On Wednesday, we discussed the basic assumptions that go into reading a "text." By text, we were referring to a variety of things, including written language, visual images, online communications, etc. We were mainly concerned with how images and mixed texts (i.e., hybrid documents) are appropriated within our society today. In this course, we will be spending a lot of time interpreting, discussing, and debating about texts. In addition, you will be creating and writing about your own work.
One popular approach to art consists of re-appropriating existing (or found) images. Artist Nancy Chunn marked up the front page of the New York Times every day in 1996 to create new meanings, draw cultural connections, and to make her own argument about the power of the media.
I asked you to take the same approach with an image I gave you. The results were truly impressive, each demonstrating your own ability to criticize things you disagree with in society, to voice your
own opinions visually, and (in some cases) to express your sense of humor through this assignment.
Here is the original image:
It is a still from Dennis Gansel's film, Die Welle (Germany, 2008); one of my favorite films, but one that I was certain few of you had seen before. We spent a good deal of time talking about this image before you took it home to change it. I asked you to change the image in some way, following Nancy Chunn's example, to make an argument about our society today.
To read about the film, go here:
Here are just a few of your responses:
"Just as perception alters the young mind in The Wave, headlines in newspapers paint the ultimate image for how a situation or event will be perceived."
"Kids blindly following anything Disney tells them"
"I put some thought bubbles and colored some of the shirts to draw attention away from where I stuck Waldo."
"I altered the colors of the picture as well as changing their hands to do the "Gator Chomp" to emphasize the strong following of the Gator Nation."
"I basically re-contextualized the image as a sort of 'public service announcement' advertising the expression of one's self."
No comments:
Post a Comment