How thin can we get?

Thanks to the miracles of image editing, (some say Photoshop) a model can attain a whole new level of stick-thin ness. This image from a Ralph Lauren ad is remarkable, not only for its very bad rendering and representation of the female body, but for the fuss (fortunately) that it's causing in the Blogosphere and on mainstream television even. (More at 11 :-). this came to light via a site called Photoshop Disasters.

Sadly, Blogger (the host of PI here) was the service that took down this image at the command of Ralph Lauren's phony Cease and Desist letter. Boing Boing put it up again on their own server based in Canada. Hopefully Blogger (AKA Google) will see the light here, and let the images and commentary here (all permissible under Fair Use) stand. Let's see how long this one stays up!

Addendum:
Evidentally these are window displays. The one above was photographed off a window display in Japan and posted on Photoshop Disasters, this one below from Australia. Here's the link from Photoshop Disasters:
http://photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com/2009/10/ralph-lauren-hits-keep-on-coming.html

What's Beauty?

What's Beauty?

Heavy makeup

Perfect Hair

Blemish Free Skin

Bleached Teeth

Size 0-2

Perhaps.....

What's my standard of beauty?

Would my face make the "cut" for this collage?

Am I not beautiful because I have wrinkles, gapped teeth, glasses, freckles, and/or a full figure? Do I care? Perhaps.....

If I do care, then what does that say about me?

By Roberta Johnson, Farrah Jones, Becky Sharpe

OK Magazine: Data Visualization

We began our data visualization by cutting out faces of men and women. We used one magazine entitled OK! The faces were expressive and the magazine was diverse in reference to race but not people (because they were all movie stars).

We sorted the pictures of faces into two groups, men and women. Pictures were arranged in an inward spiraling motion. We went from women (beginning with Beyonce, going counter clockwise) to men.

This image shows that in today's society and with a failing economy women are dominating the work force. Even though these pictures are of movie stars we believe that women in the movie industry are prominent figures in the production, directing and acting aspect of major films more than men.

Kimberly

Roxanne

Katina

Rolling Stone Faces

This collage of faces represents emotions. It was interesting that this magazine contained very few smiling faces. Both genders were equally represented; however, not every race. The photos were primarily candid shots and not posed.

Posted by che*rac*bar

Living Your Best Life: O Magazine

How does one choose the demographics when they have total autonomy over a publication?

Oprah Winfrey, the head honcho and controlling force of a dynasty, appears to cater more to a populus outside of her own ethnicity.

After perusing the magazine, and looking at the photographs, things to ponder...

Have her roots been tilled and seeded in a different artificial turf?

Who is the intended audience?

Are the advertisers the driving force behind the content of the magazine?

Through a Lens Darkly

Thomas Allen Harris presented his work at NAMAC.

-sam smiley

SoulTrade

I found this advertisement in TIME magazine, to my surprise, it was actually the back cover. When I first looked at it, this guy, and what they were advertising, stocks, I thought, now why would Americans want to invest in this type of thing at a time like this? I would think that stocks and market would be the last thing on most peoples minds in such an economical crysis. The working class is suffering right now, that's a fact.

The idea came to me pretty easy, the guy in the advertisement already resembled the devil figure, and "Scottrade" is very easily transformed into "Soultrade." I went from there.

I couldn't believe the way that they portray themselves, and the fact that their acting like your doing yourself a favor by contacting them. The truth of the matter is, along with many other corporate companies like this, is that they just want your money. This knowledge is nothing new to most of us, I would almost put it in the category of common sense, but for them, and to the people that this advertisement is aimed at, it is money that runs their souls, so to speak. It is money that is life, and it is money that is important to them. They don't care about what's in your best interest, they want your money, they want your soul!

Panda

Domtar is a paper source that claims to be environmentally responsible. In there ads they show various animals that look healthy and bright against the white paper background. This animal I choose is the panda, which is shown healthy in bright black and white eating lush green bamboo. The truth is, the panda is considered an endangered species and there are ONLY 1,600 left in the entire world. Many of them live in zoos and breeding centers around the world but mostly china. Pandas are dying mainly because of habitat loss. Humans are cutting down there bamboo to build factories and for agriculture. Global warming and drastic changes in the environment may mean that our Pandas will starve and 1,600 will go 0.

