Journal 2

Topic: Altering images ultimately changes the meaning of the original work. When a work represents “reality” do you think it is ethical to alter an image to change its meaning from the work's original context? In what ways do you believe this plays a part in Ken-Gonzales-Day’s works, The Bone Grass Boy: The Secret Banks of the Conejos River and Untitled #36 (pp.36-37)?

            Ultimately, it depends on the purpose of the alteration; otherwise I’d say that completely changing the meaning from the original work is not ethical. The fact that it could be changed to any meaning, including the direct opposite of the original ruins the purpose. For example, say if a piece was for just aesthetical looks, but someone else took that art and used it in a marketing design, then it not only does it not benefit the original artist, but the other person is making money without trying.

            However with works like Ken Gonzales-Day, one can look toward an entirely new meaning from the piece with just a touch of added content. The fact that everyone is different, each of us can conjure up a multitude of perspectives; it all depends on what we individually think on what makes “reality”. It can be from uncovering the disgusting actions of people such as racism, sexism, or pollution, to identifying stereotypes, television tropes, and pop culture.

            In today’s world, we have access to photo manipulating software like photoshop and GIMP, and although they may be fun things to do, depending on the audience that views the end product can produce a false reality. Take for instance, ads in magazines that feature models, not all of them are “picture perfect”, they are made that way through photo manipulation. This in turn can give people a false standard at which they need to look at. In other instances, some pieces can be easily spotted as photo manipulated especially if filters, and other objects are noticeable, which obviously deny reality. In the end, photomanipulation is going to constantly be around for years to come; I just hope we don’t abuse this or get lost in it.