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

Protect our Environment

1-This dam will generate clean energy. Hydroelectric project will replace fossil fuel on the phosphate rocks.
2-These mountains will be used for eco-tourism such as hiking, camping during pastimes ,and breath clean air.
3-Instead of using fertilizer that pollutes water, soil and water, this land could be used as natural park with its beautiful sceneries that attracts tourists and generate income activity.
4-Giraffes in Savanna needs to be protected. Hunting, clearing forests for timber and farmland may its to extinction of its habitat.

By Antonio

Original Image Citation: Name of the book is "Environment" by Peter H. Raven, 2012, p.63

The Decrescence of the Icebergs

"The Decrescence of the Icebergs"

The original image was of an iceberg and for the remix, I created a collage of reasons why the icebergs are disappearing from the world. The shades of red and orange to depict the natural sun that causes the ice to melt. Then there are also images of an airplane, meat, construction, and a light post to show some of the additional causes of decreasing icebergs such as greenhouse effects and other energy consumption uses. There are many actions we can personally take to help diminish the greenhouse effects such as reducing, reusing, and recycling. Reducing the amount of meat consumption, electricity use, and private, gas and oil based, transportation can contribute to keeping our world healthy.

Rebecca Hsieh

By  Rebecca

Original Image Citation:  Photo by: Jones, Chris. AFAR, August 2014, pg. 104

Go Further Away

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I chose this picture because I thought the scenery looked amazing, but the idea of needing to use an RV to get away with your family bothered me. I wanted to change the picture and have the child removed from the campsite with the RV. I wanted to show the boy in a more remote place, but still having the same great feeling. I like that the original advertisement had a quote about getting an impossible to forget feeling by going away. I changed the words from just “away” to “go further away.” I then changed the description from “a place that’s easy to find and a feeling that’s impossible to forget” to simply, “a place and a feeling that’s impossible to forget.”

By Sarah

Original Image Citation:  From Women's Health Magazine June 2014 issue, page 11

Oil Spill

I chose an image from a National Geographic Magazine which depicts a crab trying to navigate his way through a beach which has been covered with oil from a spill in the Mediterranean Sea.  This spill was the result of a bombing of a power station in Beirut Lebanon by Israeli planes in 2006. This, like all other oil spills was catastrophic to the animals and environment which depend on these habitats for survival. 

More often than not, upon seeing an image like this, people will think to themselves 'Its just a crab'.  Its easy for people to ignore a pollution problem because most don't recognize it as their personal responsibility to act. If it does not affect their life directly, it is easy to go on with our lives and not worry about the damage being done.  The only creatures that suffer are the animals.  

In my remix image, I put people in the same situation as the crab; oil covered, just trying to go about their daily lives.  By making them the same size as the crab it illuminates the illusion that humans are more important than animals and nature.  These people are forced to face the issue because they too are consumed by the oil spill.  If humans suffered the consequences to the same extent as humans there wouldn't be as much environmental abuse. 

By Katherine McCourt

Original image citation: Patrick Baz