Rosedelma

You Know You Want Me

I chose this underwear advertisement featuring David Beckham because I found him to be so clearly objectified that one could consider this to be leaning toward soft porn. There he is hidden in the shadows, I wondered what image the ad was attempting to convey, and for what audience. Clearly, he has celebrity status and a good physique but to purchase these expensive underwear, has what meaning really?

For the remix, I choose to translate his identity by showing what was underneath those good looks was a skull and a spine, like any human being. I titled the page "You know you want me." Behind the shadows, he carries a monkey purse and has painted nails. The feminine aspects represents that both male an female are on display for media objectification. And like the original advertisement, I drew all focus downward to the main focus right underneath the EA label.

Sheila

YOU SEE WOMAN AND THAT'S ALL YOU SEE

YOU SEE WOMAN AND THAT'S ALL YOU SEE

looking for a way to be free
a way to let out the artist trapped inside me
PROUD, STRONG,
i walk with power
when i walk, i let every stride define me.

I know there well be a struggle
Challenges i am willing to accept
but i wont let it consume me.
Tears come and i let them flow
Baptize me, cleanse me, free me.

I wake up every morning to embrace my life
putting in the work and eager to see where it takes me
so much substance, so much beauty
Amazingly complicated but
you see woman, and that's all you see

i am proud, i know what i want
i work hard, i wont compromise my integrity.
I'm not like the others,
sensitivity, sincerity
it all defines me
i am not empty, but
you see woman, and that's all you see.

ohh my eyes, my skin, my hair
my lips, oooohhh I'm a tall tall beauty
throw me a bone and pretend its the artist you feed.
tell me I'm amazingly interesting
when your intentions are to cheat and manipulate me
you even make me think you respect me!
you see woman and that's all you see

afraid withdrawn confused
almost feeling like you have defeated me
lost in my own misery
where you have mentally and emotionally raped me
crossing boundaries when you saw vulnerability and
you force yourself on me.

Proud? Strong?
you left me searching for my gravity
cheating me and intern, i cheating myself
because in all this i was too blind to see
you sick bastard, who is she
who gave birth to such a perverted entity
does she know you see woman,
and that's all you see

not defeated, not broken
staying determined and not staying angry
freeing the artist trapped inside me

Proud!, Strong!
i walk with power
when i walk, i let every stride define me
i know there will be a struggle
Challenges i am willing to accept
But i wont let it consume me
Baptize me, cleanse me, free me
I am a woman but that doesn't define me

Rosedelma Seraphin

Fashion or Beauty

Fashion or Beauty

A model is a person who poses or who is displayed for the purposes of art, fashion, or other products and advertising. There are a large number of people in the world today that say we should not judge people. Thus, they would say that we should criticize others, or we should judge people by how they look. This idea of judging being a negative thing is due mainly to the influence of postmodernism, with idea of relativism and philosophical pluralism. Now imagine, a model that is unattractive by American Standards. This model is dressed in Gucci and advertised in VOUGE. Would the public still notice the advertisement? Would the clothing still be beautiful? Knowing how we are as a society, I cannot help but to ask the question; are fashion magazines ever about fashion?
Are magazines selling Fashion or Beauty?

Ana/Alicia

Remix Ad

My Remix is based on the popular “Got Milk” campaign. I decided that I could effectively remix the advertisement for a cause that I have strong convictions about. The idea is “Got Nature” we are losing untouched natural resources and environments at an alarming rate. Everyone says they are trying to live “green”, but I don’t believe we are making enough sacrifices. Rather than dwelling on the negative I decide to put spin on the advertisement asking people to go out and enjoy the natural world. I believe that if people venture out and take a fifteen-minute walk in a natural environment and just observe the natural beauty they might be more inclined to protect that environment. This image has two photos one I took in my apartment and one I took of the sunrise over Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone was the first designated National Park in the history of the United States and a place of exquisite natural beauty. Got Nature?

