In today's society most things are expressed through visual representations, people see them all the time - posters, photos, adverts, art work, even things that don't seem important to some like graffiti - but without people actually looking at these things they are meaningless.
Some images mean different things to different people - it can depend on how much they know about the image already, or their personal experiences. So they might relate to the image in a more personal way where as some might just glance at it and carry on past it.
Everything has meaning whether we realise it or not - sometimes it could be subliminal and other times it is very obvious - but it not until someone 'looks' at it and decodes what it is saying that the meaning becomes clear.
Visual Culture cont. - notes taken from:
"Practice of Looking, An Introduction to Visual Culture", Marita Sturken/Lisa Cartwright, Oxford University Press Inc, 2009
"Practice of Looking, An Introduction to Visual Culture", Marita Sturken/Lisa Cartwright, Oxford University Press Inc, 2009
Images, Power, & Politics
- Practice of Looking
- to make sense of the world
- no less important for the blind/visually impaired
- social practice - a choice/compliance
- looking involves relationships of power
- to communicate, influence, be influenced
- Representations
- the use of language and images to create meaning in the world around us
- words to understand/describe/define the world as we see it - can use images in the same way
- process of understanding the meaning of things in context takes place in our use of written/gestural/spoken/drawn representations
- material world has meaning - it's "seen" using representations
- idea of reflection or mimesis
- mimesis - defines representations as a process of mirroring/imitating the real
- Still life
- motivated by the desire to reflect or making meaning of material objects as they appear in the world
- 17th and 18th Century still life ranged from straight forwardly representational to deeply symbolic
Ceci n'eat pas une pipe, Magritte
- Photographic Truth
- associated with realism
- creation of an image through a lens involves choice through selection, framing, and personalisation
- Images and Ideology
- ideolodies are systems of belief that exist within cultures
- images - important for production of ideologies and ideologies to be projected onto
- people think of ideologies in terms of propaganda
- using false representations to lure people into holding beliefs that may compromise their own interests
These are some notes I made from; Practice of Looking, An Introduction to Visual Culture. From what I understand of it, looking is a very powerful and important tool and is not reserved for those who can see. Although I'm still not quite sure how looking would be important to the blind. Obviously they cannot see, but could it refer to them being aware of what is around them both physically and socially. Despite their lack of sight they would still know what is going on around them and around the world.
Everyone takes part in the practice of looking whether they realise it or not and it can be used to gain power over people - to influence people's choices or communicate ideas/intentions. Advertisements could be an example of how images and text are used to give meaning and influence people. They involve images to represent a product, sometimes not always living up to reality, and brief piece of text/dialogue to describe what it is, what it is for and why you should buy it, or just simply the price of the product. But sometimes that is enough to push people into purchasing the product but with other times, people might think that something's are 'too good to be true' or fall for a scam, because not all of the information is given, or if it is it is in the 'small print'. Now if people were to actually read it they wouldn't fall into these traps and would probably save themselves a lot of time and money in the process.
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| scene for St Trinians 2007 film |
But it is more than that; more often than not still lifes are paintings which have deep symbolic meanings. But as technology has progressed over time and society has become a digital one still life is too becoming digital, they could be photographs or computer generated images. Some example of digital still lifes can be found here: http://www.noupe.com/inspiration/a-showcase-of-still-life-digital-paintings.html
But not all photographs are still lifes, most of the time photographs are used to capture a scene, to preserve a memory on film, not just to prove that something happened.
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| Lord Kitchener - not actually a recruitment poster - was made up by a graphic designer for a magazine |
I think that the practice of looking is quite interesting, especially when you realise that it could be used negatively in so many ways. I'm not saying that it's good that it can be used against people but it makes you wonder just how often it is used to provoke/influence peoples choices/opinions in their day to day lives.
When looking into Visual Culture I came across the term 'Social Practice' and wanted to know exactly what it meant. so I looked it up online and found this on Wikipedia;
Social Practice
- it is a theory within Psychology
- it seeks to determine the link between practice and context within social situations
- its emphasised as a commitment to change - and it comes in 2 forms - activity & inquiry
- it is applied within the context of human development
- it involves knowledge production and the theorisation and analysis of both institutional and interventions practices
Sylvia Scribner
- sought to understand and create a decent life for all people regardless of geographical position/race/gender/social class through research
Scribner tried to dig into human mental functioning and its creation through social practice in different societal and cultural settings using anthropological field research and psychological experimentation
Scribner aimed to enact social reform and community development through and ethical orientation tat accounts for the interaction of historical and societal conditions of different institutional settings with human social and mental functioning and development
Activity SP involves engagement with communities of interest by creating a practitioner-community relationship wherein there remains a focus on the skills, knowledge and understanding of people in their private, family, community and working lives Activity theory suggests the use of a system of participants that work toward an object or goal that bring about some form of change or transformation in the community
Inquiry in research SP aims to integrate the individual with his/her surrounding environment while assessing how context and culture relate to common actions and practices of the individual
inquiry focuses on how social activity occurs and identifies its main causes and outcomes.Its been argues that research be developed as specific theory of SP through which research purposes are defined not by philosophical paradigms but by researcher commitment to specific forms of social action.
