Grant #111
Spawn of the Gerrymander
October 13, 2014
When the ugly side of politics rears its head, that’s when Rob Walker steps in!
Who remembers that misshapen 19th century monster, the Gerrymander? Rob Walker does! Inspired by the iconic infographic, Rob’s paying homage to it with his own “Spawn of the Gerrymander”, to ignite the minds and imaginations of today’s social-media savvy population.
His mission: to highlight the contemporary manipulation of congressional-district boundaries, for strictly political reasons. The problem is more prevalent than ever, with contorted districts drawn to “ensure incumbent parties stay in power, exacerbating ideological polarization and legislative gridlock.”
With six illustrators in tow, Rob plans to merge disparate graphics of the unnatural shapes of six blatantly “gerrymandered” 2014 Congressional districts. These spawn will take the form of illustrations and animated GIFs to spread through social media, and likely reach a wider audience than less-hip treatments of the issue. Rob has used his grant to compensate the amazing artists helping to make the new millennium Gerrymander a reality.
Artist: Joe Alterio
Artist: Leif Parsons
Artist: Lisa Congdon
Artist: Oliver Munday
Artist: Jennifer Daniel
Artist: Steve Brodner
To find out more inside the inventive mind of Rob, visit Design Observer AND his website. Then, head over to Twitter for the latest on how social media can be used to make memes that matter.
