

Gas Masks

For my project, I want to create a series of images with Gas Masks in some way. Their symbolism can be very particular, however can also be quite broad. Symbolism:
Fear of getting gassed, fear of being beaten down for standing up for truth, and freedom, and the constitution.
A gas mask can represent war and anger. Police often wear them during riots while shooting tear gas. During the war, people wore them in protection of the gasses dropped by the government. It can be a symbolic message oppression, free speech and human rights. It can be a shield. A shield from the government gasses/pollution surrounding you, a shield from society as it can be very alienating from covering your face/identity. A gas mask is iconic and visually stimulating. It can emote various feelings and thoughts. It can also change symbolically due to its surroundings. Pair it with a man in a suit, it represents the government. Pair it with a naked body, it can suddenly ask questions as to why the subject is protecting their face/identity and not their body. It can symbolize being controlled by the government, and being stripped of personality and being. 

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