Workshop Draft With Peer Commentary

The link below directs you to a copy of my workshop draft with peer commentary directly adjacent to the content.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BhLIUd1iWXjUetHV6xWKbalPdPhXc_kEZQW1v-c33qg/edit?usp=sharing

The text below is the actual workshop draft.

Peer Review Draft

Critical regionalism has evolved greatly and undergone much scrutiny since it was termed by Kenneth Frampton in the 1980’s. Through studying notable architects of the time, Frampton concluded that “the fundamental strategy of critical regionalism is to mediate the impact of universal civilization with elements derived indirectly from the peculiarities of a particular place” (Eggener 228). This model was depicted in structures that seemed to blend old and new, buildings that were still functioning in the modern world but served the needs of the people who directly come into contact with it foremost. While this analytical lens has its detractors, it also has many individuals, such as Douglas Reichert Powell, who see value in the concept, but attempt to modify and ground Frampton’s definition into something more practical. Thus, even among people who scrutinize documents with an eye towards critical regionalism, there is often potential for dispute over whether or not a specific piece of culture is a fair and accurate representative of a region. Rapper Wiz Khalifa’s music video for his song “Black and Yellow” appears to be a valuable representation of the culture of Pittsburgh and the “Steel City” region of Pennsylvania, but it in fact lacks the necessary tension regarding the identity of the region to make the video a truly critical lens. While Frampton may agree that the visuals of the city’s landmarks and the displayed unity in the video are hallmarks of a region, Powell would argue that the video represents an idealized version of the area and is not an accurate representation of the region.

Wiz Khalifa’s music video for his song, “Black and Yellow”, features numerous scenes of iconic sites in Pittsburgh and lyrics that undoubtedly reference the Steel City. The music video also features Wiz Khalifa’s personal connection to the city, as the majority of it was filmed on his childhood street with locals who just flocked to the video shoot. The video begins with multiple shots spanning the Pittsburgh skyline and features many upscale commercial complexes and skyscrapers including the BNY Mellon Center and One PNC Plaza. The notable aspect of these shots is that they are taken from the ground, looking up at the tall buildings while also moving forward on the streets below; essentially, the exact same view a native of the region would have of the city’s impressive skyline while he or she is going about their daily business. The video then cuts to a street sign, the intersection of Chatsworth Avenue and Berwick Street, and begins to delve into Wiz Khalifa’s personal experience in the region. This is the area of Pittsburgh in which he grew up and the video depicts what natives of the region already know, that this section of the city is fairly low income. However, throughout the video Wiz Khalifa flashes his impressive jewelry, all Pittsburgh related with replica Super Bowl rings representing the city’s six titles and chains featuring the Pittsburgh Pirates insignia, and drives off in a striking, customized black and yellow Dodge Challenger. The chorus of the song explains the artist’s choice in accessories: “Repping my town, when you see me you know everything. Black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow” and undoubtedly connects the music to the region, even without the video. These aspects of the music video already seem to make a strong case to view “Black and Yellow” through a critical regionalist lens but there is an even deeper historical connection evident in the video.

Natives of the region and those familiar with United States history could potentially connect the previously mentioned first scenes of “Black and Yellow” to Pittsburgh’s roots. The cycle of visuals -from wealthy, to poorer, to wealthy again- pays homage to the history of the city and region. Pittsburgh became an urban area during the 1800’s when Andrew Carnegie established Carnegie Steel and attracted many blue collar workers who made the city notable. However, during the 20th century, steel production was outsourced overseas and for a few decades the region lost a large chunk of its income and, with it, its identity. The city began to build itself up again, with the help of notable, wealthy residents, and attracted the arts, sciences, and a booming business sector which now plays a great part in the metropolis. The story created by the aforementioned succession of scenes draws from the evolution of the city and makes evident that the current culture of the region is not that much changed from its origin. Thus, the music video for “Black and Yellow” appears to connect to both the old and new in a way that Frampton values highly in his conceptions of critical regionalism.

A key focus for Frampton’s critical regionalist perspective in the music video for “Black and Yellow” is the symbolism The Terrible Towel. This gold and black rally towel was introduced in the 1970’s by a man named Myron Cope at a Steelers’ game. At the time, Pittsburgh was still in recovery from losing the steel business but the city’s football team was in the midst of arguably the most dominant period by one team in sports history. The rally towel seemed to spur the team to four Super Bowl victories in the decade and quickly became a staple at games. Although Pittsburgh is known for its fervent sports fans and culture, the region really united over sports again in the 2000s, specifically over football after this video. The Steelers had won their sixth Super Bowl ring in 2008 and subsequently suffered two disappointing seasons. “Black and Yellow” came out in the summer of 2010 and the music video was released during the football season and immediately became an unofficial Steelers anthem. The last two minutes or so of the video primarily feature Wiz Khalifa singing and rapping the song to a crowd in the street with many of the audience members holding and waving Terrible Towels.  Wiz Khalifa himself has a Terrible Towel on his person for the majority of the video and this depiction makes The Terrible Towel look like the consummate object to display city pride. Because it is so synonymous with support for the team and pride in the region, the music video becomes an impressive, visual love letter to the city and unifies the region by highlighting the people’s faith and love for their team. This promotes the Terrible Towel beyond being merely a novelty at football games. The Steelers once again made it to the Super Bowl the season that the song and music video were released and, although they did not triumph, the song has been played at every game since then and Wiz Khalifa has even performed it on multiple occasions at Heinz Field, the Steelers’ Stadium. Overall, the music video for “Black and Yellow” could be interpreted as critical regionalist because it turned a symbol of the city into a modern, uniting form for the region while still respecting its roots.

