obfuscate
The original Keep Calm and Carry On poster was a pre WW2 propaganda poster created by the British government in 1939, meant to be uplifting for a public who were told of potential bombings in metro areas.
The poster, produced by the Ministry of Information, incorporated a unique and recognizable font and design as a message from the King directly to his people. The symbol of a Tudor crown, a widely used symbol of government authority, was chosen to head the poster.
Once the poster resurfaced and was used as branding for merchandising products, the popularity grew. Today, through a wide variety of media, the poster has undergone various parodies, imitations and co-optations, making it a notable meme.
obfuscate is an exercise in semantics, a statement on the power of propaganda as a branding and marketing tool in our consumer-driven culture and how propaganda is even reduced to banality. In exhibiting this installation, the public are invited to make a choice to either take home free 'truths' from clipboards or pre existing banal samples from the floor, gleaned from the internet.
materials
Digital output to high gloss paper, aluminum clipboards, flashlights
© 2013
exhibitions
2013 No Memes No, curated by Chris Bentzen, Hot Art Wet City Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2013 5 Digital Installations, Culture Days, Aberthau Mansion - West Point Grey, Vancouver, BC
