Power Struggle

Artist: Hilary Sugg
Original Image Citation: Carol Guzy. "Power Struggle". Published in National Geographic Magazine (July 2018).


With Puerto Rico still struggling mightily after Hurricane Maria, thousands of the island's inhabitants still lack electricity and other basic amenities. Carol Guzy's photo captures the current needs of the island against the backdrop of what many used to imagine: blue-skied beaches in paradise. For my remix, I took the peaceful skies and built something different around it: a thriving ecosystem and an economy to support even the youngest generation of Puerto Ricans. A plane overhead and bolero hats resting on tree branches symbolize iconic Puerto Rican tourism, coupled with a kite that flies above, emblematic of leisure enjoyed from the center of San Juan to the far-out reaches of Vieques. Next to the mother and daughter reads "Power para los Puertorriquenos", a bilingual message of hope and solidarity for Puerto Ricans in this time of crisis.