Taken from my final year photography project. Click on the photos to enlarge and see blurb below. It's one year old now, so perhaps a little technologically out of date considering the invention of the Xbox Kinect. Yet, the message is still just as important to remember when you consume those ads with the virtual personal trainers in virtual training environments. Don't waste your time trying to interact with your tele - it'll give you nothing back.
This visual piece contrasts how the virtual world presents an idyllic, simulated concept of exercise opposed to the natural, physical exertion we should be encouraged to experience in the real world; each portrait represents an opposing binary ideology.
With initial inspiration from Mona Brooks’ creative work on female athletes and Catherine Balet’s exploration into the dominance of media screens in our everyday lives, this project investigates more than just a game. The photographs symbolise an increasing reliance on technology and its substitution for real experiences. In today’s society, we should recognise and celebrate the reality of true female athleticism.
The overwhelming success of the Nintendo Wii and the fitness genre in digital gaming has fuelled a change in the media representation of women’s exercise. Modelled around traditional ideals of ‘femininity’ rather than physicality, the game’s approach has gradually transformed the way audiences think about exercising and skill, as well as the role women play in a sporting environment.
This visual piece contrasts how the virtual world presents an idyllic, simulated concept of exercise opposed to the natural, physical exertion we should be encouraged to experience in the real world; each portrait represents an opposing binary ideology.
With initial inspiration from Mona Brooks’ creative work on female athletes and Catherine Balet’s exploration into the dominance of media screens in our everyday lives, this project investigates more than just a game. The photographs symbolise an increasing reliance on technology and its substitution for real experiences. In today’s society, we should recognise and celebrate the reality of true female athleticism.
Words and pictures - Kathryn Beadle © 2010
I remember seeing this at the degree show. Very nice!
ReplyDeleteThanks Claire :)
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