Blog Post 6: Discussion of Yes Men Spoofing Chevron's Ad campaign

 Basics:
For this blog post we were supposed to discuss a short article on Ted Fellow's Blog titled: Chevron Spoofed in a Fantastic Hoax by the Brilliant Yes Men. For me, this article didn't say much at all, except for the fact that there is a group called the Yes Men who spoofed an ad campaign created by the company, Chevron.
I needed more information on this article, so I decided to look-up who the Yes Men are. On their website, I not only found out who they are, but I also saw a blog post about their hoax on the Chevron ad campaign. Apparently, this group of people impersonate large companies in order to humiliate them. They say they target companies who put their profits ahead of anything else. In this case, they are targeting Chevron who has spent $50 million dollars in a 'green' campaign. The Yes Men believe this campaign to be a diversion to the public and media, and that Chevron is really just hiding their 'dirt'. To respond to this, the Yes Men created a spoof -with the help of environmental groups and protesters- to mock the campaign, and create their own. According to the Yes Men blog, all news reports are focusing on Yes Men's fake website and articles, thinking they are really Chevron's. What this means: The Yes Men have successfully created a comedic hoax on a big corporation.
The funny thing is, on Yes Men's blog, it asks for anyone interested in creating mashups, image swaps, collages, remixes of tv productions and web articles, or even rewrites, to submit their work. They are calling on the public to help them mock Chevron; and they are awarding prizes. Just when you thought they couldn't make it any more of a joke.
My reactions:
In all honesty, I think that the Yes Men are a brilliant group of people. This may be an attack on Chevron, but the Yes Men make it so comedic and hysterical that you just can't help but laughing. It is ridiculous, for one, that the Yes Men managed to remix their ad campaign and spend no where near $50 million dollars like Chevron did. That in itself sends out a message; that Chevron could be spending a lot less on campaigning, and more on actually acting towards their campaign for 'greener' energy. I like how protesting has turned into a creative and funny matter through the use of remixing. I think everyone can begin to appreciate this form of protest. They may be mocking companies, but at least they are not violent. I find this form of protest to get across its meaning a lot easier than if it were to be done in a march. The remixed works draw my attention, and the spoof itself is quite funny. I can't help but take the side of Yes Men in this hoax campaign. They are artists.

Blog Post 5: Discussion of Lawrence Lessig's Free Culture: Chapter One

Lawrence Lessig discusses remixing, and how Walt Disney, and Japanese artists have borrowed works from culture to create something new and exciting for the world. He ponders whether borrowing parts of works or ideas is really hurting anyone, or if it is creating something enjoyable to the outside world? For example, he talks about 'doujinshi'; where manga artists create a new manga based on one that is already published and existing. In copyright laws, this is completely illegal, but no one in Japan is doing anything about it because it is so popular, for one, and because there is not enough lawyers to fight against this 'stealing'. Is it a good thing that there are not enough lawyers to bring down the popular 'doujinshi'? Shouldn't everyone be able to use their creativity to create new ideas on existing ones? Artists should be happy that their works are being celebrated and used in our culture. They are an inspiration to the world, and people want to show them this by using their materials creatively.

I think all individuals should be allowed to remix existing works, like Walt Disney has done. It is evident throughout culture that Walt Disney's reflections on historical pieces are popular, because they are recreated in an interesting way. He creates a happy medium with cartoons to make light of serious historical times. People love new and exciting ideas that mash up something that they have seen or heard before.

As long as we are not stealing artworks, but rather taking parts of them to create something new, everyone should be allowed to make use of this free culture. It is art, and art should be enjoyed by all if used in a friendly manner.

Remix Assignment

I finished my remix assignment this morning, so I just thought I would upload it for you. Included here is my first remix image, second remix image, remix video, and all the sources. There is an explanation under each remix. I hope you enjoy them!

First Remix:

Remix Image

In this image, I have juxtaposed two ideas. On the top of the image, I have shown a combine harvesting a corn field. In the distance you can see a silo. In the second image, I have shown a subdivision that has been developed over the existing farm. In the background you see the silo to understand it is in the same place as the farm. There is a for sale sign to reinforce the idea of development and the growing market of home construction. There is a lady checking her phone and holding a basket of corn, almost rotten. In the gutter, there is a lonely corn cob. This represents the loss of cropland, but the need for it at the same time.