Remix Ad

I saw this ad and immediately started laughing to myself. "Buy this cream and you too can look like a mannequin!" We all know that the models and editing used in fashion magazines creates an unrealistic standard for women to compare themselves to, this ad took it a step further and said "just screw the human let's just use a mannequin". Then I started reading all the comments made on each body part, and just started getting more upset. I guess they were trying to sound like what they think an everyday woman's inner monologue sounds like, but if you ask me they just sound mean. Sure many of us criticize our bodies when we look in the mirror, but is that really something that should be encouraged? Ads like this also perpetuate the now common myth that there is some magical cream that will make you look perfect so long as you can afford it Rather than taking better care of ourselves we look for perfection in a bottle, but there is no such thing. I could go on and on.

I think this ad is completely ridiculous so I decided to take it a step further and edited the text using Photoshop. I wanted to keep the ad as close to the original as possible visually, but create a more ironic yet truthful tone for what the ad is really selling and what ideals its really pushing.

Nature's full of choices. Why balance a crazy day with fast food?

I chose to remix this advertisement found in the latest issue of Glamour because it promotes a fast food chain, Sonic, by making it seem like a healthy diet. It is ironic that the ad appears in Glamour, a magazine full of healthy diet and beauty tips. This is exactly what female readers should not be eating. The message “Just because your day is crazy, doesn’t mean your diet has to be” is in complete contradiction with the image of these women eating fast food in a car. For me, that is having a crazy diet and not taking the time to take a break from a busy schedule and eat right. I changed the image to have the girls eating apples and drinking water instead of Sonic sandwiches and probably soda. Since I could not find adequate pictures in a magazine, I took photos of a bitten apple and a water bottle and printed them out in a size to fit the ad. In order to place the new food and drink into the girls’ hands and cover the seat belts with the same t-shirt fabric they have on, I used an extra color photocopy of the ad to cut out the hands and t-shirts and glue them onto my remix. I also created a green outdoor setting with blue sky, plants, trees and grass from magazine and postcard cut outs. Although the meal choices at the bottom of the original ad seem healthier than most fast foods, they are still mass produced, processed foods. Instead, I offer a balanced natural meal consisting of items from each food group. I changed the slogan “Life’s full of choices. Who gives you more than Sonic?” to “Life’s full of choices. Who gives you more than nature?” in order to show that nature offers much tasitier and healthier eating options. Personally, I eat all natural products and mostly prepare my own meals because I believe in the short and long term health benefits of eating well. Because the majority of the population (including Glamour readers) thinks nothing of eating fast and processed food, I would like to inform my audience that eating healthy does not depend on what a product is called such as “grilled chicken wrap” but on where the food comes from and how it is prepared.

Laurene

Remix Energy of Duracell and President

Duracell Energy - Transformation of Superman to Obama

Remix assignment by Meg - Art_girl

 

While I was looking through magazines for this assignment, Obama was on his European Tour.  When I saw the smile of Superman, I immediately thought of Obama’s smile as he greeted European dignitaries. As I read the text for the Duracell battery advertisement, I began to experience metaphors between batteries and the energy of the President.  His endless energy during this trip was like “he runs like he’s on Duracell.” 

 

Using colored pencils, I changed Superman’s face to be a man of color.  I also modified the features of the nose to widen it to be more like Obama’s nose.  The blue eyes and hair were darkened.  The eyebrows were thickened to be more similar to Obama’s.  Obama’s lips were added along with the wrinkles beside his broad smile.  The hand holding the broken chains has also been colored with brown and black pencils.

 

To complete the remix, I found images on Google of Obama’s trip.  All of them feature his smile.  I also googled “European protests of Bush” and I found images taken in London. The Bush protest images are added into the chain areas, to symbolize that Obama has broken the chain of negative presidential leadership. Big Ben and a protest sign are in the top right hand corner.

 

Along with the collaged images, I have also included found text to bring greater meaning to my message that Obama’s energy is superhuman like he has batteries.  I have covered the central Duracell name with “Fire” which also means that he is working hard as the president.  On the battery case where it says Duracell, I have covered the end of the word to change it to “durable.”  This adjective blends with the text – “Nothing lasts longer.”  And finally the addition of the word “commanding” is significant because as Commander in Chief, Obama is leading our country with a commanding presence.  This presence is evident in the image that I used in the top of this remix.  Next to the hand I have inserted the photo showing Obama waving to a massive crowds that seems to be cheering the President.

