Assignment #4 Website Re-Design/Intervention

Here are some links that will be of interest as you develop your ideas for the re-design of an existing website:


A site that links to some parody websites (I think you can do better than many of these!):
http://www.darkmattermag.com/may03/dark_humor.html

This site features many creative sites that are fake - these don't necessarily directly seek to fake an existing site but the sentiment, humor and use of internet sites to post erroneous information as satire is worth considering content-wise.
http://www.philb.com/fakesites.htm

A spoof website of the George Bush Whitehouse site:
http://whitehouse.georgewbush.org/index.asp

A spoof website of the Barack Obama Whitehouse site:
http://whitehouse.gov1.info/

Stephen Colbert's "Wikiality":
http://wikiality.wikia.com/Main_Page

Second Life parody site:
http://www.getafirstlife.com/

Some curious corporate logo spoofs and such:
http://indiacorporatewatch.blogspot.com/2005/10/subvertized-part-i-brilliant-spoofs-of.html

http://www.logoblog.org/wordpress/imitating-logos/

The NYtimes "Special Edition" as we attempted to look at in class, still not working but I alerted the today so should be back up soon!:
http://www.nytimes-se.com/

The Billboard Liberation Front, for inspiration:
http://www.billboardliberation.com/

This is one of my projects, a re-purposing/re-thinking of the America's Army Game website, basically asking, what if...

http://www.americasarmy.com (the actual site design has changed a bit since I did my new version linked below, the design I worked from is perfectly reflected in my new site linked here...)

http://www.americasdiplomat.com (my site)

And finally, not a spoof website but The Onion - some of the best satire online and in print:
http://www.theonion.com/content/index

Assignment #4

Website Re-Purposing – Interventionist Design

Objective:

We are inundated with a plethora of information in our daily use of various technologies. A recent study indicated that on average, we spend 7 hours a day looking at screens of various types, including computer monitors. Most of the information we experience is developed by others – we are the consumers – or are we consumed?

This assignment asks you to generate an artistic 'intervention' towards altering the design of an existing web page. The objective here to is to create a work that serves as a visual, cultural critique through the appropriation and re-purposing of the design of an existing web page. Consider this project as a type of conceptual, artistic intervention - an artistic intervention is an action by an artist in a real world situation for the sake of promoting reflection and altered perceptions by the participants (or in this instance, your audience).

Examples:

Take a stance! What are you passionate about in regard to what is going on in the world? Politics, Global Warming, War? This is your chance to “stick it to the man!” Artists, in the modernist/post modernist millieau have often addressed critical issues.

On first glance, the web site should look identical to the original, the changes you make will be in terms of content – you are to duplicate the formal aspects. Replace text, re-configure logos, take your own photographs as needed. Choose your web site/source carefully! You are creating a visual form that seeks to mirror a given visual reality – that upon closer examination reveals itself through the alteration of content. You can address issues of politics, race, class, the environment, peace, war, etc. Keywords: parody, satire, commentary, humor, design, art, activism.

Timeline:

Monday – October 19^th – Assign Project

Wednesday – October 21^st – Lab Day/Work On Projects

Monday – October 26^th – Projects Due