Design as a Conversation (Lady Gaga - Telephone ft. Beyoncé)

     Video Source: Youtube

     Design is not simply something to gaze upon. It is a quest, and an experience that takes much more work than just mindless staring. Design is a conversation that communicates with its audience. We, the audience are fortunate enough to have a universal language that we can all understand; the language of design.  A stimulating example above is the music video produced by Lady Gaga-Telephone ft. Beyonce. This nine minute long mini movie is full of improvisation between the creator and the audience. It is a thought provoking adventure through the mind of Lady Gaga, as she uses the medium of film to communicate to her fans, or as she likes to call them, her "little monsters."  Known for her hidden meanings in most of her songs and elaborate music videos, she has used design as a challenge for her fans.  From the costumes, to the lyrics, even to the dance moves, Lady Gaga uses her own unique performance to get her message across. 

      Gaga proclaims, “I’m always trying to convolute everyone’s idea of what a pop music video should be.” ( http://www.rap-up.com/2010/03/12/lady-gaga-explains-message-behind-telephone-video/) And she does just that. Her music video is an expression of purpose, and a challenge for her audience. She invites us to finish her work, just as artist Yoko Ono does in her work "22 Instructions for Paintings." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI7bSY6LwJc&p=EE25018953F90FAA&playnext=1&index=14) 
     However, Lady Gaga has not given us clear intructions for decoding her video.  She asks the viewer to participate. To step away from our normal mind-sets. This may seem like a lot of effort since our culture is so used to being handed answers on a silver plater. However, it is our ethical responsibility to give this iconic woman our time and involvement,  as we experience and discover what she is trying to tell us. So what is she trying to say? Gaga asserts,  “Take a decidedly pop song, which on the surface has a quite shallow meaning, and turn it into something deeper; the idea that America is full of young people that are inundated with information and technology, and turn it into something that was more of a commentary on the kind of country that we are.” (http://www.rap-up.com/2010/03/12/lady-gaga-explains-message-behind-telephone-video/)

Image Source: http://disinfo.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/LadyGagaTelephone.jpg 

     She definitely is diving deep, deep into an aesthetic strange enough to add an electrifying shock value. Despite my distractions from the bizarre costumes and eccentric characters,  I found myself decoding another message.  Her lyrics repeat the words, “Oh, you're breaking up on me…
Sorry, I cannot hear you,
I'm kinda busy.” But to me, these lyrics cry for help. It is almost obvious that she feels disconnected from reality.  Is she trying to connect with her young audience? Or is she asking her audience to dig deep, and attempt to understand her not just as a pop icon, but as someone who shares similar struggles in our demanding society.

Image Sorce: http://www.thevine.com.au/resources/imgdetail/lady-gaga-telephone_detail_150310051718.jpg

     In one particular scene, Gaga wears glasses made of burning cigarettes. This causes immediate confusion for viewers. It is a very apparent example of symbolism.  Is she try to convey that she is blind to reality or to the constraints of our society? This may be so,  since she is constantly attempting to break away from the norms of today’s American culture.

Image Source: http://youritlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Picture-6.png

Today art and design meet in the realm experience, and  Lady Gaga’s Music video “Telephone” is a peculiar one. Although,  because she is so unconventional, I believe that viewers are more likely to participate.  They cannot help but try to discover what she is trying to tell us because her videos are like nothing we have ever seen.  Design is a method of action, and her method may be challenging, but at least she is asking for her viewers to contribute.  She is communicating to her fans through the art of music and video. She values the feedback from her fans, and for that, Gaga gives us the most over the top and powerful performances that inspires us to think outside of oursleves.