Assignment One FINAL

When researching a visual text such as a painting, film, etc, it is always important to clarify its context and background information. We simply cannot rely on what we already know or think we know; more research on the background and context must always be done to think critically about the author’s message. However in a world where networking is global, it results in a surplus of false information; how do we think critically about visual texts while still keeping to the facts?

McCoy, Glenn. A Political Cartoon about Hilary Clinton. Digital image. The Week. 2016. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.

Mirzeoff had stated that seeing the world is “not about how we see it but what we make of what we see.” (Mirzoeff. 73) In other words, we put together information we have gathered from life experiences and past research to create a sense of understanding of our world. But how does this work in terms of research and contextualizing? What we already know or think we know is not enough to think critically about visual texts. For example; we understand current trends such as viral videos or political cartoons because they are current. Years later, they will be dated, and then eventually, incomprehensible. We need to research and fill in the background with conclusive, valid information rather than what we think we already know, to create an “awareness of the context in which these were designed, produced, used and understood, contribute to a fuller understanding and appreciation…” (Clarke. 24 – 25.) Looking at visual texts and their context with information we already know (without research) is never enough; there is always going to be context we do not understand, background information we need to fill in the gaps for. In an art and design practice; furthering our understanding is important in researching and contextualizing visual texts.

Top Trends for 2014, Ranked by Global Significance. Digital image. The Conversation. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.

While we do research and contextualize visual text, the internet is the common go to for knowledge. However there is a surplus of false information out there in the net; this will hinder our own research and thinking critically about visual texts. According to The Conversation, News outlets of today often cannot compete with the spread of information by social media; be it Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, etc. This more than often results in high-profile mistakes when news outlets use information (or rather, misinformation) from social media. An example of a high profile mistake was during the Boston Marathon Bombing’s anniversary, 22-year-old Sunil Tripathi was accused of being a suspect by Reddit’s community. This led to the New York Post to publish his face and name on the front page; Tripathi had nothing to do with the bombings. When the spread of misformation is so vast and almost all-compassing, how can we research and contextualize visual texts? While we research, we need to confirm and validate information we gain from the internet before we use it in any way in our art and design practices. Without verified information and context, we risk the mistake of either spreading misinformation ourselves or misunderstanding the visual texts contexts.

In conclusion; in order to clarify the procedure of closely examining and thinking critically about visual text and information for art and design practices we need to gather verified and correct information to broaden our understanding of how we see our world, rather than relying on what we already know. This contributes to our fuller understanding and appreciation of visual texts, their contexts, and author’s message. In saying this, while we research background information to fill in the gaps, especially using the internet, we always need to verify our facts and information and be cautious of misinformation. This could result in misunderstanding the visual texts and their context we want to think critically about if not careful about the information we gather.

Resources:
Clarke, Michael “Language and Meaning”. Verbalising the Visual: Translating Art and Design into Words. Lausanne, Switzerland: AVA Publishing, 2007. Print
Mirzoeff, Nicholas. chapter 2: ”How We Think About Seeing”. How to See the World. London; Pelican, 2015. Print. 73
Vis, Farida. “Hard Evidence: How Does False Information Spread Online?” The Conversation. 06 Apr. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
Shontell, Alyson. “What It’s Like When Reddit Wrongly Accuses Your Loved One Of Murder.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 26 July 2013. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.

 

Draft II (Assignment One)

Explain why the process of looking closely and thinking critically about visual texts are important to the art and design practices.

Paraphrased essay topic: Clarify why the procedure of closely examining and thinking critically about visual information/text is important to the art and design practices.

 When researching a visual text such as a painting, film, etc, it is always important to clarify its context and background information. We simply cannot rely on what we already know or think we know; more research on the background and context must always be done to think critically about the author’s message. However in a world where networking is global, it results in a surplus of false information; how do we think critically about visual texts while still keeping to the facts?

 

McCoy, Glenn. A Political Cartoon about Hilary Clinton. Digital image. The Week. 2016. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.

Mirzeoff had stated that seeing the world is “not about how we see it but what we make of what we see.” (Mirzoeff, Nicholas. Chapter 2. How We Think About Seeing. How to See the World. 73) In other words, we put together information we have gathered from life experiences and past research to create a sense of understanding of our world. But how does this work in terms of research and contextualizing? What we already know or think we know is not enough to think critically about visual texts. For example; we understand current trends such as viral videos or political cartoons because they are current. Years later, they will be dated, and then eventually, incomprehensible. We need to research and fill in the background with conclusive, valid information rather than what we think we already know, to create an “awareness of the context in which these were designed, produced, used and understood, contribute to a fuller understanding and appreciation…” (Clarke, Michael. “Language and Meaning.” Verbalizing the Visual: Translating Art and Design into Words. Lausanne, Switzerland: AVA Publishing, 2007. 24 – 25. Print.) Looking at visual texts and their context with information we already know (without research) is never enough; there is always going to be context we do not understand, background information we need to fill in the gaps for. In an art and design practice; furthering our understanding is important in researching and contextualizing visual texts.

