While visiting Epic Universe with my family last December, I took this photo of the phoenix gate alleyway upon entering The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic. I was immediately struck by the dazzling mural on the wall and had to snap a photo. In cropping the the full image on the left, I was able to emphasize the magical artwork by zooming in on the mural and removing unnecessary background details. The woman’s face then became the focal point, and is placed in the top-right intersection point of the frame, following the rule of thirds. The derivative image on the right shows the details of the mural more clearly, and makes the text easier to read. “Libre comme l’air charme par Leviosa!”
As a young teen on the internet, I encountered many different genres of visual landscapes that characterized internet aesthetics. Vaporwave was by far my favorite one, with its post-modern blend of 80s and 90s art. It’s unique in that it is not only a visual aesthetic, but a “microgenre of electronic music and an internet-based art movement” (Vaporwave – aesthetics wiki – fandom).
My chosen image contains an array of identifiers that are reminiscent of the vaporwave aesthetic. Palm trees, pink and cyan pastel colors, and a retro atmosphere with distorted visual elements. In combination with the selected audio piece, the two create a smooth reverberated soundscape that enhances the image’s electric utopia. Evoking a sense of nostalgia, vaporwave is a surreal aesthetic that marries early 2000s technological futurism with lush fluorescent environments.
Terms of Use: “Forgotten Aesthetics of the Internet: Vaporwave” by Kayla Cardenas is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Reference: Vaporwave – aesthetics wiki – fandom. Aesthetics Wiki. (n.d.). https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Vaporwave
Hello class! My name is Kayla Cardenas, and I am currently a masters in information technology (MSIT) student at Florida State University. I received my bachelor of science (BS) in media communication studies from FSU in December 2024. I was born and raised in Miami, FL but currently reside in Tallahassee.
I work at FSU in the Paul Dirac Science Library as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Teaching, Learning & Engagement (TLE) department, specifically with GEOSET Studio. GEOSET (Global Educational Outreach for Science Engineering and Technology) is a nonprofit initiative founded by Nobel Laureate Sir Harold Kroto in 2006 with the aim of providing media creation resources to scientists, educators, and students worldwide through an (at the time) ground-breaking video hosting website. The GEOSET YouTube channel features an archive of a few of the hundreds of videos formerly located on the geoset.info website. Today, GEOSET at FSU offers free media production services for the entire FSU community.
Outside of my job and classes, I am the president of the UX Collective, a student organization dedicated to promoting the field of user-centered design and offering students from all backgrounds professional development oppotunities. In my free time, I enjoy playing video games and currently play on FSU’s collegiate esports team for the popular hero-based shooter Marvel Rivals.
As someone who produces academic videos for work, this class piqued my interest as a way to strengthen my skills and enhance my portfolio. By the end of the spring semester, I hope to have a media project under my belt that showcases the wide-range of skills I’ve picked up both through this class and my work.
I look forward to creating and learning alongside everyone!