United States of Ageism

A friend of mine once recommended that when I look and the mirror and see wrinkles, not to despair about growing older; but instead, to remember the wonderful and varied experiences I have had in my life. In flipping through magazines to find an advertisement for this project, I couldn’t believe how many were centered on reducing the signs of aging and having flawless skin. This Clinique ad was particularly offensive to me, as it implied that looking–and thereby being–40 years old is terrible and should be combated using “youth surge age decelerating moisturizer”. As I grow older, I have begun to notice the prevalence of ageism in our society. There seems to be a high value placed on being and looking young and beautiful, yet older people have a wealth of experiences and knowledge, which should hold a higher value than appearances alone. Additionally, advertisements such as this one emphasize spending time and money to achieve this youthful appearance by giving skin cells a “long and happy life” instead of focusing on the things in life that truly make us happy. I created this remix project with the intent of turning ageism on its head; to illustrate the importance of embracing life by spending our time (and resources) with family, friends, enjoying excellent food and music, traveling, engaging in activism, learning, and loving with all of our hearts.

By Sharon W.

The African-American Dream

Upon seeing this image for the first time, it almost brought tears to my eyes. As an African-American living in the United States, I take pride in our new hero that has broken the negative image that black Americans have upheld for many years.

Since the arrival of Africans in the North American continent, blacks have struggled economically, politically and socially. On top of the political and economic issues African-Americans faced historically, the White American community implemented many unjust laws to prevent blacks from advancing. The most common acts that White Americans practiced and implemented were Jim Crow laws and the Ku Klux Klan. Currently, we are now in the 21st century, and in many ways, the black community continues to be politically and economically disabled. However, despite the obstacles, one man was able to redefine the meaning of the African -American dream. President Barak Obama, who is the first African-American president. This image is about the history of blacks in America. The pictures that are on my image represent the walk toward President Obamas dream. Historically, African-Americans arrived in this country as slaves. Initially, Cattle was valued more than blacks during this time. As time progressed, blacks eventually became free, but, no equal. Jim Crow laws were implemented. During this time, blacks were considered inferior to Whites, thus, not having the right to vote! Despite the struggle, strong black leaders such as the ones displayed on the image; Rosa Parks, Marcus Garvey and Martin Luther King paved the way for African-Americans today. Without the help of these black leaders, President Obama would not be where he is today. My intention was to promote awareness and pride among all people about the African-American struggles and accomplishments.

Hunger in Haiti

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thestookeys/2450379140/

This is an image taken in a rural town of Haiti. Today, as result of Haiti being poorest counrty in the western hemisphere, massive starvation is an issue. This image captures that beautiness of Haiti, while portaying the importance of hunger in developing nations.

It's not the clothes . . .

As I flipped through Cosmo, I noticed this ad for Rampage clothing.  Supermodel Gisele Bunchen is modeling clothing for Rampage.  However, as I looked at the ad, I realized, that I would never look like this even if I did buy these clothes.  It is a complete misconception.  It takes a lot of work and money to look this way.  Gisele is beautiful, but she has some help from stylists, cosmetics, bronzing, various creams to reduce wrinkles, acne, etc., and more!  In addition, she needs to diet and exercise to stay in shape.  And finally, not to anyone's surprise—this photo has been airbrushed and photoshopped!  How great would anyone look if their picture is photoshopped?  Personally, I would like to have my eye brows lifted, lips plumped, and have my body slimmed down a bit.  I purposely did not distort the image of Gisele because I wanted everyone to be able to see her perfect hair (photoshopped into place), makeup, and the highlighted tones of her body that no one has naturally.

  

Dumpster Cruise Lines

by : Aparna
"Delivering the good life, indulging in passion for adventure and culture, providing upscale amenities and comfort" - these are some words that cruise lines use to lure passengers. The Cruise industry, rapidly growing at $38 billion (2007) per year, serving 13-15 million passengers per year, is one of the scariest businesses in terms of it's effect on environmental degradation.  A typical voyage aboard a cruise ship for one week with average 3000 passengers has 210,000 gallons of sewage, 1 million gallons of waste water, 130 million gallons of hazardous waste, 8 tons of solid waste, 25,000 gallons of oily bilge water, all of it prohibited from being discharged within 3 miles of shore.  More than 3 miles out however, raw untreated sewage can be discharged along with garbage, solid waste etc!!  "To what effect on tides that wash ashore, on sea and marine life, on the growth of pathogens and toxicity of our waters?" I ask.

