Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva

1. SEMIOTICS OF MYTH AS A BRANDING TOOL:
MOTHER-NATURE MYTHOLOGEME CASE
Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva PhD (cand)
Tartu, Moscow
OCTOBER 24-27

2. Hello, Mumbai!
The 5th Semiofest in Tallinn (2016)
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018

3. • In 2017 I designed two courses of applied
semiotics in Moscow
Since 2018 I am running a semiotic
research at marketing research agency
Enjoy Understanding (Moscow)
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018
Hello, Mumbai!
• Malcolm Evans at Enjoy Understanding
(April 2018)

4. BACKGROUND
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018

5. Mass culture&mythological mind
• The ontological model of mass culture mythology,
deriving from treatment of myth as cultural universal,
can be deduced to several principles of organization
and structuring of mass culture in integral
semiosphere.
• Those principles reveal themselves in the four main
ontological aspects of mass culture mythology:
peculiar reason-consequential linkage,
anthropocentricity, specific mythological chronotope
and “naming” as habitualization.
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018

6. What is a Mythologeme?
“Mythologemes are invariants <…> reflecting
the most widespread human views about the
world within mythological discourse“
[Zaporozhtseva, Lyudmyla 2016. Mythologemes and mythemes:
Semiotic markers of myth in contemporary mass culture. Concepts for
semiotics: Tartu semiotics library 16, Tartu: 27-48, p.38]
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018

7. The Mother Nature
Mythologeme
AdvertisingofHermes2013
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018
Is a universal idea of femininity
manifestation:
• implies presence of masculinity
• authentic, connected to roots
• ambivalent tender and strong
• vital
• eternal youth and rebirth

8. Makosh Slav Goddess around the 5st cent
Praying Holy Mother of God “Oranta”
Kyv, Saint Sofia Cathedral XI cent
The Motherland Monument, 1981
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018Vasnetsov «Alionushka»
Representationinoldtexts

9. DECODING
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018

10. Мужское начало Предельная женственность
Отрицание мужского
Отрицание женственности
SEDUCTIVE FEMININITY
LOLITA/NAIVE
FEMINIST/INDEPENDENT
WINTER QUEEN/PULLING AWAY
Semiotic square: femininity representation
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018
ANDROID MOTHER NATURE

11. Мужское начало Предельная женственность
Semiotic square: femininity representation
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018
LOLITA/NAIVEWINTER QUEEN
FEMINIST/INDEPENDENT SEDUCTIVE
ANDROID MOTHER NATURE

12. DECODINGANARTIST

13. Artist as a text and a brand: complex analysis
✓visual analysis of media representation
✓musical semiotic analysis
✓ analysis of lyrics
✓competitive and contextual analysis
✓personal interviewing
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018

14. Мужское начало Предельная женственность
Отрицание мужского
Отрицание женственности
SEDUCTIVE FEMININITY
LOLITA/NAIVE
FEMINIST/INDEPENDENT
WINTER QUEEN/PULLING AWAY
Eurovision2018: femininity representation
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018
FEMINIST/INDEPENDENT
WINTER QUEEN
SEDUCTIVE
LOLITA/NAIVE

15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxKf3YcRm18
Youtube: Manizha «Inogda»
MANIZHA: two examples
Youtube: Manizha «Liustra»
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuZ-UmNhyxQ
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018

16. • unpredictable,
• fluffy, bright,
• naive, sincere
• vivid, spontaneous
2015
Instagram: @manizha
©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018
Lolita

17. • Authenticity
• Focus on inner world
• Reflection
• Connection to roots
Instagram: @manizha
©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018
Mother Nature
Youtube: Manizha “Inogda”
2016
2017

18. • Romantic
• Emotional
• Warm
• Sincere
Instagram: @manizha
©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018
2017
Seductive Femininity

19. • Conceptual
• Rational
• "Zero' body
• Cold
• Monochrome
Instagram: @manizha
©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018
From Feminist to Winter Queen
2017

20. • Technocentrism
• “Zero” body
• Cold
• Cyborgization
Instagram: @manizha
©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018
Android
2017

21. Мужское начало Предельная женственность
Отрицание мужского
Отрицание женственности
SEDUCTIVE FEMININITY
LOLITA/NAIVE
FEMINIST/INDEPENDENT
WINTER QUEEN/PULLING AWAY
Semiotic square: femininity representation
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018
ANDROID MOTHER NATURE

22. RECODING

23. «Home is there where are people, I am not
connected with land, with roots»
manizha documentary, 2017
vs.
«IZUMRUD» 2017
24 hours with Manizha, 2017
«Don’t run away from yourself» - back
to roots
Finding a gap: Feminist vs. Mother Nature
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018

24. FEMINIST LOLITA
Mind (A) Emotions (B) Not-mind (Not-A)Mind + emotions (A+B) Emotions + not-mind (B+not-A)
Masculine principle Negation of masculine
MOTHER-NATURE
MOTHER-NATURE
Sevdaliza IOWA
«
Yasmine
Hamdan
«Beirut»
Maty Cramberry MonetochkaPolina Gagarina Ani Lorak
Instagram: @Manizha
Mapping a gap
Instagram: @Manizha Instagram: @Manizha
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018
Awareness of own
artistic and personal
mission

25. 1. Collage technique
2. Pomegranate color and symbol
3. To use warmer emotions/ facial
expressions
4. To open her body
Some ideas for inspiration
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018

26. Instagram: @manizha
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018

27. Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018

28. Three takeaways
1. Semiotics of myth is useful for branding.
2. The archaic universal symbols can acquire
contemporary forms and can be re-coded within
new context in purpose.
3. Specific mythologemes can be used in show-
business in order to build coherent images of
artists.
Semiofest ©Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva 2018

29. Thank you!
l.zaporozhtseva@understanding.ru
Facebook: lyudmila.zaporozhtseva
Instagram: @semiogeek