on-going research project
if "black metal ist krieg", then influenza is influence
global idea
in 2009 the swine influenza was blown up to an almost hip event in the media.
celebrities who were infected were listed in the media.
the vaccine was also discussed in the media.
celebrities who used the vaccine were listed in the media.
people were influenced to use the vaccine through the media.
were people also influenced to get infected through the media??
be like a sugarbabe and get swine influenza!!
be like barak obama, get vaccinated!!
just be influenced!!
this leads to: "infect and identify!!
subthemes/case studies:
1 infiziert / identifiziert
who is hot??
getting infected with an illness makes people possibly to identify with celebrities.
looking for different sorts of identification
a
when i was a child i really liked the different characters in wrestling.
and as graphic designer i like teh way of spreading fast information as it´s done in posters of mexican wrestling events with all the characters´ names. wooden letters. the link between identity and spreading or "being" spread information is the reason why i started to make this poster (a serie is in process). the first one is a handicap-match: for information, read the poster.
but because influenza is influence, i looked for a combination for this case. i found this poster in the back in cologne. it´s a headline of the daily newspaper "express". The "express" pastes these posters up every day on some kind of automates, where you can buy the newspaper. The found poster says: "Tokio Hotel - Bill hat Angst vor Attentaten" underneath is to read a nicely play with the comparative - and superlative degree : "schnell. schneller. EXPRESS" (fast, faster, EXPRESS).
b
the carnival in cologne, germany is a big event every year. the city is crowded with masked people, the so called "jecken", celebrating folly, ridiculing the last year´s (political) blunders as well as local patriotism of the particular stronghold (for example cologne vs düsseldorf: never say "alaaf" in düsseldorf, or "helau" in cologne!!).
people celebrate this event by using masquerading. this consists of a wide spectrum of costumes, such as animals, celebrities, objects, fantasy creatures, just everything.
people are identyfying themselves with their roles.
i went to the carnival in cologne in 2010.
i identified myself with my project: the great influence is spreading influenza looking for potential characters for 2010.
2 this time it´s - deutschland sucht die tigergrippe:
a proposal for a hype illness in 2010.
based on the exciting struggle between china and germany for the title of the export champion 2009, putting these two giants of spreading together.
Export is spreading products.
Export is spreading products from country to country.
Export is influence.
Export is spreading influence.
Influenza is spreading virus.
Influenza is spreading virus from person to person.
Influenza is influence.
Influence is influenza.
follow the spread:
a few minutes after the posters of Rita Verdonk´s populistic political party/movement "trots op nl" were hung up..
"stem trots" (vote proudly): i am not allowed to vote in NL in an official way..