Although there are regulations - the Clean Water Act, most notably - there is not one law or rule, the enforcement is weak, and the industry continues to rapidly expand around the world.  Being in Juneau, Alaska last summer, on the icefield research camps, I was flabbergasted seeing 4 cruise ships in port every evening.  The cruise liners were gorgeous, all lit up, were huge in size beyond my imagination, looking extraterrestrial and inviting to me who loves anything to do with boats and water.

But when I look at the facts on the effect of cruise liners on the world environment, I am disgusted and wish I had chosen a career in Environmental Studies instead.  When someone tells you about their wonderful cruise vacation, its a downer to think about the polluting facts about their voyage!  That's what this remix is about.

A reminder of the importance of having a variety of news sources.

I must admit I had a lot of trouble deciding what image to use for this assignment. I have a bad habit of being too literal, and making a bigger deal of things in my head, and that is exactly what has kept me from posting anything. In my mind, a powerful image is one that you carry with you for a long time; something that holds such deep meaning for you that you keep it with you in the back of your mind. I had been racking my brain trying to come up with such an image, and I had a few ideas, but then had trouble finding the images on the internet.

I mentioned this assignment, and all the trouble I was having with it, to my boyfriend, Liad, who is Israeli. He thought about it for a minute, and his first response was “what about that picture of Gilad Shalit?” I didn’t know who he was talking about. He explained to me that Shalit is the captured soldier that Israel is trying to negotiate the release of from Hamas. I had known there of the negotiations, but didn’t remember the actual name of the soldier. Liad went on to explain to me that this picture is everywhere in Israel, on facebook and blogs, and it is what really unified the country during the last conflict in Gaza. We went on to discuss the American media coverage of the conflicts in the Middle East, and the biases we see.


Above is a picture of the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit retrieved from: http://greenerisrael.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/gilad_shalit.jpg


Having heard a predominantly pro-Israel perspective growing up, I began seeking out independant news coverage that was more sympathetic to the Palestinian side. So when mainstream media sources like CNN started to sway more towards the Palestinian side, as Liad pointed out, I didn’t notice. This was until he and I watched news coverage of the conflict in January together, and Liad would get frustrated with how they (CNN) would show pictures of wounded Palestinians followed by doctors and others speaking of the atrocities, but didn't give as much time let alone such "human interest" footage of what was and had been happening to the Israelis. He told me about the daily rocket attacks on Sderot that have occurred for almost 8 years. Liad's family lives in the north and he told me about his experience a few years ago during the conflict with Hezbollah of trying to go about your daily life, but dropping everything when you hear the siren go off saying you have about 15 seconds to get to a shelter before a missile hits (and he kept stressing this went on for only a month and a half, vs. 8 years). These are very messy conflicts and I don't believe either side is innocent, but it was interesting for me, an outsider, to hear another point of view from someone who has lived through something similar while watching the newscast.

In our discussion about Gilad Shalit and the conflict between Hamas and Israel I was reminded of how no news coverage is completely objective, or gives you a full story. Also, you are less likely to see the bias when your own opinions are in line with what is being said. I had not heard the Shalit's name enough for it to stick in my memory, but in Israel his picture is apparently everywhere, and holds great meaning to their soldiers and citizens. In my busy schedule, I have not dedicated the time to suitably educate myself on most current news events, especially those of importance to me, and this discussion with Liad was a wake-up call for me. This image (and the discussion around it) is a powerful reminder for me of how important it is to search for information from a variety of sources to try to find out what is really going on in the world, especially before you pass judgments.

YOU SEE WOMAN AND THAT'S ALL YOU SEE

YOU SEE WOMAN AND THAT'S ALL YOU SEE

looking for a way to be free
a way to let out the artist trapped inside me
PROUD, STRONG,
i walk with power
when i walk, i let every stride define me.

I know there well be a struggle
Challenges i am willing to accept
but i wont let it consume me.
Tears come and i let them flow
Baptize me, cleanse me, free me.

