THESES 2014
M AS T E R O F A R T S I N V I S UA L C O M M U N I CAT I O N
AND ICONIC RESEARCH
MASTER
OF
ARTS
IN
VISUAL
C O M M U N I C AT I O N
AND
ICONIC
RESEARCH
PROF. M IC HAE L RE N N E R
3
TWO FACADES AS ICONS OF
V I S UA L C O M M U N I CAT I O N
PAT R I C K B AU M A N N
7 BASED ON TRUE STORIES
VISUAL AND THEORETICAL
APPROACHES TO THE MOMENT
OF DOUBT IN PHOTOGRAPHY
SONJA BERGER
13
FENCING CLOUDS —
P I C T U R E S O F B O DY S E N S AT I O N S
L I NDA DAGL I ORT I
1 9 I S T H A T Y O U ?
I N V E S T I G AT I O N O F A V I S UA L D E F I N I T I O N
OF ABSTRACTION
JOVANA HITZ
25 OUT OF THE CLOSET
A STUDY OF DRESS AS AN IMAGE AND
(DE ) CONS TRUCTION OF PE RSONAL VIS UAL
IDENTITY THROUGH CLOTHES
ALEXANDRA KAESER
31
R E -T H I N K I N G
EXHIBITION
CATA LO G U E S
BOAH KIM
37 WORK ON WORK
T R A N S L AT I O N A N D T R A N S F O R M AT I O N
AS A METHOD OF A SELF-REFLECTIVE
C R E A T I V E P R O C E S S
LEILA KUENZER
43 INTELLIGENT TOOLS
S T R AT E G I E S
FOR
A
SHARED
DESIGN
PROCESS
PIOTR MARCISZEWSKI
4 9 T H I N K B E F O R E YO U S AY S O M E T H I N G :
POLISH POSTERS AS TOOLS OF
C R I T I CA L C O M M E N T S O N S O C I A L AT T I T U D E S
F E L I C I TA S K AT H A R I N A M E R Z
55 IMAGES BEYOND SIGHT?
A N I N V E S T I G A T I O N I N T O T H E R O L E O F M E M O RY I N TAC T I L E D R AW I N G S
MEGHAN AMÉLIE
61
I DREAM
A DISCUSSION
C U R R E N T S TAT E
V I S UA L I Z AT I O N
THE VALUE
APPROACH
O’DONNELL JERLIU
OF A NEW AGE OF CURIOSITY
OF THE
OF THE
OF EMOTION AND
O F A M E TA P H O R I CA L
S A R A H L I S E T T E P L AT T E
73VISUALIZING
THE ART
OF
CONDUCTING
ELENA STELLE
79
N A R R AT I O N I N A
S TAT I C I M AG E — A V I S UA L A N A LY S I S
IZABELA COOK
6 7 O N S E N S I N G I N TA N G I B L E S
CRITICAL MOMENTS
BETWEEN
I C O N I C CAT E G O R I E S O F
O R N A M E N TA L
DESIGN
INKEN ZIERENBERG
85
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY —
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
I N F O R M AT I O N
92
MASTER OF ARTS IN
V I S UA L C O M M U N I CAT I O N
AND ICONIC RESEARCH
THESES 2014
M AS T E R O F A R T S I N V I S UA L C O M M U N I CAT I O N
AND ICONIC RESEARCH
T WO FACADES
AS ICONS OF
V I S U A L C O M M U N I C AT I O N
P RO F. M I C H A E L R E N N E R
HEAD OF THE
V I S U A L C O M M U N I C AT I O N
INSTITUTE
This year’s thesis projects ran parallel to the move of the Visual Communication
Institute to the new Dreispitz Campus of the Academy of Art and Design in
Basel. For many weeks, the corridors on the upper two floors of Building G on
Vogelsangstrasse 15 were full of boxes and furniture waiting to be transported
to the new campus. Only a few classrooms, where thesis projects underwent
their final preparations, were spared this transition.
By moving away from the Vogelsang site, the Visual Communication
Institute leaves more than just a few nostalgic memories behind. The architectural concept of the main building on the Vogelsang site is based on a column
grid that allows a flexible division of the structure depending on the spaces
required. Building G with its five floors is the dominant element of the ensemble of buildings on the site. Its facade consists of large-scale, prefabricated
concrete elements lined up horizontally, interrupted by black bands of windows.
In large parts, the building and its facade follow the principle specified by the
grid. The “ Figure Drawing Hall ” and the staircase structure of Building G are
architectural elements that alter the purely functional principle and provide
the overall design with the specific characteristics, which turn the visit of the
campus into an aesthetic experience. The buildings on the site, which were
designed by Hermann Baur and moved into in 1961, focussed on functionality
and were, thus, in accordance with the opinion of the then newly-established
practice of graphic design. Emil Ruder and Armin Hofmann were the pioneers
who – in their works – placed the imparting of information ahead of the emotional impact of printed matter. Parallel to their practice, the Basel graphic
­designers teaching in the 1960’s developed a pedagogical methodology that
enabled students to apply an analytical approach to their work. The core of the
method consisted of tasks which stimulated the students to develop variations
within a pre-determined, specific framework. By producing variations, indi­
vidual designs could be evaluated, compared, analyzed, and described as to
their impact. Understanding the design process as an artistic, experimental
and unpredictable process, the results of which can be analyzed through
3
comparison­,­formed the core of the Basel pedagogy of the 1960 s. It is still part
of the curriculum of the Basel Visual Communication Institute and can be recognized in many Graphic Design Departments of universities in the United
States, Asia, and Europe, at which Basel alumni are teaching. Needless to say,
the Visual Communication Institute leaves its historical site behind as it moves
from the Vogelsang campus.
In the 53 years since the move into the buildings on Vogelsangstrasse, many technological, educational, social, and cultural changes have
occurred. The demonstrated unity of architecture and visual communication
of these phases could be scrutinized. However, the historical sequence cannot
be formulated in the necessary brevity here.
Nevertheless, a comparison between the architecture of the new
campus and the current challenges of visual communication is to be attempted.
In contrast to the previous site of the institute, the group of buildings, which
will now house the Academy of Art and Design ( HGK FHNW ), represents no
uniform architectural concept from a single individual. The buildings of the new
campus were designed by several architects according to the master plan by
Herzog & de Meuron and include both remodelled and new buildings. All four
buildings of the HGK Campus are grouped on the northwest side of Freilager
Square, while the House of Electronic Arts, the Model Archive of Herzog & de
Meuron and other institutes of cultural industry are located on the opposite
side. The Visual Communication Institute will unfold its activities on the fifth
and sixth floors of the new, eight-storey high-rise by Morger and Dettli on
­Freilager-Platz 1.
If standing on Freilager, Square you look at the finished eight-storey
high-rise with its square floor plan and can see no prefabricated concrete
­elements. Rather, a skin of metal tiles covers the building which is interrupted
on each floor by a band of windows. The height of the band varies from floor
to floor and forms a rhythmic sequence of dark stripes on the facade, which
stand out from the reflecting metal. In addition to the similarities, which both
buildings show, for instance in the band of windows,1 a comparison shows the
striking discrepancy of the facade design. While the building from the 1960’s
presents a facade which can be perceived as a simple graphical form, the metal­
facade of the new building intrigues the beholder with a play of varied reflections due to the materiality of the tiles. A rather forbidding overall view of the
concrete facade, intent on distance, is contradicted by a softer appearance
caused by the ornamental effect of the metal facade, which addresses
the visitors also on a tactile level. In the opinion of architectural theoretician
­Antoine Picon, this creates a closer relationship to the individual than that of
a modernist architectural understanding, in which the edges of the building
require it to be perceived from afar in order to unfold its full visual impact.2
Just as the concrete facade on Vogelsangstrasse represents a
v­ isual communication intent on distance and reduction, the ornamental metal
facade can be interpreted as an icon of today’s orientation of visual communication. Ornaments that – by repeating similar forms – unfold an almost indescribably sensual effect and fascination, are exemplary for a contemporary
orientation of visual communication, which defines its task as that of exploring,
rendering visible, and applying everything that cannot be communicated by
words in a meaningful way through visual means. This definition of visual communication creates consequences for practice, teaching, and research that
need to be continuously developed for each field.
We should be delighted if the graduates of the Bachelor of Arts in
Visual Communication, the Master of Arts in Visual Communication and Iconic
Research and the International Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design should
participate in the practice, teaching, or research of the development of the
sequence from sign to ornament described in principle, and attentively follow
the development of the Visual Communication Institute behind its ornamental
facade. Congratulations on the successful completion of your studies !
Endnote1
We may assume that the parallels between the new campus high-rise and Vogelsangstrasse 15 are intentional. The competition entry referred with its project title of “Armin”
to the historical dimensions of Basel graphic art in the 1960 s .
2
Antoine Picon : Ornament. The Politics of Architecture and Subjectivity, Cambridge MA
2013, p. 1 52.
4
PROF. MICHAE L RE NNE R
TWO FACADES AS ICONS OF
V I S UA L C O M M U N I CAT I O N
5
BASED ON
TRUE STORIES
VISUAL
AND THEORETICAL
APPROACHES
TO THE MOMENT
OF DOUBT IN
PHOTOGRAPHY
PAT R I C K
BAUMANN
6
INKEN ZIERENBERG
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
We live in a time, when images – more than ever – shape and affect our understanding of the world. Here, photography is a medium, which is often used to
document an event or attest to a situation. In this context, the photographic
image is understood as something that contains and communicates concrete
facts. The act of taking a picture seemingly functions as a certification of the
reality experienced.
This MA thesis focuses on the opposite : the moment of doubt in photography.
I am interested in what makes an image implausible and how uncertainty can
be experienced through a medium that, in the first instance, was meant to
depict what is in front of the camera lens. By asking what makes us doubt certain images, I hope to raise further critical questions on why we trust in others.
Therefore, researching this aspect meant asking two main questions. Firstly :
is photography an appropriate medium to create images which can make their
beholders doubt what they ostensibly see ? And secondly : if so, what are the
possible requirements and how can they be visualized?
“ If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at
least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.”
René Descartes
Patrick Baumann
July 28 th, 1986, Rheinfelden, Switzerland
[email protected]
www.patrickbaumann.ch
There is a saying, “ I’ll believe it, when I see it ”, to express someone’s critical view of an argument. The person who says this claims to be a realist,
only trusting in what is actually there and visible for everybody as a fact.
However, when it comes to pictures, the situation seems to be different.
The idea of being able to accurately perceive the world through images is
a myth, which has been put into question and belied several times – and
not only since the digital evolution.
Studying how images are perceived is one of the core competences in the field of visual communication and iconic research. In this,
photography certainly is a medium of high interest for any enhancement
of knowledge, because it touches upon all aspects of human activities :
from documentary evidence to art, from information to entertainment,
from private to public and from amateur to professional use and production. And while our perception of so-called “ objective reality ” is conveyed
in all its numerous details, the borders of the respective categories increasingly vanish and merge.
Nevertheless, it has to be admitted that there already are countless studies on how pictures are creating an illusion of objectivity. Nominally, this has been done in the theoretical fields of media, science,
­technology, and visual-culture studies, or by art history.
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual Communication and Iconic Research,
FHNW HGK, Basel, Switzerland
2012
Bachelor Diploma in Visual Communication, FHNW HGK,
Basel
2009
Study abroad at Cooper Union, School of Arts and Design
NYC, New York
2008 – 2012
Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication, FHNW HGK, Basel
2007
Preparatory course at SfG, Basel
2006 – 2007 Basic studies, Faculty of Law, University of Basel
2005
Gymnasium Muttenz, university qualification diploma,
Muttenz, Switzerland
Work Experience
2010 – present Freelance graphic designer
2014
Award at Graphic Design Festival Breada, the Netherlands
2013
Internship with Mueller + Hess, Basel
2013
Teaching an SfG preparatory course, Basel
2011 – 2013
Assistant with SfG Poster Collection, Basel
2010
Internship with New Identity Ltd., Basel
8
PAT R I C K B AU M A N N
BASED ON TRUE STORIES
VISUAL AND THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO THE
MOMENT OF DOUBT IN PHOTOGRAPHY
9
1
2
3
However, this MA thesis is focusing on another aspect and illuminates it from a practice-based point of view. The project is an inquiry
into the question of how pictures can make a person unsure about pictures.
The aspect of creating doubt within a photograph as its “ raison d’être ” is
adding another perspective to the on-going discourse on photography.
