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Week 13. Appropriation. April 1.

For many Native American traditions (and other Indigenous cultures around the world), animism, the “belief in innumerable spiritual beings concerned with human affairs and capable of helping or harming human interests” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2018) is a central aspect of those cultures’ spirituality. 

Today, the fad of “____ is my spirit animal” primarily manifests in forms such as fashion and trendy social media posts, and seems to stem from the more modern trend of appropriating aspects of Native American culture for stylistic purposes. This seemed to start “innocently enough”; individuals would casually name their favorite animal (i.e., dogs, cat, horses) as their “spirit animal” because they believed they felt a spiritual connection to it. And perhaps they did. However, this has since morphed into the offensive practice of using practically any noun as one’s “spirit animal” – often the more outrageous, the better. This is appropriation because it not only takes (without consent or agreement) a core ideological concept from an oppressed culture and commodifies it (primarily for the benefit the white middle-class), but also because it now tends to do so in a way that either mocks or completely disregards the original intention of the belief.

This “Meredith Gray is my spirit animal” sweatshirt (Pinterest), seen here as modeled by a white woman, is a prime example of how this beautiful traditional belief has been appropriated into a blasé, low quality commentary on Western society’s obsession with TV and celebrity culture.

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Week 12. Globalization. March 25.

Haka, the ancient Maori traditional dance used to visually express and communicate a variety of emotions and intentions, has been brought to the global stage over the past few decades as a result of globalization and media. Haka is a vigorous dance comprised of aggressive movements like foot stomping and chest-slapping; loud chants made in unison by the group tell the “story” of the dance, and dramatic facial expressions such as grimacing, widening the eyes and poking out the tongue.

Previously thought to be only a “war dance” or an intimidation tactic used by Maori warriors, new understanding of this cultural spectacle has shown us that Haka was and still is used to commemorate many important events. As the Maori have begun to immigrate outside of New Zealand, their customs have spread and gained worldwide attention. New Zealand sports teams such as soccer/football have been performing Haka prior to the start of matches for over a century, however it is only since these sports events have been televised globally that the rest of the world gained awareness of this tradition.

This wedding video, which went viral on YouTube in 2016, shows how the dance is used to celebrate and proclaim the profound event that is a marriage between two young people (Aaliyah and Benjamin Armstrong). In this version, the Haka chants have been translated into English, which provides a new depth of awareness and understanding of the roots of this important ritual. The dance and the reaction it invokes in both the bride and the performers themselves is very moving, and I’m glad that global media has allowed me to witness a cultural event that I otherwise would have had no idea existed.

FYI - I typed this up and hit "Post” on Sunday night...and opened my computer to see it still sitting here today (Monday). So my apologies for the late submission.

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Week 12. Postmodern. March 25.

Although the type of visual communication here (comic strip format) would likely not be considered postmodern in and of itself, this comic, which appeared on the website Deviantart.com (author/date unknown), is, in my opinion, postmodern for several reasons. Firstly, the overall topic of the comic is on abortion, and how it is no longer appropriate for anyone other than women to have an opinion on such matters. Yet, to boldly and unapologetically liberate women from patriarchal oppression and abuse is a distinctly postmodern concept. However, the realm of postmodernism here is further expanded by the respondent’s comeback about “gender assumption” – something that our 21st century society is just now beginning to explore and understand. Though this rebuttal was likely intended by the author to be a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the radical or extreme side of feminism, I believe this metanarrative actually brings to light one of the very real and complex challenges of our postmodern world: how to maintain objectivity during the navigation of a contentious issue such as abortion, all while being aware of the social conditioning that has brought our ideologies to where they are today. Taken in this context, the content of this comic can certainly be considered postmodern, and as many postmodernist views on what constitutes “art” are based on subjectivity, there may even be space for one to consider this simple, child-like drawing art itself.

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Week 11. Mass Media. March 18.

Super Bowl: an icon of American identity and a prominent aspect of North American culture in general, this much-anticipated annual football event is as much an example of mass media as it is a display of sports and athleticism.

