Tell it Like it is

Car manufacturers glamorize their product by selling road trips as a paradise. In fact, the same product is a major contributor to global warming. I remixed the image to convey a more truthful message.

Christiane

Hide and Seek

The original photo shows a barren field in New South Wales that was used to graze cattle before a major drought hit the area. This field use to feed roughly 250 cattle. This is half of the two-page spread. The other half showed the young girl’s brother and father. All of their faces express feelings of despair, anguish, and heartache. This tragedy has harshly impacted their family. The father now has to travel over 400 miles to raise livestock.

The remixed image I created shows the girl playing hide and seek. Instead of the girl covering her face to hide her pain, the remixed image shows her “counting” while her brother hides behind the tree. The landscape is no longer dust. The children now enjoy playing in a grass and flowers, with a beautiful horizon in the distance.

Betsy Preval

National Geographic Magazine, 2010, p. 21

Mr. Bear Goes Home

I am really interested in the idea of displacement. The idea that anyone, human or animal, should be taken away from their natural environment is not right. In the original image (top), this bear cub looks lost and confused as he wanders around what looks like a crate. He is trying to lick something, which makes me think he's hungry. So, I gave him some fresh plants to play or hide in. He deserves to be in his natural environment.

Think about what you are eating

I think about this image of the cow in one of my old cookbooks all broken down into the different meats and it is very easy to forget that this was once a living thing. We often times don't think about what we are eating and where it came from. Luckily for us humans we are at the top of the food chain, but I am very sensitive to the fact that not all living things are that fortunate.

I don't like to eat meat because it does bothers me and I don't like seeing these images.

So for my alterations I put this poor cow back together and allowed him space to be comfortable and free.

Kristine Biegel

Valuable Resources

When I first saw this advertisement in a National Geographic, I was appalled thinking about all of the natural resources used to make this ad. I see this as a perfect example of the overall ignorance when it comes to our current environmental state. So I decided that, instead of having to look at this ad and seeing all of the water wasted, I would turn it back into drinking water.

Zoë Wyner

Farmers HelpPoint, National Geographic, August 2007, p.12

DREAM

The original picture shows a completely dry land, which used to be a pasture that once fed 250 cattle. We can also see the land owner’s daughter turning away and covering her face from that disconcerting, disheartening and desolate scenario. A long drought turned this ranch to dust, and with nothing left to support his family, the owner of this land now grazes livestock 400 miles away.

In the remix I tried to imagine the way the land used to look before the drought and represent that through a dream the little girl perhaps could have had. In the dream the girl instead of turning away from the pastures, she is running towards them. She is not worried or sad anymore. She is ready to play with the soil, the animals and trees. She is thankful she can freely run among the meadows and have again the opportunity to enjoy and be part of that beautiful green land.

Yeni Vega.

Picture by Amy Toensing

National Geographic 2010 p. 21

Civilizing the wild

I found this beautiful image of Yosemite National Park and after I looked at it for a while and appreciated the beauty of the image, I found myself thinking of the mountains like skyscrapers and the river like a road. I hated that that imagery came to my mind even though it is just a product of urban life. I decided to find some images of hotels and expensive cars and turn this quiet and tranquil place into a commercial space where the wealthy have come in and destroyed it in order to make it what they think is better. While creating this, I couldn't help but think about how when you see a beautiful flower, you may want to pick it and take it home. If you do, not only will it quickly die, but you will be the only one who gets to enjoy it.

Resources for Images

vietnamhotelz

http://www.vietnamhotelz.com/hotel.php?lo=2

Multi Service Contractors Inc.

Blacktop

http://gomultiservice.com/Blacktop.html

auto spectator

2010 lotus elise

http://www.autospectator.com/cars/topics/lotus-elise

The Leela Palace Kempinski, Chennai

skyscraper city

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=925138

Yosemite National Park

Like Me Daily

5 National Parks to Visit Before You Die

July 2, 2010

http://daily.likeme.net/2010/07/02/5-national-parks-to-visit-before-you-die/

-Laura Sweeney

Natural Beauty

The original image I chose shows a woman standing in a very opulent home. She is surrounded by what appear to be expensive furnishings, and one can assume that she is the proud owner of this house. I saw the original image as being reflective of our society's beliefs about wealth and success. An obvious mark of one's material wealth is the home they create and the objects they surround themselves with in that space. We value this sort of materialism and strive to be able to acquire things that are expensive and deemed beautiful, and this over-consumption and materialism have negative consequences for the environment. In my transformation, I replaced part of her home with a lush, natural setting. The suggestion is that we should move away from surrounding ourselves with an abundance of objects in our expansive homes, and instead surround ourselves with the beauty of the natural world.