Areas of Interest
refers to adult-child interaction for observation in order to propose intentions and gauge the reaction of others
literacy is seen as a key dimension of community regeneration and a p art of the wider lifelong learning agenda
it is also considered to be an area of instruction for the introduction a of social practice through social language and social identity
literacy and numeracy are complex capabilities rather than a simple set of basic skills
Adult learners are more likely to develop and retain knowledge skills and understanding if they see them as relevant to their own problems and challenges
SP perspectives focus on local literacies and how literacy practices are affected by settings and groups interacting around print
repeatedly studied in education and critiqued in discourse many believe that it should be a field of social practice as it evokes emotion and discussion of social interactions and conditions people who believe that literature may be constructed as a form of social practice also believe that literature and society are essentially related to each other. These people attempt to define specific sociological practices of literature and share expressions of literature as works comprising text, institution, and individual. Overall, literature becomes a realm of social exchange through fiction, poetry, politics, and history
is also considered a medium for making art. SPA - Social Practice Art - was a response to the increasing amount of pressure within art education to work through both social and participatory formats
SPA is a term used to describe artwork which uses social engagement as a primary medium
SPA is also known as - socially engaged art, community art, new-genre public art, participatory are, interventionist art and collaborative art. Artists which work with SP develop projects by inviting collaboration with individuals/communities/institutions or a combo of all three - creating participatory art that exists in/outside of the traditional museum/gallery system
Artists working in SPA co-create their work with a specific audience or propose critical interventions within existing social systems hat inspire debate or catalyse social exchange
SPA focuses on the interaction between the audience, social systems and the artist through topics such as aesthetics, ethics, collaboration, persona, media strategies and social activism
Social interaction component inspires, drives, or, in some instances, completes the project. But projects may incorporate traditional studio media they are realised in a variety of visual or social forms (depending on variable contexts and participant demographics) such as performance, social activism or mobilising communities towards a common goal
Before 2005 the term 'social practice' was used in a branch of social theory that considered human relationships to each other and to the larger society and 'practices'. The term 'Art and Social Practice' was institutionalised in 2005 with the creation of social practice MFA concentration at the California College of Arts.
Visual Culture => all aspects that communicate through visual means
visual culture can have the power to conjure up an absent person form photos etc. it can also incite people to action or persuade them to do something
within visual culture images have different meanings when they are read by different people. so a photo of a dog can make one person smile, whilst making another sad depending on what they personally associate with the dog or just dogs in general.
some images can be read differently depending on how much a person actually knows about it eg the history, context of when it was taken, why it was taken etc.
so a picture of a sheep to some would just be a picture of a sheep , but others straight away would be able to tell you that that is Dolly the the sheep, the first cloned sheep, and maybe when and why she was cloned.
People are constantly reading images - a lot of the time without even realising that are doing it, using the practice of looking
the practice of looking is a way of making sense of the world. it is very important to everyone including those who are blind or visually impaired. it is classes as a Social Practice because whether it is a choice or just a compliance everyone does it often within a group or even 'reading' the same image as others just separately - eg newspapers/TV/Internet
SOCIAL PRACTICE AS A THEORY
looking involves relationships of power to communicate influence be influenced
representations refer to the use f language and images to create meaning in the world around us. text/words are used to understand/describe/define/ the world as people see it images can be used in the same way
a photograph is a way of capturing a scene/a moment in time - would this be classed as a representation? in a way I think it is, because it is a way of showing people the world.
the process of understanding the meaning of different things takes place in our used of written/gestural/spoken/drawn representations of them
Material World - has meaning - its 'seen' using representations
mimesis of the idea of reflection defines representations as a process of mirroring or imitating the real. still life could be an example of this
still life is motivated by the desire to reflect or make meaning of material objects as they appear in the world C17th and C18th still life arranged from straight forwardly representational to deeply symbolic. An example of till life as a representation is Magritte's Ceci N'est Pas Une Pipe
- this is not a pipe
- so called because it is just a painting of a pipe
Images and Ideologies are a part of visual culture
ideologies are systems of belief that exist within cultures
images are important for the production on ideologies and fro ideologies to be projected onto people think of ideologies in terms of propaganda where false representations lure people into holding beliefs that may compromise their own interests
- propaganda potters in the war
- "you're country needs you'
When looking into Visual Culture I came across the term 'Social Practice' and wanted to know exactly what it meant. so I looked it up online and found this on Wikipedia;
Social Practice
- it is a theory within Psychology
- it seeks to determine the link between practice and context within social situations
- its emphasised as a commitment to change - and it comes in 2 forms - activity & inquiry
- it is applied within the context of human development
- it involves knowledge production and the theorisation and analysis of both institutional and interventions practices
Sylvia Scribner
- sought to understand and create a decent life for all people regardless of geographical position/race/gender/social class through research
Scribner tried to dig into human mental functioning and its creation through social practice in different societal and cultural settings using anthropological field research and psychological experimentation
Scribner aimed to enact social reform and community development through and ethical orientation tat accounts for the interaction of historical and societal conditions of different institutional settings with human social and mental functioning and development
Activity SP involves engagement with communities of interest by creating a practitioner-community relationship wherein there remains a focus on the skills, knowledge and understanding of people in their private, family, community and working lives Activity theory suggests the use of a system of participants that work toward an object or goal that bring about some form of change or transformation in the community
Inquiry in research SP aims to integrate the individual with his/her surrounding environment while assessing how context and culture relate to common actions and practices of the individual
inquiry focuses on how social activity occurs and identifies its main causes and outcomes.Its been argues that research be developed as specific theory of SP through which research purposes are defined not by philosophical paradigms but by researcher commitment to specific forms of social action.
