IMAGE AND ITS VALUE : AN ANALYSIS OF ZOUK AND ITS IMAGES.

Abstract

The world as we know today is increasingly constructed out of fleeting images beamed to us through mass media. Our first impression of places or events is often mediated through these images which, according to Marc Augé in Non-places1, inform and instruct us on how to use and view a place, focusing on particular physical features without constructing an organic, human-centric understanding. Hence, he puts forth that there can only be a superficial, oneway flow of effects from image to passive viewers who do not actively make sense of a place.

Zouk, a mega-club in Singapore, is a prime example of how the construction of a place is dependent on the mechanisms of the image-making industry. While the various images it had produced a book, Zouk: The Book, do not give a direct reference to the place, they give a “feel” of the place. The rich images demand our attention as they take us through everyday, familiar imageries. When presented altogether, they are viewed almost simultaneously to present a flat 2-dimensional view of the place.

As Zouk had said, “Each Zouk mailer is a piece of art in itself; self-contained... Armed with enough test to get you there, the rest is just a vibe”. It has harnessed the communicative and emotive power of Graphic Design to grab viewers’ attention and fire their imagination. Despite graphic design’s emphasis on the voice of the author and the expressive value of a work, the intentions of image-makers and producers of an image may not gather the same type of response in its viewers. The image is subjected to different interpretations in different contexts.

Finally, the dissertation aims to analyze how Zouk create an understanding of its place through the effects of its images on viewers through the study of the shift in meaning in architecture images, as argued by Manfredo Tafuri and Michael K Hays, especially the appropriation of avant-garde aesthetics to commercial architecture. The stablilty of this effect, how it can create different meanings in different contexts, how effective is seeing a place through feeling its image will be explored and discussed.