original image: Francesco Lagnese, Town & Country, August 2010, p 97

Jennifer Shaby

Digital Remix #2

"Oil Harbor"

I wanted to use one of my own photos for this remix and I also wanted to practice Photoshop because I haven't used it in a while. So unfortunately all of my "environmental" photography is pretty and there is not many images I could use to make them better I decided to do it in the opposite. So I took my image of Seattle Harbor added a boat that could have possibly spilt oil or was trying to clean up the oil. I then added an image I found of the San Francisco oil spill a few years ago and added dead birds into the slick. I also added a statistic I found for the current BP oil spill onto the side of the boat. To try and make the mood of the image a little lighter I added some healthy birds flying away.
It's just a reminder of how easy a place that was once serene and beautiful can quickly become an area full of devastation. There are no oil pipe lines to my knowledge in this are but is is a very large shipping port with cargo ships and tankers going in an out all day every day.

Original Image:
Artist: Blaine Bacchiocchi
"Seattle Harbor 2010"

~Blaine Bacchiocchi

The Golden Staircase

Photo by N. Horsky, 2007

I’m interested in the public stairways that climb the hill neighborhoods of Boston. They are situated on residential hills with multiple tiers of roadways, and ascend between the tiers to allow pedestrians to quickly reach higher roadways or the summit. Since they are intimate in scale, removed from auto traffic and commerce, and are mainly used by local residents, they offer unique settings for spontaneous social interaction among neighbors. They sometimes become fixtures of urban vitality in the warmer months, and important landmarks for hill communities, but far too often they are poorly maintained and infrequently trafficked.

I have and will continue to utilize various public art tactics to promote the maintenance and use of these stairways for both transportation and socialization. The image above models a potential public art installation of either painting or mosaic on the “Golden Staircase,” as locals in the Parkside neighborhood of Jamaica Plain commonly call it. If installed it would encourage climbers to stop along the stairs, and provide a pleasant common context for interaction. It would increase usage, interest in maintaining the stairs, and may lead to greater appreciation of public art, public space, and of one another.

As an example of a different artistic approach to celebrating public stairways, below is documentation from Bellhop Event for Staircase, written by Neil Horsky and performed by John Skeffington in July 2007.

- Neil

"Green House Factors"

The first photograph really bothered me because I feel that green house gases and what is happening in this photograph just isn't necessary. Also, the fact that people have to live to close to these smokestacks is sad. I decided to instead change them into palm trees and the smoke clouds into real clouds. I would much rather see luscious green and colorful flowers than the dark and dim area that actually exists. The problems we've had with green house gases in the past may be unfixable, but we should be making a conscience effort to stop them in the future.

Kelci Fiore

Peter Essick, "Green House Factors" nationalgeographic.com, 2010

Digital Remix #2

I chose to remix this image for a few reasons. I looked at the advertisement and all I saw was a surplus of road signs (undoubtedly a main focal point for the advertiser), and it bothered me when I thought about how it is so easy for people to ignore the natural things in the environment that are beautiful, and instead focus on man-made objects and signs that tell us what to do and where to go.
Also, the fact that it is a car ad made me think of how I use my own vehicle. I tend to use my car as a way to get from one place to another, but also as an escape when I need one. I decided to remove all of the road signs from the image and instead cover them with flowers, and I made the vehicle less traditional by using written words to symbolize the thoughts someone may have while driving alone in their car.
Overall, I wanted the image to represent an escape into an idealized world where nature is overpowering & beautiful, & there are no set directions or signs to lead anyone in a particular direction, but rather each person has the freedom to choose their own destination.

Carolyn Hubbard

Original Image Citation:
Better Homes & Gardens Magazine, December 2008, Back Cover Page,

Toyota 2008 Hilander Ad, © 2007 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. Inc.

A Swan's Dream

I chose to remix an image from the recent oil spill in the gulf. I saw this picture of a swan (or a goose, unfortunately I can't really tell what it was before it was covered in oil) swimming serenely through oil filled waters. I was doing research for my preschoolers earth themed week and came across this image. In changing it, I wanted to capture the broken feeling that such an event can cause not only the animals but also on the people of a region. I was moved by the image of the swan, covered in oil, swimming somewhat normally despite being covered in oil. Thought the image was quite disturbing, it was almost serene to see the swan acting on instinct. I thought it appeared to be in an almost dreamlike state. I imagined that perhaps it was dreaming of another swan, or of itself before the spill. Perhaps it's also dreaming of cleaner waters and the way it's natural habitat should be. The swan should be enjoying a day at the beach, oil free.