Sources
Combine
Field
Silo
Subdivision
Corn Cobs
Corn Cobs 2
Woman
Basket
Gutter

Second Remix:

Remix Image 2

In this remix, I have also juxtaposed ideas, but in a different way from the first remix. The boy is infront of his computer screen, drawing a natural environment, where a beaver has created himself a home(dam) for himself. On the computer screen, you see a landfill with a beaver on top to symbolise the beaver's lost home(dam) and where he must live now. Also amongst the rubbish is the computer screen and harddrive that the boy has at his home. This is to show where his computer will end up afterwards, and how it is effecting the natural environment from which he is drawing.

Sources
Kid with Computer
Landfill
Computer Screen
Hard Drive
Forest (Dam)
Beaver

Remix Video:

Remix Video

In this video, I have created a short storyline. It begins in a forest, where trees are being cut down and taken away by trucks to a factory. The factory smokestacks then pollute the air. The pollution accumulates in the clouds, and it begins to pour acid rain. The rain collects on the street and continues down a manhole, and through a pipe. The pipe leads out to the lake, where the acid rain and pollution mix with clean water. Then a oil rig in the same lake crashes, causing an oil spill. The spill spreads, and kills many fish. You then see a boater fishing in the lake where the oil spill has happened. He catches a fish, brings it home and grills it, and serves it to his family. The video ends when it zooms out to a view of the Earth. This video shows how much damage manmade objects can cause to the environment, and to us. Lakes are polluted, air is polluted, fish die, and we ingest toxins. The music in the video contradicts with the video to make the viewer aware of just how beautiful the world can be without the harm of manmade objects.

Sources (More than one clip was used from some videos, so I left them unnamed)
First Clip
Second Clip
Third Clip
Fourth Clip
Fifth Clip
Sixth Clip
Seventh Clip
Eighth Clip
Ninth Clip
Tenth Clip
Eleventh Clip
Twelveth Clip
Thirteenth Clip
Fourteenth Clip
Fifteenth Clip
Sixteenth Clip
Seventeenth Clip
Eighteenth Clip
Nineteenth Clip
Twentieth Clip
Twenty-First Clip

Blog Post 4: Assessment of an Artwork at Nuit Blanche

One of the artworks at Nuit Blanche that I was very interested in was Brad Blucher & Kyle Clements Take a Picture. They set up blank canvases on the walls of a formal room; which is a traditional way of showing artwork. It was very interesting when I found out that there was a hidden image behind each canvas. When you take a picture, with your phone or camera, you see a black light image on each canvas; which were visible in the darkness of the room. There were images of smiley faces, a peace sign, wine, cheese, and more. It wasn't so much what was on the canvas, as the designs were very simplistic, but it was the technique and idea behind it that made it very interesting. It was clever to use this new art form, paired with the traditional way of showing it.These artworks also seemed to comment on how we are obsessed with taking pictures, instead of thinking about what we are looking at for more than a minute. Many people take pictures to share and show friends and family, without actually thinking about the environment and artwork itself.

This new media artwork made Brad Blucher & Kyle Clements gallery one of the best.

Blog Post 3: Remix Proposal

Art comes from thoughts and strong feelings in the artist. This is why I want to create artworks that reflect something I am passionate about. For my remix project, I will be combining images and videos to create works that tell a story. The story of how manmade objects are destroying the beauty of nature around us. I want to show people the effects of logging, oil spills, industrial buildings and smoke, development of houses over farmland and forests, landfills, and oh so much more. I want people to be aware of what is going on around the world. What is happening to the animals, the trees, and the farms that grow our food.

To show these concepts, my first image will reflect how unaware human beings are. I will contrast images of farmland with that of development. In the farm picture, the farmer will be harvesting crops...in the development picture, a woman will be surrounded by houses, and holding food (crops that will soon diminish if development keeps happening).

In my second image there is going to be a kid on a computer in a home setting, and on the computer screen will be a landfill. The exact computer he is on will be a focal point on a pile of rubbish in the landfill. There will also be a beaver climbing amongst the rubbish (to represent his home lost, and now making a new one out of garbage)

For my video, I will have a bunch of clips that mesh together to show logging, oil spills, smoke, acid rain, and more. Not only will they just show manmade disasters but they will show how it effects the environment, with several clips of nature mixed in.

There is one artist that inspired me to focus on nature for my remix project. His name is Koen Demuynck. He is a Belgian Photographer who expresses human impact on the environment. Here are some of his works:

In this one he replaces the tree with a human head, to show the significance of a living tree, and how it would feel to a human.

 In this artwork, he shows the logs the workers are cutting down as pencils.

In this image, he shows London (Big Ben), but without the city. Perhaps what it looked like before development.

I will use Koen's artworks as inspiration when creating my remix project. Look back soon for the final product.

Koen Demuynck's website: http://www.koendemuynck.com/