The Super Bowl is one of the most watched sporting events in the world (second only to soccer’s UEFA Championship Final). The lure of this television program can be attributed to several important factors: namely, it has become the epitome of American tradition – Super Bowl Sunday is an unofficial holiday for most Americans and an immense culture based on social gatherings and  food and alcohol consumption has developed as a response. Secondly, the Super Bowl is also advertised and “hyped” in all types of media in the weeks and months leading up to the game, and even for those completely uninterested in sports or football, it is nearly impossible for anyone in Western society (if not the world) to be unaware of the Super Bowl. The sheer volume of media who remark on, cover, or otherwise facilitate the public’s attention to this event make the Super Bowl a highly salient news item, almost regardless of geographical location. 

Finally, many of the Super Bowl’s hundreds of millions of viewers are aware that watching the event is not merely about watching football, it’s about seeing firsthand the unique advertisements that air during this prime television program. It’s about watching the halftime show and evaluating the spectacle that is this year’s performer. It’s now also about following and/or contributing to the live streams of commentary on various social media platforms. Taking part in this incredible media event (even just as a television viewer) means that one can participate in the dialogue surrounding it – and this is how the media unites the masses.

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Week 11. Propaganda. March 18.

As we evolve through the digital age, it is becoming more difficult to target who exactly “the masses” are in terms of media messaging. However, the proliferation of politically-charged social media use (including on previously exempt media such as Pinterest) is providing an outlet for those with an agenda to continue to get their message across, in a variety of creative and often insidious ways.

Take, for example, this “Anti-Hillary” meme which doubles as a bit of pro-life propaganda. Shared on social media, it addresses the intended audience of the message by using the hashtag #NeverTrump, and gets its message across by accusing Hillary supporters of aligning with a cause that supports “killing babies”. The grisly image of two bloody hands (presumably fresh from performing an abortion) is intended to shock the viewer by clearly showing the messy, abhorrent, and animalistic nature of abortions. Equating a political candidate with this kind of visceral imagery is a strong use of propaganda, as it appeals to not only a viewer’s political leanings, but leverages their sense of right and wrong: it presses the viewer to accept responsibility for the (possible) actions of a (possible) future president, and uses strong and direct language to do so. Even if one did not support Hillary, or did not support abortions, it would be difficult for the consumer of this propaganda to separate the two concepts.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/66709638210573440/

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Week 10. Photojournalist. March 11.

As I researched photojournalism, I discovered the story of Camille Lepage, a young French photojournalist who was killed in 2014 while documenting the conflicts in Central African Republic. Her story struck me because her passion for her craft is apparent in the photos she took and in the way she spoke about her work. Of the Central African Republic conflict that would eventually claim her life, she said, “I can’t accept that people’s tragedies are silenced simply because no one can make money out of them. I decided to do it myself, and bring some light to them no matter what.” (Washington Post, May 2014) She also struck me because we are the same age, and her bravery and conviction is inspiring.

This photo, entitled Vanishing Youth, claimed second place in the Pictures of the Year International (Portrait) in the year of her death. In it, a Sudanese man surveys the scene following the tribal clashes between the Lou Nuer and the Murie. Though we can’t see what he is seeing, his gaze is powerful and alluring. His companion, gently blurred in the background, exhales smoke and the two seem to be somehow connected by the cigarette in the foreground. The black and white image creates depth and meaning to the picture; the dark skin is augmented by the brightness of the white shirt, and the heavily blurred grey shapes of the background create a scene that is hard to clearly interpret yet simple enough to understand. I feel that Camille’s intention was to bring recognizable faces to the stories of indescribable conflict, and she has done that successfully here.

 http://poyi.org/71/07/02.php

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Week 10. Nachtwey. March 11.

Perusing James Nachtwey’s website after first learning of him in the documentary, War Photographer, I was struck by the diversity of images on his page. Not diversity in context, perhaps, but in photo composition itself. His approach seems to be less about maintaining a “personal style” to his photographs and more about responding and reacting to the shot as it presents itself.

I found myself drawn to this particular image, labeled “Pakistan, 2001 - A rehab center for heroin addicts”. The image is bleak; it’s darkness suggests not only the lack of available light in a (likely) third world institution, but also the dark struggles of the inhabitants within. In this shot, a patient sits in a beam of sunlight illuminating the concrete bench that endlessly spans a long, tall wall. The bars on the window can be clearly seen in this illumination, which possibly provides the viewer with greater context for the conditions of the rehabilitation – perhaps it is more “forced” than voluntary? However, as the angle of the long, low bench draws the eye down the hallway, we see a second figure similarly hunched in the sunlight, looking even more gaunt and forlorn than the first. It is the appearance of this second figure which underscores the bleakness of the place and makes the viewer find a renewed sense of pity for these unfortunate souls.

http://www.jamesnachtwey.com 

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Week 9. Photoshop. March 4.

