Artist Statement #4
For our fourth hack of the semester, we were asked to remix different forms of media in order to use them to create something new. This proved to be somewhat a difficult task for me since there is so much that can be looked into with all of the media provided on the internet. When I first started looking into ideas of what I could focus my remix on, I just went through the different databases or provided resources aimlessly to see if anything would strike me as a good idea to look into more. This caused me to think of doing a piece focused on the fast food/junk food industry in the US because of the large amounts of ads, commercials, and campaigns that have occurred throughout the decades in America as well as that being a large portion of what I found in one of the resources that was provided. Another idea that I believed I could have done was about fast fashion and how it is convenient for consumers but has so many negative effects for the environment and laborers, even trying to connect it to Henry Ford’s assembly line and usage of illegal laborers or outsourcing to other countries with lower wages. However, I believed this would be a much larger task than I could take on with this project, So I decided to stick with my advertisement idea because there is so many news segments ad advertisements that connect this idea and allow me to create a newly remixed piece. From this project, I learned more about food corporations and their tactics. It’s scary to see how much companies pour into their advertisements and marketing campaigns in order to entice young, impressionable minds. The usage of lovable cartoon characters and recognizable celebrities has made it much easier for corporations to advertise their foods, showcasing their greed and lack of care for the health of their customers. I also learned about the US and how the food laws are not as strict as in other countries because of American’s want for freedom in all decision-making. However, is this freedom of choice worth the dangerous choices that could be made by ignorant consumers.
Inspiration
Once I had honed in on the idea of food advertisement and how corporations focus more on selling their product rather than on the health and safety of their consumers, I began thinking about my travels and how I could connect that back into the readings:
- When I visit Mexico, I tend to visit the local OXXO or family owned convenience store to purchase a snack or drink because of convenience for me. However, whenever I purchase these items, I notice these black hexagons on the packaging warning me and other consumers about “excessive calories” or “excessive sodium” in order to help inform consumer decisions.
- When I visited Japan I found the food market to be very different than it is in the US. For example, it is more common for products to be packaged in single serving sizes rather than the usual “shareable” or “family” size that we commonly see amongst the shelves in the US. There are also more restrictions on what can be sold to consumers. (For example, it was very difficult to find Hot Cheetos because of restrictions on Red 40 and other dyes.)
My Video Creation
Design Choices
The reason why I titled my video the way that I did is because there are many people who are unaware of the different chemicals and additives that goes into their food because sometimes they trust too much in government agencies such as the FDA to protect them.
Video Sources
“Kellogg’s Sugar Pops Woody Woodpecker Commercial”, Kellogg’s ad, Uploaded to Youtube by VintageTVCommercials, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ochQh-XkpVM
“Vintage The NOID Dominos Pizza Commercial ‘The Wicked Wizard’”, Dominos ad, Uploaded to Youtube by VintageTVCommercials, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Str8GOl-iYA&list=PL970FAC383E5CF3F0&index=2
“Introducing…The Happy Meal (Commercial, 1979)”, McDonald’s ad, Uploaded to Youtube by The Museum of Classic Chicago Television, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qAfN_5ZIbM
“Legal Ingredients in U.S. food products banned in Europe”, CBS Evening News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0iq-7PbOEw
“Commercials That Every 2000s Kid Knows”, Uploaded to Youtube by Tacoz Guy, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cxk9Hyemd8
“Animated Pink Panther Flakes Cereal Tv Commercial”, Uploaded to Youtube by VintageTVCommercials, https://youtu.be/UwxDSEmdS34?feature=shared
“Ultra Processed: How Food Tech Consumed the American Diet | CBS Reports”, Uploaded to Youtube by CBS News, https://youtu.be/r03hB_xk5xs?si=JIVTUvEXLPfu0my0
“Rewind the Future”, Uploaded to YouTube by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Strong4Life, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUmp67YDlHY
Other Sources
https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/look-food-warning-labels-mexico
