FOUND MEDIA: TYPOLOGIES OF NOWHERE

Typologies of Nowhere

Susan Dobson's "Retail" exhibit at The Department back in May for Toronto's Contact festival showcased her photos of various big-box stores such as Wal-Mart with empty parking lots. These were then altered by masking the structures in a grey concrete tone thereby drawing the message of these retail landscapes having the ability to be in any suburbia. It is a critique of what consumer culture has become and what people have grown accustomed to - people have seen these retail landscapes at a variety of places across North America. In a way, it also calls to the message of society being consumed by the notion of consumption.

LINK: ELLIOT MAGAZINE

Elliot Magazine

This is just a bit of shameless self-promotion. Over this past summer my friend and I decided to launch a small online magazine with a focus on fashion, art, and culture. It is relevant to consumer culture because it is a magazine with fashion-related content, but also because it is a reaction. As consumers of magazines and print media, my friend and I decided we weren't quite satisfied with what was out there and wanted to make something for ourselves, that we could love.

FOUND MEDIA: MCDONALDS GOES MCFANCY

McDonalds Goes McFancy: Your Favorite Fast Foods Get A High Fashion Makeover!

This article is interesting because it discusses a project by Access Agency (founded by The Cool Hunter, a notorious street style connoisseur) in which the large food chain McDonalds undergoes a "fashion makeover" where they are rebranded via different fashion houses such as Hermes and Burberry. This is not so simple as fun branding, but from a more critical perspective, it points to the importance of "image" and projected perceptions in marketing.