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

Fading Fur

I chose the original image of the model because it bothered me for several reasons. First, I strongly dislike that she is wearing fur – like many people, I find the fur trade disturbing. I also dislike the composition of the image overall in it and lacks any sort of background, context, or emotional connection. I feel the image represents some of the worst part of American consumer culture – we unapologetically take from nature (here, via the fur), disconnect ourselves from nature (there is no respect or connection for the animal shown in this image), and use products from nature for superficial purposes (as an indication of fashion or wealth).

In the remixed image, I wanted to cover the model's fur outfit with natural colors and textures to eliminate it from the photograph as much as possible. I also wanted to use the new garments and other natural images to place the model in a position secondary to nature, to illustrate that nature is bigger and more important than this individual person's image. I also added color to the model's face and gave her hair to make her look more alive, natural, and connected to the earth.  

by Kestrel Dunn

Original image citation: Marie Claire Magazine, Oct. 2013, p. 291

Lethal Flowers

The disappearance of honey bees is big news right now; these pollinators are vanishing at an alarming rate due to human-induced environmental perils such as pesticides. I saw this image of a bee face-to-face with a flower and imagined a war zone in which the lethal flowers threatened the bee soldier. This is a war in which bees and humans need to be allies. When our toxic flowers kill all the bees, where will our food come from?
By Stephen

Original Image Citation: Urban Farm, July/Aug 2011, p. 28

Water

Water – A valuable resource that is  not given the respect of value that it adds to our lives.  Think of day you personally went without water, never happen yet, ok.  Envision a day without water.  How would you navigate the day, in the urban landscape?  Water flows so easily out our faucets, we don’t needs to think about  how it got there.  Our perceptions about the value and cost of  getting water seems to have devalued it  because of the ways we waste water.  We need more environmental education in proactive ways, with every generation involve to converse our precious resource.  New ecological ways should be implemented for lowering the cost for utility companies and consumers.
By Patricia

Original Image Citation:"American Water Work" June 2014, P.62

Brooklyn

My digital art remix is focused on a New Yorker comic strip from February 2014. The comic portrays a man surrendering to two men with guns, as he is accused of being a Hatfield or McCoy. In fact, he is merely just a hipster from Brooklyn. Though I did find the joke funny, I’m not a huge fan of gun images in the media. Though the magazine is intended for adults, I don’t think gun violence should be mocked, even at the expense of a joke. I decided to transform the comic from something of violence into something of beauty and and music. I filled it in with color to breathe life into the comic, and found clippings of guitars, a set of headphones, and a microphone to insert real-life musical tools into the hands of the men to form a band. I drew musical notes and wrote that the band, The Brooklyn Trio, is performing an outdoor show in August. I am really happy with the transformation from violence to music and taking guns out of the equation.

By Caroline Tobey

Original Image Citation: Brooklyn Comic By Joedator,  New Yorker, February 2014,  p.6