Wadi Hanifa-A Constructed reality
I was looking at a CBC Photo gallery concerning a Toronto architectural firm’s role in rehabilitating what was once a toxic landfill in the middle of a Saudi Arabian oasis. Wadi Hanifa (or Hanifa Valley) is the longest valley near the capital of Riyadh and part of a natural water drainage area for a region of more than 4,000 square kilometres. Moriyama & Teshima Planners’ work on rehabilitating the water in the Valley received an award. Some of the images in the CBC news gallery are quite striking, but as I viewed them the media teacher light started flashing. I started to think about some of the basic media principles and the critical thinking skills I try to instill in my students. How constructed were these photographs ? What values and beliefs were these images promoting ? Was there a business interest to consider ? Were these images modified ? Were they selling a product, service, or idea ?
What I noticed was the following things. No specific photographer or studio was identified as taking the photographs. Some of the photographs seemed to be done in a more hyper-realistic/artistic style. while others had a more natural lighting and colour. In some of the images there were elements that appeared to be placed into the composition. Were some of these images re-touched or modified to create a more dramatic tone and emphasize the return of nature and the natural world ? Look at the examples below and then use the link at the start of this post to see the whole gallery. What is your impression ?
Toronto at Night: Sings The Streetcar Electric
Here are some more photographs from the Toronto trip. On the way back to the hotel the traffic and the Garmin GPS took us round and round. One accident near the Gardiner Expressway access triggered backup traffic that went forever, or so it seemed. The Toronto Streetcars at times were impervious to this mess and just kept singing along their tracks and overhead lines.
The Computer Cat
The Computer Cat has completed the job! This digital documentary captures the creative process by which this creative creature produces his digitally enhanced photographs.
Step One Contemplating the artistic goal and framing the image in your mind.
Step Two: The artistic goal is transformed into digital form.
Step Three: Now contemplate the achievement of the artistic goal and filling the mind and spirit with personal artistic satisfaction.
With gracious humility get scratched behind the ears and under the chin. Allow lesser human to post some of their poor efforts.
Whale Pods
This is an exercise in digital imagination. I have a fondness for puns. I decided to turn a bad pun into a visual image. None of the original photographs used to create this piece are mine. Remember all mass media is a constructed reality.
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