Photoshop has, of course, been around for quite some time – 3 decades, in fact. As a young girl, I first came to know of Photoshop as a photographic editing tool that could be used to change photos and their meaning, usually into something more humorous or interesting. I recall seeing various Photoshopped images intended to shock and awe and sell stories, and that some photos were so well-edited that it was nearly impossible to tell fake photos from authentic ones.

However, photoshop now has become more ubiquitous in our social media-heavy society. Now, photo editors contract themselves out to make images of aspiring Instragram “models” more beautiful and “like”-worthy. One such editor, @jamesfridman, has taken it upon himself to make parodies of the requests he received, and the resulting images (along with screenshots of the online exchange) are simply hilarious.

I particularly enjoyed this event, where a self-important young woman requests that James remove an overweight fellow party-goer (“…. that embarrassment”) from the shot of her and her friend hugging. James obliges by removing the woman herself and photoshopping the overweight woman into her place instead. I love that James not only capitalized on the opportunity to turn the rude woman’s words back on her, but he also brought the so-called “embarrassment” into the forefront of the photo and did a rather good job of editing the image so that the new pair truly appear to be embracing. The new photo is a big change from the original, but subtle enough to be effective.    

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Week 9. Own Choice. March 4.

As our work in this course moves toward Photoshop and our Visual Storytelling assignment, I began to think a little more about the different types and styles of visual editing. Here, an example of the union between a still image and it’s moving parts: the cinemagraph. These are created by layering a video or a series of photographs over a still image to create a slight and repeated movement. Sometimes the animation makes it feel like a gif, but as only certain elements of the photo are in motion, it usually still gives the impression of a static image with a fixed storyline.

I find cinemagraphs to be a progressive and visually compelling way to convey movement in images or scenes. Cinemagraphs allow the artist to move away from traditional photographic approaches such as blurred or otherwise out-of-focus areas to portray objects in motion. This scene, created over 5 years ago by amateur photographer and Reddit user TimePressue, shows a beautiful night scene: a bridge, lit by soft streetlights, arcs its way over a softly rippling canal. Though the movement aspect is subtle, it forges an entirely new dimension and perspective to the photograph. The illuminated bench in the foreground seems to be inviting the viewer to step into the photograph, sit down, and enjoy a peaceful moment by the water. 

 https://www.reddit.com/r/Cinemagraphs/comments/147706/my_first_cinegraph_footage_shot_myself_consists/

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Week 7. Own Choice. February 18.

As a student of communications, I’m always drawn to examples of effective – or ineffective – communication. One of my biggest pet peeves (which I’m sure is shared by many other students of my program) is the pervasive misuse of the apostrophe in advertising and branding. I’m truly not sure how it is that these errors make it past the business owner, the designer, the copyeditor, the printing company, etc., but here they are! Everywhere! All the time!

I seethed particularly hard at this quaint little sweets boutique in the UK and their ridiculous err of the word “memories”, although I must admit that I enjoy their choice of font; the curly tails on the “S” letters are a whimsical compliment to the more elegantly decorative downward slashes of the “E”, and the loop in the middle of the capital “M” reminds me of joined hands. However, it’s hard to get past the grammatical sin here. The presence of a large amount of blank space on the sign after “Memory’s” even suggest that there should be another word following it – but what?!

Unless “Sweet Memory” is the name of the chocolate shop owner who forgot to finish the sign, the apostrophe simply does not make sense here.

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Week 7. Typography. February 18.

In thinking about typography this week, I began to watch for examples of interesting typography use in everyday life – logos, advertisements, corporate communications, etc. What I noticed is that there seems to be a range of “safe” typography that is commonly used, but I found it difficult to locate more unique or “purpose-built” fonts – until I came across the Trader Joe’s logo.