Douglas Reichert Powell, in his essay “Connecting Politics and Culture in the American Landscape”, takes issue with the sentimentality and nostalgia that Frampton’s definition of critical regionalism is vulnerable to and uses the key term “social invention” to ground and describe his interpretation of the purpose of this analytical lens. He defines a region in a much less geographical sense, saying that it “is an understanding of some places’ commonalities with, and differences from, other places” (Powell). More specifically, Powell believes that a critical regionalist piece should elevate people’s consciousness regarding what they may have previously thought of as just a place or space. He defines a “social invention” as a middle ground: “more deliberate than a passive social construction, but less instrumental than direct forms of social action” (Powell 8). The key component to social invention, though, is evidence of a critical process that allows for a back and forth among people. Powell provides multiple and varied examples of linking a place with cultural leading to notable social change, such as reactionary or progressive change. By bringing the term “social invention” into the discussion of regions, it allows for what was before a mere common space to become a web of multifaceted, interdisciplinary connections just by recognizing and having discussion, or even disagreement, over a mutual circumstance or custom. Thus, despite inevitable disparities between people and experiences, civilians realizing and debating “social invention” in an area provides rhetoric for grounding discussion of regional culture and promoting positive change.

Wiz Khalifa’s music video falls into the trap that Powell’s interpretation of critical regionalism avoids: by getting caught up in the spirit of the city, there is no substance that can be gleaned from the video to can promote any sort of social change. While the symbolism and imagery obviously connect the modern lives and experiences of the region’s residents to the history of the city, there is nothing else presented that could be interpreted any other way. Everything about the city is presented in a positive light, from the business sector to the notable bridges to the old smokestacks of the steel mills, by virtue of the camera angle pointed upwards, as if in awe of the structures. All of the people are absolutely brimming with pride for the area; this is blatantly evident through the seas of black and gold jerseys representing various Pittsburgh sports teams. The city obviously has a lot of diversity in terms of race, socioeconomic status, experiences, among other factors, and while it is commendable and powerful that the very different residents of the area can unite over and celebrate their region, it also masks their individual relationships with the space. This makes the video fall afoul of a criticism of critical regionalism that Keith Eggener brings up in his essay, “Placing Resistance: A Critique of Critical Regionalism,”: “[When] one image of a nation’s culture prevails, others have been submerged or suppressed” (231-232). Essentially, even though “Black and Yellow is admittedly Wiz Khalifa’s song and music video, his attempting to represent the entire city within his own experience and relationship makes for an incomplete analysis. Furthermore, combining this aspect with Powell’s focus, it becomes even more difficult to make effective and equitable social change when one person’s relationship with the region is seen as foremost because other’s opinions are even less evident. Overall, the lack of differing viewpoints of or experiences with the region is the deciding factor that eliminates Wiz Khalifa’s music video for “Black and Yellow” from being a cultural representation of critical regionalism.

In conclusion, although the visuals in the music video stir up sentimental feelings of pride and connectedness to a region’s beginnings, “Black and Yellow” is not a true representation of critical regionalism because it does not depict any tension or disagreement with the impression that the video puts forth. Although Frampton is essentially the father of critical regionalism, his definition of the term is lofty and difficult to apply, and thus one must default to using Powell’s qualifications for critical regionalism. Powell uses social invention as the actor to ground his standards for evaluating critical regionalism and by this definition “Black and Yellow” does not apply. Wiz Khalifa’s music video, although it features people from different races and obviously different socioeconomic backgrounds, is quite homogeneous in that it only depicts one lifestyle or culture for the region. Although the obvious spirit and unity displayed in the video is admirable, it only shows one aspect of being a resident of the region and thus leaves no room for discussion or, more importantly, disagreement. Thus “Black and Yellow” does not provide any fodder for a truly critical evaluation of Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania because it is not completely representative of the culture.

I also met with Professor Van Kley during office hours after this submission but before the conference draft and below is his written commentary:

A new structure based on our conversation (on Tue): This represents both the structure of your claim and the structure of your document: 1. (starting position) IT seems WK is aiming for a Powellian representation. 2. (revision of s.p.) But in Powellian terms, the text seems problematic….it’s simplified. 3. (why this is significant) In fact, this suggests that the text is doing damage (see Eggener). That’s a good start; work from there and be open to further developments!