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Are You Still With Me T-shirt: Reading the Aesthetics
‘Are You Still With Me’ (Figure 6.6) is a white t-shirt with a linguistic message “are you still with me”, with a visual message of the African continent and the face of Nelson Mandela, stylised in the shape of the question mark of the linguistic message. Table 6.1 presents the finding from the decoding of the t-shirt graphics.
Figure 6.6: Are You Still With Me T-Shirt
Source: Magents Lifestyle Apparel, Instagram, 20 July 2016
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Table 6.1: Analytical Scheme of Static Visual Images ‘Are You Still With Me’ T-shirt
Are You Still With Me T-shirt: Articulating Representation
The word “me” of the linguistic message serves as the dot of the question mark (see Figure 6.6).
The stylistic representation of the Africa and the portrait of Mandela in the shape of question mark, and the ‘me’ serve as a single pure image (Barthes, 1977). The pure image as a signifier yields a referent of the question, with its signified being the meaning of the question. This serves as an iconic mode of signification as “the signifier is not regarded as part of the referent but as part of depicting its transparency” (Chandler, 1994: 14). The phrase “are you still with me?”
requires knowledge of the English language to understand that its referent is a question about continuing to stand alongside the person posing the question. The visual images are iconic depictions in the form of illustrations that signify Mandela and the African content. The pure image as an iconic sign serves the referential function of conveying the subject matter of the communication (Chandler, 1994).
Magents Lifestyle Apparel
Analytical Scheme of Static Visual Images Are you Still With Me T-shirt
Text Description
Pure Image
White t-shirt with question mark stylised in the shape of Africa. The question mark contains the words “are you still with”, while “me” serves as the dot of the question mark. The centre of the question mark is the image of Mandela.
Linguistic Message
Orange coloured “are you still with me” – words are organised in the shape of the question mark and range from big to small
“Are” is the biggest font size word and the first word on the question mark arrangement
“With” is the smallest font size and last word in the question mark arrangement
“Me” serves replaces/serves as the dot at the bottom of the question mark
Visual Message
Brown faded question mark
A brown (faded) African continent is positioned over the question mark – parts of the shape serves as part of the question mark shape
Pop art style brown image of Mandela’s face serves as the rest of the shape of the African continent
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The pure message, when analysed using Magents relations of production of the brand’s goal of expressing African ideologies through clothing, generates a different meaning (de Villiers, Trend Soiree, 2015c). The pure image as a signifier yields the referent of an African ideology linked to Nelson Mandela, as discussed below. Determining the signified requires an individual analysis of the visual imagery of Mandela and Africa. Ideology refers to the dominant and prevailing knowledge, ideas and beliefs that distinguish a specific collective identity (Hartley, 2002). The relationship between signifier and referent reveals a symbolic signification of African collective identity. As a sign, this visual message serves a conative function of contextualising the question to a person who views themselves as part of the African collective identity (Chandler, 1994). The visual message of Mandela draws from the knowledge framework used by Magents. This assumption was confirmed through an interview with de Villiers, who revealed,
We weren't so concerned about fighting the liberation but we heard through songs like that sang about Johanna [Gimmi Hope Johanna] by the reggae guy [Eddie Grant], who was singing about P.W Botha. The song was banned, but obviously we got a hold of it and we heard about the struggle and about Madiba and Biko. Especially through guys like Peter Gabriel from Simple minds, guys like Peter Gabriel and Jean Clerk from Simple Minds because they all sang about Biko very passionately. […]
Anyway… so the idea of the brand, a brand called Magents sort of started to take its breeding space in that period of history.
(de Villiers, Skype, 2016)
The brand draws inspiration for their design concept from the image and ideology of Mandela, that signifies “his willingness to break with tradition […] to move away from the past” (de Villiers, More Than Just Food, 2015a). The further knowledge that de Villiers, as the creative director of the brand, has a personal connection with Mandela, further contextualises the meaning of the t-shirt. The image is the reflection of the balance of creative expression and collective identity which he shares with his consumer (de Villiers, Skype, 2016). Though de Villiers was not part of any organised apartheid movement, the idea to start his clothing brand was greatly inspired by the political songs about Nelson Mandela and freedom (de Villiers, More Than Just Food, 2015a).
