Making Waves is a short story about a boat in the small fishing town of Lamu, Kenya.

Fishing has always been a mainstay in Lamu, but never the focus. It used to be a thriving port in the center of East African sea trade. Now it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, relying on the tourism and investment of foreigners. However, the story isn’t over yet and nearby, one of the largest ports in East Africa is currently being built by Chinese corporations (Weitere). Many residents feel anticipation and uncertainty. The impact of time seems overwhelming in the small town. It becomes easy to look back and think about how things have changed.

I wanted to capture this sense of reflection using strong contrasts. I wanted the past to be dynamic, first-person, flat, and dream-like. I wanted the present to be sober, realistic, slow, and distant. Smooth motion is used in the realistic gif, with lowered saturation to give a historic quality, and a noise-based dither to create grittiness. The graphic gif instead uses only 4 colors and no dither, creating a more artistic look reminiscent of cel shading.

Despite these differences, I tried to strongly couple the images through imagery and by using a shared frame rate, appealing to the imagination.

Rose-tinted nostalgia is a feeling many people can relate to. It’s an innate, affective reaction I commonly find in video. As discussed by McKay, these affects can also be wielded effectively and uniquely in the gif medium, making it an appealing choice. By reflecting on the past, I also try to hint at the future, and build on the “anti-corporate agenda” frequently underlying gifs (McKay), questioning the changes that a modern shipping port could bring to the town.

Mwita, Weitere. “Building of Lamu Port 20% Complete.” The Star, Kenya. The Star, Kenya, 16 Apr. 2017. Web. 22 May 2017.

McKay, Sally. “The Affect of Animated GIFs.” Art & Education. Art&education, 14 Sept. 2009. Web. 22 May 2017.