I think this typography works well for this brand for several reasons. Firstly, the font has remained largely unchanged since the company’s inception in the 1950’s. After originally launching as a convenience store, the company upgraded themselves in the 60’s as a niche grocery store, specializing in wines, cheeses, and nuts. They outfitted their store interiors in cedar planks and had their employees wear Hawaiian shirts to further the laid-back atmosphere of the brand’s Californian identity. Though not a Canadian brand, the longevity of this font makes it quite recognizable.

Secondly, the font itself is quite unique. It almost feels to me like a “western-turned-groovy”; the bold red lettering in all-caps makes me think of a “WANTED” poster from the Wild West, but it is also vaguely reminiscent of the bubbly letters of the 60’s – the uneven curves of the rounded letters and the varying thicknesses of the vertical lines suggest an overall playfulness that is echoed by the store itself. I think that this is an example where the logo font matches the brand identify superbly.

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Week 6. Own Choice. February 11.

For my own choice post this week, I selected a photo I took in 2011 during a charity off-road motorcycle rally through South Africa. This was somewhere along the Wild Coast (Eastern Cape), near the end of our 8-day, 1600km trip. We had stopped near the edge of this cliff for a recount and a quick break, and with the wind blowing hard into my face as I looked across the lush green plain out over the ocean, I felt an overwhelming appreciation of the stark beauty of this truly wild coast. Coupled with the excitement of the coastal ride and the rising anxiety about the end of the trip fast approaching, I dismounted and tried to take a picture that would capture the essence of that moment. Looking at it now, I recognize the compositional elements that came together to make this one of my favorite photos from the trip.

Here, my trusty bike (a Honda CRF 230) is in the foreground with my nameplate gently illuminated by the sun. The eye naturally follows the lines on the rear fender of my bike which brings the gaze towards the deep blue of the churning Indian Ocean, whitecaps busily frothing in the high winds. The horizon line matches up nearly perfectly with the edge of the cliff in the outer right edge of the picture, which provides the (often elusive) perspective of the true depth and height of the rocks and undulations in the pockmarked plain – these made for a very bumpy ride! I love the way that the rich green of the grass so perfectly complements the hazy layers of sea and sky behind it, and the stark red and yellow of my bike really underscore the juxtaposition of machinery in such a naturally beautiful space.

I miss this day.

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Week 6. Appropriation. February 11.

Many times when we consume a piece of appropriated visual communication, we are not aware of its true origins. But here, one of the most recognized images of the modern era is appropriated into one of the most (unfortunately) recognized types of images of our time: the “duck-face selfie”.

Though the addition of the iPhone and the gruesome photo shopping of the “famous smile” into a duck-face are immediate and obvious aspects of this appropriation, there are a few other subtle details which I believe really complete the image: firstly, the image is cropped slightly so as to zoom in more closely on her face and recreate the typical “selfie frame”. Secondly, her fingernails are painted – and it’s not just the addition of nail polish that changes these once demurely-folded hands, but the polish is also in today’s on-trend style: with one finger (in this case, the middle finger of the left hand) painted a different colour than the rest. She’s also wearing a large ring; this serves to draw attention more so to her hands and what they are doing than to the style or the story of the ring itself – it is an accessory only, and completely indicative of the purposeful adornment most selfie-taking women will indulge in.

Not only does this artist’s appropriation remove the enigmatic beauty surrounding the original Mona Lisa, but it moves her into the most “basic” of categories: the everyday, mundane, self-absorbed woman of the 21st century. Most women (and young girls) adopt this expression when taking a selfie for the sole purpose of exploiting it’s widely accepted association to beauty or sex appeal. I think the artist was attempting to comment on how this generation’s “selfie-obsessed culture” is eroding the power of unique beauty of individual women.

https://9gag.com/gag/am9z969/if-monalisa-was-alive-in-2016 

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Week 5. Own Choice. February 7.

Oh, what a time to be alive! Space travel is becoming frivolous and fun, rather than politically motivated and ambiguously militaristic!

This photo was uploaded yesterday to Reddit, but I’m not sure where it originally appeared. There has been a barrage of photos published in the last 24 hours documenting the successful launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket and the Tesla Roadster, but I was attracted to how this simple picture (and the whole Space-X endeavour in general) is rapidly changing perceptions about the exploration of our universe.

