Postcard Project
Place: Fred Meijer Trail
Problem: The trail is surrounded by giant pylons, which take away from the natural beauty of the trail
Goal: To show the strenuous relationship between man's desire to advance technologically, and the natural world.
Postcard 1: Which Do We Take?
The Location I decided to
pick for this project, is the path I like to jog on near my
apartment. While the path is surrounded by trees and has a lot of
natural beauty, it is also surrounded by giant pylons used to
transport electricity to the surrounding area. These pylons have
always felt to me like an eyesore, and I began wondering what the
trail would look like without them. To help me show this idea in my
first image, I decided to depict the path branching off into two
separate directions. The right side shows the path as it is in
reality, lined by the pylons leading their endless trails of
electrical cables. The other side of the image, shows how I wish the
path looked. On this side it looks as if man has had a minimal impact
on the surrounding landscape, leaving nature to show off its beauty.
Postcard 2: Technology Versus Nature
As I continued working on
this project, I thought about how human beings have a tendency to
replace what is natural with what is unnatural, all in the name of
advancement or convenience. Often times it feels as though human
beings disregard nature, even going so far as to destroy it. In this
image I wanted to depict the struggle between nature, and the
encroachment of human technologies. I decided to fill both the sky
and the path with computer code, as I am myself a programmer. The
code, and the lower saturation gives the sky and path a bleak and
dreary look. It is almost as if nature is surrounded by technology
that wishes to replace it. The computer mice on the path look as
though they are creeping ever closer to what is still natural. The
area in the center of the image shows the plants and trees being
vibrant and colorful, as if they defying the unnatural changes
being imposed upon them.
Postcard 3: Working with Nature
As I
began working on this last image, I wondered how we as humans can
continue to advance as a species without the need to harm the natural
world around us. I myself am in a field of study that is all about
the advancement of technology, so it is a concern of mine as to how
my work will be used. While technology can be destructive towards
nature, it can also be created to coexist with it and still aid in
our advancement as a species. In this image I show the path, with all
the pylons around it. I decided to use the gaps between the metal
bars of the pylon in the foreground to depict images of wind turbines
and solar panels, which are technologies that have been developed to
have a small impact on nature. The text engraved into the path shows
how I believe that we as humans should not have to harm the natural
beauty around us, in order to advance ourselves as a species.
Mind Map
I think that the idea that Adam is demonstrating is a great real-world problem that most areas are facing and gives an elegant possible solution. Showing both pathways is very interesting and that the viewer has a choice is even more interesting. I don’t think that there’s anyone who would choose the right side though, so I have to wonder if it’s actually a choice?
ReplyDeleteThe concept is strong but I feel like the execution could be a little better? The mirror is great but maybe cropping the bottom a little more to emphasize the part of the trail with the pile-ons? Just a thought. Otherwise it was very well constructed.
Adam,
ReplyDeleteI think that the first postcard is a great introduction to your posed issue of innovation coexisting with nature. I think it was a great take on the reality versus a fantasy of man-made technologies and their intrusion in nature. I think you took a very good creative stance on the issues of self expression, and very clearly described your problem. Your background in computer programming and interest in technology interacts with the assignment very successfully.
Of the three solutions, the first is my favorite. The simplicity of the change between the two mirrored sides is subtle enough that it gives the viewer something to look for. I didn't notice it until it was pointed out, but the reveal of that fact made the image all the more interesting.
ReplyDeleteThough the first two solutions are well composed, I find the third to be more thrown together and less integrated. I feel that the text alone would have been enough to get your message across.
Overall, well done. It's clear you understood the software and you have used it effectively.
I found your second image the most interesting, I really appreciated how you imbedding in the computer code into the image. It is really well done with having the codes in at different angles so the “sky” still looked three dimensional. I think the vibrancy and saturation in the plants really went well with the coding and it made it look like it was created from a computer. I can see that it really connects to your personal focus and that’s always more enjoyable to look at. I think you used a lot of creativity, and you created something that I’ve never seen before.
ReplyDeleteYour second postcard is the one that really grabbed my attention
ReplyDeleteYou really made your statement clear and I saw a clear contrast between technology and nature
The code and how you decided to use color contrast is a nice reflection of your work and your personal feelings
The saturation and color contrast is striking and effective, it is clear that the photo has been altered, yet it took me a moment to find everything.
The skills have been executed cleanly and convincingly
I like your choice of texturing and incorporation of other images, very effective.
I find this to be very creative, your idea to use color contrast, texture and positioning works very well, and the idea behind this image is unique.
I found your second image the most interesting, I really appreciated how you imbedding in the computer code into the image. It is really well done with having the codes in at different angles so the “sky” still looked three dimensional. I think the vibrancy and saturation in the plants really went well with the coding and it made it look like it was created from a computer. I can see that it really connects to your personal focus and that’s always more enjoyable to look at. I think you used a lot of creativity, and you created something that I’ve never seen before.
ReplyDeleteI found your second image the most interesting, I really appreciated how you imbedding in the computer code into the image. It is really well done with having the codes in at different angles so the “sky” still looked three dimensional. I think the vibrancy and saturation in the plants really went well with the coding and it made it look like it was created from a computer. I can see that it really connects to your personal focus and that’s always more enjoyable to look at. I think you used a lot of creativity, and you created something that I’ve never seen before.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your third postcard. Your overall concept for the project is very well thought out and executed, but the design of third one was my favorite. Adding images in between the cell tower was a smart idea, and it almost looks like it is a mirror reflecting things which means the images were very well integrated into the photo.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite postcard was the first one about repetition. Having a fork in the road is a big problem for a lot of people throughout their lives. Taking out the buildings and making it a nature filled path really portrayed the idea. The Photoshop work was very well done (selected objects, color, saturation) and everything was placed together in a visually appealing way. I like that you came from a technology standpoint because it’s such a big part of the world and contrasting it with nature was.
ReplyDeleteI thought that your second postcard was very well done. As an art student (who’s studies also revolve around technology) and an avid nature lover, I find myself feeling this pull between nature vs. technology. I thought that the way you solved the problem of how to merge these two themes together was very successful. It’s almost a little ironic how the nature that is displayed has been clearly altered by technology to heighten the vibrance and make it look more saturated.
ReplyDeleteAdam I really liked your last postcard. I thought you did a great job with placing the pictures on the tower and representing all the good ways we could use technology that is less harmful then the majority of what we use. Nice job adam.
ReplyDelete