Find, Observe, Record - Task

These are my drawings and photographs for this task. Some of the photographs are from past experiences of mine which I thought were relevant to my topic, they are all my own photographs. I thought the idea of travelling and seeing different things would be good source material because it immediately captures numerous cultures in one image. My drawings focus a lot on people and clothing, also foods from various cultures which we take for granted in a British city. 

This continues exploration of my topic has started to make me understand it more and narrow down what I actually want to explore. 

Does cultural diffusion impact on the way we define our identity? 

First of all, how do we define ourselves? Internally or externally?

Cultural diffusion affecting internal self-definition: what we enjoy, how we relax, what makes us laugh, what we are interested in, our experiences and memories, etc…

Your identity is not an actual ‘thing’, it exists as a combination of numerous things. 

Cultural diffusion affecting external self definition: our surroundings, our upbringing, the food we eat, the people we mix with, the location where we are seen as ‘local’. 

I could explore how some cultures have much less cultural diffusion than others, for example to contrast between people living in western cities and people living in african tribes. 

Cultural diffusion affecting subcultures: what groups to we belong to, what ‘phase’ we exist in, etc. 

Where did these originate, what do they stand for and why do they actually exist?

Cultural appropriation

Do we really understand the cultural background of each part of our day to day lives?

Is it the ‘thing’ self that we like and use to identify ourselves or is it the meaning and origins of it that mean something to us?

• Materialism
• Fashion
• Music
• Trends

Does it actually matter? - the argument between ‘you are free to do wear, do and listen to what you want to’ and ‘not appreciating the origins of things can cause offence to others if used in the wrong way’.

Heritage

I class myself as British but the things that make up my personal identity come from all across the globe. 

Does it even matter what our nationality is? Does it say anything about us?

What would our lives be like if we only owned and experienced things originating from our current location/nation? If there was none or very limited cultural diffusion, would we identify ourselves differently?

• Lack of opportunity
• Less experiences
• Limited products
• Language would be different
• Diet would be different

Does cultural diffusion impact on the way we define our identity? 

• It depends how you choose to define yourself - internally, externally or a combination of the two. 
• Both have impacts from other cultures but externally is impacted more. 
• It depends to what extent we value our heritage. 
• Is each human a blank canvas who chooses and builds up the blocks of their identity as they move through life?
• Can you choose not to ‘inherit’ your identity (e.g. nationality, religion, etc)