The photo really only contains 4 colours (black, white, blue, and red) but the depth illustrated here is immense – the shadow behind the Roadster helps to illuminate the bright white of the “astronaut’s” suit, and the glint of sun on the earth’s curvature is also repeated on the shiny red fender of the car. It is also a strong example of the Rule of Thirds: the astronaut’s profile is perfectly captured in the intersection of the bottom right third, while the earth is prominently featured in the upper right third without competing against what’s going on in the bottom. The vehicle angles up towards the upper left third which allows the bright red colour to stand out against the darkness of space. It is a beautiful composition of colour, light, darkness, and (literal) space, and from this moment on, mankind’s future has taken off on a new course.

https://imgur.com/yTzZb6p

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Week 5. Own Choice. February 7.

This is a photo taken from the recent Justin Trudeau town hall meeting in Edmonton (at MacEwan University, no less!) on Thursday, Feb 1st.

Published in The National Post by Jason Fransom (Canadian Press), the image captures a moment that seems to represent a timeless symbol: the working man standing up to government. Here, a man is rising up out of his seat with a clear expression of anger on his face. He appears to shouting, and he is literally shaking his fist at Justin Trudeau. The strength of his conviction is palpable.

The photo was placed in the National Post article just after its discussion of a contentious issue currently facing Albertans: the expansion of the Trans-Mountain pipeline. Opponents of this pipeline attended the town hall meeting with large yellow signs in tow, touting slogans such as “No Jobs on a Dead Planet” and “Albertans Against Kinder Morgan”.

Though I don’t know that the man above was in support of this position or not, I like to imagine that he was: the placement of his photo in the article (coupled with his bright yellow shirt) suggests his possible alignment to the cause. I also like how the colour yellow is emphasized in the background from the wristbands of fellow attendees – many of which share similarly antagonized expressions. From this perspective, I feel a sense of connection to the people in this photo; we are united in our fight against the government’s disregard for the preservation of the environment.

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Week 4. Own Choice. January 28. (posted with authorization Feb 4)

Thinking about our recent class lecture on perspective in images, I came across this beautiful image of a stone bridge arching its way over a canal on what appears to be a cold, autumn day. As I studied it, I discovered several elements that increased my attraction to the photo.

I tend to enjoy pictures in grayscale, and the hints of fog and mist contribute nicely to the subtle lack of colour in this photo. The light grey of the concrete edges of the canal match the stone trim on the bridge, which has the effect of pulling the eye from the wider darkness of the bottom half of the image up towards the bridge; it also encourages the gaze to meander up the canal and follow it as it rounds the bend.

Then, the reflection of the bridge in the water creates an absolutely perfect circle, which, along with the symbolism of the perfectly still water, invokes a sense of infinite introspection. The mist in the trees behind the bridge also seem to almost “blur out” the background, suggesting that this perfect circle is meant to be focused on and studied.

Finally, the image captures a figure almost exactly at the centre of the bridge. Had the person been more off-centre, I think it would have thrown off the subtle symmetry of the image, but the photographer’s timing was perfect.

 http://smashinghub.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/perspective-photography-39.jpg

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Week 4. Ad I like. January 28. (posted with authorization Feb 4)

It is more of a public service announcement than an advertisement, but this 30-second video does an excellent job of getting the New Zealand Rainbow Youth Team’s message across: using the word “gay” as a description for anything other than a homosexual man (or woman!) simply doesn’t make any sense.

I like how the ad effectively portrays how commonplace and, often unconscious, the use of the word “gay” as an (often negatively connoted) adjective is in many societies. This is problematic, as it’s clear that the ubiquitous use of this term as a derogatory adjective is most certainly a precursor to the more rampant issues of discrimination and homophobia. But the ad also offers a solution: we as a society can take an active role in ending the misuse of this word by correcting each other in gentle and non-confrontational ways.

 The Rainbow Youth Society is an organization in New Zealand which aims to create a supportive space and resources for LGBTQ+ youth. However, they chose to use adult actors in their PSA, rather than youth, to address the issue of using the word “gay” pejoratively. I think this is an effective choice because it shows that the issue doesn’t just exist in the society of youth, it “grows up” with us and becomes embedded in our vernacular. Nevertheless, the actors’ dialogue could just as easily have come from a younger person, which it makes it relatable to that target audience.