Two Worlds Collide

Somehow I skipped a post so this is my make up post!
Aziz and Cucher relates to the ideas presented in the lecture "A Collision of Two Worlds" by showing us just how they can manipulate the looks of an actual photograph. Even though we know people like these items captured from the Dystopia Series could never be real, they make us double take and assume at first glance that they are real because of the work of art being an actual photograph, even if it is manipulated. It really took me a long time to contemplate my interpretation about this artwork because I’m not sure what my interpretation is. When I look at these images, they make me question who these people are and what they are feeling. Although a lot can be told by looking at someone’s eyes I cannot do that with these portraits. Yet, even though parts of the facial portions are gone so I cannot read their expressions, I feel that the people in these images are sad and lonely. When I look at them, I immediately feel somber and a sense of longing to be able to help these people through the rough times they seem to be having. Although I find these images unsettling, I still have a yearning to reach out to them and help them in any way I can.
Manipulated digital images are very disturbing to me. Just when you think you could be looking at something that was captured in a real situation, you find out that it has been altered and changed from its original layout. I don’t like the idea of manipulating digital images because of the fact that when you look at a photograph, you believe that something like that exists, and to find out it is not is worrisome, because who knows how many times you look at a photograph, thinking that it is real, and it has been altered in some way. A huge controversy comes to mind when I think of this. Models, actors, actresses, singers, etc. all seem to be very beautiful. Sometimes I wonder how come I never meet these perfectly proportioned, drop-dead gorgeous men and women on the street, but come to think of it, it can all be adjusted with photoshop! That’s a scary thought, knowing that men and women everywhere worry and struggle with their appearances because they look in the mirror and all they see is themselves as they are, not with beautiful lips, flawless skin, and perfectly proportioned busts and butts, not to mention with those flat, six-pack abs that they never work out but come naturally. It is sad and discouraging to many people around the world to see this kind of fantasy world that all these amazingly beautiful people live in. It makes many people feel the urge to become one of these people, and this is the reason so many people turn to drastic measures, spending obscene amounts of money on things such as cosmetic surgery, insane diets, or expensive cosmetics, to attempt to receive these results.