On the one hand, doubt in the field of visual communication
could be seen as a negative, which disturbs and complicates the communicational aim. Therefore, it should be avoided by all means. Ideally, the
designed piece of work would be intuitively understandable, so that the
beholder can easily follow the message. Pictures need to be read and understood and we need to understand pictures. In this process, it does not
matter under which label – documentary, art, or advertising, either trustful or artificial – an image is subsumed, as long as there is one. Here, recurring image traditions become familiar, provide confidence and will,
therefore, be seen as true. We know exactly what a report on a war, a fashion photo shooting or the easy-going, friendly handshake by competing
politicians look like. Jörg Huber, a scholar of visual studies, calls this phenomenon of an almost automated mental categorization and certification
the evidence effect [ Effekt der Evidenz ] 1.
On the other hand, this feeling of doubt can be a powerful
“ tool ” for the perception of images with our – unavoidably – guilty 2 eyes.
Uncertainty is disturbing and can grab the attention of the beholder. It
is an unstable, constantly moving moment, oscillating between two extremes : reliable and unreliable. Also, when a picture is not easily accessed,
because it does not correspond to the image in our head 3, the inner categorization system does not work reliably anymore. Beholders are then
forced to leave their mental comfort zone and may also have to reconsider their view in general.
My intention was to dig further in this direction with my own
work. I am interested in what makes an image uncertain and how its
beholder can be made to doubt it. Based on a visual style that is oriented
on what we call a documentary 4, I investigated the impression of photographic images. But rather than a verification in the sense of Barthes’
notorious ça-a-été 5, I wanted to provoke the question qu’est-ce que c’est ?
Indeed, I was not so much concerned with telling a specific story or explaining a certain theme. Doubting the image as such was my theme, and
any visual content could work fine for that purpose. Instead of a limitation
by a single conceptual framework, the setups for my practical experiments
were designed to explore a wide variety. Still, I claim that a scientific recipe in the sense of a “ how-to ” could not replace my authorship for the
PAT R I C K B AU M A N N
BASED ON TRUE STORIES
VISUAL AND THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO THE
MOMENT OF DOUBT IN PHOTOGRAPHY
11
creative and imaginative process. The final pictures are the result of an
in-depth examination of the topic, as well as a personal selection. In the
end, my work is about understanding images through their generation.
Endnotes 1 Huber Jörg : “Lesen – Sehen – Verstehen” in : “Covering the real. Art and the Press Picture, from Warhol to Tillmanns”, Exhibition Catalogue, Kunstmuseum Basel, 2005,
p. 74
2 Philosopher Nelson Goodman claimed that there is no innocent eye. Cf. : Goodman
Nelson: “Languages of Art. An approach to a theory of symbols.” Indiana, 1976, p. 7
3 Schriften der Freunde des Museums für Europäischer Kulturen, Heft 9 : “Pictures in
our head. Fremd- und Eigenbilder in Europa.” Berlin 2010
4 Art historian Abigail Solomon-Godeau emphasized that the term of documentary is
historical, not ontological. Cf. : Solomon-Godeau, Abigail : “Who is speaking thus ?
Some questions about documentary photography ”, in : Solomon-Godeau Abigail :
“Photography at the dock. Essays on photographic history, institutions and practices”
Minneapolis 1991, p. 169
5 Barthes, Roland : “La chambre claire. Note sur la photographie.” Paris, 1980
Figures1
A combination of elements, which normally are not associated with each other, can
evoke a feeling of doubt, in the sense that the indexical character of the photo is put
into question.
2
To mirror an image is a well known digital manipulation. However, the photos become
unclear again if they feature logical inconsistencies. Hereby, the beholder’s expectation of what has been done to the picture has failed to be fulfilled.
3
The often-proclaimed “transparence” of the medium of photography becomes visible
by a disturbance of the image. Therefore, not only the materiality of the photo but
also its representativeness appear much more clearly.
FENCING
CLOUDS —
PICTURES
OF
BODY
S E N S AT I O N S
SON JA
BERGER
12
INKEN ZIERENBERG
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
Looking at pictures in sports literature, instructive pictures mostly display athletes in motion as seen from a spectator’s perspective. What else should they
show ? The outward appearance of objects is what we perceive as the visible
world. However, looking at others in movement and moving oneself – which
eventually should be influenced through instructive literature – differ substantially. We use vision to perceive the outer world, while orientation in our own
body is essentially based on proprioception arising from inside. I argue that
instructive pictures should preferably represent the inner experience of the
athlete. Therefore, conventional illustrations seem inappropriate for teaching
movement since they ignore important clues of people in motion because they
are based on an observation of the visible form instead of experience. This
research develops methods of picture creation that graphically represent the
invisible realm of experiencing oneself in motion.
Sonja Berger
September 4 th, 1984, Thun, Switzerland
[email protected]
www.worttransport.ch
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual Communication and Iconic
Research, FHNW HGK, Basel, Switzerland
2009 – 2012
Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication, FHNW HGK,
Basel
2009
Leadership Certificate BVS, Bénédict-Schule, Bern
2003 – 2007 Apprenticeship as “Polygrapher” ( typographer & lithographer ), Thun / Interlaken
Work Experience
2013 – present Graphic and web designer, Studcom GmbH,
Pratteln, Switzerland
2012 – present Freelance graphic designer and illustrator
2007 – 2013
Part-time graphic designer with Büro
für Kommunikationsdesign FHNW, Basel,
and Werbewerkstatt GmbH, Bern
2007 – 2009 Polygrapher, Schlaefli & Maurer AG,
Interlaken, Switzerland
14
The use of instructive pictures that show people in motion implies that
learning by mimesis also works through pictorial representation. It assumes that studying static motion sequences will help the beholder imitate those movements. Difficulties arise when almost invisible activities
are involved. Take didactic literature on horse riding as an example. It is
usually richly illustrated but in most cases the learner can only see the
effect of the rider’s actions from the posture of the horse. The rider’s movements with which he guides the horse are so small, they are almost invisible. Another challenge is that self-image and actual realization may differ
considerably. People can think of themselves as standing straight when
­visibly tilting. In these cases, pictures may teach a viewer to judge if ­another
person’s execution of a movement corresponds to the ideal. However, if
one tries to put a depicted movement into practice, one may find that
pictures are of little help. We do not normally see ourselves from outside ; mostly, we only
see a small part of our body. We are ( in) our body and from within it we
perceive ourselves and our environment. We are an emotionally feeling,
sensorially perceiving, moving and moved being – in German referred to
as Leib – which has its substantial place in the world through the solid
body or Körper.1 While across academic disciplines such as philosophy,
psychology, and biology there has been quite an interest in the influence
of our embodied nature on perception, it appears that little has been done
in the field of visual communication.
Thus, my question is: are there any possibilities of graphically
representing the experience of moving ourselves ? This involves studying
how to illustrate the invisible qualities of sensation on the one hand and
SONJA BERGER
FENCING CLOUDS —
P I C T U R E S O F B O DY S E N S AT I O N S
15
2
3
4
the translation of experienced body-space into a representation on paper
on the other one. Clearly, a physical sensation can only be relived in its
wholeness and changefulness through actual experience. Painter Maria
Lassnig once compared defining body sensations with the attempt to fence
clouds.2 Translating these sensations into pictures may nevertheless raise
awareness for these experiences and provide us with a possibility to literally see how others experience their body in motion.
Although emotions – such as the thrill of speed or fear of it – are
an important part of our experience, this practical research focuses on
the aspect that seems most uncared-for in pictures, namely proprioceptive
perception. This term describes the signals one receives from the locomotor and equilibrium systems.3 As this study is not aimed at precisely distinguishing sources of perception, various aspects – including any mental
concepts of the body’s shape and function, factors that cannot be separated from sensing – may influence the pictures.4
This visual research is conducted by exploring a certain movement or posture through performance, and alternately working on the
picture at short time intervals. It appears that a physical experience can
be transferred into surprisingly comprehensible pictures. This is probably
owed to transmodal qualities ; such qualities are attributes that appear in
different modes of perception ( vision, hearing, touch … ) such as intensity,
lightness, or density.5
In this respect, Deleuze states that neither figurative nor abstract depiction is able to show a sensation – it only appears between the
two.6 This seems to be what happens in these pictures of body sensations.
As they relate to the physical body, forms which seem familiar to our figurative view of the body are intertwined with representations of sensuous
qualities that lack an actual figurative counterpart. Without a certain
­similarity to the way we are used to perceive a human body, these pictures
are unlikely to be understood.
The impression of the depicted proves to be highly dependent
on its size. The beholder correlates with the picture. A sensorial drawing
of a foot ( see figure 2 ) that is as small as the palm of a hand translates into
a different sensory quality than a life-sized picture. It affects the beholder
as something he would touch with his fingertips. Thus, if he sees the
­picture as a representation of a personal, sensuous experience, a foot at
much less of its actual size does not feel right ; the beholder might even
be unable to make a sensuous connection between the picture and his
own body. It seems that the closer the depiction is oriented towards the
real proportions of the body, the easier a beholder will recognize body
parts also in abstract forms.
SONJA BERGER
FENCING CLOUDS —
P I C T U R E S O F B O DY S E N S AT I O N S
17
In addition, the question of orientation arises. Do we consider
our torso as something oriented towards the space in front of us or do we
essentially feel that our chest is aligned over our hips and we would rather look at it from above ? Orientation may even change according to posture
and the direction of movement. Therefore, arrangement plays a crucial
role in inducing immersion for pictures of body sensations. Place the
above-mentioned sensorial drawing on a wall and beholders will perceive
it just as a somewhat strange picture of feet. Place it on the floor and it
almost invites them to step onto the depicted feet and experience the
sensation represented themselves.
Endnotes
LINDA
DAGLI
ORTI
1 Cf. Waldenfels, p. 14 f.
2 Lassnig, p. 50
3 Schönhammer, p. 25
4 Schönhammer, p. 28
5 Waldenfels : Sinnesschwellen, p. 58
6 Gilles Deleuze : Francis Bacon. Logik der Sensation
Figures1
[ → page 13 ] Work in progress : to intensify the immersion of a beholder, a 3D space is
used as part of the drawing. The upper part of the picture focuses on relations on the
vertical plane, while the part on the floor represents horizontal relations. 150 × 300 cm
2
Work in progress : life-sized drawing of pressure and tension felt in the left and right
foot when standing. Shaded areas represent pressure, while hatching stands for tension. Differences in brightness and density can be read as higher or lower intensity.
42 × 59.4 cm
3
Work in progress : formal analysis of abstract elements to find out which kinaesthetic
qualities they can stand for. A form without clear edges is read as pressure. It appears
that a movement needs a starting point, an ending point, and a direction between the
two.
4
Work in progress : formal analysis of linear elements.
( 1 ) Sharp ends indicate abrupt motion. Blended ends imply a smooth motion or a
motion that has started before and will continue after the depicted moment.
( 2 ) Gradients induce emphasis and, thus, influence the direction.
( 3 ) Multiple overlapping lines can be used to represent three-dimensional motion.
References • Deleuze, Gilles : Francis Bacon. Logik der Sensation. Munich 1995
• Lassnig, Maria / Stadt Siegen, FB Kultur und Museum für Gegenwartskunst ( ed.) :
Körperporträts : Rubenspreis der Stadt Siegen 2002. Siegen 2002
• Schönhammer, Rainer: Einführung in die Wahrnehmungspsychologie. Sinne, Kör­per,
Bewegung. Vienna 2013
• Waldenfels, Bernhard : Das Leibliche Selbst. Vorlesungen zur Phänomenologie des
Leibes. Frankfurt am Main 2000
• Waldenfels, Bernhard : Sinnesschwellen. Studien zur Phänomenologie des Fremden.
Frankfurt am Main 1999
I S
T H AT
YOU?
I N V E S T I G AT I O N
OF A VISUAL
DEFINITION OF
ABSTRACTION
18
INKEN ZIERENBERG
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
When in close dialogue with an image, on a guided tour at a museum or a presentation at a client’s, it is quite common to come across the term of abstraction. But what does abstraction really mean in the end ? And what does the term
imply when used in the field of visual communication ?
One might say that every image by itself is an abstraction because the immediacy of reality has been translated into a medium. However, one could just as
well claim that even seeing is some kind of abstraction since reality is mediated. But is it as easy that to simply say that if reality is transferred into something
else, it is an abstraction ?