Shannon Keaveney

Photo credit (from http://www.ecokids.ca/blog/)

Courtesy flickr user Marine Photobank

Reference:http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/803480–barack-obama-vows-to-stop-oil-spill-crisis

Digital Media Art Remix #2

Original Image

Remixed Image

Environmental Arts in Education

Original image found in:

Issues in Science and Technology. Summer 2010. (p. 29)

With the rise of technological advancements, children are becoming over stimulated and less connected with the natural environment and its processes. With hot commodities such as computers, video games and cell phones, children are being raised to be consumers without thinking about the negative effects of consumption. The original scanned image for this second re-mix project depicts two boys fixated on a blank flat screen, probably HD, television. The captions point out their ignorance on the source of energy that is powering this device. In the re-mixed image, I took the young boys from their cozy couch inside their home, and transplanted them to a soft, sandy beach overlooking a wind farm. It appears now, that the wind turbines are captivating their attention as they sit in admiration. One boy points out that wind power is a renewable energy source and the other responds “duh!” implying that is a commonly known fact.

Cheryl

Water

I chose an image of a drought stricken Bangladeshi farmer watering his fields plant by plant. I responded to the image because it is beautifully composed yet depicts a scene of misfortune. Problems with the fresh water supply are expected to increase all over the world due to global warming. To show an alternative to the conditions of drought caused by human activity, I placed the farmer in lush surroundings full of vegetation and flowers. Inspired by Bangladeshi textiles, I used bright colors and beads in my design.

Loren Lee

Original photo: Hans Strand, National Geographic, April 2010, p. 40

media remix #2

The original image struck me in a big way. Here was a beautiful wheat field with crop circles (that I think are totally awesome) advertisting for a potato chip. Why not use crop circles to advertise for something more environmentally friendly...like reduce, reuse, recycle! It's a small thing that if everyone made a better effort it could have a big change. For the remix itself, I wanted to try something I haven't used in a long long time...Photoshop. My skills aren't quite where I want them to be and wasn't able to achieve pefect details, but I'm happy with the remixed image.

original image:

Good Houskeeping, February 2010, pg. 35

remix image:

http://www.lawrencenaturalcleaning.com, retrieved August 8, 2010

http://danjlovesthe90s.wordpress.com/2009/12/28/the-2000s-loved-the-90s, retrieved August 8, 2010

http://www.aquaterraeng.com/news/?paged=2, retrieved August 8, 2010

http://static.cnhi.zope.net/birmingham/metro/enidnews/think-green/_article0016, retrieved

August 8, 2010

Clean Up

The original picture I chose was of a heron curled up on its own surrounded by oil. The devastating oil spill in the gulf has left countless animals without a home and many others stranded within the oil itself. Many people are doing their best to relieve these animals of this horrible situation, but the spill is just so large that it is difficult to reach out to every animal in need. This heron looked as if it had nothing else it could do and no one to look to for help. I decided to make the heron look a bit cleaner by whitening it's feathers and also smoothing them out to look as if it was more comfortable in it's position, as if it was just taking a rest. The surroundings have been changed from an oily mess to a bright green marshy area where the heron would be free of any worry. I also decided to add another heron into the picture standing statuesque behind the original heron, as if it was there to watch over and protect it. With the original heron looking cleaner and more comfortable, in a new safe environment and with a friend to look after it, this heron is now in my ideal setting.

Meghan McKenzie

Photo taken by Gerald Herbert on May 23, 2010
found on Boston.com
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/oil_reaches_louisiana_shores.html

In a world where 30 million plastic water bottles (that are too expensive to recycle into new ones) end up in landfills every year, it is irresponsible of celebrities to promote their continued use. This remix illustrates the paradigm shift from the "Ego-Self to the Eco-Self, a self that realizes we are interconnected and interdependent, a self that recognizes our embeddedness in nature and that mourns the destruction of the biosphere." -Joanna Macy, deep ecologist.

Original Image: http://stylefrizz.com/201005/jennifer-anistons-smart-water-ad/

Jen Sutherland

Sanctuary

I have been enamored with this image of a child in an enormous tree ever since my recent discovery of it. It keeps appearing in my artwork, as I find myself wanting to reinvent it. In this version I played with the ideas of an intimate relationship with nature and protection.

