Death Dust

I chose the original image because I found it disconcerting that a child was looking at toxic dust approaching while her father stood there, smiling.  I decided to switch the "spectacle" to a battle between Toxins and Mother Earth- two winged warriors battling.  The man is now smiling because Mother Earth is gaining ground.  I chose to make the image more ethereal to reach out to the child in the original image.

By Meghan 

Original Image Citation: Death Dust: The New Yorker January 20, 2014

When I first saw this photo, I thought WOW! Beautiful.

This place is environmentally conserving without knowingly doing it.

They reuse, repurpose, which in term refuse.  The only thing to add is the words I feel when I look at this picture.  The woman is an elder in her community and she positions herself as such. Regal.

I am talking about the woman, but that how I feel about how they treat their environment.

By Patricia

Original Image Citation: Artist Chris Jordon

"I'm Lovin' It"

 

Remixed Image

When I first looked at the original image found in Rollingstone Magazine, I felt that the viewer was being faced with a silly decision. In today's society we are challenged with unlimited choices. Most of these choices involve product selection and consumption. Through my remix interpretation, I wanted to give the viewer a more dire problem to be challenged with: such as the consequences of our dependence on plastic.

Rachel Bailey's Remix August 2, 2014

Original Image Citation:

 McDonald's Dollar Menu Ad found in Rollingstone Magazine, Issue 1208, May 8, 2014

Clean Energy and Healthy Environment

The long term effects of nuclear disasters can often spread over thousands of years. It is estimated that Chernobyl area won’t be inhabited for at least another 20,000 years.

1-The Chernobyl Nuclear disaster (Ukraine 1986) is widely considered to have been the worst power plant accident in history, and is one of only two classified as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.

2- The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster (Japan 2013) was a series of equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns and releases of radioactive materials at the Fukushima cause by a tsunami

Russia 1957 – The Kyshtym Nuclear disaster was a radiation contamination incident that occurred on 29 September 1957 at Mayak, a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in the Soviet Union.

-The nuclear industry still has no solution to the waste, and its transportation of this waste poses an unacceptable risk to people and the environment.

-There is a potential terrorist threat to the large volumes of radioactive wastes currently being stored and the risk that this waste could leak or be dispersed as a result of terrorist action.

Wind power consumes no fuel and no water for continuing operation, and has no emissions directly related to electricity production. Wind turbines produce no carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, mercury, radioactive waste, particulates, or any other type of air pollution, unlike fossil fuel sources and nuclear power plant fuel production.

Solar energy is not only sustainable, it is renewable and this means that we will never run out of it. It is about as natural a source of power as it is possible to generate electricity.

The creation of solar energy requires little maintenance. Once the solar panels have been installed and are working at maximum efficiency there is only a small amount of maintenance required each year to ensure they are in working order.

They are a silent producer of energy. There is absolutely no noise made from photovoltaic panels as they convert sunlight into usable electricity.

There are continual advancements in solar panel technology which are increasing the efficiency and lowering the cost of production, thus making it even more cost effective.

During operation solar electricity power plants produce zero emissions.

By Antonio Barros

Connolly, S., Mason, A., Muirden, J., Sonntag, L., Steele, P., & Thomas, J. (1996). Circling the globe: A young people’s guide to countries and cultures of the world. Richmond Hill, ON: D.S. MAX

This is a School Garden

This is a School Garden

I chose this picture of a beautiful flower garden that happened to have the words Growing Up on it, it was accompanied by an article about how to create vertical flower gardens. This made me think about how my childhood experience was growing up outdoors and playing in the woods and exploring the plants and flowers and bugs in my mother’s flower and vegetable gardens. I was imagining how to create an outdoor classroom where young children can explore and learn about the plants and animals that live in their yards and how to care for them and protect them. I imagine part of the outdoor classroom as a flower garden where monarch butterflies can grow and feed on the plants. The children can observe and learn about the process of growth in many ways in their school garden.

By Laura Perry

Original Image Citation: Fine Gardening magazine, February 2007, page 56

Camel

The image I chose was an ad in the July issue of Us Weekly for Camel cigarettes. It depicted a cigarette box resting on a harmonica, with the statements: "Mark the moments. Taste it all." sThe bottom left corner had, of course, the surgeon general's warning signifying that the product endorsed on the same page causes lung cancer, heart disease, and other medical ailments. I have always found this to be a sad and ironic chapter of advertising history - that the product being marketed as "cool" and full of "taste" is right next to an overt warning saying that it could kill you. It also bothered me that Camel cigarettes uses an animal to showcase their cigarettes. I sought to transform this image to make it into something truly "cool" - with the same camel on the cigarette box, in the desert walking towards a cool oasis in his natural environment. I wanted the image to be a hopeful message that we can help our environment and make it "healthier."