 

Top Trends for 2014, Ranked by Global Significance. Digital image. The Conversation. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.

While we do research and contextualize visual text, the internet is the common go to for knowledge. However there is a surplus of false information out there in the net; this will hinder our own research and thinking critically about visual texts. According to The Conversation, News outlets of today often cannot compete with the spread of information by social media; be it Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, etc. This more than often results in high profile mistakes when news outlets use information (or rather, misinformation) from social media. An example of a high profile mistake was during the Boston Marathon Bombing’s anniversary, 22 year old Sunil Tripathi was accused of being a suspect by Reddit’s community. This led to the New York Post to publish his face and name on the front page; Tripathi had nothing to do with the bombings. When the spread of misformation is so vast and almost all compassing, how can we research and contextualize visual texts? While we research, we need to confirm and validate information we gain from the internet before we use it in any way in our art and design practices. Without verified information and context we risk the mistake of either spreading misinformation ourselves or misunderstanding the visual texts contexts.

In conclusion; in order to clarify the procedure of closely examining and thinking critically about visual text and information for art and design practices we need to gather verified and correct information to broaden our understanding of how we see our world, rather than relying on what we already know. This contributes to our fuller understanding and appreciation of visual texts, their contexts and author’s message. In saying this, while we research background information to fill in the gaps, especially using the internet, we always need to verify our facts and information, and be cautious of misinformation. This could result in misunderstanding the visual texts and their context we want to think critically about if not careful about the information we gather.

Resources:
Clarke, Michael “Language and Meaning”. Verbalising the Visual: Translating Art and Design into Words. Lausanne, Switzerland: AVA Publishing, 2007. Print
Mirzoeff, Nicholas. hapter 2: ”How We Think About Seeing”. How to See the World. London; Pelican, 2015. Print. 73
Vis, Farida. “Hard Evidence: How Does False Information Spread Online?” The Conversation. 06 Apr. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
Shontell, Alyson. “What It’s Like When Reddit Wrongly Accuses Your Loved One Of Murder.” Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 26 July 2013. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.

Draft 1 (Assignment One)

Assignment one topic: “Explain why the process of looking closely and thinking critically about visual texts are important to art and design practices.”

My key arguments:
What we already know or think we know isn’t enough and always needs further research or context.
Because our network is global, there is a surplus of false information meaning we need to make our own investigation.

 Brainstorm of relevant information

Introduction (Mirzoeff)

• Mass media = Universal Medium
• Global networking is there to create, send and view images of all kinds from photographs, videos, art and animation.
• Our world is now visual: media such as photographs are now our way of seeing the world.
• Visual Culture involves things we see, the mental model we all have of how to see and what we can do as a result; “How do we see the world?”
• It involves how to see the world in a time of dynamic change and vastly expanded quantities of imagery, implying many different points of views. It is not the same world like five years ago.
• Change in one place matters everywhere else in the world.
• There is a new “us” on the internet and using the internet, that is different from any “us” that print culture or media culture has seen before.
• Anthropologist Benedict Anderson described “imagined communities” created by print culture so that readers of a specific newspaper world come and feel they had something in common.

Chapter 2 (Mirzoeff)

• Modern visual technology is now a part of the learning process.
• 2006 study from University of Rochester showed that playing video games improved both peripheral and central visual perception. There has been improved hand-eye co-ordination noted. Visual games help us see better. (Not sure if this is going to be relevant later..)
• Probabilistic Influence: Decisions we make based on incomplete information, such as choices made while driving.
• We put together an understanding of the world that makes sense from what we already know or what we think we know.

Visualizing the Visual (Michael Clarke)

• We constantly verbalize our visual experiences; a substantial part of our conversations with others is taken up by our need to give some idea or impression of people, things, places, etc they had not seen for themselves.
• Culture of visual communication
• Still need to articulate in words our response to visual culture by naming, describing, contextualizing, analyzing, interpreting and evaluating,

Reading Texts

• Context is the who, what, where, when and why that surrounds every word, image or artifact. How does it connect to the world, both past and present.
• We understand stuff like viral videos, political cartoons and such because they are current. Years later, they will seem dated and then decades later it will be incomprehensible unless there’s background information; hence the need for research.

The Conversation (Hard Evidence: How does false information spread online?)

