My project is about the moon landing and how some people think it was fake. To take an ironic twist on it I wanted to add Michael Jackson on the moon since one of the things he is known for is moonwalking. I made the photo black and white to further push the timeline of the photo making it feel more dated and old to the audience. I added harsh shadows to match the lighting as well. The astronaut in the back has a helmet on that reflects the NASA office further implying the fake moon landing.
Moon Landing Background Photo | Source: NASA
https://images.nasa.gov/details/as11-40-5875
People Sitting in an Office, Pictured in Astronaut Helmet | Source: NASA
https://images.nasa.gov/details/6900592
Michael Jackson | Source: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Jackson_1984.jpg
Astronaut legs | Source: NASA
https://images.nasa.gov/details/S70-56287
Astronaut in the background | Source: NASA
https://images.nasa.gov/details/6900951
Moon Rock | Source: Photo by me
The Fake It piece by Ashley Legassie is a black and white composite image of the singer Michael Jackson on the moon, with a fellow astronaut in the background, and the American flag. It appears to be a bit historical because of the color scheme and that it deals with the moon landing which is an important part of history. It also has a comical aspect to it since Michael Jackson is known for moonwalking and is on the moon. The aspect ratio is close to a square 1:1 ratio, but slightly more vertical. The artist did include reference links for all the imagery used are public domain and self taken.
ReplyDeleteBased on the composition, the work can be interpreted that it is based on the commentary that the moon landing was actually faked since Michael Jackson is shown without an astronaut helmet which wouldn’t be possible. He also would be 10 years old at the time of the moon landing, further leading to the idea that it was faked. Additionally, there are small clues such as the reflection in the astronaut helmet showing an office or the upper half of Michael’s clothing isn’t something you would see on the moon.
The composition of the work is strong, from a technical standpoint there are some minor adjustments that could make it even more believable. The contrast from Michael’s torso and his legs are quite different making it feel a little disconnected. If the black color on his boots and pants were pushed more to be similar to the astronaut behind him, it would tie it in together. Also, the reflection image, the figures’ shadows, and the rock in the bottom left appear a little sharper compared to the other items in the composition so it might be more believable if there was a slight blur on these objects. Additionally, a suggestion to push the comical idea of Michael Jackson is to have his feet look like he’s moon walking. It might be difficult to find a picture of someone doing that so another alternative is to use the puppet warp tool in photoshop and adjust his legs.
The work exists within a larger culture as there are many debates surrounding the moon landing and whether or not it was faked, especially since it is politically tied to the cold war and the race to space against Russia. These arguments still go on today even though many conspiracy theories about the topic have been debunked. It probably wasn’t intended, but it could possibly be seen as a commentary on deep fakes in the media as well. Nowadays, it's easy for people, especially celebrities like Michael Jackson, to be impersonated in photos, videos, and audio forms. It seems like this image was shared with the audience to poke fun at the idea of the theories that the moon landing is fake, but also to showcase how easy it is to create an image to misform and troll others on this topic.
The overall idea of Ashley Legassie’s Fake It piece shines a light on conspiracy theories and discussions surrounding the moon landing while having a light-hearted message to it. It also points to the idea that it is easy to fake images of people and evidence of these theories to be spread on social media, thus misinforming the public. While there are minor improvements that could be made, the idea and the composite is well done.