Some useful terms:
- Mediation: An intervention by which direct experience is recorded/represented by some sort of medium (words, music, paint, film, digital, video, etc.), for the purpose of (re)presentation.
- Remediation: Essentially, mediation of mediation… existing media forms are subjected to additional acts of mediation or recording (and then subsequent presentation)
- Culture Jamming: The highjacking of commercial/pop culture to deliver a subversive or protest message. Here, "jam" refers to both improvisation and the blocking of communication.
An advertisement is an act of remediation. Photographic meaning is slippery. When combined with text, the meaning of a photograph can easily morph or change to support a bigger concept or idea. The ambiguity of photographic meaning is clearly illustrated with this example from class:
The remediation of photographs with slogans, logos and corporate identity can result in powerful and compelling communication. Ask yourself... what am I being sold? What fantasies or cultural myths are being broadcast?
The Artist Barbara Kruger was concerned with these questions when she created her Billboard works:
Richard Prince created "artwork" drawing attention to icons of American masculinity, in particular the "Marlboro Man," by re-photographing advertisements.
For this project we'll take a closer look at advertising as an act of re-mediation. In a rebellious (and hopefully empowering) act of cultural jamming (another form of re-mediation), the assignment is to work with a well known ad campaign and create a smart, pithy spoof. Look to a product that perhaps bothers or annoys you and create a "re-mixed" advertisement that sharply pokes fun at it.
Criteria:
- Finished piece should look like a professional advertisement. Logos, text and layout should resemble the original in a way that makes the spoof clear.
- All the photography and supporting imagery must be yours. So, choose an ad you think is technically within reach.
- The image should use legitimate digital workflow skills as taught in class
- The final piece should be clever, smart and engaging.
For inspiration, check out work by the infamous cultural jamming duo, The Yes Men. Whether or not you agree with their message, their tactics are certainly bold.
More in the advertising vein:
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