The term derives from the Latin word abstrahere, that is, “to drag away, to
detach”. This would infer leaving out elements to transfer the figure into something more general or simple. But by “ leaving out ”, do we not actually mean,
“ reduce it as much as possible ” ? Where then is the difference between reduction and abstraction ? What does it really mean when we talk about something
being “ abstract ” or an “ abstraction ” of something ?
This project explores the concept of abstraction. It reveals its own approach
through the image-making process. It is the investigation of a visual definition.
Linda Dagli Orti
September 16 th, 1983, Basel, Switzerland
[email protected]
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual Communication and Iconic
Research, FHNW HGK, Basel, Switzerland
2009 – 2012
Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication, FHNW
HGK, Basel
2001 – 2005 Federal Certificate of Proficiency in Prepress
Management, SfG, Basel, Switzerland
2001 – 2005 Federal Vocational B. A . in Design, SfG, Basel,
Switzerland
Work Experience
2013 – present Mentor Postproduction, documentary film
and report for SRF : Dostlukspor – Verein der
Freundschaft by Jonas Schaffter, point
de vue, audiovisuelle produktionen, Basel,
Switzerland
2009 – present Live and video production, MTC, FHNW HGK,
Basel, Switzerland
2009 – present Freelance graphic designer, Basel,
Switzerland
2013
Video production, Mattenbach das
Medienhaus, Winterthur, Switzerland
2009 – 2013 Sales consultant, Mammut Store Basel,
Switzerland
2007 – 2009 Assistant photographer, Foto Studio Mario,
Dornach, Switzerland
2007 – 2009 Ski and snowboard instructor, Skischule
Blatten-Belalp, Switzerland
20
Abstract concepts are constantly interfering with our daily routine. We are
unaware of their presence because of their intangible aspects. They only
exist theoretically and have no physical reality or substance. On the one
hand, examples of abstract concepts are dreams, intuition, inflation, love,
and many more, on the other one there are metaphors that describe something that has no other literal expression, like for example a chair leg. In
language, metaphors are also often used as substitutions. In this case
metaphorical expressions add certain aspects to literal expressions, like
in the example man is a wolf. But for Lakoff and Johnson, metaphor is a
matter of cognition rather than language. They reason that metaphors
have their roots in the physical experiences of our body : When we do not
feel good, we literally feel down. Both authors state : “Metaphor is persuasive in everyday life, not just in language, but in thought and action.” 1 This
physical experience is transferred into the verbal metaphor and, therefore,
understood. Beside these theories in cognitive science and linguistics,
there are first elaborations on pictorial metaphors. But what do they look
like ? Do they also help us understand abstract concepts ? What we know
is that visual explanations are used to handle abstract entities : the stock
market could not be explained if there were no visualizations.
But besides the term of “ abstract ”, there is the term of “ abstraction ”, too. While “ abstract ” refers to an origin without a physical entity, an
“ abstraction ” is an image that relates to an origin with a physical entity. LINDA DAGLI ORTI
I S T H A T Y O U ?
I N V E S T I G AT I O N O F A V I S UA L D E F I N I T I O N O F A B S T R AC T I O N
21
1
2
3
It exists as form and substance and is usually called an “ object ”. This project will focus on abstraction and its concept in regard to the original object.
The human face is the most interesting “object” on which to
base an examination of this question. It is where the figure and the abstract
overlap. The face itself is the figure, but its expressions are activated from
somewhere else, by an invisible trigger. The face is the area of tension
between the inside and the outside, between impression and expression.
When faces are mediatized, for example drawn or taken a picture of, perception alters in comparison to reality. The image of the face differs in
many forms from the original existence. It is said that photography is able
to show the outside reality more adequately than other techniques. Susan
Sontag states that photographs are “ … miniatures of reality that anyone
can make or acquire”. But the camera enables us to interfere with reality.
Focus, aperture, colour, composition and many other creative means let
the designer alter what is seen. What photography is unable to change is
the physics of the face and its relation to the environment. In comparison
to photography, the designer is able to do so by the process of drawing. He
is the direct mediator between reality and the image. Therefore, he or she
decides how to depict the face. That’s why the very technique of drawing
is crucial to this project.
To study abstraction in the context of a portrait, it is important
to understand, how the beholder approaches the portrait. The beholder is
never unbiased. “ It is well known that sight is always partial, as it integrates
internal and external perceptions, and those perceptions can be modified
by emotions, preconceptions, tastes, interactions with the environment,
as well as different viewpoints.” 2 This results in experiences influencing
the image that are arbitrary. As to what the eye of the portraitist does,
Georg Simmel says : “ Es vollzieht die Abstraktion des rein Anschaulichen
aus der verworrenen Wirklichkeit des Menschen – keine intellektuelle Abstraktion natürlich, sondern eine sinnliche, und selbstverständlich keine
wörtliche Reproduktion dieser Erscheinung wie die Photographie.” 3
For this project, this individual moment of every beholder is
crucial. It is what causes the beholder to have doubts when looking at an
image. Probably, this is how abstraction evolves. How does it manifest itself
when looking at a portrait ? Does the known individual turn into an unknown random person, as a transformation into something more general ?
Formal questions arise, too : what is the most abstract concept
of a face ? A German children’s verse explains it quite clearly : “ Punkt, Punkt,
Komma, Strich, fertig ist das Angesicht.” 4 Two dots, a comma, and a dash
are enough information to recognize a face. As soon as these elements are
LINDA DAGLI ORTI
I S T H A T Y O U ?
I N V E S T I G AT I O N O F A V I S UA L D E F I N I T I O N O F A B S T R AC T I O N
23
OUT OF
THE
CLOSET
perceived, the beholder cannot see anything but a face. This means that
a complex object such as a face can be enormously reduced and still be
understood. But in-between the realistic face and the reduced face is a
wide range of different depictions. Within these variations, the individuality of the depicted person can change a lot. It is dependent on its way of
portrayal. Let us assume that abstraction not only appears at the end of
the line, when the pertinent elements are left, but somewhere in-between.
The question is where and why .
The phenomenon is not only to be approached by the beholder.
The designer, as the decision-maker, needs to be looked at, too. The act of
abstraction during the design process is mostly unconscious and unintended. That’s why abstraction is mostly not recognized during its manifestation. The designer nevertheless uses the term to reason about his
process and his artefact. This might result in a misunderstanding. The
present project focuses on and reacts to this unconscious discourse with
its visual approach to a definition. Therefore, it will contribute towards
improving our understanding of the field.
A
STUDY
OF
DRESS
AS
AN
IMAGE
AND
(DE)CONSTRUCTION
OF
PERSONAL
VISUAL
IDENTITY
THROUGH
CLOTHES
Endnotes 1 George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, Metaphors We Live By, The University of Chicago
Press, Chicago and London 2003, p. 3.
2 Nelson Goodman, Languages of Art, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, New York / Indiana­
polis 1968, p. 6.
3 “ It abstracts the merely visible from the confused reality of man – this is not an intellectual abstraction but a sensorial one nor, of course, is it a literal reproduction of a
phenomenon as occurs within photography.” ( t rans. Maria Giuseppina Di Monte, in :
From face to body. On the Portraiture of Bacon and Giacometti ) Georg Simmel, Das
Problem des Portraits, in : Die neue Rundschau, XXIX. Jg. der freien Bühne, 1918, Vol. 2
( Booklet 10, Oktober 1918 ), pp. 1336 – 1344.
4 « D ot, dot, comma, dash – finished is the face. » ( t rans. Linda Dagli Orti )
Figures1
Every technique has its own standards. The more reduced a face is drawn, the more
the expression happens on a symbolic level.
2
An abstraction is related to an origin with a physical entity, in this case to the face.
The human face is the area of tension, in which the figure ( body ) and abstract concepts
( feelings) overlap.
3
In the drawing process, the face is translated from reality into an image. The designer decides how to depict the face. That is why drawing as a technique is crucial for this
project. Other techniques, such as photography for example, are not able to change
the physical features of a face.
J OVANA
HITZ
24
INKEN ZIERENBERG
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
A human body exists only and always within a certain context. That context
influences and defines the way the human body is, the way that it learns, knows,
behaves, and appears. In that way, a body gains its right to belong, culturally
and socially. Finally, once developed under all these influences, the body gains
its shape, its identity, and is able to communicate about it ( self ). Observed from
the perspective of other humans, it can communicate ( sometimes only by
­appearance ) about its place in society, about its biological, geographical, and
cultural belonging and the roles it assumes within society.
In order to examine how this communication by appearance works, I decided
to dedicate my master thesis to experiments that involve clothing. As it covers
almost the whole body surface and has been present and practiced ever since
the very beginnings of humanity, clothing also developed its own semiotic
­system that defines the person wearing it, tells of its personal identity and
­allots it a space within different contexts. Thus, my aim is to learn about the
points mentioned and underline their importance for and great influence on
everyday life.
Jovana Hitz
November 1 st 1983, Užice, Serbia
[email protected]
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual Communication
and Iconic Research, FHNW HGK, Basel,
Switzerland
2002 – 2007 Diploma Degree in Art History, specializing
in Modern Art, Faculty of Philosophy,
University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
Work Experience
Currently
Event organizer at ‘ Homo Sapiens ’, Zürich,
Switzerland
2012
Internship at ‘ HopeHope Fashion and
Tendencies ’, Zürich, Switzerland
2011 – 2013
Co-founder of a concept for ‘ Lazy Sis, making
clothes ’, an independent clothing label,
Belgrade, Serbia / Zürich, Switzerland
2006
Programme co-ordinator, International Student
Film Festival, Belgrade, Serbia
It is not possible to talk about the human body without mentioning clothes
and fashions. In most social contexts, clothing will cover almost the complete surface of the body and shape it in a way that is fitting to a specific
environment. Bodies that do not conform to the rules of what is appropriate in various social dimensions are considered inadequate and risk provoking censorship and exclusion.
Clothing has been an extension of the body for so long, that it
is considered quite natural. It is taken to be an embodied bodily action
primarily connected to the sense of shame and something which differentiates the human body from the animal one. It is also strongly linked
to the social hierarchy carrying a certain meaning when it comes to the
roles of humans within their social context. In that sense, it is a useful
tool in creating rules and categories, thus creating groups with different
levels of qualification. This means that clothing has its own, strongly
­developed and deeply rooted system within our cultures and social life as
a system of signs we learn to read and comply with. As such, humans have
their own ways of communication through their clothes. Dress codes constantly change and are defined both spatially and temporally, but are also
changing according to the personal and social functions of the humans
themselves.
Personal functions and the relation of humans to clothing vary. Still, its most basic and constant function, beside that of protecting the body, is that of providing a human’s body with its individuality, its
26
27
JOVANA HITZ
A STUDY OF DRESS AS AN IMAGE AND
(DE)CONSTRUCTION OF PERSONAL VISUAL IDENTITY
THROUGH CLOTHES
2
3
personhood. Once a body is clothed, it becomes a person. Clothing gives
it its consciousness, integrity, and dignity, but it also shapes it ready to
belong to its society.
On the other hand, there are few aspects in which clothes stay
a mainly personal experience. That is, in the act of dressing ( covering the
body ) and undressing ( exposing the body ) and in the physical feeling of
wearing clothes ( there is a very intimate relationship between the external
layer of the body and the natural, inner world, and the layer of clothes or
artificial, outer world ). As a means of communication, clothes are used as a means of
personal expression, as a representation of an individual’s identity. Especially in modern, Western society, where the ‘freedom of dress’ allows it
and the strictness of dress codes is weaker. According to that, clothes are
an outer layer, visible to the world, telling the story of the life style, preferences, and beliefs of the person wearing them. At the same time, they
also tell a person’s age, gender, and indicate its cultural and social status.
Even though they only represent a single person, the language our clothes
use to convey all this can only be interpreted through an already established system.
Depending on the choice of clothes, the body stands out or
blends in. How the choice of ‘ what to wear ’ is being made, is hard to grasp.
How much of it is an outside influence and how free people actually are
in deciding on their own self-representation, and how truthfully a person
communicates something by a specific choice of clothes, remains open.
In my master thesis, I analyzed the above-mentioned relationships people have to their clothes by using an elaborate approach that
involved systematization, observation, analysis, a detailed visualization
and verbal description of their clothing. I focused on describing the repetitive nature of the action of dressing ; this also meant focusing on observing and trying to understand if and how pieces of clothing define the
person and are carriers of their identity, considering the amount of time,
intimacy, and emotional connection ( memories, associations, and stories )
these constructed fabrics have for their owners. I argued that the communicational power of clothing is enormous, and I strove to prove it using
basic examples from everyday situations, using “normal” clothing, entering “ ordinary ” peoples’ closets, fighting the triviality that labels this cultural phenomenon.
