Extra Credits - Baltic Coutries

Sebastian Aguirre
Baltic Countries

     


Photomontage is when you arrange a lot of images, pretending to present an idea. Finland is a Baltic country that has many stereotypes, like snow and blonde women. In this description I will talk about the stereotypes of Finland and its relation to my photomontage.

     In this photomontage I present the basic stereotypes of Finnish people, like blonde women. Blonde women are a very usual stereotype because people around the world think that people form the north of Europe are blonde. This stereotype is kind of true due to the amount of blonde people in Finland, but not all of the population is blonde. Another stereotype is the snow. People think that in Finland there is always snow and polar bears. This stereotype is not true because Finland is a cold place, but only in the winter is when the snow comes, in summer there is no snow. Finnish people also have the stereotype of living in small houses, this is true, but the reason is because they spend a lot less than other houses.

     Finland has one of the best systems for education in the world. This system is very efficient. Finland has 100% rate of literacy, this shows the level of compromise that the Finnish government has with its people. The system make that education is free for all. Education is free at all levels, including universities and polytechnics. For entering polytechnics you have to give from 3 to 5 years of full time study.

     Environment is another part of Finland. Environment is very important for people of Finland, they pay a lot of taxes, around 46% of wage, and part of this percentage goes to ecology. Finland promotes the industrial ecology, which is the waste of factories is use as raw materials for other factories, and that way to make new products.

     As conclusion, Finland has many stereotypes; some of them are presented in this photomontage. Finland is the best country of the Baltic region due to its economy, its education system, and the way they preserved the environment.

Extra Credits

   A photomontage is the process and result of making a composite photograph by cutting and joining a number of other photographs. In this blog I´m going to describe a photomontage that I did, based on the global perception/stereotypes that people has of west Africa.

  The first thing that we can appreciate from this photomontage is the color red, this color represents all the blood that was spilled during the civil wars and during the independence war that every country had to face.  Another important part of the composition are the words, I selected this words because I think they can give us a clue of what is happening in this part of the world, thats why I selected the word WAR and NOT OVER. I also selected the phrase LAND OF ADVENTURE because besides all the problems that they are facing, this region also has its touristic part, that is well known because the safaris and the extreme activities that can be practiced here.

  The images that I selected are the ones that best describe the stereotypes that we have about this region, this images are elephants, diamonds, classic architecture of this region, a world map pointing towards this region of the world and also some pictures of desolation and the effects of the civil wars.

  In conclusion I selected those images because I think are the ones that can best describe the main stereotypes that we have of this region. I also selected images that show "happy" parts of this region because all the people thinks that all the things that happen in this region are bad, but in this way I can show that this is not true, that this is only a wrong STEREOTYPE.

Extra Credits

José Luis Castañeda 

A photomontage is a combination of several images that at the same time crates a single piece; in this case the merging of the pictures generates an idea. Because of several facts and events some countries had won a certain reputation or a global perception that is not always true and accurate. This photomontage is about the stereotypes that Russia has and I will like to explain the reasons why I chose this pictures.

Russia is a very known country because of its culture, strong economy, large armed forces, research and technology and a really important role in the world history.  Because of that most of the people think in the old Russia, the USSR and the communism that’s why I put some images of Joseph Stalin, USSR logo, the army and the flag. But in the other hand Russia it’s also known because of the culture and the beautiful architecture that’s why I put some folk dancers and the most representative building in Russia, located in Moscow, that is the Kremlin. Other think that comes to your mind when someone says Russia, is the space because of the role that this country played during the space race and also in present days in the International Space Station.

The image in the top left represents the stereotype that the Russians live all the time in the winter and that they all have beards. The Russian mafia is also popular among the country they are famous because of the smuggling of alcohol and drugs. Also I put two photos of the actual president, Vladimir Putin that is the typical Russian because of the face expression, the blue eyes, and the coldness that he projects. And in the center I put a hand holding a bottle of vodka because we all think that Russians drink vodka all the time and the funny part is that is actually true but not because they like to be drunk, the real reason is that they drink it to keep their body warm.

So as we can see the global perception or the stereotypes of Russia are mostly based on the past of the country and that the idea that we have is not that bad, the stereotype of the people it is quite accurate and that in most of the cases is true. The positive side of the stereotypes for me is that they are based on something and it’s pretty interesting to found out why.

