COVID-19 reports dating back to 1900s
My concept for this project was to create a false timeline where COVID-19 occurred long before 2020. My goal was to capture the same chaos and panic but place it into a time when there were fewer doctors and less access to medicine. I did this by finding a picture of an old doctor's office and putting a swarm of people in front of it waiting for a simply advertised vaccine. I also depicted only a few people wearing masks versus many not wearing one to reflect how people reacted to the virus in 2020. I used my own photo to add texture to the image and make my composition blend better.
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Public Domain image from - The doctor's office on Transylvania Project, Louisiana | Library of Congress (loc.gov)
ReplyDeleteFree to Use image from - Woman in Mask Holding Toilet Paper · Free Stock Photo (pexels.com)
Public Domain image from - Bread line - Dayton | Library of Congress (loc.gov)
Free to Use image from - People Wearing Face Mask For Protection · Free Stock Photo (pexels.com)
Personal image - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N5uHm9kEMV5OF49xAJX2Eaur6ndImIpd/view?usp=sharing
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ReplyDeleteThis composite by Hunter Iler called COVID-19 reports dating back to 1900s as a gray-scale photograph with a vintage texture implying age and historical context. Aiding in creating this historical environment is the vintage 1940s Ford car in front of the old doctors office. We know it is a doctors office due to the sign and also the nurse walking up the stairs to the porch. They also add the implication of the existence of COVID-19 and a pandemic with the obvious signage advertising the covid vaccine being offered at this office, as well as the sheer amount of people waiting to receive it in that crowd. The addition of masks on the people facing the camera also adds to this narrative. The adding of dark spots and a wrinkled texture over the photo is the final touch that brings this idea that covid existed so long ago to life. They also did add reference links to their sources in the comments of their post.
ReplyDeleteBased on the elements stated above, I believe this photograph is supposed to be proof that COVID-19 has long been a thing, even all the way back in the 1930s-40s. Though it’s not entirely clear if it is pandemic level or not, the amount of people waiting for the vaccine at the front of the photograph and the doctor’s office does imply that it was a significant issue. The old car and aged building show that this photograph was supposedly taken so long ago, as well as the way people are dressed. The addition of the sign for the vaccine and people wearing masks is what is telling me Covid existed at the supposed time of the photograph.
Technique wise, I think this piece is very strong. The perspective of the people in front of the building is very well done, as well as the perspective of the type on the sign lines up. The tone match is so close to being identical as well, though in some areas of the people the black point is a little too dark in comparison to the background with the doctor's office and the car. There should be no “true” black, such as the ladies hat on the right side of the photograph, as there is no black like that anywhere else in the photo. It is all very much tones of grey. Most of the color match is very accurate though, and the texture added on top helps both that and the aged feeling of the photograph. The forethought to make sure every detail added to the photo is from the same decade is also impressive. In researching the car, it is a 1930s-1940s Ford. In researching the popular winter clothing style of the 1940s, the clothes the people are wearing in the crowd closely match what was popular back then. It was a very nice detail instead of just trying to make things look generally old.
The goal of sharing this image would be to confirm a theory some already see as fact. People naturally seek out proof of what they already believe and align with. This piece shows just how easily a believable “historical image” can be curated to fit a narrative. And how easily, one put into the world and media, could be believable to some who are looking. As stated in the article “The Future of Free Speech, Trolls, Anonymity, and Fake News Online” by the Pew Research Center: “As things now stand, people are attracted to forums that align with their thinking, leading to an echo effect. This self-reinforcement has some of the elements of mob (flash-crowd) behavior.” This group mentality of people bouncing the same misinformation off one another over and over is what leads to misunderstanding and misbelieving of false information that is put into the world. This piece could easily be swept up in a mob like way and treated as fact with no background check because people want to believe it.
ReplyDeleteOverall, this piece did a fantastic and detailed job of illustrating the narrative they wanted people to believe: that COVID-19 did, in fact, exist all the way back in the 1900s. With all the different details of people’s dress, the old car and building, the aged textures and tones added to the photograph all give the feeling that this photograph was naturally taken in the 1940s. If this photograph were to make it to the public, it could easily be taken as real evidence and be swept up into an echo chamber of misinformation that is spread around the internet on a daily basis, which is a scary realization.
This piece from Hunter appears to be a manipulated historical photograph. From the setting, it shows a large crowd of people wearing older-style clothing from the 1900s, gathered outside a small wooden building. The crowd consists of men and women dressed with the men mostly wearing fedoras or bowler hats, with long coats or suits, and women in long dresses or coats with scarves or hats. The building is a small, simple, wooden office with a sign that reads "Doctors Office" on the top, likely reflecting a rural or small-town setting.
ReplyDeleteFrom first glance of the work, it appears to draw parallels between historical public health crises and the modern Covid-19 pandemic. By placing at the top of the doctor's office Covid-19 vaccine sign in a setting that looks like it’s from the 1900s, the image seems to read that Covid was around in society earlier than the year 2019 .The crowd gathered outside the small doctor's office evokes scenes from past public health campaigns, such as the fight against polio or the flu. I also read this photo in a way that may be highlighting how history repeats itself. It reflects on how public health campaigns are central to controlling outbreaks, but it also nods to the social dynamics, like skepticism or urgency, that accompanies outbreaks like Covid or the flu.
From the different aspects and blending works I think the objective of the work is easily readable. By using a grainy texture for the image, it helps mirror the old style photographs, making the edited text on the sign seem like a natural part of the scene. The overall composition seems to be able to grasp the 1900’s from the clothes of the crowd, the small style of the doctors office and the font and style of the Covid-19 sign. Though the design is read well, some subtle details that could help bring the piece together a little more would by refining the shadows and lighting on the Covid-19 Vaccine" text to better align with the direction of light. Also aging the text slightly by adding subtle fading and withering features would make it look more like it belongs in the same time period. Something that might help emphasize the meaning of the photo as well could be including medical equipment or a sign referencing a known historical illness, such as the Spanish flu or polio, alongside the "Covid-19 Vaccine" sign, it would help referencing the historical aspect of the piece.
Based on the work, I think it is made to provoke reflection on the public health crises and how viruses such as Covid-19 have always been in our society. By the structure of the piece, it seems Hunter wanted to draw attention to the similarities between past pandemics, like the Spanish flu or polio outbreaks to reference that viruses may always be around but are just giving new names over time to seem different from each other. With this, it also creates a view of the trust in science, giving the viewer an idea that it will come around time after time and though we make vaccines to fight against it, who’s to say they're not the cause of it or truly helping it at all?
There are small areas where the design could be improved to enhance the authenticity and connection for the piece but, overall the work is effective in its concept and execution. It blends historical imagery well with newer references that helps the viewer understand the idea of the piece in a simple and subtle approach.