Week 6

Week 6 Read and React

Seven Principles for Visual Culture Education

Paul Duncum

Duncum suggests seven principles for examining various forms of imagery.  These principles are: power, ideology, representation, seduction, gaze, intertextuality, and multimodality.  They are not intended to be fundamental truths, rather, sources from which “to create curriculum commensurate with the extent and complexity of today’s’ visually mediate world.” 

Power is the overarching principle that connects the others.  Power raises questions of “Who exercises power through imagery?  How, when, and why is it exercised?”  Due to the hierarchically ordered societies across the world, different groups display different degrees of power.  Therefore, images represent different agendas. 

Ideologies are represented through images.  This refers to ideas, ideals, beliefs, and values.  “It is a characteristic way of thinking, a style of thought, and interpretive scheme employed by people to make the world intelligible to themselves.”  Therefore, every image contains an ideology; even if that ideology is that there is no ideology. 

“Representation is closely aligned with ideology because it refers to how ideology is presented in visual form.”  It is important to look at not only what is represented in a piece of art, but also what is not represented.  For what is left out can be just as important or problematic as what is put in.

Seduction is used in a variety of ways.  “When images offer arguments that reflect back our own views, our own ideological positions, they offer the pleasure of confirmation… images are also seductive because they are sensory.” 

“The gaze concerns how we look at images and the circumstances under which we look.  It refers to our predisposition to see things in certain ways, what we bring to images, and the relationships we form with them.”  In the same way gaze can give power to viewers or subjects, it can also render them disempowered just as easily.  We must take into account who is doing the gazing, for what purpose, who knows about it, and who has the power because of it? “Considering the gaze is a way in which to understand ourselves as individuals and as a society.”

Intertextuality is the idea that “images draw from other sources, copy them, parody them, and, in turn influence other cultural texts.”  It is important to be able to make connections and associations from one idea to another, in order to understand the interconnectivity underlying bigger ideas. 

“Multimodality refers to the fact that there are no purely visual images; images never appear without words, music, or other sounds.”  Therefore we must take into account how our view of a visual image is being influenced by other forms of artistic expression at the same time. 

Digital Diet Chapter 2-3

            Chapter 2 discusses the importance of advanced search tools when using the Google search engine.  Using the general Google search only reveals those pages that have the highest PageRank, that is, they have the highest number of web pages that link to that page.  This creates to broad of a search.  Advance Search allows the searcher to narrow down exactly what it is they are searching for.  In the classroom, this would allow students to find up to date, relevant research.

            Chapter 3 explains the importance of social bookmarking sites, such as Delicious, and how to set up an account for further use.  Using this tool in the classroom not only helps students remember important URL locations, but can also allow students to collaborate.  “If students are working together on a class project, they could all be required to contribute information they have researched and the sources they have identified… the teacher and the students can create class and personal Delicious accounts, and then share these accounts with one another.” 

PINTEREST INSPIRATION BOARD:

http://pinterest.com/cjcover/art-work/

INSPIRATION SOFTWARE:

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