GAZA
SAN FRAN
I chose to tackle this story when I was still contemplating whether I should limit my focus to just media and technology related problems. I wanted to show the flipside and trickle-down effects that these huge modern technology corporations, like Google and Twitter, can have on the economy and way of life in a place like San Francisco. This was my first flip and I focused a lot more on the images, with only a title to engage the audience of this reality.
This was the most challenging and time consuming situation to tackle. It required a lot of research and was extremely hard to try and explain. This was the first story where the amount of written work increased and in a way I wish I had oversimplified it and approached it from a different angle. However, I am satisfied that I now understand what is happening in the Ukraine. If people are willing to spend a little more time on this flip I believe they may gain a greater understanding also.
Ferguson is one of my favourite flips, mostly due to the images I found and the fact that the situation did not shift and change as drastically, so I believe the information will remain more relevant. The protest signs also covered a lot of the social, cultural and political circumstances. In a sense these signs are an art form rather, which is why I think this flip captures some more aspects of Aesthetic Journalism than a lot of the others.
UKRAINE
FERGUSON
behind the flipside
This site has stemmed from my studies in International Media & Digital Media. I have used this project to explore my curiosity for Aesthetic Journalism while uncovering my interest for understanding global issues and events. Due to time and resource restrictions this site is an aggregation of information I have sourced from many fantastic photographers, passionate journalists and dedicated researchers.
While this page may not have a wide reach, I have undoubtedly enjoyed making it and I hope that those who do visit will leave with a greater grasp on our global reality.
Leah T Foster, 21yrs
BCM Student, university of wollongong, nsw, australia
wordpress site
Contextual essay
“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of
perception.”
Aldous Huxley
FUKUSHIMA
GHANA
This was a more motivating situation to explain and I believe people need to understand the extent of this nuclear disaster, as it is a global problem that if not handled effectively could have detrimental effects on humanity and the environment. It was hard to find high quality images that captured the extent of this natural and nuclear disaster, however VICE provided some extremely interesting and useful interviews and quotes.
Being a media student it was surprising to me how many of my friends and acquaintances had no idea what e-waste even was, let alone the full extent of the damage it is causing in many impoverished nations. I believe it is crucial for our generation to understand the flipside of our technological consumer trends, even to just be consciously aware of where our outdated gadgets are ending up. I found the images extremely effective, as you realise how quickly things like computers, Tv's and phones go from the 'top of the market' to a tech trash pile in Ghana.
UGANDA
HONG KONG
NORTH KOREA
INDIA
JOURNALISM
EARTH
Homophobia in Uganda was actually pretty complicated to research. It was hard to find any stand-out photographs that captured Uganda's reality. Especially just how much rage and hatred so many religious Ugandans feel towards homosexuals in their communties. Due to this I focused more on statistics and quotes to portray how influential 'faith', evangelicals and the West can be to a vulnerable country like Uganda.
Originally I was going to explore Hong Kong as a megacity, focusing on life outside the busy fincancial hub, however with the recent events occuring on the island it began unfolding into a larger discussion. I found Hong Kong and China's future an extremely interesting topic, especially what lies ahead for the Pearl River Delta mega cities.
I am researching 'North Koreas Digital Underground' in another subject, and I realised it would make an interesting story to cover. I already knew there were some really powerful images out there and I already had a lot of the information. Being a media student it is fascinating to watch a country develop technologically, especially under circumstances like in North Korea.
I decided to tackle a more positive story, and this information, mostly from a TED talk, really interested me. While this research stems from India it is really a broader discussion about the future of our education system and where technology can take it. I believe people should be more concious of the outdated systems that we still have in place. While it is a risk to adapt and change archaic institutional systems that have worked in the past, like the education system, we should not risk immobility as a result of fear.
As this site stems from an interest in Aesthetic Journalism, I thought it would be extremely helpful and relevent to draw attention to some of the injustices, sacrifices and dangers that foreign freelance journalists face. Especially when trying to uncover and share vital and necessary information from war-torn countries. This information links directly with aesthetic journalisms call for a media literate audience, especially in an age where trivial news pieces can often receive more attention than life-risking stories and information retrieved by local and foreign journalists.
For my last story I decided to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Understanding aesthetics links directly with perspective, truth and reality. For me this site has helped shape my global perspective, which, essentially, was the most important goal for me. This project was merely an opportunity for me to explore my interests and start building on the things I have learnt and discovered in this media degree. It is a shame that I made the snap decision to choose Wix as a platform, because of the clunky, tacky and un-professional appearance of this site I will not be promoting or posting 'The Flipside'. However, I do intend on maintaining and further establishing 'The Flipside' Twitter account.
This was a bigger issue to tackle and it was tricky considering the situation in Gaza has been constantly evolving and changing, and even now this information seems relatively outdated. I decided to only use short quotes, mostly found from articles online and from documentaries. I did not delve as deeply into Gaza, keeping the information limited allowing the images to speak for themselves. Compared to a flip like Ukraine Gaza provides a lot less written information.