The people I asked to participate in these experiments belong
to a specific social group, which is not going to be criticized at any point
in the thesis. They will only be portrayed through the appearance of their
29
JOVANA HITZ
A STUDY OF DRESS AS AN IMAGE AND
(DE)CONSTRUCTION OF PERSONAL VISUAL IDENTITY
THROUGH CLOTHES
closets, the clothes they possess, their dressing rituals and favourite choices, but also by their own verbal descriptions of the physical and psychological relations to them.
This detailed approach to something that is so “ natural ”, private, so well choreographed by repetition, so much a core of everyday
events that it is part of a routine, served me as a tool to give “ dressing ” a
somewhat exaggerated value. I used it to explore my fascination for clothes
as I consider them being crucial in creating personal identities, places of
judgment and parameters of self and social acceptance. I also questioned
the validity of this construction by revoking the act of dressing as being
lost and overseen in the rhythm of everyday happenings on the one hand,
but still given an enormous importance when it comes to the first ( visual )
human interaction on the other one. How does the phenomenon of clothing pull off being a medium of self-expression while still and very successfully being a tool of providing limits and differences, that is, categories,
classifications, and finally discrimination, at the same time ? Another
question I followed up in my project.
R E -T H I N K I N G
EXHIBITION
C ATA L O G U E S
Figures1
[ → page 25 ] Identity Closet : A person’s closet is taken as an identity kit. The clothes it
contains are being treated as extensions of the person they belong to. I make a detailed
list of the contents and observe the way a person arranges and organizes the pieces
in order to understand how the choice of the outfit comes about.
2
Dressing Up : The person is being recorded getting dressed and personated by the
clothes from the closet. This step is meant to underline the repetitive act of dressing,
showing the very specific movements following it. It is also meant to show, in a figurative way, the act of putting on an identity, the act of self-construction. 3
Key Pieces : Pieces of clothing that end up being the usual choice are considered representative. Being so close and so often in direct contact with the person they are
becoming their second skin, their recognizable attributes and carriers of their identity. Therefore, they are also asked to verbally describe all physical, emotional, associational and other relations they have to the chosen key pieces.
ALEXANDRA
KAESER
30
INKEN ZIERENBERG
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
What is an exhibition catalogue ? Traditionally, it is a printed medium that documents an exhibition in a museum or gallery. Ideally, it will contain high-quality reproductions of the works of art that were on display in the exhibition. It will
also contain texts that describe the concept of an exhibition and possibly even
put the exhibition concept within the frame of art history and, thus, provide
a scientific update through further texts.
The production of an exhibition catalogue means to put real-life experiences
into print format. For this purpose, it confronts theory ( art historians ) with
­practice ( graphic designers ). What space does theory have in the visuals of a
catalogue and how much of the graphical work encroaches upon the theory ?
What dosage of theory and practice is needed to reflect real-life exhibitions as
closely as possible ?
Alexandra Kaeser
February 16 th, 1985, Basel, Schweiz
[email protected]
In order to answer these questions, one needs to find out what it really is
that needs to be visualized at all. Thus : what is an exhibition ? Physically
speaking, an exhibition is a display of selected objects within rooms. Theoretically, it is a concept set by a curator, which is where the selection of
the objects comes in. The object alone will always depend on the other
objects on display, the selection of these objects will depend on the theory, and the visual outcome of the two, theory and display, will depend on
the rooms in which they are displayed. What aspects of all this are, however, represented in a catalogue ?
The present thesis will analyze the questions based on one
­example in particular.
From February 2 nd till May 18 th, 2014, Fondation Beyeler offered
a retrospective of French painter Odilon Redon. A particularity of the exhibition was that the walls were painted, some in dark blue, some in light
yellow. The catalogue of the exhibition includes coloured reproductions
of every single painting that was on display, on white paper. Practically
every painting was given an entire page to itself, some even two. The sequence in which they were printed reflects pretty closely how they were
hung. The book comes with essays, which are accompanied by smaller
reproductions of works of art that are related to the text.
Does it make sense to reproduce objects individually on a page ?
It is certainly not representative of a specific concept and also does not
reflect the physical presence of the object within an exhibition, let alone
all the interrelations that define an exhibition, which were mentioned
earlier on. This question actually triggers a far more fundamental question.
If it does not represent the object within the exhibition, then does it represent the object as it is ? The answer to this question will depend on what
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual
Communication and Iconic
Research, FHNW HGK,
Basel, Switzerland
2006 – 2011
Bachelor of Arts in
Art History and English,
University of Basel
Work Experience
2012
Assistant to the Director, Fondation Beyeler
2009
Scientific Assistant, Kunsthaus Zug for
the ‘ Linea – Vom Umriss zur Aktion ’ exhibition
2008
Internship as Curatorial Assistant at Fondation
Beyeler, for the ‘Fernand Léger, Paris – New York’
exhibition
32
ALEXANDRA KAESER
R E -T H I N K I N G E X H I B I T I O N CATA LO G U E S
33
1
2
3
is really meant by an object. If one were to deduce what a painting is
­according to the reproductions in exhibition catalogues, it is a plain flat
material, whether wood or canvas or other, to which a person has added
other materials in a particular manner. Their sizes and materials are mentioned in a written index. Generally, works of art are mostly reproduced
without their frame – unless the frame is part of the painting or made by
the artist himself. They are printed in a size that fits the layout of the book
and in such way as to please the eye. In reality however, paintings do have
a frame, even if not a physical one, and they do not come in a fixed size.
They need a support – traditionally a wall to hang on. The only way one
can experience the real appearance of a single work of art thus is, of course,
when it is on display. Why is it that paintings are still reproduced in that
very reduced way, and what influence does this way of reproducing paintings have on the real painting, in theory as well as visually ? Obviously, the
graphic has taken over at this point and one should ask how much “ real ”
information could or should be added. Is it possible to reproduce a painting with its frame for instance ?
Does the sequence in which the reproductions are printed ­really
matter ? From a theoretical point of view it might. The installation is very
important for our understanding of a work of art. An exhibition sets an
artist’s work, a subject of art or a time period within the frame of the
present. Every time a work of art is being set within the context of an exhibition, it is being re-interpreted as the artist, the chosen subject for the
exhibition, or time period, is seen today. The way we perceive works of art
today thus depends on the institutions we choose to exhibit art in and how
we choose to exhibit it. To prove this point : the trajectory of works of art
is documented in so-called catalogues raisonnés. These catalogues work
like encyclopaedias, which define a work of art and an artist. Exhibitions,
or any kind of display, that is, are thus part of our definition of a work of
art or an artist. As mentioned above, each exhibition provides a different
context and a new interpretation of a work of art. The sum of all these
single settings makes the work of art what it is. But is the sequence in
which the reproductions are printed in a catalogue enough to represent
an installation ? Graphically speaking, it is easier to set one reproduction
per page and the sequence might have to be slightly modified for aesthetical reasons. Could the paper not be used as a direct translation of a wall ?
If it could, what influence would this have on the size of the reproductions
of these paintings ?
The practical research part was done in situ, at the Odilon Redon exhibition, where the installation was documented photographically.
ALEXANDRA KAESER
R E -T H I N K I N G E X H I B I T I O N CATA LO G U E S
35
The further research was of a graphical nature, based on the photographs.
The questions related to the definition of a painting formed a larger part
of the visual experiments, which were necessary to set the individual work
of art within the printed reproduction of an entire exhibition. The theoretical part dissects the exhibition into the following elements : room, wall,
painting, size, and catalogue. It analyzes these elements in separate chapters in order to filter out the essence of each of them, which may then be
represented in an exhibition catalogue.
WORK
ON
WORK
Figures1
Prototype of an exhibition catalogue, reflecting space
2
Prototype of an exhibition catalogue, closed book
3
Prototype of an exhibition catalogue, interrupting a linear reading reflecting a walk
in space
T R A N S L AT I O N
AND
T R A N S F O R M AT I O N
AS
A METHOD OF
A SELF-REFLECTIVE
C R E AT I V E ­
PROCESS
BOAH
KIM
36
INKEN ZIERENBERG
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
What was before Romeo & Juliet ? What came after the Bible ?
Numerous works remaking, appropriating, commemorating, or paying homage
have been created before and after those two stories – sometimes taking the
form of another story and at other times being made into a work of art of a
different form. Often someone’s final output has turned into a source which
inspired yet another work to blossom. Given this consistent re-imagining, we
can even assume that there is nothing – any object, image, story, or practice –
completely new.
When we confront the world, either in the form of an image or a text, our vision
and language work in conjunction to make a projection – together they build up
our own reality. Reception and interpretation are not mutually exclusive operations ; they are thoroughly interdependent. For the master-thesis project, I received and interpreted others’ work and put it into varied contexts through my
own conceptual approach. A song lyric has been selected as the basic ingredient to be cooked and I invite you to sample the variety of dishes that I created.
Boah Kim
March 15 th, 1986, Seoul, Korea
[email protected]
www.boah.com
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual Communication
and Iconic Research, FHNW HGK, Basel,
Switzerland
2007 – 2008 Communication Studies, Central Washington
University, WA, United States
2005 – 2009 Bachelor of Arts, Major in Media Studies,
Minor in French Literature,
Magna Cum Laude, Ewha Woman’s
University, Seoul, Korea
Work Experience
2012 – present Freelance graphic designer
June 2014 26 th international Biennial of Graphic Design
Brno 2014 : Selection of Student Work,
Moravian Gallery, Brno, Czech Republic
June 2013
Exhibition Unofficial Report Basel in
co-operation with Fabrica, Stellwerk, Basel,
Switzerland
March 2013
ASCll Workshop with Marc Kremers, HfG,
Offenbach am Main, Germany
2010 – 2012
Project Manager / Designer, DAREZ, Seoul,
Korea
2009 – 2010 Internship, Cheil Worldwide, Seoul, Korea
2006 – 2007 Video Producer, Daum Communications,
Seoul, Korea
38
Every love story seems somewhat like a reworking of the Romeo & Juliet
classic. Apart from the details of the plot, the basic elements of the greatest love story from England – a passionate but hopeless love, a ferocious
battle between families, a killing and the consequent revenge, a secret
wedding and a tragic ending – have been scattered like seeds all over the
world to blossom as other creations. However, Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet is, so to say, a child of another story called Pyramus and Thisbe from
Metamorphoses. Metamorphoses is a book of Latin narrative poetry written
by Roman poet Ovid, which has inspired the authors we regard as the most
influential in European literature such as Shakespeare, Dante, Chaucer,
and so on. The catch here is that – not only within the subject of literature
but also in painting and sculpture – this basic love story had a continuing
and decisive influence. Mythological subjects have frequently been depicted in the arts, and Metamorphoses was the greatest source of these narratives, so much so that the term “ O vidian ” is almost synonymous with
mythological in this context 1. As the book opens with the line – In nova
fert animus mutatas dicere formas / corpora ; ( I intend to speak of forms
changed into new entities ; ) 2 – it has been and will be going through a
perpetual transformation of form and content whenever it touches a new
author’s mind.
Of course, there are varied types of recreated or renewed works,
and we can put different labels on each – appropriation, adaptation, remake, re-enactment, commemoration, homage, etc. What distinguishes
them depends on how the author reacts to the original work and to what
39
BOAH KIM
WORK ON WORK
T R A N S L AT I O N A N D T R A N S F O R M AT I O N AS A M E T H O D O F
A S E L F - R E F L E C T I V E C R E AT I V E P RO C E S S
1
2
3
extent the author reforms it while applying his or her own interpretation.
For instance, British filmmaker Peter Greenaway often works with an adaptation of literature, transforming the text not only cinematically but
also narratively with his unique style. In his movie Prospero’s Book ( 1991 ),
the original storyline and settings of Shakespeare’s The Tempest are
re-imagined, and thus, the original narrative hardly emerges from his film.
On the contrary, Glenn Brown’s paintings are permeated by references to
Rembrandt and van Gogh because he literally imitates the motif and style
of old masters. Even though the degree of transformation differs, however, what the two artists have in common is that they make a projection of
reality out of the original works, putting the original themes into a specific context for their own conceptual approach.
