For our first task, we needed to appropriate images that are already in existence in Lincoln and make them our own through ways such as cropping, taking the photo at an angle or obscuring the image with something else. Our group decided that we would have the theme of ‘Faces’ in mind as we were walking around the city centre during our workshop. I took several photographs that I liked and uploaded them to Instagram.
This is the photo that I like the most. It is from the side of the Waterside Shopping Centre advertising the clothing shop H&M. The reason why I have chosen this image is because the man’s smile could be interpreted in different ways since it’s the only thing that the viewer can see. Whilst it may at first appear as a genuine expression of happiness, the longer I look at it, the bigger and more exaggerated it becomes. I think this creates a more menacing and evil tone as it reminds me of a bad guy laughing in a film. The black and white filter makes the image more dramatic and it enhances the lines and facial features. It also gives connotations of sophistication.
Another image that I like was uploaded to Instagram by tomfalk99. I like this image because it’s comical and ridiculous. The lack of context surrounding why the image includes a sloth-dolphin hybrid makes it confusing and funny. Towards the bottom of the photo, you can see the reflection coming off the glass that the image is on. This reminds the viewer that the task was about the appropriation of images and that this photo is a copy and not an original.
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