Study Task 9

Reflective Writing

Summarising my thought process of my investigation has assisted me in highlighting the key issues I explored within my essay and practical response.

My main question throughout has been the extent of involvement of visuals and visual stimuli within the rave culture of Britain in the 90's. What I discovered in my exploration was how the rave scene had not always incorporated visuals, especially not with the technology we have presently in the club scene. However, as music is a means of stimulating the senses, it goes hand in hand with any other sensory experience. For example. When the movement was beginning only simple lights would have been used but to entice people to attend there would be psychedelic posters etc. which would allow people from all walks of life to be drawn in. I felt that this played a big part in the representation of raves as a colourful and enjoyable experience.

I believe my exploration has tapped into this culture and other surrounding influences. I also feel the results I reached were ones that I did not know at the start of my exploration. Reaching a conclusive answer that the rave scene is holistic and encompassing many different aspects other than music including an array of visual elements.

I felt that delving into the history and politics of the matter diluted the topic of my exploration somewhat because it strayed away from the topic of visuals. I was however able to link it back because it was a highly publicised time in Britain, meaning that much of it was caught on camera and exhibited in various ways.

The primary research I undertook was effective in justifying many of my points. Having the words of people who attended and curated raves was insightful and useful in drawing my conclusion.

Overall there was a coherent argument within the essay and a satisfactory conclusion.