All of us – not only Greenaway or Brown – are far from looking
at things with innocent eyes. Our eyes are always ancient to their work,
obsessed by their own past and by old and new insinuations of the ear,
nose, tongue, fingers, heart, and brain. Not only how but what they see is
regulated by need and prejudice.3 According to poststructuralists, the
meaning of a symbol or sign is produced depending on personal and social
determinants including conventions, norms, practices, and so forth.4 Thus,
there is no fixed system that produces meaning in a direct and corresponding way that, as a result, makes us repeatedly translate and transform
meaning.
It is my belief that our vision and language work in a correlated
manner during the translation and transformation process. A story comes
to us along with textual imagery, and an image inspires another imaginative text. In the end, this intermediate space between sensory stimuli
­allows us to project our own reality onto works. For example, Greenaway
only makes a movie “ when the narrative doesn’t stay in words” 5 and Brown
drags in music, science fiction, and popular imagery or fantasy, which are
implicated in his oeuvre as well as the old masters.
I have a deep-rooted interest in works created based on other
works, which I shall call here “ Work on Work ”. I am mainly interested in
where I can communicate with the work using the author’s personal interpretation, going beyond the original form and intention. In terms of the
design process, I am usually more concerned with hunting for already extant content and putting it into a different context than starting from zero
and creating something totally new. Having the same root of interest, my
thesis project proceeds with a simple question : what is happening during
the process of Work on Work ? The thesis attempts to span the whole design
process through practical experiments – a series of image productions,
41
BOAH KIM
WORK ON WORK
T R A N S L AT I O N A N D T R A N S F O R M AT I O N AS A M E T H O D O F
A S E L F - R E F L E C T I V E C R E AT I V E P RO C E S S
which precede self-reflecting analysis by delving into the output that I
­ enerated myself.
g
I selected a song text as the source that I thereupon translated
and transformed through several different approaches – the full text composing typographical layouts, selected words becoming imagery, images
of a catastrophic accident in South Korea conceptually woven into the text,
etc. It is quite interesting to observe how I understand the text, how my
interpretation of the text changes through time, and how the medium or the form I deal with varies depending on the way of interpretation.
Through the sheer volume of experimentation, this thesis arrives at the
final question: how far I can go beyond the original work ? Can my final
work reflect more of me than the original author ?
INTELLIGENT
TOOLS
S T R AT E G I E S
FOR A SHARED
DESIGN
PROCESS
Endnotes 1 Alpers, S. The Decoration of the Torre della Parada (London, Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard, 1971), p. 151
2 Ovid, Metamorphoses, Book 1, lines 1 – 2
3 Gombrich, Ernst. Art and Illusion ( New York, Pantheon Books, 1960 ) pp. 297 – 298
4 Wagner, Peter. Icons-Texts-Iconotexts : essays on ekphrasis and intermediality ( Berlin,
New York, de Gruyter, 1996 ), p. 7
5 Wagner, Peter. Icons-Texts-Iconotexts : essays on ekphrasis and intermediality ( Berlin,
New York, de Gruyter, 1996 ), p. 1. Quote from Peter Greenaway on being asked by
LITERARY REVIEW which book he would like to make into a movie.
LEILA
KUENZER
Figures1
Practice 1. Sinking poem. A series of typographical experiments. This work has been
inspired by a textual imagery that I had from the first interpretation of the song lyrics – which consisted of the whole text slowly sinking down. Scanned and photocopied.
145 × 180 mm
2
Practice 2. So long. A drawing of handwritten letters gradually covered up by white.
These are three selected from a whole series of photographs that I was taking, each
time applying a new layer of white paint to the letters. Marker and acrylic on cardboard. 830 × 590 mm
3
Practice 3. Black study : the real darkness has yet to come even if you think it is dark
enough. An experiment to visually capture darkness under the sea. The black colour
on paper is imperceptibly but irreparably getting deeper as the number of paper layers
grows. Overprinted by laser printer. 297 × 210 mm
42
INKEN ZIERENBERG
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
Leila Kuenzer
February 11 th 1989, Herbolzheim, Germany
[email protected]
The tools a graphic designer uses are central elements in the design process.
They enable certain ways to design and think by the very manner they work.
Designers have experimented with pens, pencils, brushes, paper, and printing
techniques for a long time. The computer is a relatively recent tool, whose potentials are not yet fully explored.
All these tools influence not only the graphical output in a crucial way, or as
Marshal McLuhan states :
“We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.” 1
The computer could be an option to diversify the tools, too.
Due to the developments in the field of AI, artificial intelligence, that is, and
computer programming, new forms of Computer Aided Designs ( CAD ) became
feasible.
The current master-thesis studies offer exemplary options to integrate intelligent computer systems into graphic design.
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual Communication and
Iconic Research, FHNW HGK, Basel,
Switzerland
2009 – 2012
Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication,
FHNW HGK, Basel
2008 – 2009 Propädeutikum, nsgl Langenthal, Switzerland
Work Experience
2010 – present Freelance graphic designer, Basel
2010 – present Camera / live cut / video editing, MTC,
FHNW HGK, Basel, Switzerland
Of course, on the one hand humans can develop a design without the help
of a computer ; on the other one, computers can design independently, as
far as they were programmed to do so, without the direct involvement of
humans.
Ever since 1970, Harold Cohan has been developing an artistic
computer called AARON, which is able to create its own images.2 This is
possible because AARON has a fundamental knowledge of the anatomy
of humans and plants. Its combination of elements and layouts is based
on several algorithms. As a result, unpredictable images emerge.
The computer is equipped with a kind of personality and creativity which can then be used by a designer. In many other fields, the
computer is a supporting partner, which makes decisions based on calculations. This thesis investigates what new forms of co-operation between
designers and computers could look like.
When people work as a team, problems tend to occur. This is
not helpful for the design process. By interacting with a computer, such
social issues could be overcome and a new basis of participation could be
established. Computers act as antagonists that contribute their knowledge
to the design. The capabilities a computer has compared to a human being
should be used productively.
In my research, I want to see which behaviour of this virtual
design partner will actually assist a designer in developing a new design.
Graphic design means to combine elements such as fonts, symbols, and images to communicate a message. A good design has emergent
characteristics, that is, the compound elements create certain features
44
LEILA KUENZER
INTELLIGENT TOOLS
S T R AT E G I E S F O R A S H A R E D D E S I G N P RO C E S S
45
2
3
the single element did not have. Aristotle put this into the famous words :
“ The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” 3
Designing is a complex challenge and many factors play a role.
Several theoretical models try to explain this process. It seems that all
these processes have a certain synthesis in common. The process starts
with a sketch that is modified, evaluated, and varied again. These operations are repeated until a satisfying result is achieved.
Designers often tend to re-use certain preferred elements or
strategies. Although that is sometimes a good solution, on other occasions
the designer needs a completely new inspiration. To integrate the computer and let it perform certain steps of the process will lead to unexpected design outputs. These interactions can be studied in an experimental
and artificial design process.
In the 18 th century, Wolfgang von Kempelen invented a machine
called the Mechanical Turk.4 It was build to trick people with a machine
that could play chess. The clue was quite banal : inside was a small man
hiding and controlling the moves.
This principle of a man acting like a machine, or a computer,
is still used in today’s research. It is known as the Wizard of Oz experiment
and it helps test new systems in advance of having an actual application
software in place.
Nigel Cross calls this the Reverse Turing Test 5 based on the original Turing Test 6 by Alan Turing from 1950. Other than in the classical
Turing Test, which is about finding out whether a question is answered by
a human or a computer, the computer passes the test if the subject cannot
distinguish between the human and the computer. In the Reverse Turing
Test, the subjects were given a design task which they were to solve with
the help of an intelligent computer system. This intelligent computer system actually was a team of design experts. With this method, Nigel Cross
tried to learn what kind of requirements the designing computer program
should have to meet. He concluded that :
“ We should be moving towards giving the machine a sufficient
degree of intelligent behaviour, and a corresponding increase
in participation in the design process, to liberate the designer
from routine procedures and to enhance his decision-making
role.” 7
In my master-thesis project I try to open the design process for
the computer to make the process analysable. At the same time, insights
into the design process in general are acquired.
LEILA KUENZER
INTELLIGENT TOOLS
S T R AT E G I E S F O R A S H A R E D D E S I G N P RO C E S S
47
The goal is not to replace human beings in the field of graphic
design but to describe other ways of integrating the computer into the
design process as a design partner.
Endnote
1 Culkin, J. M. ( 1967, March 18 th ). A schoolman’s guide to Marshall McLuhan. Saturday
Review, pp. 51 – 53, 71 – 72
2 http://www.viewingspace.com /genetics_culture/pages_genetics_culture/gc_w05/
cohen_h.htm
3 Abbreviated quote from Metaphysica VII 10, 1041 b ( VII 17, 1041 b )
4 http://www.chess.at/geschichte/kempelen.htm
5 Nigel Cross, “ Simulation of Computer Aided Design,” ( M. Sc. Dissertation, Design
Research Laboratory, Department of Building, University of Manchester Institute of
Science and Technology, 1967 ).
6 Alan Turing, “ Computing Machinery and Intelligence,” Mind, 2236 ( O ctober 1950 ),
pp. 433 – 460.
7 Nigel Cross, “ Simulation of Computer Aided Design,” ( M. Sc. Dissertation, Design
Research Laboratory, Department of Building, University of Manchester Institute of
Science and Technology, 1967 ).
Figures 1 [ → page 43 ] Variation of the Reverse Turing Test
2
The computer as an active part in the design process
3
Interrim stages of a shared design process
THINK
BEFORE YOU
S AY
S O M E T H I N G :
POLISH
­P O S T E R S A S
TOOLS OF
­C R I T I C A L
­C O M M E N T S O N
SOCIAL
­A T T I T U D E S
PIOTR
MARCISZEWSKI
48
INKEN ZIERENBERG
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
Piotr Marciszewski
August 27 th, 1987, Gdansk, Poland
[email protected]
http://dropr.com/temps
We are confronted with posters on a daily basis. Most of them try to sell us
something through their vivid colours and their suggestive forms. However, as
a tool of visual communication, posters can also comment on the society they
originate in. In different times, they have acquired a meaningful position through
this function, for example in Poland in the 1980’s, where they became an expression of social opposition to the Communist system.
This thesis focuses on the importance of posters as a tool of visual communication. It focuses on the posters’ role in commenting social attitudes, actions,
behaviours, and beliefs, and how they shape them in relation to a particular
phenomenon. Knowledge about the ways in which these processes may take
place are to be obtained by designing multiple variants of critical posters.
The playful and experimental nature of graphic design allows a designer
to find new creative inspirations to produce original visual messages. The
expression of his ideas can help influence the way people think about their
society and the problems within it, and even allow them to analyze their
own behaviour. Therefore, graphic design can change peoples’ social
awareness.
Posters have been a medium to communicate with society in
a critical manner ever since World War I. During this period, many countries in Europe as well as in America and Asia, used posters to “ shape ” the
mind of society towards one common insight. Posters became a tool and
a medium to change common social behaviour and promote awareness
in different social campaigns. They not only changed the visual appearance of public space, but also altered its function.
According to some research findings, a poster is not able to
influence peoples’ attitudes, as its “ transferring features ” are too weak.
Etter and Laszlo ( 2 005, p. 190 ) state as to their analysis on the influence
that a series of posters on passive smoking had in Geneva during a period
of two weeks in 2001 : “ The poster had no effect on cigarette consumption
or intention to quit. The poster was widely seen and remembered by the
target audience, but the campaign was probably too short and isolated to
have an impact on smoking behaviour. ” Their results only confront us
with the final situation – the ineffectiveness of the posters – leaving us
without any real insights into the reasons of their failure. Based on their
final assumption, a new hypothesis could be established : there is a real
need to find new visual forms of graphic expression, which allow them to
achieve a higher impact on the audience.
Other studies showed that most posters convey mixed as well
as inconsistent messages. Therefore, the communicative possibilities of
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual Communication and
Iconic Research, FHNW HGK, Basel,
Switzerland
2007 – 2010
Bachelor of Graphic Design, Academy of Fine
Arts, Gdansk, Polandd
Work Experience
2007 – 2014
Freelancer as a graphic designer, illustrator,
painter, performer, and dance teacher
2012 – 2013
Interior paintings at Step Dealers Dance
studio, Szał Dance Studio, Ursynow Church,
at Marta Sawicka’s office
2010
Shipyard Gdansk: designing and performing
an integrated project ( dance, painting ), ECS
( European Centre of Solidarity, Gdansk ) – digital project design, scaling the project on
a wall using spray paint and acrylic paint
50
PIOTR MARCISZEWSKI
T H I N K B E F O R E YO U SAY S O M E T H I N G :
POLISH POSTERS AS TOOLS OF CRITICAL COMMENTS
O N S O C I A L AT T I T U D E S
51
2
3
4
this medium are, according to the author, seldom used to their full potential ( Jenner, 2005, p. 224 ). However, it is open to question if the communicative capabilities of the posters are really limited by mixed and inconsistent messages.
