Proj 3

We are a technology and object obsessed generation. We may not all be rushing out to purchase the new Apple Watch or self-balancing-Segway-like electronic scooter, but most of us do at least own iPhone's and lap tops and have clothes from generic stores that source their products from sweatshops. On average we look at our phone screens every seven minutes yet we never question the ethical side of how our phone came to be. It is in our arsinal to use our devices to look up these facts but instead we chose use them to stalk the Kardashian family. We are never explicitly told the truth behind the ethics of Apple, or any other major brand that uses sweat shop labor to create their products, therefor we never bother to actively seek the truth ourselves.

We aren't told that "Because women make up 85 to 90% of sweatshop workers, some employers force them to take birth control and routine pregnancy tests to avoid supporting maternity leave or providing appropriate health benefits." or "In developing countries, an estimated 168 million children ages 5 to 14 are forced to work."

I will be looking the western worlds lack of remorse when it comes to unsustainable and unethical design and question whether the neglect of accountability for our consumerist actions is a form of sociological behavior. I also plan to focus on how we can use new age design to pull ourselves out of this environmental wasteland as we are the generation that is accountable for the actions of our ancestors past.

One source I have been looking at focuses on the history of industrial pollution and how we begun to think it was okay to pollute the earth the way we do currently. The article states that "Earlier, industries were small factories that produced smoke as the main pollutant. However, since the number of factories were limited and worked only a certain number of hours a day, the levels of pollution did not grow significantly." (Kukreja) Now with our modern motto being "more is more" factories have both multiplied and upscaled significantly whilst continuing to dump their waste in the same manner as when they were smaller. Thus, greatly polluting our planet.


Kukreja, R. Industrial Pollution. conserve-energy-future.com.
Link:
http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-of-industrial-pollution.php
(This website had very little information about the dates and time of the article releases.)

Critical Selfie: The Art of Abandon

THE ART OF ABANDON

 

As I flâneured my way through Wellington I couldn't’t help but be enticed into the various alleyways and crevices of the city’s design. These alleyway’s led to no where and their usability was obsolete yet their rustic appearance was simply captivating.  Many would deem these abandoned spaces collateral damage of the human existence. Other would call these spaces canvas’.  I argue that these “others”, other wise knows as street artists, are creating explicitly for flâneurs as they share a passion for contributing parts of their being to the urban environment for the flâneur’s to discover and create a “narrative” (Lucas, 171)  for.
 

A lot of people have a problem with street art as they want to hold on to the imagery of the past. Yet they don’t understand how fast we forget the old layout of their city and become accustomed to the new form. Many people use the title vandalism for street art, yet these artists are just redefining a space which was once completely abandoned.

My editing choices were just as important as my photography choices. The original colour distortion was to add emphasis on how street art adds vibrancy to the otherwise dull colours of these buildings.  Towards the end the colour distortion was to show that as the earth keeps spinning the streets will forever continue to change and develop. 

Lucas, R (2008) ‘Taking A Line For A Walk”: Walking As An Aesthetic Practice. Ways Of Walking: Ethnography And Practice On Foot. Hampshire: Ashgate.

Interim 2: The Art of Abandon

In the last interim I had the ridiculous idea to photograph wellington from the view of a homeless person. Since then I have realized how terrible that idea actually is and I have decided to revive my original idea of exploring the street art in the seemingly abandoned areas of Wellington. I would like to explore how baron our streets would be without these artists coming in and livening up our city, as if you really look at the Cuba street area it's buildings are extremely old, unkempt and rather industrial. I think that the art livens up these baron walls and transforms the forgotten parts of our city into urban galleries. Alongside the art in many of these alleyways and on these buildings is ivy or moss growing. This literally is bringing life back to these baron areas that the humans of Wellington have passed off as wastelands.

I'm interested in playing with the contrast and colour levels of these images to make the street out pop against the brick buildings they are painted on. I want to highlight the contrast between the state of the abandon the building is in and the level of care the artist has both for their field of work and their passion for making a beautiful area out of a place that everyone else has neglected

I'm thinking of using the intro to a taylor swift remix for my ambient music. It sounds very cliche and horrible but the remix gives a level of deep eeriness to the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82Eu4HRjua4

I only plan on using the first 40 seconds of the song, before the lyrics come in.