Due 23 November
Your third project will be an act of tactical appropriation in the
spirit of adbusters, the Yes Men, and the tactics described by de
Certeau.
This project has two parts, your tactical appropriation, and your
description of it.
- Appropriation
Direct appropriation:
use the rhetoric of a specific corporation or group to highlight the
hidden elements of that group's message. For example, you might show
how a car company that advertises its SUVs as being able to drive
through the wilderness hides the fact that its SUVs produce emissions
that degrade the environment.
Indirect appropriation: Use the rhetoric of advertising
in general to produce an ad exploring the problems with some element
of culture. For examples, see Adbusters' archive of rejected
TV spots.
Format: You may produce your appropriation in a
number of ways, but you should present it using your website. If
you're appropriating a print advertisement, you should produce the ad
as an image on your website (include the original and your
appropriation of it). If you're appropriating a web site, you can
copy the code and produce your own version of the appropriated site.
If you're appropriating a TV spot, you could produce a storyboard or a
teleplay or, perhaps, a QT video of the ad you'd
produce.
- Explanation
Your web site should also include
an explanation of the original ad and your reasons for appropriating
it. You should explain what the purpose of appropriation is (in
general) and what it was about this particular ad that made you want
to appropriate it. Finally, you should identify the rhetoric you're
using to make your appropriation.
Examples:
I've posted four such projects that were produced by students in
Spring 2005. See:
Your project should be produced for the web, and should be online
and ready to view by class on 23 November.
