“If you could use un-punk colors that’s even more punk rock.” : An Analysis of Materiality, Community Symbols, and Self-Presentation in Atlanta’s Hardcore Punk Scene Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

This project investigates scene practices and expressions of local identity through analyzing methods of material, visual, and logistical communication in punk posters taken from the Atlanta hardcore scene between 1980-2009. Since musical posters are expected to adhere to a rubric of visual communication (artist name, venue location, date, etc.) their visual design and material execution is often decorated in order to stress the atmosphere or identity of a scene. Within the context of punk, specifically the 1980’s-2009 hardcore scene in Atlanta, Do-It- Yourself (DIY) ethos guided many production efforts of punk ephemera such as zines, clothes, and band posters. This research blends quantitative and qualitative methods of visual analysis to examine patterns of locality, material usage, scene connections, and visual representations within the Atlanta punk scene. Results showed that local bands had the largest presence across all posters, and that demographic representations of human figures in these posters skewed heavily towards depicting white men. I also found that while the traditional ‘image’ of punk was a visually bold, black and white, high contrast mixture of photography, text, and handwriting, access to new materials resulted in novel punk poster designs that broke out of this pattern. I concluded my study by pointing out how materiality is a tool that can be used to efficiently boost the presence of scene connection if applied alongside relevant visual and logistical qualities. The findings of this study contribute to literature on local scene practices, hardcore punk, Atlanta history, and materiality studies.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction............................................................................................ 2

1.1 Visual Communication................................................................................. 2

1.2 Hardcore...................................................................................................2

1.3 Overview of the Study..................................................................................3 

Chapter 2: Literature Review.....................................................................................5 

2.1 Scenes......................................................................................................5

2.2 Punk and the Atlanta Hardcore Scene ...............................................................6

2.3 Punk’s Residual Constructs............................................................................8

2.4 DIY Scene and Materiality.............................................................................9

2.5 Why Posters?...........................................................................................10

2.6 Imagery and Self-Presentation.......................................................................12 

Chapter 3: Data and Methods....................................................................................13 

3.1 Data Sample and Poster Selection...................................................................13

3.2 Determining Locality.................................................................................14

3.3 Coding Schemes.......................................................................................14

3.3.1 Community and Inclusion.................................................................15

3.3.2: Material Intentions........................................................................16

3.3.3: Locality....................................................................................17

3.3.4: Text..........................................................................................17

3.3.5: Figurative Imagery........................................................................18

3.3.6: Additional Notes on Coding and Methods.............................................19

Chapter 4: Findings................................................................................................20

4.1 Quantitative Results...................................................................................20

4.4.1: Locality and Image........................................................................20

4.4.2: Community and Inclusion................................................................24

4.2 Qualitative Results....................................................................................26

4.2.1: Community and Inclusion...............................................................26

4.2.2: Locality Demographics...................................................................27

4.2.3: Figurative Imagery........................................................................28

4.2.3.4: Photography, Collage, and Figure Objectification........................28

4.2.3.5: Illustrations as Explorations of Masculinity and Fashion................30

4.2.3.6: Masculinity and Violence Depicted in Atlanta Hardcore................31

4.2.4: Material Intentions and Text.............................................................32

4.2.4.1: Handwriting’s Versatile Materiality.........................................33

4.2.4.2: Map Illustrations in the Making of Community...........................34

4.2.4.3: Band Presentation Through Materiality....................................35

4.2.4.4: Screenprinting and the Adaptation of Punk Style to New Materials...36 

Chapter 5: Discussion..............................................................................................38 

5.1 The Power of Materiality in DIY....................................................................39

5.2 Materiality’s Role in Scenes..........................................................................40

Chapter 6: Conclusions............................................................................................42 

6.1 Study Limitations......................................................................................42

6.2 Recommendations for Future Research............................................................43

6.2.1: Within the Atlanta Punk Archives......................................................43

6.2.2: Within the Study of Materiality.........................................................44 

Works Cited..........................................................................................................46

Audio Sources........................................................................................................47

Appendix A: Coding Systems and Individual Codes........................................................48

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Sociology
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Sociology, General Aesthetics
Mot-clé	Materiality Poster Design Material Studies Atlanta Scenes Punk Visual Commuincation Posters
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Dr. Timothy Dowd, Emory University
Committee Members	Dr. Tracy Scott, Emory University Dana Haugaard, Emory University

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