Extra Credit Germany (Central Europe)

Germany

Germany is one of the most powerful countries along the world because of its development in all the aspects. Many of these aspects are reflected in different way in other regions, for example the perception that Americans have of Europeans is not the same as the one that Asians have of them (Europeans). The most representative aspects of a country can be stereotyped in a positive or negative way. Working with a photomontage we could see that many aspects are important parts of what the country really is, what I want to mean is that every little piece is fundamental. The stereotypes are also part of the structure that shapes the country. Let’s check some of the stereotypes made of Germany.

Talking about Germany the first thing that comes to my mind is the Second World War, because its end was the start of a new era for Germans that was the construction of the big empire that actually is. In the photomontage we can find many images that are a shallow view of the Second World War including the Nazi symbol, Hitler and finally a book that relates the war.

The other aspect that is very notable in the photomontage is the economy, but why? The reason why I put those images related with money was that they have a very strong and stable economy, and is interesting to mention that they have the highest GNP in the European Union. The German economy occupies the third place at global level.

The third aspect that I want to underlie of the photomontage is the image that has a woman saying “We can do it!” that was used in the United States in the period of the war, representing the strength that woman has and demonstrating that woman can do the same as men.

Another aspect easily found in the photomontage is the beer. Beer is a fundamental part of Germany, in a word, is Germany. Is well known that is the place where beer was born, and as sausages, is recognized globally.

The other aspects that are present but are not as crucial as others, are the personality, characteristics, skills, technologic and scientific developments, scenes of cities, nuclear plants, the Berlin wall, the president, the flag and the football team.

What I really wanted to do with my photomontage was to represent each aspect that forms the actual Germany, but also part of its history, include every detail of the country.

Extra Credit Western Europe

A photomontage is a combination of several photographs joined together either for art or to depict a single subject in an exceptional manner, better than the one which can be achieved with a single photograph. Throughout history different regions have been characterized both by common stereotypes and well known facts alike. In this essay we’ll explain the composition of my collage and how it represents stereotypes and well known facts of Western Europe; to be more specific France.

The main feature which can be contemplated is the use of three main colours Red, White and Blue. The usage of these colours has its origin within the flag and main symbol of French national unity and identity. Red represents the blood of the fallen, white represents perfection and purity whilst Blue is for the caring of the less fortunate. The usage of these three colours not only awakens a sense of pride and nationalism, but is appealing to the eye and therefore attracts its attention.

Another part of the composition consists mainly of the images and their meaning. In the collage, the usage of the images of “liberty”, the legionnaires from the French foreign legion and the French flag represent pride and love for the nation. The presence of fine food, architecture and former queen Marie Antoinette in the composition is used to represent the fine arts and cuisine as well as culture and intellectualism.

Out of the main characteristics present within the composition of this collage, it is important to highlight two important details. The first detail consists on the composition being shaped as the French Nation, which emphasizes the theme of the composition. The usage of stereotypes is the last and most important detail present in the composition. Stereotypes are depicted by pictures of Frenchman with berets, moustaches and striped shirts as well as baguettes and white flags used for surrendering. The stereotypes which have been related with this specific part of Western Europe have been carried upon throughout the years and help to depict part of France’s history. 

Extra credits

  

I pasted the most representative images about Argentina. When we think about Argentina, we think about:

•  Its soccer and its good players as Maradona and Lionel Messi. 
• Something typical  is tango and folcloric music.
• Che Guevara is an important character, although he didn´t do anything important there. He was born in Argentina
• Argentine literature has been very important in Latin America
• Christina Fernandez is Argentina´s president
• Argentinians political ideology is democracy, so the ballons that are coming out describe what democracy. 
• Its economy is very important and it´s in second place in South America 
• One of the most important things in Argentina is the production of meat, sunflowers and wine
• The typical food is Chimichurri sauce and a drink that is called "Mate", it is like a kind of tea
• Places are also beautiful. I pasted somo of them as Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, a famous glacier, island and a park in one of the most beautiful city of Argentina.
• Finally the man who is at the center is the argentinian stereotype; big nose, like vain, arrogant and disagreeable.

France Photomontage