Guy Debord: A User's Guide to Detournement

As a barely educated designer/artist I love learning how many techniques are not just happenstance, but are techniques that have been studies and defined.

I have always found it mesmerizing when art, advertisements, and cinema reference works or events in pop culture, not to justify their work but to enhance it by adding extra levels of meaning. Little did I know that this is called detournement. Guy Debord encourages artist to take elements from anywhere to make new works. He is not encouraging plagiarism or mere remixing but to use the borrowed material in a new way to elevate your designs.

In the reading it seems as detournment was a popular tool for propaganda.  In modern times I witness detournment in music cinema, television and printed materials. In a sense it could be viewed as propaganda as detournment is a way for the artist to propel their message further.  Personally, as I learn the definitions of detournment, I see it as a subjective tool as well.  For example, with deceptive detournment we are relying on the viewer to  know the work we are referencing, and we are relying that their  interpretation of the referenced work is the same as ours.  That subjective ambiguity allows for viewer to ponder the meaning of the work at hand thus making it more interesting.

A User’s Guide to Détournement - Samuel Gallardo

Ok so my understanding of this topic isn't to great if i'm completely honest. In my opinion it is OK to take something already made and continue to add on it in order to achieve a goal. The goal should be to either make the piece better or to make alterations to make it have a different meaning / story.
Simply taking someones work and not giving credit isn't just wrong but can lead to big negative actions taken against you. And if you are inspired by a piece than justify where your intentions came from and not just say here's my work now take it.

Rich but poor. my sec project.

rich but poor

Detournement

Detournement which is a french word means, avoiding, changing ways, or something like, running away from something. for example, while filming, something that we didn't plan comes on and what to do is to try to avoid. we call it detourner.  what i understand from the reading is, sometimes while making detournement, we come across interesting things.

Narrative

To me, it's most interesting story. old or new.  i love my narrative stories. and i always think of making a movie using them. in africa for example; people live according to narrative stories. through them, they learn from old one's mistakes and on...

Metaphor of vision

The reading is to make filmmakers understand how to think and view in a new way. what i really liked was the way stan explains explains a way of how to become inspired just by modifying another one's idea. which is somehow plagiarism lol

kino eye

The camera plays a huge role here. it's like a mechanical eye. it's showing and records things that a human eye can not. using tech, it's can be positioned in different angles to show the scene.