Abstract
In The Hunger Games, characters use a three-finger gesture as a symbol of resistance against their government. In real life, protesters of Umbrella Movement also used this gesture as a symbol of fighting for democracy.
The adaptation of symbol into real life protests leads us to discuss cinema as a spectacle. Traditionally, cinema as a spectacle involves architectural, technological and discursive dimensions. These dimensions work together to hide the representation processes of production and produce an impression of reality. However, screens in contemporary society are not limited to theaters.
This prompts us to rethink cinema as a spectacle. Guy Debord’s the Society of the Spectacle provides a good starting point to understand social relations mediated by image. However, his idea lacks the consideration of hegemony because his arguments about the means of spectacle follow the orthodox Marxist base and superstructure model. That is why we bring in Raymond Williams’ concept of cultural materialism to overcome the limitations by an emphasis on construction of meaning in social practices.
Based on this integrated approach, we argue that the three-finger gesture used by the protesters of Umbrella Movement is a detournement, a term by Debord, which means reusing preexisting artistic elements in a new ensemble. The protesters reuse the elements in The Hunger Games, but reconstruct the symbolic meaning through the protest. They also try to gain the means of spectacle, which is in the hand of Hollywood film industry, to voice out their concern on democracy.
The adaptation of symbol into real life protests leads us to discuss cinema as a spectacle. Traditionally, cinema as a spectacle involves architectural, technological and discursive dimensions. These dimensions work together to hide the representation processes of production and produce an impression of reality. However, screens in contemporary society are not limited to theaters.
This prompts us to rethink cinema as a spectacle. Guy Debord’s the Society of the Spectacle provides a good starting point to understand social relations mediated by image. However, his idea lacks the consideration of hegemony because his arguments about the means of spectacle follow the orthodox Marxist base and superstructure model. That is why we bring in Raymond Williams’ concept of cultural materialism to overcome the limitations by an emphasis on construction of meaning in social practices.
Based on this integrated approach, we argue that the three-finger gesture used by the protesters of Umbrella Movement is a detournement, a term by Debord, which means reusing preexisting artistic elements in a new ensemble. The protesters reuse the elements in The Hunger Games, but reconstruct the symbolic meaning through the protest. They also try to gain the means of spectacle, which is in the hand of Hollywood film industry, to voice out their concern on democracy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 11 Jun 2016 |
| Event | 66th Annual International Communication Association Conference, ICA 2016: Communicating With Power - Fukuoka, Japan Duration: 9 Jun 2016 → 13 Jun 2016 https://convention2.allacademic.com/one/ica/ica16/ |
Conference
| Conference | 66th Annual International Communication Association Conference, ICA 2016 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Japan |
| City | Fukuoka |
| Period | 9/06/16 → 13/06/16 |
| Internet address |