By Caroline Tobey

original image citation: no photographer/title given, Us Weekly Magazine, July 27 2014, last page.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

The original image was taken from my roommate's April, 2014 Anthropologie catalog. The theme for the photo spread was spring: green, growing, verdant, steamy, gardens. The floral prints throughout the spread were alleged to be inspired by nature yet seemed too overly geometric and controlled to connect the model to her greenhouse surroundings. I decided to make her clothes over to better fit her environment. The prints used to clothe the model in the remix image are taken from images of growing plants and bird feathers. These lush textures better fit the tropical theme aimed for by the stylists of the original image.

By Meg

original image citation: no photographer / no title given, Apnthropologie Catalog, April 2014 p. 14

Cultural Revolution

The original image speaks by itself. Two men, who I imagine as associated with a local government or as members of an urban planning company are discussing future urbanization plans for that given community in front of a map. Abandoned buildings and blighted infrastructures have always been part of the scenario where I grew up, in downtown Madrid. Personally, I see those urban spaces, invisibles for some members of the community, as great opportunities for creative discussions with members of the community about our loss of connection with natural life. Also, that discussions can generate concrete purposes for creating social public spaces that address the needs of a particular community. This dialogue can start with the following questions: How can infertile and desolated landscapes become a more amiable place that restores an ecological equilibrium? What are the connections between the fabric of our urban life and natural landscapes?

My transformation of the original picture wants to make visible the lack of participation of community members in urbanization planning. Therefore, I explored the disconnection between the real necessities and struggles of residents with the future of the public spaces that are supposed to acknowledge the needs of communities. I reflected with my collage the underestimated potential on members of the community in making concrete and positive contributions to their surroundings. This imaginary community has transformed the blighted buildings into a vertical garden and has considered the need of the community to be able to see the sky while traveling from place to place.

By Violeta

Original Image Citation: no photographer / artist given. National Geographic Magazine. Volume 158, Nº4, October 1980, pg. 497.

Nothing is Safe

Original image citation: Jenkins, David. Time. December 30, 2013.

Remixed by Rebecca Hsieh

The original image depicts a shark hunting a seal. Even though sharks are seen as predators, they are also prey. Over 100 million sharks are slaughtered every year by humans even though only about 12 people a year are killed by sharks. Sharks are killed for food, jewelry, skin care products, and even for sport. One large issue is shark hunting for their fins where fishermen will catch sharks, slice off their fins whether the sharks are alive or not, and then throw them back in the ocean leaving them susceptible to attacks by other predators. Unfortunately, my culture highly prizes shark fin as a means to show off wealth and I, myself have had shark fin soup. It is hard to change a materialistic, selfish way of living but we can start by building awareness. There are 18 different species of sharks that are on the endangered species list. They are crucial in maintaining the eco-system by keeping other populations in check. Due to their menacing appearance, people are not as willing to help protect sharks when sharks deserve it. Sharks take about 15 years to mature and do not lay eggs so the population of sharks have already suffered a great decline due to all the shark hunting activities.

Keep It Wild

I chose this image from a National Geographic magazine to remix because of the fact it says "Keep in Wild" in relation to driving a truck through the wilderness rather than preserving the wild. I covered up the truck and added a cheetah, along with facts about how Kenya is suffering from the effects of humans.  People should be more concerned with their environment and actually keeping things wild and not so much about their truck. 

By Katherine McCourt 

Original image citation: National Geographic magazine, 2014 Toyota Motor Sales

Deforestation in the Amazon

This picture represents the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.  The amazon is one of the most bio diverse places on the planet.  If we do not make an effort to change the current destruction of the amazon, about half of the worlds animals and plants will be gone or extremely threatened.  If deforestation continues on the rate that it is going, the Amazon will be gone by 2060.  From the years 2000 to 2006 an area nearly the size of the unites states has been lost to deforestation.  Think about all of the displaced animals that once roamed there.  The Amazon has monkeys, anacondas, fish, bats, manatees, dolphins, toucans and the thousands of other endangered species that are unique to this habitat.  In terms of size and diversity, the Amazon is the only rainforest we have left.  The Amazon is important to the entire world for so many reasons especially because it filters and reprocesses our harmful carbon dioxide output.  We get 20 % of our oxygen from the Amazon.  The Amazon effects global climate.  The rainforest exchanges vast amounts of water and energy with the atmosphere and by changing this we will be harming the earths natural balance.  The picture that I recreated is the Amazon that we need to protect. The trees have grown back in and animals such as toucans have come back to claim what was once theirs.  Now the Native peoples who have lived in the Amazon for thousands of years can live in peace as well. 

