I’ve recently been researching Internet memes and am finding some really interesting parallels with works I’ve read on the topic of Détournement. Guy Debord’s Methods of Détournement, for example, talks specifically about combining “two worlds of feeling,” which I take as representing the modern notion of the meme as a template for creation. Here’s the full quote:

“The mutual interference of two worlds of feeling, or the bringing together of two independent expressions, supersedes the original elements and produces a synthetic organization of greater efficacy. Anything can be used.”

The idea of using two memes allows for a powerful juxtaposition that culturally noisier work might prevent, or at least complicate. The lolspace project is really interested in making almost-parody using the lolcat Internet meme and the template of space as virgin and space exploration as phallic as represented on so many space music records from the sixties. While obvious on the album covers, the motivations and cultural implications are far-reaching and emblematic of imperialism. Our full artist statement is below:

In the past year, the internet meme Lolcats has exploded into the particpatory culture’s consciousness. By mixing humorous sayings and adorable images of cats and other pets, Internet users created détournement which critiqued this most despised Internet content (see cuteoverload.com). Blogs such as icanhascheezburger.com and lolsecretz.blogspot.com quickly created infectious content, establishing communities around the Lolcat internet meme and propagating its form.

By utilizing the Lolcats meme frameworks we aim to establish critical dialogue around the representations of space as virgin and space exploration as phallic. Space pop album covers often illustrate this dialog, representing women as sexual objects, men as debonaire explorers/conquerers and space as other. The innocent tone of the “lolspeak” text allows for subversive messages. By displaying these images in an interactive weblog (up soon at lolspace.org) similar to their inspirations, we also challenge the space of the gallery.