The Field Of Subcultural Studies By Ken Gelder

‘The purpose of…imagery is to remind us by approximation of those meanings for which the image stands’ - Victor Shklovsky

Subcultures are defined, by Ken Gelder in ‘The Field of Subcultural Studies’, as those ‘groups of people that are in someway represented as…marginal through their particular interests and practices’ . In the visual imagery of subcultures, resides a direct association with personal style that, by definition of a subculture, exists to challenge the dominant norms and hegemonies of mainstream society. Individuals who represent themselves in such a way highlight the subjective implications of subcultures and style; where the notion of style, as a form of rebellion, is accredited to art in the animated forms and rituals of

Subcultures are first and foremost, cultural: a refusal, or sign of defiance for which punk was perceived as the perfect subculture for its transmission. In associating accompanying visual styles, subcultures are often regarded in terms of their relationship to, and functions within, the boarder societal system

From Dada to the Lettrists and Situationists, to Punk and Negativland, individuals and groups have challenged the concept of commercial capital, and its media, in expending content to construct images, messages and cultural sites of resistance to more dominant ideologies . Within its historical context resides a pattern of cultural and political change, concerning subcultures, that considers punk as inclusive of global issues including: class, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, creativity, identity, commerce, resistance and