Basically, the image below represents the United States’ “concern” for the well-being of other countries while its own state has been in turmoil for a long time now. The recent discussions in class regarding the War on Terror during the Bush administration prompted me to use an image such as this. I found it absolutely astonishing how simple the logic presented in class regarding the relation between Al-Qaeda and Iraq were. In creating the image below, I knew specifically what the two things were that I wanted to merge together (this case being the statue of liberty to represent the American land and the burning house to add more emphasis to catastrophes in the American land itself)
I think given the appropriate expertise in photo editing, this detournement can be improved by creating more smoke and fire in the city instead of the cartoon house used as of now. The ship can also be made to look like a military-style ship.
This image is modeled after my topic of speech in class. Cyber bullying is a serious issue in our increasingly technologically-reliant world today. A lot of the times it is not taken seriously because there is less monitoring involved in cyberspace and it is much easier to harass someone as well. For this image I used the Paint Application on my computer because it proved to be easier for me to use. As always, the image can be enhanced by the hands of a proficient photo editor. The computer screen can go on to show the image of a Facebook window screen filled with hatred and bullying for the girl involved.
I personally think that this image is my best detournement yet. It is kept in the simplest form possible to give a meaningful message. My Midterm project was about the non-labeling of Genetically Modified Organisms. General Mills is one of the big corporations in the market of toxic food being produced to feed the general public for the corporation’s own benefits. Their foods contain a toxic chemical called Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) which was declared unsafe even for cleaning products. This chemical is used int eh cereals that are marketed towards kids even. I believe that the toxic sign next to the seemingly good-willed check mark of General Mills expresses my idea well. The process in producing this image was the easiest. The reason for it being the easiest may also be because I had accumulated enough experience in using the program for photo editing by the time I came to create my last detournement. To further enhance the image I would say that a slogan can be added to catch the viewer’s attention on what exactly was the inspiration for this image.
