generalhowe.tumblr.com In a first world society we are enabled to be ignorant and we often blind our selves from the brutal realities around us. We give up cultural control for comfort and pleasure. Subverting an existing message is a means to taking back cultural control that otherwise is ruled by higher orders of power such as corporations or governments. In street art there are these special moments where you can subvert an existing message to communicate an original idea. Sometimes it’s as simple as making a slight change to a public Ad, appropriating the iconography of a traffic sign, or installing an image to a derelict wall. The Internet provides the same opportunities in the digital space. The Animated Disasters of War Gifs are modified versions of childhood cartoons fighting in the 21st century context. The file format .gif is used to repurpose and share nostalgic animation juxtaposed with the realities of war and terrorism. I relish the moments where I can loop an innocent moment in a cartoon to express a raw truth that we wish not to discuss. This body of work is intended to educate future generations about war in the early 21st century and use new media to engage a timeless topic within art history. The breadth of the Internet makes it possible to share and spread a message across the World Wide Web. Working in the street can have an effect on a local village but working on the Internet can impact the global village.