 By Cassie Steen

Original image citation: http://www.oneworldeducation.org/deforestation-amazon

At Arms Reach

My digital art remix focuses on social justice and reform. In the original ad, you see a gentleman selling veggies in a “veggie truck”. Interestingly, he is serving a little girl a bowl of broccoli dressed up in Ranch Dressing. Though the advertisement is well intended, I don’t believe it justifies the reality of what is happening in our communities. Needless to say, more often than not our children and families, from poorer and more urbanized cities are affected by limited, natural resources. Gardening may not be an option for folks due to little or no back yard space. Even if so, a lot of parents are working two-three shifts and are not able to prepare cooked meals for their children. Unfortunately, folks are left eating at the resources that they are surrounded by; inexpensive food chains, such as McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy’s (Note: A great Marketing Strategy). All while stores such as Trader Joes and Whole Foods, providing nutritional supplements are found miles away, a car ride away. Let’s face it; many have no means of transportation. So with that said, I thought it would be nice to transform this image by adding in a mix of cultural and urban city background, cost of veggies at an affordable rate, and resourceful information on the side of the truck. Truthfully, this truck would probably not be a “hit” with the kids but by adding the additional visuals on my image, I hope it speaks volumes on behalf of social justice and awareness regarding our natural resources.

By Yazmin

Original Image Citation: Hey Kids, It’s Veggies. The Oprah Magazine, Page 69.

Take a leap

The image I chose bothered me a lot for various reasons. I know the concept was supposed to show that if the shoes were purchased they would be able to defy gravity and that running with the sneakers would help a person to “Rise above the run.” What I disliked most about the advertisement was that there is a sloth high up in the tree handing out water to the people running. I wanted to change the image and change the idea of following the crowd. Originality is usually something that is strived for, however, I feel that more and more people are seemingly trying to just follow the crowd and fit in with the latest trends and ideas. It’s hard for a lot of people to do things out of their comfort zone. I took the runners and showed them all following each other off the cliff and into the water. I chose an image of a man who was in a great deal of pain from landing in the water. I wanted to get the idea across that it is okay to not follow the crowd and it will be less painful than it may seem.

Sarah Liebowitz

Original image: Runner’s World, July 2014 issue, pages 53-54

Growing Technology

Kindergarteners learn the parts of a plant through an app on their classroom tablets, second graders learn about the butterfly life cycle as it is projected on the smart board - the digital age brings all sorts of new wonders, but at what cost? Young students are obsessed with screens, and many parents and teachers are relying much too heavily on technology; rather than using it to complement hands-on experiences based in real-world exploration, technology takes center stage. I have never seen so many children afraid of bugs or worried about getting dirt on their hands and clothes. No technology can ever replace kneeling in the dirt and getting messy!

By Stephen

Original Image Citation: Urban Farm, July/Aug 2011, p. 61

Which way are we headed?

I was originally drawn to this photograph of the sunflowers at sunset because it was very beautiful. I also felt personally connected to it as it was taken in my home state of Vermont, the place where my immediate surroundings taught me most everything I know about environmentalism and instilled in me a love of nature. However, the longer I looked at the image, the more I felt that the light and coloring of the photograph, while beautiful, also gave it somewhat of an ominous feel. I also found the way the sunflowers are all facing in one direction away from the photographer to be very striking.

By using the dramatic lighting, the sunflowers' positioning, and adding several layered cityscapes, I changed the image from an idyllic, rural, and natural vista to a view into our future. If we do not learn to appreciate and cherish our natural environments, is this what our future generations could be looking at? Which version is more important to us?

By Kestrel Dunn

Original image citation: "South Hero" by David Copley. Vermont Life, Summer '14, p. 9.

Call for Change

My original image was selected from magazine 2006 Nature's Best Photography. The artist Norbert Rosing was a featured winner that I enjoyed. This photograph depicts a vacant and ice-less sea. Looking in the foreground the viewer will find an endangered polar bear floating on an iceberg. My interpretation for this photograph is that the artist was trying to make a statement about the effects of global warming. In this case it is about the polar bear's lack of habitat. In the Arctic there have been polar bear drownings. A polar bear may go out to hunt for the day and it may not be able to return because of the melting ice. For my re-mix piece, I wanted to give the polar bears more ice to live their daily lives on.

