“Operation Crossroads Baker” credited to the United States Department of Defense. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain in the United States.
“Oh, Christmas Tree” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
I am always a fan of dark humor and this particular combination of media certainly scratches that itch. I was scrolling through the creative commons websites while listening to music and I was on a fairly upbeat song when I came across this image and I could not help but laugh at it. At that point I started my hunt across various creative commons audio websites to find just the right sound that would maximize the juxtaposition between it and the horrific nature of nuclear weapons. I eventually came across a creative commons instrumental version of “Oh, Christmas Tree” that got the effect I was looking for.
The image of the nuclear explosion of the Crossroads Baker Test is both informative and sobering, showing the terrible nature of weapons of mass destruction. This is hard juxtaposed with the well known and very positive feeling the Christmas song “Oh, Christmas Tree”. These two clashing media forms something that I hope can invoke feelings that would contrast against the horrific nature of nuclear weapons.
Hello Connor, it’s nice to e-meet you! Seeing your image of a nuclear explosion matched with “Oh, Christmas Tree” also made me laugh when I first saw it, so I appreciate your dark humor! For the audio, I may have let the title influence me to do something Christmas-y or upbeat (like a carnival or children playing perhaps). For the image of the nuclear explosion, I definitely would have done a typical explosion sound or maybe a rock song like an opening to the explosion that you may see in a movie. I definitely would not have had this same level of creativity by combining these, but I think this is much better and more unique! Were there other photos or audios that you thought about using that didn’t make the cut? I also noticed that the links were not included in your citations, it took me a try or two, but make sure that you press enter or click the link below when inputting your link, otherwise, it won’t attach to the word and/or phrase.
Hi Connor,
The idea of pairing two antithetical medias together is super fun! I’m also a fan of dark and dry humor so your post is one that resonates with me. I like that I can see your whole image on my laptop screen and hear the full audio simultaneously. While the pairing of a Christmas song with the image of an explosion is not something you would expect to be combined, I think the user experience you were going for could have been stronger with an upbeat, tropical sounding audio. For me, the juxtaposition of Christmas and an explosion off the coast is drastically different and some of the desired effects are diminished. I’m looking forward to what other fun things you post this semester! Happy posting. 😊
Hi Connor!
I, for one, have a kick for dark humor so I appreciate you bringing some of this into your creativity. Listening to the audio paired with the photo made me giggle a bit but I was humbled immediately because I could hear my friends ask me about my mental capacity–haha. I only know a little bit about what led to the explosion and the testing they did to ensure the product performed how the United States Department of Defense proposed. I would’ve probably paired the photo with audio that has a foreboding tone leading to a climatic event because of the process it took for the Department of Defense to get a team facilitated to develop such a powerful bomb. However, the festive nature of the song you chose certainly adds an unexpected layer of irony as opposed to the destructive, jarring, and zestful nature the photo provides above. I feel like your choice emphasizes the absurdity and dark humor in the situation, making any viewer pause and reflect on the gravity of this event. My choice of audio would’ve made it too serious and emotional for the viewer, in comparison to your long-lasting impressive creativity of choosing something more festive. Thank you for sharing this!
Hey Connor!
I definitely can say your post tapped into my morbid sense of humor tonight. I believe you truly understood the meaning of this assignment when asked to make a good contrast between visual and audio examples. I guess laughing is ok since this was a test of a nuclear weapon and no people were harmed (that we know of). I like how the black and white medium also adds to the contrast of the music where you would imagine a green Christmas tree lit with colorful lights and a star or angel on top. I truly think this was the best post I saw this week. Amazing work!