“Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many.” – Phaedrus
I’ve long been a fan of Superimposition, using Photoshop to combine images and make them one – so much so that I can’t help considering scenarios in this way, sometimes with an image superimposed over a compatible image, sometimes paired with an unlikely choice; my mind goes there. In fact, the staff in our district posed for a group photo on the football field and I’ve superimposed the powerful image twice, once with all of us in a swimming pool during a September heat wave, and more recently with horn-of-plenty for Thanksgiving:
Superimposition is part of the visual literacy all around us today. My fifth and sixth grade students are well aware of the term Photoshop and can give examples of its use. So we talk a lot about the importance of using these technologies for good (not evil). We also discuss appropriation and citing sources with borrowed images if the artist is known.
Because we are 1:1 with iPads in my school, rather than Photoshop, my students used Autodesk Sketchbook app to create their Superimposition. I demonstrated the process with a live tutorial during the introductory class, while the students asked questions. Here is a video that shows the process:
Selecting images from their camera rolls as well as Google search app, students combined just two images in this first experience. I think they came out really well, especially considering the abstract and challenging process. Here are a few of the standouts:
You can see many more fifth and sixth grade iPad Superimposition pieces in our Artsonia gallery here: https://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=1635508