During lockdown, summer break and the time spent moved in before uni began, I took (using my phone) and edited (in GIMP) 11 photographs that represent how entertainment media and various other relatable notions have kept us afloat. Since brands have long established themselves as gods in our capitalist society, I also wanted to make some commentary on which ones have been helping people. Instead of making gloomy art about the situation, I wanted to goof off a bit, opting instead to use irony as a way of coping. The photoshoot was fun and organic, so the pictures turned out just silly enough for me to work with and enhance.
Discord has been helping people connect more than ever, to the point where some days felt like we were all in a room within some Discord realm where time and space was unimportant, hence the giant blue logo wall edit.
I parodied video game tropes such as the RPG fantasy adventure shopkeep NPC, using my friend as a sprite.
I wondered what it would be like to have a socially distanced supermarket rave instead of simply queing at the checkout.
I also pondered how classic student beverage lines like Strongbow Darkfruit would change their marketing.
I superimposed meter sticks onto my friend's light sabers, which I used as props in place of glowsticks, simulating a club environment that we could pretend to enjoy.
I made my friend cry Netflix logos into a Netflix home screen as it's been a pastime for many, highlighting the almost dystopian idea that one streaming service has claimed so many hours of so many people's time.
I cut out a mask from Domino's packaging to make another jab at takeaway being an essential service. Safe to say my lifetime profession of prop design is in the bag.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons came at the perfect time, rescuing those with a Nintendo Switch from the hardline lockdown in April, so I decided to pose a friend in a way that would show gaming as precisely that escapist comfort.
I asked two mates to sit socially distanced on a bench so I could change the colours in post (choosing unnatural purples clashing with greens, because what about the situation is natural?) and insert some focal, stately text revealing some of the bleaker thoughts we've all had.
The last two images were created to emulate a game choice window, and a reward screen, based on the frustration, anxiety and negativity I felt having the news on all the time back at home.
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