nature culture

National Georgraphic August 2007

This ad seems to portray what Escobar terms Capitalist Nature. The expansive vista of the sky frames the KIA Amanti which in turn, through its rear window, frames the sunbather.  This ad is composed with a linear perspective focused on the aforementioned elements, as well the angular, modern [read: strictly geometric] and stark white design of the house. As the viewer, we are outside of this luxurious moment in this exclusive location. Its exclusivity is communicated by the expansive backdrop of the uninterrupted view of the sky, and the privateinfnity edge swimming poolnext to which the model relaxes. The image communicates that this type of relaxation in such a setting is the only way to enjoy the sky and blue waters. The car itself is parked near the pool on pristine white tiles, certainly not where one would expect a car to be, tellign us that the “well-appointed” yet relatively affordable KIA Amanti can be the regular person’s means to enjoying an attainable version of the ‘good life’.

The sunbather is completely anonymous in that we cannot discern any of her features, but we know that she is a woman becuase she is relaxes under the sun that we cannot see, wearing a white swimsuit. She is just a small part ofthe landscape, the only curves aside from those of the car and the coud formations. She is completely objectified as decoration for the car, as much as the skyscape is objectified to highlight the car. Add to that the fact that she is shown through the back window, doubly a reference to raer leg room for seated passengers, however the combination of her near nudity and recline dposition also obliquely refers to other [innuendo] backseat possibilities.

So we must ask, what is missing?

1) The person who sits inteh other beach chair, presumably the Man through whose eyes we may be looking. His view of his home, his car, his woman and private view.

2) Water fowl for starters. Land other than the tiled ground on which the car rests. This location is completely anonymous, unknown and unknowable beyond the implications of rarified air that most people who purchase a $26k car will never, ever know.

What is this ad communicating? About Nature?

This car is the way to appear wealthier and more refined to onlookers. Nature is nothing more than background colors and textures that can enhance the beauty of man made creature comforts, it is not spectacle in itself, only adornment for material possessions.

Myths of Nature in post-WWII National Geographic Car Advertisements by Shwandel N. Fraser is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

"Everyone can appreciate technologies that go from gas-friendly to gas-free"

National Geographic Magazine, October 2007,  Volume 212, No 4.

Nature as well-loved pet; In this beautifully nostalgic ad, Chevy has fashioned a present day Charlotte’s Web – styled narrative brilliantly in one image. Nature as represented by the absent spider tells us a story, or maybe she has left us humans a ‘Dear John’ letter.

She may be communicating that she is dependent on our purchase of ecologically sound Chevy technology to survive, or her absence may be one last note of her unconditional love for us, much like the unfailingly faithful slave of antebellum fiction.

This ad imagery also presents a Capitalist Nature, not only for the textual component promoting the proliferation of their technology for profit, but also in the way that the landscape [read: nature] is objectified, and we the viewer stand outside the frame of reference, which places us in a position of power. Both we and Charlotte are the subject/object in this ad. We are powerful by our ability to surveil and  affect her activity and vitality in the Foucauldian sense. Charlotte is subject both to our consumption choices (a la Katz 1998) as well as subject of the image. We also become the subject as Charlotte references us despite the fact that she cannot see us. Her love note is almost like a prayer lifted up to an unseen but believed in god. She if off living her life, hoping that her benefactor deity will recognize her undying affection and have mercy on her in these troubled times. She cannot see us, nor we her likely because she is too SMALL, though we have evidence of her [natural] love for us…puns! 

No matter the true narrative intent of the ad, this image certainly makes me want to hig and kiss every arthropod to  cross, and whisper a promise over its sensitive leg bristles that serve as ears, “I love you too…I vow to protect you and rewardyour undying affection…with a brand spanking new chevy automobile that i will drive for hundreds of low-emission miles across highways which fracture animal habitats and human neighborhoods! I will save nature, I will save you Charlotte. I drive…for YOU!”

Yes, I over dramatize, but tell me that you don’t feel the warm tingly from the warm lime-green? sunset reflecting off of the “xoxo” framed by fuzzy little clumps of moss?