Mine is a reimagining of the Times Square Kiss photo taken by Life Magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt which was captured during the massive public celebration over the ending of WWII in 1945.
I decided to stay away from social commentary and chose to take a more light-hearted approach by substituting the woman with my cat Miller. He has since passed away but always loved being held and coddled so I wanted to put something in her place that would have enjoyed the interaction.
I also felt there is the irony that a great deal of cats often are often rejecting or annoyed with physical contact, so there is the link to this particular initial image due to the fact that she was initially in a defensive position when first kissed. This lightly touches on the importance of consent yet in a more subtle approach and connotation.
The primary photo was obtained from the website, The Photography of Alfred Eisenstaedt https://www.life.com/photographer/alfred-eisenstaedt/ and the other two photographs are mine. One is of my friend's cat (who does not enjoy affection near as much) as well as one of my son since he had on some American pride clothing and I thought it would be a nice little touch due to the happiness and pride many felt that day. They are just fun additions to try and help create an overall feel of the randomness depicted.
The overall image is just a simple idea of happenstance and celebration. The cats are caught up in human ridiculousness and are unwitting and unknowing participants in a historical moment. It's nice to imagine that he scooped up a street cat or his own family's cat and gave it a big smooch while a photographer snapped the moment. The cat has no idea what is going on, likely doesn't care (ha), and they are both forever captured in the photo.
The photo composite, Times Square Kiss Reimagined by Kimberly Ballinger, introduces a humorous take on the famous historical image, Times Square Kiss by Alfred Eisenstaedt in 1945. The photograph utilizes a black and white filter to call to the original image. The main focal point of the work is a World War II era sailor in the center of the composition. The sailor is wearing a black uniform with a white cap and is bent to hold and kiss a housecat. The house cat appears unamused and reclines against the sailor’s arm with no reaction to the bustle of the street scene. These two characters are placed against the backdrop of Times Square with many other figures in the middle and background that smile towards the camera in the direction of the main focus. The background consists of the brick buildings and windows seen on the street in New York.
ReplyDeleteThis work is a humorous appropriation of the image, Times Square Kiss, that brings a new perspective to the photograph. Perhaps, in this world, cats are as common as purses or backpacks as the viewer can see another woman carrying her hat in the midground of the photograph. Or, equally as likely, there could have been stray cats who emerged from their shelters to explore the commotion, and the sailor, overcome with joy from the end of the war, expressed his emotions by embracing the animal. Clearly, the soldier is overcome with emotions of jubilation that he cannot help but act and express this happiness to the nearest person or animal. The photograph displays a sense of joy and absurdity that are not often displayed in the media of today.
When evaluating the work from a technical and conceptual level, there are elements that are left wanting for improvement. While the woman holding the black cat in the midground was composed effectively with a naturalistic arm position and drop shadow, the main element could use more attention to detail. While the sailor’s arm and hand position was altered to be more naturalistic and to accommodate the change in size from woman to cat, the gesture still appears to be unnatural. The right arm suggests that the sailor reaches between the cat’s legs to hold it up and the left arm uses the elbow as the main sense of support, which would have been the case for a human embrace, but not so much a cat. The blending of the cat into the rest of the image could have also been completed more effectively. This character appears to be more defined than the rest of the image, namely the fur on the chest, while the fur on its back is blurred. Conceptually, it is difficult to imagine this image as a “fake” since the original image is instantly recognizable by most viewers of the American cultural consciousness.
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ReplyDeleteThis photo composite finds more success when considered as an image of propaganda rather than a “hoax” or a “fake.” Since the image carries the ability to be immediately recognizable, the viewer considers the humorous take on the end-of-war-time photograph. In an era where the American government consistently fights battles in countries overseas, it is almost too easy for the average citizen to become desensitized to the war machine. The most notable war being that of the Israel-Palestine conflict and controversy in the international consciousness. Since the original image is of celebration for the end of WWII, this image could be asking the audience to consider the emotions of soldiers as humans who would be thrilled for the end of deployments in wars overseas. The work asks the audience, would it not be better for these battles to end so brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters can return home, so happy for the return that they could kiss the next person (or animal) they cross? Like discussed in the reading, audiences enjoy “feel-good” media that does not reference today’s technology or conflicts. This work also evokes the sense of nostalgia that Netflix shows display since the original image is so memorable. The image can be read as anti-war propaganda due to the absurdity of the subject matter and the humor of the unamused cat, it does not care for the world and fights of humanity.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, Times Square Kiss Reimagined utilizes photo compositing to display anti-war propaganda. The black and white image is a new interpretation of Eisenstadet’s original Times Square Kiss that provides a statement on contemporary technology and the American war machine. Instead of a woman, the sailor embraces an unamused stray cat but the man is too thrilled to notice or care. The elements of the composition point to a trend in media today where Netflix shows reference time periods of the past with new insights of fantasy and adventure. This work appears to make this reference as well with a new perspective on the happiness that soldiers feel on their return home.
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