Moist ( 2 010, p. 1257 ) has analyzed rock concert posters of the
1960 s in Northern America. His findings show that the posters did not
only transfer a message about the history of culture itself, but also shaped
the attitudes of contemporary societies towards artistic events. He states :
“ The poster artists did not reject their own background, often referencing
elements from close to home, but at the same time expressing a more
visionary and reconstructive approach to cultural history.” This comment
suggests that posters from that period were effectively shaping the approaches of man towards art and culture.
The above examples partly explain why a poster easily becomes
an exciting subject of research. Guffy ( 2 008, p. 98 ) suggests that 20 th -century posters are an interesting field of study and “even more intriguing
are the emerging political, cultural and technological imperatives that
shape this changing discourse”.
This aspect can also be observed based on the function that
posters played during the 1980’s in Poland. Society’s strong opposition to
the Communist system, expressed by the solidarność movement, made
strong use of poster art to convey its ideas. At that time, poster design was
losing its importance for the film market, but was rediscovered as a powerful means of contestation. A famous example of the role that Polish
posters played is Andrzej Partum’s street-crossing banner with the words :
“ Milczenie Awangardowe ” ( Avant-Garde Silence ) to the public. This kind
of artistic statement – during the period of martial law in Poland, which
was established in 1981 – became a symbol of protest for many social
groups, including those artists, against Communist influence. The official
cultural institutions were replaced by artists who exhibited their works
in independent spaces, for example in churches. Artists looked for a way
to visualize their ideals of freedom and find the best form of artistic expression to establish a political dialog with society.
The main purpose of my project is to identify the role that posters play in social communication. Some of the main question are :
1. Do social posters help us recognize peoples’ attitudes towards
actual social phenomena ?
2. What is the role of the audience’s perception in the process
of creating social posters ?
3. Can poster campaigns effectively communicate a message
expressing social problems ?
PIOTR MARCISZEWSKI
T H I N K B E F O R E YO U SAY S O M E T H I N G :
POLISH POSTERS AS TOOLS OF CRITICAL COMMENTS
O N S O C I A L AT T I T U D E S
53
The social impact of posters depends on both their visual form
( design ) and the environmental context ( for example the socio-cultural
context ) of the campaign. To learn more about this complex situation, a
practical research scenario was developed. Hereby, the design of a wide
variety of posters allows for an active exchange with the audience. A series
of surveys and questionnaires collects feedback from the audience. This
interaction is steering the design process, as it starts at an early stage, but
also helps establish the conclusions at the end of the process.
IMAGES
BE YOND SIGHT ?
A N
I N V E S T I G AT I O N
INTO THE
ROLE
OF MEMORY
I N TA C T I L E
DR AWINGS
Figures 1 [ → page 49 ] Many variations of an idea is the most important thing in a graphic design
process and practical research. Looking for the most appropriate aesthetics and methods to execute the idea. These variations provide more possibilities and, confronted
with the beholders, help find the best solution.
2 – 4 “ Think before you say something ” – this poster is quite personal. This can be a disadvantage, because the goal of the poster is to find a universal language that communicates the message to the people but is, at the same time, very personal and even subjective as to emotions.
References • Etter J. F. & Laszlo E. ( 2005 ) Evaluation of a poster campaign against passive smok- ing for World No-Tobacco Day. Patient Education and Counselling. Vol. 57, Issue 2,
pp. 190 – 198.
• Guffy E. ( 2008 ) Design Issues. Vol. 24, No. 1, p. 98 – 100.
• Jenner E. A., Jones F., Fletcher, B. ( C.), Miller L., Scott G. M. ( 2005 ) Journal of Hospital
Infection, 60, pp. 218 – 225.
• Moist K. M. ( 2010 ) Visualizing Postmodernity : 1960 s Rock Concert Posters and Contemporary American Culture. The Journal of Popular Culture, Vol. 43, No. 6, Wiley Periodicals, Inc., pp. 1242 – 1265.
F E L I C I TA S
K AT H A R I N A
MERZ
54
INKEN ZIERENBERG
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
Felicitas Katharina Merz
May 10 th, 1990, Ellwangen, Germany
[email protected]
www.felicitas-merz.de
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual Communication and
Iconic Research, FHNW HGK, Basel,
Switzerland
2008 – 2012
Bachelor of Arts in Media Design, with focus
on Print, especially Editorial and Corporate
Design and Drawing, University of Applied
Sciences, Schwäbisch Hall, Germany
2010
Exchange semester, Print & Illustration.
Pacific Northwest College of Art ( P NCA),
Portland, Oregon, USA
Work Experience
2010 – present Freelance designer and image researcher,
Basel, Switzerland and Ellwangen, Germany
2010 – 2011
Intern and designer, Faber Bureau for
Typographic Design, Ellwangen, Germany
2009 – 2010 Designer, OWD, Agency for Visual Marketing,
Aalen, Germany
2007
Internship, Agency for Image Language,
Projektteam AG, Bopfingen, Germany
56
In his book Memoirs of the Blind, philosopher Jacques Derrida emphasized that
drawing beyond sight forces us to trust in memory and opens a lidless eye at
the end of the fingertip during the drawing process.1 To perceive and draw an
object with the help of our sense of touch, our tactile sense, is a new experience
for most sighted people. Concentrating on the materialized traces of the drawing process, the research attempts to reveal the crucial role and influence of
tactile perception and blindness in image creation. The project refers to the
visualization and translation of tactilely perceived stimuli in two-dimensional
drawings that are triggered by manual explorations of an object. By focusing on
the visual translations of tactile explorations I established the hypothesis that
we do not entirely trust our active sense of touch, but rather rely on former
memories and experiences.
The active sense of touch plays a central role in perception and cognition.
Through the method of touch, we can gain information of objects and get
hints of their materiality, weight, and temperature that cannot be experienced in the same way by vision alone. Any haptic exploration consists of
processes in the areas of our motor system and brain. Through drawing
studies, I shall analyze how tactile stimuli can trigger different memorized
information during the process of visualization. The experiments will
show that the sense of touch and the sense of vision are more closely connected than we thought. This thesis project strives to investigate ways and
methods to visualize tactile stimulations of three-dimensional objects in
two-dimensional drawings. The project focuses on establishing a methodology to analyze different forms of knowledge in a tactile drawing process that are triggered through a tactile stimulation by an object.
My first investigations with the help of practical experiments
inquired into the influence of specific conditions of objects on the drawing
process. The first outcomes assumed that there is a visibly growing tactile
knowledge through the manual exploration of an object in an image over
a certain period of time. The resulting drawings suggest that increased
haptic skills and prior experiences with the object provide a learning process and an acceleration of object recognition.
Subsequent studies revealed and visualized that the general
perception in its interplay with the tactile translation of materiality, with
the influence of odour and of objects and at different temperatures, all
had visible effects on the drawing process as well as on the final drawings.
Due to the absence of vision, the test persons felt strongly limited as to
their pictorial abilities. They frequently stated that they were unable to
realize their intentions the way they would have liked to do in drawing
F E L I C I TAS K AT H A R I N A M E R Z
I M A G E S B E Y O N D S I G H T ?
A N I N V E S T I G AT I O N I N TO T H E RO L E O F M E M O RY
I N TAC T I L E D R AW I N G S
57
2
4
3
with open eyes. In all visualizations of haptic explorations thus created,
the subjects used the line and perspective to translate their tactile perception with a pen on a paper surface. Of course, mental imagery does not
consist of line drawings, but the resulting images of the translation process do. During the perception and translation process and also in the
final drawings, bodily and emotional reactions of the subjects could be
observed that were partly based on the principle of individual and common experiences.2 An example for a common reaction in the experiment
is the aim of the subjects to name the touched object and to recognize it
before starting to draw it.
Summarizing the knowledge gained by the former, practical
experiments, the process of visualizing one’s tactile sense by the method
of drawing invokes the following questions : what role does the recognition
of the object in the process play ? Does the drawing process differ when
we recognize the object during the haptic exploration compared to when
we are unable to recognize it ? And how does our memory influence the
process of object recognition and drawing ?
The results from the most recent drawing experiments have
me assume that the more one recognizes an object through manual exploration, the more one can recall past experiences and start to “feel” them
as real.3
Although the moment of object recognition is very short, it can
substantially influence perception and the process of drawing and change
the creation of the drawing quite rapidly.4 If the object is not recognized,
the process of perception is a completely different one, with the perception
of space and size quite remote from representing the real object.
In the final practical study of my thesis, eleven persons haptically explored five objects and tried to draw the tactile information they
perceived. By observing these processes, I recognized that the representation of tactile information interacts with memorized information from
other sensory or physical attributes, such as the visual memory, personal
or physical experiences. Therefore, a tactile stimulus can influence the
drawing process by accessing mental images of our visual memory.
The findings of the study have the potential to contribute to
the knowledge of drawing theory, especially in the field of haptic and
blindly produced images of touch. It should be a gateway for a better understanding of mental processes and ways of translation during the haptic exploration of objects and their materialized manifestation in two-dimensional lines. The final examination of my thesis project is a practical
study with ten participants, who produced tactile drawings under given
F E L I C I TAS K AT H A R I N A M E R Z
I M A G E S B E Y O N D S I G H T ?
A N I N V E S T I G AT I O N I N TO T H E RO L E O F M E M O RY
I N TAC T I L E D R AW I N G S
59
I
DREAM
OF
A
NEW
AGE
OF
CURIOSITY
conditions. Through images and video documentations, the project analyzes the visual translation of the object under changing conditions, for
example the variation of the degree of abstraction, the size, and the spatial
position. The resulting collection of drawings can be seen as an initial
point of discussion for my theoretical and practice-based research in the
field of tactile perception, its meaning, and its ways of translating tactile
stimuli into visualizations.
A DISCUSSION
OF THE CURRENT
S TAT E O F T H E
V I S U A L I Z AT I O N O F
EMOTION AND
TH E VALU E O F
A ­M E T A P H O R I C A L
­A P P R O A C H
Endnotes 1 Jacques Derrida, Memoirs of the Blind. The Self-Portrait and Other Ruins. Chicago
1990, p. 3.
2 Michael Thomasello, Origins of Human Communication, Massachusetts 2008, p. 45
3 Bergson, Henri, Key writings. New York 2002, p. 126.
4 Mary A. Peterson, The edge complex : Implicit memory for figure assignment in shape
perception. Perception & Psychophysics, May 2005, Vol. 67, Issue 4, pp. 727 – 740.
Figures 1 [ → page 55 ] One of the first studies visualizes the blind and tactile exploration of a catkin branch through a two-dimensional line drawing. The visible colours visualize
the development of the drawing and the memory over a certain period of time.
1. Black = one-minute drawing,
2. Red = five-minutes drawing,
3. Orange = one-minute drawing. 42 × 59.4 cm
2
Tactile drawings of the second study of the project made blind ( left), whereas the
others were made with the controlling function of open eyes on the paper ( r ight). The
colours visualize the development of the drawing over a certain period of time.
1. Black = one-minute drawing,
2. Red = five-minutes drawing ,
3. Orange = one-minute drawing. Single drawing size : 42 × 59.4 cm
3
The video documentations show all translation processes and their setup. Body reactions to the tactile stimuli are visible and, in some cases, the active and passive moments of exploration of the object can be distinguished. The choice of the moving
media has a revealing function for the tactile process.
4
Translations of the changing conditions of the object. The object is statically placed
the wrong way, the object is statically placed the right way, the object is loose and
explored while holding it in one’s hand. The flexible position of the object leads to its
recognition and addition of non-existing features of the object from memory ( f rom
top to bottom). Single drawing size : 42 × 59.4 cm
MEGHAN AMÉLIE
O’DONNELL JERLIU
60
INKEN ZIERENBERG
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
Meghan Amélie O’Donnell Jerliu
September 30 th, 1986, Toronto, Canada
[email protected]
donofthevalley.tumblr.com
Metaphorical images have been commonplace in art and visual imagery for
centuries. However, with the rise of the industrial age and the advent of an
­extensively data-driven culture, the trends in data visualization have increasingly relied on a quantifiable, structured presentation of large quantities of
­information. This visual structure, famously espoused in the book “ The Semiotics of Graphics ” by Jacques Bertin, works well when representing numerical
values or statistics, however I believe that it does not truly capture the complex
and variable nature of human emotion.