Areas of Interest
- Education - SP
refers to adult-child interaction for observation in order to propose intentions and gauge the reaction of others
literacy is seen as a key dimension of community regeneration and a p art of the wider lifelong learning agenda
it is also considered to be an area of instruction for the introduction a of social practice through social language and social identity
literacy and numeracy are complex capabilities rather than a simple set of basic skills
Adult learners are more likely to develop and retain knowledge skills and understanding if they see them as relevant to their own problems and challenges
SP perspectives focus on local literacies and how literacy practices are affected by settings and groups interacting around print
- Literature - SP
repeatedly studied in education and critiqued in discourse many believe that it should be a field of social practice as it evokes emotion and discussion of social interactions and conditions people who believe that literature may be constructed as a form of social practice also believe that literature and society are essentially related to each other. These people attempt to define specific sociological practices of literature and share expressions of literature as works comprising text, institution, and individual. Overall, literature becomes a realm of social exchange through fiction, poetry, politics, and history
- Art and Social Practice - SP
is also considered a medium for making art. SPA - Social Practice Art - was a response to the increasing amount of pressure within art education to work through both social and participatory formats
SPA is a term used to describe artwork which uses social engagement as a primary medium
SPA is also known as - socially engaged art, community art, new-genre public art, participatory are, interventionist art and collaborative art. Artists which work with SP develop projects by inviting collaboration with individuals/communities/institutions or a combo of all three - creating participatory art that exists in/outside of the traditional museum/gallery system
Artists working in SPA co-create their work with a specific audience or propose critical interventions within existing social systems hat inspire debate or catalyse social exchange
SPA focuses on the interaction between the audience, social systems and the artist through topics such as aesthetics, ethics, collaboration, persona, media strategies and social activism
Social interaction component inspires, drives, or, in some instances, completes the project. But projects may incorporate traditional studio media they are realised in a variety of visual or social forms (depending on variable contexts and participant demographics) such as performance, social activism or mobilising communities towards a common goal
- History
Before 2005 the term 'social practice' was used in a branch of social theory that considered human relationships to each other and to the larger society and 'practices'. The term 'Art and Social Practice' was institutionalised in 2005 with the creation of social practice MFA concentration at the California College of Arts.
Visual Culture => all aspects that communicate through visual means
visual culture can have the power to conjure up an absent person form photos etc. it can also incite people to action or persuade them to do something
within visual culture images have different meanings when they are read by different people. so a photo of a dog can make one person smile, whilst making another sad depending on what they personally associate with the dog or just dogs in general.
some images can be read differently depending on how much a person actually knows about it eg the history, context of when it was taken, why it was taken etc.
so a picture of a sheep to some would just be a picture of a sheep , but others straight away would be able to tell you that that is Dolly the the sheep, the first cloned sheep, and maybe when and why she was cloned.
People are constantly reading images - a lot of the time without even realising that are doing it, using the practice of looking
the practice of looking is a way of making sense of the world. it is very important to everyone including those who are blind or visually impaired. it is classes as a Social Practice because whether it is a choice or just a compliance everyone does it often within a group or even 'reading' the same image as others just separately - eg newspapers/TV/Internet
SOCIAL PRACTICE AS A THEORY
looking involves relationships of power to communicate influence be influenced
representations refer to the use f language and images to create meaning in the world around us. text/words are used to understand/describe/define/ the world as people see it images can be used in the same way
a photograph is a way of capturing a scene/a moment in time - would this be classed as a representation? in a way I think it is, because it is a way of showing people the world.
the process of understanding the meaning of different things takes place in our used of written/gestural/spoken/drawn representations of them
Material World - has meaning - its 'seen' using representations
mimesis of the idea of reflection defines representations as a process of mirroring or imitating the real. still life could be an example of this
still life is motivated by the desire to reflect or make meaning of material objects as they appear in the world C17th and C18th still life arranged from straight forwardly representational to deeply symbolic. An example of till life as a representation is Magritte's Ceci N'est Pas Une Pipe
- this is not a pipe
- so called because it is just a painting of a pipe
Images and Ideologies are a part of visual culture
ideologies are systems of belief that exist within cultures
images are important for the production on ideologies and fro ideologies to be projected onto people think of ideologies in terms of propaganda where false representations lure people into holding beliefs that may compromise their own interests
- propaganda potters in the war
- "you're country needs you'
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