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During Mandela’s incarceration, the image of Mandela was banned in South Africa, however his name became a signifier of the liberation struggle in South Africa (Nicol, 2006; Tomaselli and Shepperson, 2009). The release of Mandela allowed the world to put a face to the man, which morphed Mandela ‘the man’ into an a symbolic representation of freedom of people of colour and unity of people in South Africa (Tomaselli and Shepperson, 2009). The images serve as a symbolic signification of freedom and unity. This symbolic signification serves the expressive function of contextualising the communicator of the question of the text (Chandler, 1994). As the use of the imagery of Mandela is of a symbolic nature, the communicator is not Mandela, but the notion of fighting for freedom and unity. The composition of the face within the African continent as a signifier (Figure 6.6) – when read as a single sign using the above findings as the referent – is an indexical signification of protest t-shirts (Figure 6.7) and imagery (Figure 6.8) of the 1980s and 1990s.
Figure 6.7: An ANC Supporter in 1990 Source: Getty Images, BBC Online, 1990
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Figure 6.8: Nelson Mandela Must be Free Sticker Source: The Pyramid Complex, Sticker Kitty, 1988
The sign also serves as a symbolic signifier of Nelson Mandela as a representation of the liberation struggle in South Africa. This symbolic signifier of freedom and unity of African people, serves the poetic function. The presentation of the amalgamation of the question mark, African continent and Mandela into a single image serves as an artistic articulation of a design concept about the liberation and unity of African people. Interestingly, a past t-shirt also conveys the linguistic message “I am still with you”, however the concept is in reference to Steve Biko. Magents’ t-shirts often use stylistic representation of imagery to portray an ideology as a design concept, as seen in the ‘Eyes of Biko’ t-shirt (Figure 6.9).
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Figure 6.9: Eyes of Biko T-shirt
Source: Magents Lifestyle Apparel, Instagram, 23 August 2016
In contrasting the ‘Eyes of Biko’ (Figure 6.9) “I am still with you” linguistic message with the
‘Are you Still With Me’ t-shirt’s linguistic message (Figure 6.6) it becomes evident that the t- shirts are a symbolic representation of an ideology rather than a direct homage to an icon.
Magents uses an amalgamation of signifiers in both a metalinguistic and poetic function. The interpreted signified of each sign serves as code for the next signified. The manner in which each sign is organised expresses the subject matter of the t-shirt. This further confirms the assumption that the linguistic message is not in reference to Mandela, but African identity and ideology represented by the image of Mandela. This assumption was further confirmed through the Skype interview with de Villiers, who revealed,
Madiba has been lifted up but Madiba himself said ‘Biko is a greater man than I am’. He knew it because Biko was an amazing guy but we as a society don't celebrate him because we celebrating, looking at the TV and we think that [constructed images of people] is who we are but that's not who we are. That is not really what the freedom fighters before fought for.
So we did the t-shirt [released on Mandela’s birthday] and said, “Are you still with me” like check society, where are you? What are you this year?
(de Villiers, Skype, 2016)
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Bikonscious Social Club T-shirt: Reading the Aesthetics
The ‘Bikonscious Social Club’ t-shirt is a yellow t-shirt comprising of the linguistic message
“Bikonscious Social Club Inc.” and the visual message of a bicycle with shoes hanging by the shoelaces on the handlebar of the bicycle (Figure 6.10). Table 6.2 presents the findings from the qualitative content of the ‘Bikonscious Social Club’ t-shirt, as part of the decoding of the t- shirt text.
Figure 6.10: Bikonscious Social Club T-shirt
Source: Magents, Magents Lifestyle Apparel Spring/Summer 16, 4 July 2015
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