Engineered Corn
This work has been commented by 2 curator(s). Read the comments
Title
Engineered Corn
Headline
Effect of modified corn on its consumers
Concept author(s)
Khaula Al Ameri
Concept author year(s) of birth
1993
Concept author(s) contribution
I developed the concept by researching more into the filed of Genetic Modified Organsim (GMO), then further developed the concept by taking a series of images with different substances.
Concept author(s) Country
United Arab Emirates
Friendly Competition
Competition category
Visual communication practice
Competition subcategory
static
Competition field
academic
Competition subfield
student
Subfield description
American University of Sharjah
Check out the Food Democracy 2013 outlines of Memefest Friendly competition.
Description of idea
Describe your idea and concept of your work in relation to the festival outlines:
Food democracy suggests our rights to what we eat. My idea reflects upon the integration of chemical substances with corn to produce a more pleasing product that people would want to buy. However, because the outcome is pleasant, we rarely stop and think about the process it undertook to reach this point of perfection. Consequently consumers question the imperfection of a product without taking into account that it is in its natural form.
What kind of communication approach do you use?
I used a direct visual approach whereby i assembled the corn & pills and took a photo. Then, altered the image in Photoshop.
What are in your opinion concrete benefits to the society because of your communication?
I hope that the audience will start to question why the corn and pills which are considered harmful is assembled in such a way. This is to make them aware of the risks consumers take when purchasing engineered corn and perhaps start to researching more into what effects their body.
What did you personally learn from creating your submitted work?
After researching more on the topic, i came to know that modified corn comes with high risks because of all the chemicals induced into it. Also, the original form of corn is not fully yellow, its usually mixed witha bit of white.
Why is your work, GOOD communication WORK?
Its simple, direct and makes the audience question why the corn grains are replaced with chemical substances.
Where and how do you intent do implement your work?
By trying to avoid modified food as much as possible and shift to organic food.
Did your intervention had an effect on other Media. If yes, describe the effect? (Has other media reported on it- how? Were you able to change other media with your work- how?)
No
Curators Comments
Shoaib Nabi
Khaula, simply on the mark. Provocative, appropriate title and corn is the best example since it is used in so many products.
You may want to ask who your target audience is? Will everyone understand this simple image? You have not directly answered the question: Where and how do you intent do implement your work? This is the weakness of your project. You should take this further. I would encourage you to seek venues for promotion of what could be a start of a very effective campaign.
Image can speak a thousand words - this surely does. Well done!
Dr Zoë Sadokierski
This is a strong visual metaphor, that has been thoughtfully resolved as a photographic image – the size and shape of the pills in relation to the corn kernels are suitable, and in 'unmodified' corn there are often slightly reddish and pale kernels, which means it takes a moment for the viewer to understand how the image has been manipulated – taking something familiar and giving it a twist is a great way to make a memorable point using visual language. The title 'engineered corn' captions the image well to help the viewer understand the message. However, there is no additional layer of text or meaning – such a strong visual metaphor that engages the viewer is only really memorable if there is additional information, or a link/tie in to more content to help us understand the larger issue in more depth. Think about how you could collaborate with a writer, or an environmental agency, or other organisation to build a bigger narrative, a more substantial story to help us engage with the issue of modified crops more deeply.