With the passage of time, people develop interesting and sophisticated means of expression. Traditional art and photography has slowly given way to unorthodox approaches, and the definition of art itself can be highly contended. With the use of the online sphere, the development and growth of art has further expanded, using existing media, computer programs and unique tools to impress and captivate other people. One of the interesting trends of the recent years, which is deeply connected with the online sphere, is the change in internet culture and humor. The recently-emerging trend is the attempt to embrace post-irony and intentionally low quality as inherent part of humor. The memes of the recent times increasingly use their platform to lambast and make fun of existing properties and the culture of the past. The use of excessive editing and visual filter is an especially prominent part, as they serve to highlight the absurdity of contemporary internet culture. During my quest for inspiration, I have pondered on the artistic value and qualities of the so-called “deep-fried memes” and their contribution to the modern culture. I think that the intentional use of noisy imagery, distortion and editing filters creates a unique space of expression that further makes one question the purpose and definition of art itself. While I am currently unable to fully capture the spirit and qualities of absurd contemporary humour, I attempted to see how the excessive use of filters can influence an simple image.
I have not been able to identify the author of this image, as they freely distributed on the internet. Using this particular picture, I have tried to edit the saturation, color levels and other variables of a photograph of the sky until I managed to create something similar.
I think that the feel of the image I created is rather similar to the one presented above, as they both use contrasting colors and low visibility to create a mix of unease and confusion in the viewer.