To understand meme culture is to understand the society in which
we live. Small doses of ephemeral, visual humor that became part of popular
culture.
According to theorist Richard Dawkins, the meme is the smallest unit of cultural
information that one human being can transmit to another and has the ability, like
a virus, to spread throughout a social system. A meme is a complex network of
visual, written and even oral culture contained in a small image capsule and there
are currently people who are excluded within this circuit.
In a context in which the world conversation revolves, among other topics, around
the concept of a more inclusive society, Oniria\TBWA and Skol decided to put this
into practice, with the launching of “Meme +braille, diversión para todos”, the first
meme’s museum for visually impaired people.
On June 30, on World Social Media Day, SKOL opened the doors to this space
designed for blind people, creating an inclusive platform for digital humor and an
opportunity to experience networks in a fun and different way.
The exhibition is specially designed so that they could touch, listen and understand
what a meme is, responding to the belief that what amuses us must be for
everyone.
With a selection of the most memorable memes of recent times, the sample was
created to bring the humor of digital platforms to real life. These are: the surprised
pikachu, the stingy patrick, the puppy from "Everything is fine", the tearful Pepe
toad and the face with which it all started: the "Troll Face", recognized as the first
meme in history created in the 2008, which has become one of the most legendary.
The works were printed by Po Paraguay, with 3D printing technology to make the
memes a reality with a three-dimensional design and a special texture, perfect for
understanding the memes by touching them.
The museum was located in the Fundación Texo – a place prepared as a space for
contemporary art from around the world in Paraguay. Likewise, the call for the
event was made with the support of the Saraki Foundation. Furthermore, at the
time of visiting the exhibition, visitors can participate in the creation of their own
digital memes and then share them on their networks.
“Memes are already part of our culture, although it seems simple, we should not
underestimate its power, we know that a simple image can give a dose of
happiness to someone who needs it. We all love them and always share them, but
there is a group of people who cannot enjoy this because they have never seen a
meme in their life. In Paraguay there are more than 250,000 blind people and the
number continues to grow year after year”, explained Marcia Alarcón, Brand
Manager of Skol Paraguay.
An action that has allowed many to participate in the fun and humor, in a different
way, because what makes us think and amuses us at the same time should be for
everyone.