• As of 2014, the World Economic Forum had reported that one of the top ten trends was the concern over rapid spread of misinformation online, specifically social media’s role in this problem.
• More than ever, news organizations focus more on correct information rather than breaking news. This is the result of high profile mistakes within news outlets that used social media information.
• An example of a high profile mistake was during the anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombings, information posted onto the website Reddit led to two suspect images being printed on its front page. These people had nothing to do with the bombings.
• Time consuming verification practices makes it near impossible for news outlets to compete with social media; online verification is now increasingly important if it allows for reporting of online information to be factually correct.
• The 2013 internet survey has shown that trust in the reliability of online information has changed little among British internet users of the past ten years. In fact internet users identify the internet as the most reliable source of information over radio and television (over non internet users).
• The author of the survey suggests that “This stability suggests that users have learnt to what extent they can trust information online. In this light, we can see that people have a learned level of skepticism about information that can be found online, which is contrary to many expectations of people being unduly influenced by misinformation distributed online.”

Resources:

Clarke, Michael “Language and Meaning”. Verbalising the Visual: Translating Art and Design into Words. Lausanne, Switzerland: AVA Publishing, 2007. Print
Mirzoeff, Nicholas. “Introduction”. Chapter 2: “”How We Think About Seeing”. How to See the World. London; Pelican, 2015. Print.
Ruszkiewicz, John J., Daniel Anderson, and Christy Friend. “Reading Texts.” Beyond Words: Cultural Texts for Readings amd Writing. 3rd Ed. Boston: Pearson, c2012. Print
Vis, Farida. “Hard Evidence: How Does False Information Spread Online?” The Conversation. 06 Apr. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
Dutton, W.H. and Blank, G., with Groselj, D. (2013) Cultures of the Internet: The Internet in Britain. Oxford Internet Survey 2013. Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford.

Reading Comprehension: The Author’s Voice

Today I did the reading for “Critical Thinking.” Beginning University: Thinking, Researching, and Writing for Success by Andrew Wallace, Tony Schirato and Phillippa Bright.
The text was easy enough to read, has an informal yet direct tone; it is as if I am talking to a tutor or lecturer I already know and that is comforting. A lot of the pronouns they use in the text are you; the text is speaking directly to me to think more critically rather than do surface learning. As I had said before; it is as if a tutor or lecture I am familiar with is talking to me directly.
The author positions themselves as an adviser, tutor and educator; constantly saying “you”, directly to the reader and advising us to broaden our thinking and explaining to us what critical thinking is.
The direct but informal tone, the constant use of the pronoun “you” and that sense of teaching/advising draws my attention more as a reader. I feel like the author had written this for me, or someone of my age group, thus making it easier of them to reach out to us. It is easy to read/comprehend, and despite there being a lot of information, it doesn’t feel like it is being jammed down my throat (Like I feel some lessons do).
I did enjoy reading the text; I feel like I have understood what critical thinking is to a more advanced level (if there is such a thing) and learnt other terms or “branches” of critical thinking like Creative Thinking, Reasoning, Evaluating, etc.

Written Response: Why context is important to looking and thinking critically about a visual text

Too often we will encounter texts or concepts we do not understand and therefore need to find a context for it in order to properly understand it. Context is the “who, what, where, when and why that surround every word, image or artifact.” (Annals, Alison, Abby Cunnane and Sam Cunnane. “Working with Images and Ideas”, Saying What We See: How to Write and Talk about Art. North Shore, N.Z.: Pearson Ed. N.Z., 2009 15 – 39. Print).
Understanding the context and critically thinking go hand and hand; we have to critically engage the text and therefore consider the creators ideas/concepts.
For example we will encounter a painting/work of art from the 16^th century; we as students could be doing an essay or a response to this. Questions we have to ask to find out the context are:

• When was it made?
• What was going on that time period? What were the socio-political and religious stances at the time?
• What were the trends, attitudes and fashion?
• Does this work respond to a specific event?
• What were its intended audience and its reaction at the time?

Jean-Honore Fragonard. The Swing. 1767. Oil on Canvas. Wallace Collection. London.

Jean-Honore Fragonard, an 18^th century artist, had done a painting called “The Swing” in 1767; unknowingly to anyone who first sees the work, it is laden with sexual connotations and context. At first it looks like an innocent painting but it actually depicts an affair. Enlightenment philosophers at the time targeted this particular painting due to its frivolity and demanded more noble depictions of man.
However not a lot of people, unless they do art history, will pick up the context at first glance; in fact context is most noticed when missed. This is the same of all visual texts; at its debut, it would’ve been understood because it was current at the time. But years will pass and the context will become incomprehensible unless there is background information, like the Swing painting.
Another important thing about context is that it will be from someone from another worldview and everyone would see it differently. People have different life experiences and come from different backgrounds and as such, will respond differently to visual text. We will all find different things others will not see, react to them differently and they will shape our responses. It’s all a matter of seeing.

Resources:
Ruszkiewicz et al. “Reading Texts:. Beyond Words: Cultural Texts for Reading and Writing. 3^rd Ed. Boston: Pearson, c2012. 9 – 39. Print.