I wake up every morning to embrace my life
putting in the work and eager to see where it takes me
so much substance, so much beauty
Amazingly complicated but
you see woman, and that's all you see

i am proud, i know what i want
i work hard, i wont compromise my integrity.
I'm not like the others,
sensitivity, sincerity
it all defines me
i am not empty, but
you see woman, and that's all you see.

ohh my eyes, my skin, my hair
my lips, oooohhh I'm a tall tall beauty
throw me a bone and pretend its the artist you feed.
tell me I'm amazingly interesting
when your intentions are to cheat and manipulate me
you even make me think you respect me!
you see woman and that's all you see

afraid withdrawn confused
almost feeling like you have defeated me
lost in my own misery
where you have mentally and emotionally raped me
crossing boundaries when you saw vulnerability and
you force yourself on me.

Proud? Strong?
you left me searching for my gravity
cheating me and intern, i cheating myself
because in all this i was too blind to see
you sick bastard, who is she
who gave birth to such a perverted entity
does she know you see woman,
and that's all you see

not defeated, not broken
staying determined and not staying angry
freeing the artist trapped inside me

Proud!, Strong!
i walk with power
when i walk, i let every stride define me
i know there will be a struggle
Challenges i am willing to accept
But i wont let it consume me
Baptize me, cleanse me, free me
I am a woman but that doesn't define me

Rosedelma Seraphin

Pentagon clears way for photos

It this “a symbol of respect” that “should not be hidden,” from the public? This photo is from the Boston Globe, Nation section on Friday, February 27, 2009. The issue was brought to light recently, which reverses the previous policy of the G.H. Bush administration in 1991, which placed a ban that prohibited the use of such media. The article cited a difference of opinion inside the Pentagon over such a decision. With pressure from open government advocates, hundreds of military images were released from the two previous wars in response to the Freedom of Information request and lawsuit. President Obama asked Robert Gates to review the policy of media coverage.

The question arises whether it is more important to respect the privacy of the families, or is it a sign of respect to the soldier who has made the ultimate sacrifice, and also do these images display to the country the larger toll of human life which the article figures at 4,251 U.S. soldier who have lost their lives?

sheila

The first few weeks of sit-ins were fairly quiet. Blacks were not served, but they were not harassed much either. Then, on February 27, sit-in students in Nashville were attacked by a group of white teenagers. Police arrived, but they let the white teens go while arresting the protesters for "disorderly conduct." As each group of protesters was arrested, a new group would take its place. "No matter what they did and how many they arrested, there was still a lunch counter full of students there. Now to see President Obama ordering from a lunch counter, I can't help but to think, of how far we've come

Ana/Alicia

Parallel Universe

http://blog.arendsen.net/index.php/2007/07/08/dutch-smokers-lobby-its-pathetic  

During my February vacation, I took a trip with my husband and daughter to Austria to visit my son who is working for an architectural firm in Lochau, Austria.  While on this trip I enjoyed learning about the culture of Austria, seeing the majestic snow covered Alps and the scenic Lake Bodensee.  My most alarming experience was going to restaurants that still allow smoking.  I was jettisoned back to life in America before they banned smoking in public places.  Here the restaurants have a smoky haze and women smoke as though smoking could not affect them.  I thought about taking a photo of the women smoking in the restaurants but that would have offended them and I would have been a disrespectful American.  So instead I have chosen this cartoon that personifies cigarettes and humorously points out that cigarettes kill humans. 

 

While looking at the women smoking just a table away from my family in a restaurant, I remembered all the discussions as I was growing up about ignoring the glamour of smoking and to not start smoking because of the health risks.  Through out my adult life I have found smoking offensive but here I was placed in a position of having to accept it and continue to enjoy my dinner along with all the rest of the smokers.  It truly was a parallel universe situation.  While walking on the streets, I saw teens smoking so Austria’s permissiveness towards smoking is also making is acceptable for the youth to smoke.  After each evening in these restaurants, my clothes smelled of smoke.  I thought about the effects of second hand smoke or passive smoking and was glad that I was just visiting for one week.

 

Research for half a century show smoking kills so how is it possible for Austria to continue to allow smoking in public places.  The government is ignoring the hazards of smoking by tolerating smoking. 

Sans puffing,

Meg  

slash and femmeslash

A nod to Elisa, who works at CCTV in Cambridge..and co manages a blog on remix culture and video.

http://www.politicalremixvideo.com/.

