Gaze Position: I think of gaze position as the kind of empathy a photographer must assume before shooting. The artist must understand the audience and what they think and feel, what they fear and crave before they can hope to send an indelible message.
Re-contextualization: I think of this as a breaking of assumptions. The viewer has a particular set of beliefs and values, preset before they view an image (even if they don't know it). Re-contextualization is the effort to revert, go against or conflict with those set values and/or assumptions.
The first image I created shows a Starbucks Coffee in the middle of a monkey habitat in a zoo. This is meant to criticize the mob of people constantly drinking their coffee without regards to any intellectual thought. Perhaps it is overly cynical in its delivery, but hopefully entertaining in the least to envision simians sitting around picking bugs out of each other's hair while sipping caramel macchiatos.
I enjoy the second image for two reasons:
First off, it is ironic the Robert Downey Jr, who is well known in pop culture for his role as Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is pictured as Superman, a member of Marvel's rival DC comics.
The second of these reasons is the connotations associated with both Robert Downey Junior and Superman combine to make the point of the image. Robert Downey Jr is the quintessential Hollywood figure, known for his confidence, poise, charisma, and occasionally his condescending (if humorous) persona. Superman is a character, but he symbolizes invincibility and steadfastness, epitomizing the hero.
As a society we tend to put celebrities on a pedestal, celebrating them as role models. For better or worse, this tendency to romanticize and uphold these cultural icons displays Americans' want for real life superheroes (which may mirror our want for real life superhero's conflicts), and I've attempted to capture that here.
Nike's well-known motto "Just Do It" is often cited as a quintessential stone in the wall of consumerism that exists around the world. Anti-materialists berate Nike (and companies like it) for fueling consumerist priorities among young people. But what I feel are often underrated are the celebrity endorsements for these products. There is essentially an intellectual cartel where these companies back icons for sex, drugs and gang violence like Lil' Wayne. The consumers, often young people, are then affronted with these ideas until they come to accept them as common, acceptable, and even signs of higher social standings.
This picture hopes to underline the connection (even if it does not do so subtlety).