This thesis focuses on the visualization of emotion and the suggested lack of
metaphorical imagery used in modern visualizations. Metaphor is a flexible
conceptual framework that can be successfully applied to varying areas of information, including emotion. Metaphor theory frequently discusses the linguistic metaphorical experience and the inherent metaphorical lens through
which humans experience the world and absorb information to create mental
“ image-schemata ”. Visual metaphors allow for a deeper insight into abstract or
indefinite ideas by tapping into these mental image-schemata. Through visual
experimentation using moving GIF images, this thesis seeks to discuss visual
metaphors and their value as a flexible framework through which to present
conceptual and abstract information to a broader public.
Modern information and data visualization traditions heavily rely on the
Western industrialized attitude of the past two centuries. An expanding
data-driven culture informed the visual approach to presenting information in a more condensed and rigidly structured fashion. This increasingly semiotic approach to data visualization allowed the viewer to “ read ”
large quantities of information in an efficient and condensed fashion as
a direct result of the increased volume of data individuals had to consume
on a regular basis. This structured visualization framework equally applied to statistics and, in the past decades, increasingly to conceptual data
such as emotion.
Current data visualizations of emotions often use quantifiable
visualizations that reveal very little about the emotional complexity and
depth of the human experience. The desire to condense emotional “ data ”
into a single image in order to identify larger patterns or trends is an increasingly popular one. If we take data visualization as an image that must
lead the viewer to previously unattainable insights, the tendency of modern designers to create beautiful visualizations of emotion leaves much
to be desired. While a semiotic approach can be valuable in certain situations, this visual typology creates only superficial understandings of
perceived trends in emotional experiences.
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual Communication and Iconic
Research, FHNW HGK, Basel, Switzerland
2007 – 2008 Humanities Studies, Pompeu Fabra University,
Barcelona, Spain
2005 – 2009 Honours Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art History,
University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Work Experience
since July 2014 Global Internal Communications internship,
Novartis, Basel
2014
Designer, internal website redesign,
F. Hoffmann - La Roche Inc., Basel
2013 – 2014
Executive Assistant to COO Diagnostics,
F. Hoffmann - La Roche Inc., Basel
2010 – 2012
Administrative Assistant to Director,
Corporate Planning and Analysis, ­
F. Hoffmann - La Roche Inc., Basel
Deputy Assistant to COO Pharmaceuticals,
F. Hoffmann - La Roche Inc., Basel
62
MEGHAN AMÉLIE O’DONNELL JERLIU
I DREAM OF A NEW AGE OF CURIOSITY
A D I S C U S S I O N O F T H E C U R R E N T S TAT E O F T H E V I S UA L I Z AT I O N O F
E M OT I O N A N D T H E VA L U E O F A M E TA P H O R I CA L A P P ROAC H
63
1
2
Through research and analysis, primarily focusing on mediaeval images, I have identified the concept of the metaphor as a key communication methodology that is frequently passed over in favour of a semiotic approach. Broadly speaking, visual metaphors are a flexible method
that presents an initial concept in the terms of another to allow the viewer to gain more insight into an idea. Visual metaphors are flexible and
essentially limitless, as they establish a direct link to the metaphorical
construct that shapes human consciousness and the absorption of experience and knowledge.
Humans construct mental “ image-schemata ” in order to organize their understanding of their external, worldly experiences. By creating
a personalized “metaphorical network” into which they organize their
knowledge, individuals begins to collect a repository of experiences, ideas,
and methods with which to understand their daily existence. These networks are shaped by cultural norms, personal experiences as well as the
individuals’ unique knowledge. Visual metaphors tap into the human
impulse to categorize things within their image-schemata by communicating concepts in the guise of others.
Through visual experiments using GIF files, the concept of the
metaphor and its value in communicating a deeper insight into the experience of emotion will be explored. GIFs are short video clips that act as
visual metaphors and are used on the intranet as reactions to an online
verbal situation, similar to a moving emoticon. I believe there is a unique
value to GIFs in their contemporary use as metaphorical stand-ins for
emotional reactions in the online environment. For example, the images
included in the catalogue text use a GIF of indeterminate source material
that plays on a repeated loop as a reaction to online stimuli. The visual
metaphor enclosed within the GIF, regardless of its source, acts as a substitute emotional reaction.
The added value of the GIF-file-as-visual-metaphor is threefold.
GIFs form a repetitive reaction to verbal online stimuli. The act of repetition within a GIF file draws out the act of visual contemplation. Secondly,
this repetitive nature also allows the viewer more time to mentally assess
and categorize the visual aspects within their mental image-schema,
thereby enhancing the potential contemplation of their associated emotional state. Lastly, the reactive natures of GIF images allow the GIFs to
mimic a human’s reactive emotions produced by stimuli, in this case in
the digital environment. These reactive emotional “ stand-ins ” allow humans to interact more fully online than a simple textual response. The
GIF visuals play on the idea of emotional instincts and memory as a
MEGHAN AMÉLIE O’DONNELL JERLIU
I DREAM OF A NEW AGE OF CURIOSITY
A D I S C U S S I O N O F T H E C U R R E N T S TAT E O F T H E V I S UA L I Z AT I O N O F
E M OT I O N A N D T H E VA L U E O F A M E TA P H O R I CA L A P P ROAC H
65
­palimpsest in which previous experience and emotional reaction are a
layered, built-up process.
My proposed idea of memory as a palimpsest suggests that
emotion and memory is not a singular, repeated experience. Each emotion
is built up over time in “ layers ” of experience and shared cultural norms
to create a cumulative understanding that is constantly being added to.
This “ millefeuille ” effect creates a highly individual reaction to visual
images and by using visual metaphors, the thesis visualizations heighten
this experience to allow beholders to contemplate their shared cultural
norms as they relate to emotional visualizations as well as their personal
“ palimpsestic ” reaction to emotionally charged images.
The thesis visuals run on a loop to create a prolonged experience of emotional contemplation that we may not otherwise experience
in a real-life emotional reaction. Emotion is a multi-faceted, inter-connected experience and visuals need to express that complexity of emotion. The
use of GIF files directly relates to the perceived lack of metaphor in modern data visualization, as they are a common visual currency widely found
on the Internet today. This thesis hopes to open the discussion of the
value of metaphors as a conduit through which the beholder can understand a concept within a separate framework and, thereby, gain insights
previously unreachable through semiotic visual means.
ON
SENSING
I N TA N G I B L E S
CRITICAL MOMENTS
BETWEEN ICONIC
C AT E G O R I E S O F
O R N A M E N TA L D E S I G N
Figures 1 Source material experiment ( T itle : I am going to pieces ) – GIF files from disparate
sources add to the flexibility of a metaphorical structure. Regardless of the source
material, it is precisely the lack of prior knowledge required from the beholder that
makes them successful visual substitutes for emotion.
2
Reactive experiment ( T itle : I could feel the electricity between us ) – The reactive context
in which the majority of GIF files are used furthers their value as a visual metaphor
for emotion. They mimic the human emotional reaction to stimuli within a digital
context.
IZABELA COOK
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PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
Izabela Cook
May 13 th, 1980, Żyrardów, Poland
[email protected]
Our visual perception does not enjoy monotony. The human mind requires constant stimulation to receive dynamic information about the changing environment for the purpose of orientation. Often, we are intrigued by images that do
not allow a clear interpretation. An ornament can be considered a visual composition driven by lines, which tends to strongly attract our attention. Despite
its long history, neither theoreticians nor designers have as yet been able to
propose a consistent and comprehensive definition.
One common approach is to define ornaments through the notion of pattern,
but this seems to omit their intangible power to impress. Maybe an ornament
is merely a pattern, but a smart one, created in order to entertain ? Practical
research attempts to look for the iconic characteristics comprising the categories of ornament. This is achieved by carefully investigating the sensitive moments of transition ; situations, in which the created pattern gains ornamental
potential, and circumstances, when an ornament regresses to a pattern.
Ornaments often adorn an object of ceremony, significantly enhancing its
high status and thus, in turn, portraying an ornament as a precious and
unique entity that adds value to the object it adorns. Is it significant that
there is no attempt to explain ornaments though the definition of patterns ? According to Oxford Dictionaries, a pattern is a repeated decorative
design, characterized by a regular and intelligible form discernible in the
way in which something happens or is done. If we investigate the history of
ornaments, we notice that even at their very origins, ornaments were repeatedly defined though the notion of pattern. The first collections of
carefully assembled ornamental designs, published from the 15 th till the
19 th centuries, were simply called “pattern books”. Presumably, the reason
for applying these interchangeable notions was a natural consequence of
their function – the ornaments lost their uniqueness when used as templates ready to be reproduced by contemporary designers.
For centuries, ornaments were perceived as a man-made expression of beauty comprised in forms inspired by nature. In 1856, Owen Jones,
in his Grammar of Ornament, attempted a novel in allowing the possibility of applying critical judgement to classic and current designs, their
particular styles and interrelations. Jones revealed that the secret of a
successful ornament lays in the repetition of a few simple elements 1. The
important quality, which differentiates it from a pattern, is the variety,
resulting in a carefully planned composition. In 1893, art historian Alois
Riegl confirmed this thesis in the detailed analysis of the motifs and structure of arabesque. Riegl pointed out another characteristic feature of ornamental compositions, the interplay between figure and ground, which
sometimes is a result of the intricacy of the employed visual forms.
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual Communication and Iconic
Research, FHNW HGK, Basel, Switzerland
2010
Master in Social Psychology of IT and Communication,
Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities,
Warsaw, Poland
Work Experience
2005 – 2010 Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw
Documentalist ( Instructor ) at the Department of Scientific
Information and Documentation
Exhibition Curator The Invisible Army. Stencil Art 2
Exhibition Coordinator Towards Modernity. Polish Design
Post 1956
2003 – 2006 Freelance graphic designer
68
IZABELA COOK
O N S E N S I N G I N TA N G I B L E S
C R I T I CA L M O M E N T S B E T W E E N I C O N I C CAT E G O R I E S O F
O R N A M E N TA L D E S I G N
69
1
2
3
4
A strong trend towards loosing ornamental values by decorative
designs was observed in the second half of the 19 th century. The ubiquity
of adornment and frequent lack of its suitability or a wrong context, amalgamated with a misunderstanding of the human urge to ornament both
body and surroundings, led to the perception of any sort of embellishment
as primitive and indulgent. In 1908, in Ornament and the Crime, architect
Adolf Loos condemned the ornament for its tendency towards superfluous
appearance, and as a consequence, declared it to be devoid of meaning. He
emphasized the elimination of the ornament in favour of a purely functional and transparent structure. Ironically though, the structure itself was
perceived as a repetitive pattern, and thus, the framework, which serves as
a basis of modernistic design and has gained ornamental potential.
Today, ornament is experiencing a resurgence, though it remains an intangible notion. What are the rules fundamental to the creation of decorative designs? The process is characterized by high dynamics and not linear as, at any moment, the decisions undertaken might
result in a different outcome. At any stage, the ornament may regress to
a pattern when simply multiplied or fragmented, and a repeatedly fractured pattern may regress to texture. The reversal of this process would
require a reconstitution of forms from the particles of the initial configuration, and this is not possible without adding new elements. A wellplanned repetition of elements, supported by symmetry, adds regularity
to the composition. An application of symmetry offers smooth connections between the objects reflected and the continuity of lines, but more
importantly, it rewards our sense of order. In addition, it reveals the strong
role of geometry in the creation of decorative designs. However, the exclusive implementation of symmetry is not sufficient and carries the risk of
obtaining a merely predictable arrangement. Therefore, it is important to
exercize care when diversifying the elements employed and their composition. Increasing the level of complexity can be realized by repetition or
by a form of multiplication. This evokes the idea of natural growth and,
by overwhelming the beholder, enhances the final effect. When such a
repetition is performed in a random manner, it seems superfluous and
makes the design illegible. However, when well executed, it results in an
ambiguous image, in which positive and negative spaces trigger a frantic
chase, in which its beholder attempts to comprehend the relationship
between particular elements.
By examining the way certain features of visual compositions,
such as repetition, symmetry, and complexity impact on our perception
and interpretation of a given decorative composition, we might discover
more interesting aspects of the vital steps in the process of its creation.