Here's an example of slash in video. Slash is a form that evolved out of fans and literature..where fans would make same sex romantic pairings of characters, often in the science fiction genre. The website of the author "laurasha" is http://www.imeem.com/laurasha/

-sam smiley

that new york post thing

jay smooth..brilliant as always..
although he doesn't talk about the media response to the New York post monkey cartoon, he does address the image of the monkey cartoon and the New York Post in a great way.
Also take a look at the UK Guardian summation of the cartoon and its aftermath for a picture of the image and more references. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/18/new-york-post-cartoon-race

-sam smiley



ADDENDUM:
Turns out Rupert Murdoch (same guy who owns FOX news) also owns the parent company of the NY post. Here for posterity is his apology..but if you click the link I just included..look out for LOTS of advertising on his apology page.

As the Chairman of the New York Post, I am ultimately responsible for what is printed in its pages. The buck stops with me.

Last week, we made a mistake. We ran a cartoon that offended many people. Today I want to personally apologize to any reader who felt offended, and even insulted.

Over the past couple of days, I have spoken to a number of people and I now better understand the hurt this cartoon has caused. At the same time, I have had conversations with Post editors about the situation and I can assure you - without a doubt - that the only intent of that cartoon was to mock a badly written piece of legislation. It was not meant to be racist, but unfortunately, it was interpreted by many as such.

We all hold the readers of the New York Post in high regard and I promise you that we will seek to be more attuned to the sensitivities of our community.

William Pope. L This Thursday!

William Pope. L is an interventionist performance artist who does performance artwork about
race and equity in the United States. One of my favorite works is called 
The Great White Way, in which he crawled down Broadway in New York City in
a Superman costume with a skateboard on his back.
Also check out  "The Black Factory"

This Thursday February 19 at 6pm, he will be giving a lecture on his exhibit
"Corbu Pops" at the Carpenter Center at Harvard University for the opening
of his exhibit. This satirizes the work of Le Corbusier,
one of the leaders of modernism in architecture.

The Carpenter Center is at:

Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts
Harvard University
24 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617.495.3251
http://www.ves.fas.harvard.edu/ccva.html
More about the exhibit:
http://www.ves.fas.harvard.edu/corbupops.html
Wine and cheese reception to follow.

-sam smiley

La Pendule/ The Pendula or "Time flies when you are having fun"

Retrieved February 13, 2009 from http://flickr.com/photos/manuelitro/2472979432/

I chose this image because it is by Robert Doisneau, one of my favorite photographers. He probably is the most famous French phographer of all time and, being French myself, his photography particularly speaks to me. I have a print of La Pendule cut out from an old calendar hanging on the wall above my desk. I have had this picture along with other Doisneau photographs for at least 4 or 5 years now. I think this one, taken in Paris in 1957, is particularly great because it really captures the atmosphere of this old fashioned classroom and the three boys' different behaviors. The boy in the front left has such a serious expression on his face that he looks like he just got reprimanded for something. The boys in the back are also hilarious to me; the one on the left seems either hypnotized by the lesson or zoning off into his own world while the one on the right, coiffed with a Tintin-like hairstyle, is writing while looking at the clock instead of the paper. I really like the detail that is visible on the boys' clothing which is characteristic of the time when younger children had to wear smocks which makes me think that the boy in the front is older as he is not wearing one. I also enjoy the framing of the photograph with the serious boy in the left corner of the foreground and the two other boys centered by the lines on the wall drawing a cross from the clock. This image makes me laugh every time I see it and reminds me of when I was bored in school looking at my watch or the clock. This is why I chose to give my post the ironic title "Time flies when you are having fun" as none of these boys seems to be enjoying himself in class.
Laurene.

Jay Smooth and talking about race

squirrel monkey
Friday, February 6, 2009

JR's beautiful photography

This image is incredibly powerful to me in that the artist "JR" put the eyes and faces of women on the side of the favella (a community or city in Rio de Janiero) creating a powerful image and a powerful statement. In the artist's words "To pay tribute to those who play an essential role in society, but who are the victims of war, crime, rape, or political and religious fanaticism... women." These women's eyes have been integrated right onto the side of the building structures- homes. Allowing their gaze to permeate the community and to acknowledge that they are a strong part of the community that has been abused in various manner and can no longer be overlooked. My exposure to the images was through the magazine Juxtapoz- which I love and can't wait for the next issue.
Posted by Lawrence M. szalay at 2:04 PM 0 comments

Do we live in a theocracy?