Abre los ojos

I chose an image depicting a bull fight, or “Corrida de Toros” as we called them in Spain, because this tradition is a polemic aspect of the cultural heritage from my native country. Images and other depictions of bull fights can be found internationally as symbols of Spanish cultural identity. However, not the whole Spanish population feel their principles, beliefs and ideas validated under this cultural practice. That is the reason why I wanted to transform this action. Bull fight means a violation of the dignity of animals. It shows an unbalance power relationship between the animal and the human being.  I wanted to transform that scene for one in which the interaction between the wild animal and the human being behind the cape is one of freedom, instead of subordination, caring instead of aggression, peaceful coexistence. I urge the bull fighter as well as the audience of this show to open their eyes to see what really mean what they are being part of. 

By Violeta

Original Image Citation:

MOONLIT WATER RIDE 

The original image evokes the idea that we will one day mistreat the Earth to such an extreme, that we will have to move to a cold, manufactured satellite.  The CVS bags and bike messenger made the original image look like traveling from satellite to satellite was the norm, while reminding us that it is these plastic bags that contribute to our Earth's demise.  

I remade the image to evoke a place I wish I was; a safe place here on Earth that I hope will always be accessible.  The bike messenger is now an Earth-conscious night swimmer, off for a seaside moonlit ride.  He carries a towel in case the water the water beckons for him to jump in.  The satellite is our familiar moon, whose light reaches out  a watery path, inviting the rider to imagine what space is like beyond the horizon.  

By Meghan

Original Image Citation: 

Cover of the New Yorker, June 2, 2014 by, Bruce McCall

another blue world

My attention was drawn to the image of pelicans taking flight from an old piano stranded on a sandbar. Although the image in itself is beautiful in a decayed, almost haunting way, it troubled me. There are so few areas of the planet where one cannot find evidence (in the form of garbage, ruin, or active habitation) of human action on the environment. The pelicans (and other animals) are innocent bystanders as humans continue to literally trash the planet. Science-fiction solutions to environmental woes like terra forming of other planets to create spaces suitable for human life depress me – it's like saying we should abandon this planet so our species can go and ruin some other place. I think it would be fair and right to send the pelicans out into the cosmos in order to find a pristine ocean planet full of delicious fish.

By Meg

Original Image Citation: 

(no title) by Suzanne Oberheu Beard

published by National Geographic, August 2011 p18

Respect, care, grow

I chose this picture of a dog with care instructions on his collar because it really made me think about how there are many people who do not know how to properly care for animals and how animal care is so closely connected to care and respect for our environment. It is so important for children to learn how to care for animals at a young age because it helps to teach them respect and empathy. It also teaches them how to respect and care for the environment because animals are a part of nature and teaches children how to nurture and help nature grow. I incorporated plants into the remix because plants also need care and nurturing and it is important that children learn how to grow plants and vegetables so they can see that they are a part of nature and they can help make things grow in their environment. Shape Magazine, July/August 2014, page 170

By Laura Perry

Original Image Citation: 

Ivory Trade

This digital art remix is a cause and effect piece.  In the original image we see many ivory tusks in rows on the African plain.  These tusks were seized from poachers who were trying to smuggle them out of the Kenyan border.  Poachers are offered top dollar for these tusks because of the high demand for ivory in Asian countries.  Ivory was used before plastic to make piano keys, billiard balls, buttons, and other ornamental items.  Some people still prefer the traditional ivory to the plastic versions of these products and in turn ivory is a highly sought after product.  Poachers can feed their families with a successful ivory trade more than another job that would pay way less.  Safari park rangers have to cover a massive amount of land an can not keep all poachers out of their parks.  Often times these poachers have weapons that they will use on the rangers if threatened.  The statistics are threatening with 35,000 elephants killed per year from poaching. This has caused the African elephant to become endangered in the wild as well as an extreme rise in orphaned baby elephants who need to be rehabilitated in a foster home.  The remixed image shows the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant orphanage, where many orphaned elephants are rehabilitated and raised until they can be reintroduced into a game reserve.  Although the orphanage is an amazing establishment that raises awareness to the problem at hand, we need to find a solutions to the ivory crisis to help save the future of the African elephant in the wild. 

By:  Cassie Steen

Original image citation: The guardian.com