In the original the child seems perfectly at ease, reclining in the branches. Almost to the point of merging into the tree, or as though the tree were protecting him. Also, the advertisement implies a reconnection between our children and the natural world.

I wanted to expand the child's connection to other parts of nature, particularly plants and animals that have been or are endangered. By bringing the plants and animals into the image I created a type of family tree, and offered the tree's protection to them and their young.

Jennifer Truppner

North Carolina Special Advertising Section. (Jan/ Feb 2010). Preservation. Center Section.

Congratulations!

Dear Class of EA & Ed 2010!

Welcome to our Environmental Arts & Ed. Class Blog. Congratulations on your wonderful media art remix projects! I'm excitedly waiting for your second remixes.

Good Luck!
Young

Move Me

I chose the images of Holland because I admire Dutch ingenuity and progressive attitude, especially regarding transportation infrastructure. Boston could follow Holland's lead promoting cycling to create a cleaner, healthier, more vibrant and social city.






Original Image: (Harvard Alumni Association: "Travels," June, 2006)

Neil

Sleep

The reason I picked this picture was because it's tragic how the survivors of the earthquake in Haiti have had to live since the disaster. It's a shame that this family has not received adequate medical care or even a place to stay during their time of need. My father's family is from Haiti and I know people that I love had to live under these conditions.
I remixed the picture this way because I felt that the little girl in the picture should be dreaming about the things most kids her age dream about - going to Disney World.

Original Image: Newsweek, January 25, 2010, page 25
Artist: Logan Abassi, Photograph (no title)

Betsy

Survival of the Fittest

Digitally manipulated image by Cameron Davidson. P. 202 Vanity Fair magazine, May 2006

Survival of the Fittest. Jen Sutherland 2010

This image remix is about the arrogance of the human race and their need to dominate the Earth. It is also about the damage caused by their ignorance. Thousands of animals and plants survived for millena before humans altered the physical and ecological make up of the landscape. To avoid the inevitable disaster depicted in the original picture, we need to reconnect with nature and keep their interests in mind while creating mutually beneficial solutions to environmental problems. To achieve this we should look to ancient cultures like Native Americans who had a more symbiotic relationship with the natural world. This piece challenges the viewer to listen to the animals and plants, for it is nature, not humans, that has endured the longest.

Original image: Digitally manipulated image by Cameron Davidson. P. 202 Vanity Fair magazine, May 2006

Jen Sutherland

Man in New York

I'm not one hundred percent sure why I selected the image I did, it just grabbed my attention (probably because the picture is taken in Manhattan and I like the feeling I got from the picture).
Because the image is of a cityscape and because it's in black and white (and because this class is about environmental art), the obvious choice, to me, seemed to be to incorporate as much nature/color as possible into the image (or to "reincorporate"). I couldn't think about what I was going to do, beforehand, to any great extent because the idea was to do this project, in class, within alimited time frame.

Original Image: Vanity Fair, page 55, No. 599, July 2010

Christiane Robinson,

"Don't lay on Nature, Become Nature"

We have learned to completely rely on nature, therefore we tend not to worry about it, because nature has always been and will always be there. We have taken it for granted.

In the image there is a nice pair of legs and feet showing a pair sandals. In the background we can see some images of mountains, a moon, stars and some flowers and fruits. With my remix I tried to bring nature to the front and made it the principal element of the image. I turned the legs into trunks and the feet into the foliage. I did this in a way to say that we can also be the base for nature, we can be its trunk. We should now let nature rely on us, and as those legs became trunks and those feet became leaves we should also become nature. It is not about being part of nature but to BE nature. Hence, the human world and the nature world can bond and work as one.

Original Image: Cosmopolitan May 2010, Advertisement for Birkenstock

Yeni.

My Global Home

I was struck by the pristine beauty of the original image. Yet, the black river flowing through the city reminded me of oil. Possibly because the oil spill in the Gulf has been on my mind a lot lately.

Speaking with a friend of mine recently, she told me that she often forgets about the spill because it is so far away. Though, we may be far away, relatively, from the spill here (MA) it is still something that will affect us: our access to fish from LA, pollution spreading through the world's water, the threatened loss of species . . .

My remix collage is my way of communicating the presence of major environmental disasters within human communities and pristine places.

Original Image: Landscape Architecture, 2010 January, Cover Page

Jen T