I took this photo in front of the Statehouse in 2003 during a Constitutional Convention of the Massachusetts legislature. Same-sex couples had recently been granted the right to marry in Massachusetts–the first state in the country to do so–via the Goodrich decision that had been handed down by the Supreme Judicial Court. Opponents of equal marriage rights were trying to get a question on the 2004 state ballot to amend the constitution. If passed, the amendment would strictly define “marriage” as an institution held between “one man and one woman.” While the legislature met to decide whether to allow a question on the 2004 ballot pertaining to amending the constitution, hundreds of same-sex marriage supporters and opponents gathered inside and outside the statehouse to let their voices be heard. I stumbled upon this man as I was documenting this historical event via photographs. This photo captures how some misuse religion to oppress (or try to oppress) others. He is pushing the bible in my face; his expression is smug. He, and what he represented, scared me. This photo (although not my best, as it is fuzzy) is important to me because it reaffirms the importance of the strict separation of church and state. (by Sharon Winston)

Chewbacca Throws 1st Pitch at Red Sox Game

This photo of Chewbacca (copyright: Boston Globe) is very important to me because I set up the media event back in September 2005.  It was my first large public relations campaign that I handled on my own for the Museum of Science in Boston.  Ironically, I had never see a Star Wars film prior to my work on the Star Wars exhibit for the Museum.  I researched Chewbacca costumes and purchased this one.  One of the exhibit designers, Mike Horvath, is the person wearing the costume.  Before the pitch, I brushed him out and hair sprayed the fur into place. Most importantly to me, this photo made headlines around the world and was the most downloaded photo of all time on Yahoo (in 2005, it may have changed over the years)!  I also won a Bell Ringer award from the New England Publicity Club for my work with this event.  This photo gave me a place in PR history and I'm very proud of it. 

Copters and Soldiers

This image of a black military helicopter in the air dropping something and a soldier running on a red/sandy ground came from the New York Times. Week in Review section on January 25, 2009. The image accompanied an article with a byline of “Obama’s War – Fearing Another Quagmire” and is about troops in Afghanistan.
But the image could be set anywhere.

Typical media images are sharp and locate the contents to a specific place, people, country, or action. This image is blurry and yet we can still make out the contents. Because of its unspecificity, we don’t know which war, where it is taking place, yet we still get the gist; the image itself has become an icon.

When I first looked at this image, I was surprised that it was printed intentionally blurry. One doesn’t expect that in a newspaper Why did I notice it, I wondered. I realized it was precisely because it was blurry, it caught my eye. By this point in my life, I have seen dozens of images of helicopters and soldiers -in fact, I’ve become immune to them - and yet I wanted to read the article that accompanied this one. Why?

Typical images of war in the media are strong, hard-hitting, gut wrenching images of specific people, refugees, war torn towns and homes, destruction and fire. While informing us, these images have also made us become numb to the effects of war. Because it is not happening near us, or to anyone we know, these images have depersonalized war and its victims. Most of us don’t know what it feels like to be a victim of war. We are safe in the U.S. it seems for now, from our homes being bombed, our children taken away, death, and the destruction of our families and our livelihood.

The media inadvertently does a disservice in reporting about all the different wars in so many locations around the world, with the objective of informing us and engaging us to outrage. War images in media become synthesized as one “war” image in the viewer’s mind. These images become iconic, for we no longer have to think about their origin, specifics, and relevance. I wonder then, do iconic images still engage? Do specific destruction war images with pictures of victims engage ? If helicopter and soldiers are common and iconic, does the form of presentation of the image (ie, blurry and arty) engage? Did this image engage me as an artist first because it is beautiful, moody, and blurry?

As a final thought, I want to contrast the very powerful emotion that I still feel, looking at the image of the naked girl child running from the bomb blast during the Vietnam War. I’m sure most of you have seen this image at some point. This image, although specific, is also iconic, but it has retained its emotion and its significance as a reminder of that war, its effects and its folly.

by aparna

An image by Harry Callahan