Roland Barthes and Semiotics

 

After perusing the various pictograms that Pinterest had to offer, the particularly effective ones all seemed to use objects with very generalised use and universal relevance. I decided after this to record what the first 10 things I picked up in the morning were, to see what objects were woven into my every day routine. I picked up first my phone, then proceeded to make my morning coffee with my mug and kettle, followed by making my lunch and brushing my teeth. Therefore my first ten objects were my phone, kettle, mug, coffee, knife, chopping board, bread, toothbrush and toothpaste. As a result of this exercise I decided to make a language using my pictograms that could be contained within the home.

I went for a coffee with my friend Liza after making my decision, who studies History of Art at the University, and after explaining my ideas to her she explained a school of theory called Semiotics. Developed by Roland Barthes, semiotics is the study of symbolism and the ideas engrained historically in them. For example Barthes explored the portrayal of wine in French society. It’s promoted in the French bourgeois society as a signifier of a healthy habit, however contradicted by certain realities. These insights aligned Barthes with certain Marxist theories, some of which we have been exploring in Critical and Cultural Studies. i.e. the fetishism of commodities.

I think it would be interesting to explore how I can great a coherent language that, whilst using very ordinary objects, has a weight to it that makes it more significant than the value of its parts. I do however think it’s essential to my theme that I make sure the pictograms centre around day-to-day activities carried out my most people.