IZABELA COOK
O N S E N S I N G I N TA N G I B L E S
C R I T I CA L M O M E N T S B E T W E E N I C O N I C CAT E G O R I E S O F
O R N A M E N TA L D E S I G N
71
Endnote
SARAH
LISETTE
P L AT T E
1 Jones, O : The Grammar of Ornament, London ( 2008), 15
Figures 1 Experiments with vegetal compositions using repetition, symmetry, and an interposing of individual elements
2
Manually executed design of interrelated circles
3
Imposed layers of a grid, each layer interposed at the place of origin and rotated by 5
degrees : 2 layers at 0 and 10 degrees, 3 layers at 0, 5, and 10 degrees, and a composition comprised of ten layers, from 0 to 45 degrees.
4
Floral composition created by multiplication but also by a careful planning of the
entire composition.
VISUALIZING
THE ART OF
CONDUCTING
Reference • Gombrich, E : The Sense of Order : a Study in the Psychology of Decorative Art, Oxford
( 1979 )
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PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
Sarah Lisette Platte
August 12 th, 1982, Schwalmstadt, Germany
[email protected]
www.sarahplatte.de
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual Communication and Iconic Research,
FHNW HGK, Basel, Switzerland
2006 – 2009 State Examination ( M. A.) in Political Science, Albert-­Ludwigs-­
Universität, Freiburg, Germany
2003 – 2007 State Examination ( M. A.) in Music – University of Music, Freiburg,
Germany
2002 – 2003 German language and literature studies, Albert-Ludwigs-­
Universität, Freiburg, Germany
Work Experience
2009 – present Freelance graphic designer
2008 / 2009 Internship at giz, InWEnt and the Delegation of the
European Union in Cairo, Egypt
2004 – 2005 Assistant to the Professor, Department of Pedagogy,
University of Music, Freiburg, Germany
2003 – 2008 Choir Manager, Department of Conducting, University
of Music, Freiburg, Germany
2002 – 2008 Saxophone teacher with Stadtmusik Endingen,
Germany
The work of a conductor is one of the most mythic crafts within the field of music. Being a musician without a sounding instrument, the conductor is the target
of harsh criticism as well as admiration. And although he is the person at the
very core of a music performance, only very few people have more than a vague
notion of what the man with the baton is actually doing – some people think he
is totally unnecessary ; others are convinced of his crucial role for a successful
interpretation.
By means of visualization, this thesis project investigates conducting gestures,
seeking to find methods to visualize conducting movements in a way that is
understood by students and can be used in classes on conducting and for research. This includes not only the direction of conducting gestures, but also
the musical parameters communicated through this sign language.
The methods of visual communication can help make this mythic subject teachable by providing understandable visual tools translating formerly elusive movements into a clear visual language.
What does a conductor actually show with his gestures ? The tone pitch
and rhythm, or real objects such as a house or a tree ?
A conductor leads the orchestra or choir ; he decides when to
start and stop and co-ordinates the tempo and other musical actions in-­
between. Thus, the conductor is responsible for the interpretation, that
is, he decides how to translate the score into sound. These decisions are
made within different categories of musical parameters :
1. phrasing ( tempo and dynamics ),
2. articulation, and
3. sound configuration.
But how does he simultaneously show and control these very
complex parameters ? Even famous conductors such as Alan Gilbert – Musical Director of the New York Philharmonic – are quite unable to explain
what their gestures mean :
“ There is no way to really put your finger on what makes conducting great, even what makes conducting work. Essentially
what conducting is about is getting the players to play their best
and to be able to use their energy and to access their point of
view about the music. There is a connection between the gesture, the physical presence, the aura that a conductor can project, and what the musicians produce.” 1
An analysis of more than 30 books on conducting shows that
much attention has been paid to instrumental and singing technique,
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S A R A H L I S E T T E P L AT T E
VISUALIZING THE ART OF CONDUCTING
75
1
2
3
­rehearsal methodology, ensemble management, and music theory – important skills, which a well-trained conductor should have – but the essence of his actions at a concert, namely his gestures, receive much less
attention. Only so-called conducting patterns can be found, showing a
rough trajectory of the hands. These do not include the position of the
hands in a three-dimensional space, neither do they depict any specific
qualities of movement. And, when it comes to more complex aspects of
conducting, everything gets intangible – one finds an abundance of words
such as aura, energy, intensity, or individual expression, but there is neither
a concrete systematic methodology, nor a nomenclature or a standardized
system of visualization of conducting gestures and their sounding result.
Music is a time-dependent medium. When the sound dies away,
the music is gone.
In order to preserve and analyze music, one needs to transform
these evasive moments into a static medium. For this reason, music notation was developed, and musicians are trained in transforming this
static code back into sounding time. Like a single frame of a motion picture, music notation provides a possibility to freeze and study a single
moment within a sequence, and by zooming out, larger structures become
recognizable.
In other words : by means of music notation, we are able to
survey a time interval detached from time.
Conducting movements are also time-dependent, so in order
to analyze conducting movements one has to find ways to separate the
movements from the time dimension.
In this context, a brief look at the attempts of visualizing motion within seemingly related and traditionally more developed fields such
as dancing and sports science might be helpful.
“But science can only be developed, described, discussed, disseminated through being recorded – in words, figures, and / or
symbols – in brief, through notation.”2
However, as the aim of conducting movements is very different
from those of dancers and athletes, concepts are only partly transferable.
In sports, the movement itself is the “ final result ”. Dancing is a visual art
in its own respect, usually based on – and thus reacting to – music as opposed to conducting, which is an auditive art aiming to produce – and not
merely accompany – sound.
The starting point of my first visual experiments has been a
collection of conventional 2 D conducting patterns. They provide a general
S A R A H L I S E T T E P L AT T E
VISUALIZING THE ART OF CONDUCTING
77
orientation concerning the tempo, the number of beats to the bar and
where you are in a given bar. In short : conducting patterns are essential
for the co-ordination of musical actions.
However it proves difficult to create a proper static sign language for movements executed within the same spatial area. From a visualization point of view, already the addition of a second bar of music to
the pattern raises a conflict between the place and spacing of the actual
movements and the spread-out – or stretched – left-to-right way in which
we tend to read a consecutive row of information. Although this works
well in the way we notate music itself, the stretching distorts the inner
correlations and dimensions of the conducting movements so that even
basic parameters are changed unintendedly.
Moreover, “ real conducting ” uses movements in three dimensions to evoke and control actions in the musical categories mentioned
above. By using a Kinect sensor and processing it is possible to integrate
three-dimensional space and time and thus capture movements in real- time, which could be used to analyze a “real” rehearsal or concert-situation
with a choir or an orchestra. Thus, the user will be able to make one particular conducting parameter visible in its kinaesthetic quality without
considering the whole complexity of a movement, as would be the case
with (2 D -) video capture.
In summary, this thesis project explores the possibilities of capturing the meaning and quality of this special sign language – gesturally
as well as musically – thus (probably for the first time) enabling research
on the subject by offering concrete material which, I hope, will lead to a
higher degree of clarity and major improvements in the somewhat foggy
discourse about and the teaching of this extremely influential musical craft.
ELENA
STELLE
N A R R AT I O N
I N A S TAT I C
IMAGE –
A VISUAL
A N A LY S I S
Endnotes 1 Alan Gilbert, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/04/06/arts/music/the-connection-between-gesture-and-music.html?_r =0
2 Hutchinson Guest, Ann: Dance Notation. The process of recording movement on paper, Dance Horizons, New York 1984, p. xi
Figures 1 Comparison of 4-beat patterns from different textbooks.
2
Initial sketches focusing on the extension of a 4-beat pattern to a length of three bars.
3
Motion-tracking experiments with a Kinect sensor and processing.
( 1 ) Showing the parameters of ‘ sound configuration ’, ‘ registration ’, and ‘ dynamics ’
through differently coloured, sized, and positioned circles.
( 2 ) Showing the correlation of the parameter of ‘ sound configuration ’ on the x-axis
with ‘ dynamics ’ on the y-axis.
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PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON RE-INVENTING FACTICITY
Man’s ability to see, recognize, and understand images is innate but also affected by history and culture. Any processing of the information and any differentiations perceived in an image are based on previous experience. Nowadays, this
experience is linked to the individual moments we record, that is, to the act of
taking pictures. To map the world, so to say, and to “ visualize ” it and the people
in it, is characteristic of any culture. “ We do not even remember anymore, how
we learned to see. The way we learned to visually associate or infer or think, and
how familiar we have become with visual abbreviations, metaphors, symbols,
and terms.” 1 Do photographs tell stories, and if so, how ? On the basis of what
term or concept may we speak of narration in a photograph ? Are there differences in so-called documentary or staged photographs as to what they actually do in relation to an alleged story ? The arranging and constructing of images,
the revealing of visual structures, and the implementation of narrative actions
in photographs is the subject matter of the present master-thesis project.
Elena Stelle
April 22 nd, 1984, Gulistan, Uzbekistan
[email protected]
elenastelle.com
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual Communication and Iconic Research,
FHNW HGK, Basel, Switzerland
2008 – 2012
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Design, University of
Applied Sciences in Trier, Department of Design, Germany
2010 – 2011
Exchange Semester at HSLU Luzern, Department Design &
Kunst, subject Illustration Fiction, Switzerland
Work Experience
2014 – present Event management at BIS, the Bank for International
Settlements in Basel.
2006 – 2007 Internship with Onlinedesign, an advertising agency
in Bad Kreuznach, Germany
80
Distinguishing between the content and the composition of an image for
the purpose of analysis is a great challenge. For Roland Barthes, photographs are not to be differentiated by this feature. As a rule, image composition is not an end in itself. The presentation aims to show the people
depicted in relation to their environment. Thus, a field of reference, a
context, is created between the person depicted and other things. These
relations may be described as actions. “ Actions … [ are ] conscious, meaningful actions of a human being within and with the world, its fellow
human beings and itself.” 2
The course of action can then target a climax, which can equally as well be the completion of a narrative or the starting point of a new
story. Thus, in the image, courses of action and their associated relations
between the individual figures combine into a narration.
A narration always has a beginning and an end. Any associated
spaces are not random but symbolical, as are the depicted looks, movements, furnishings, etc. The combination of space and time thus constitutes the course and freedom of action of the figures.
The content structure in a static image is based on actions. The term of “ staging ” means the formal design of an action within a given frame. In photography, too, we speak of staging. This purely staged
photography starts to form a blank space, in which the artist’s or director’s
idea may be realized. The context of the staged narration or action is also determined by the stage direction and controlled accordingly.3 Any
action usually means a sequence of events with a minimum of one main
character or protagonist. The event shows up as an activity but also as an
ELENA STELLE
N A R R A T I O N I N A S T A T I C I M A G E —
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81
emotional or intellectual development of individual figures that remain
motionless.4 A narration in a literary sense has a beginning and an end,
however no direct call for completion. This means, that the end of the
story is manipulated by imagery, so the reader may project the information
infinitely with his imagination.5 As people live in a social world as social
beings, their action is never independent from their social environment.
Therefore, actions reveal social relations.6 In this respect, the question
arises of how this narrative structure of an act actually becomes visible
and recognizable ? A narration in a visual sense is a number of events that
are linked together. David Bordwell refers to a narration as a chain of
events in a “ causal relation ” influenced by time and space.
“ We can consider a narration to be a chain of events in cause-­
effect relationship occurring in time and space. A narrative is
thus what we usually mean by the term story, [ … ] . Typically, a
narrative begins with one situation; a series of changes occurs
according to a pattern of cause and effect; finally, a new situation arises that brings about the end of the narrative.” 7
1
2
All components of causality such as time and place are important. A random series of events is difficult to understand as a narration. In
the following description of a series of actions, it is difficult to understand
the causal or temporal relationship of the events :
“ The sister runs away and turns around, she will not speak anymore. The girl sobs. A secret was betrayed.”
A new arrangement of the very same events however allowed a
story to emerge :
“ A secret was betrayed. The girl sobs. The sister will not speak
anymore, she turns around and runs away.”
Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to refer to the narrative
storytelling in static visual media. To this end, actions are realized by
photographic means and links are made between the courses of action of
the respective figures. In the present paper, photography is understood
as a technical tool to visualize creative imagery and own narrative concepts. Bestowing significance and meaning here is part of the process
within which a visual idea takes shape and is integrated into a story by
means of photography. The objective of this master thesis is to explore the
role that temporality, spatiality, and expectations play in the image, and
how these aspects may be visually recognized and how links and connections are established and associated with an action.
ELENA STELLE
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Endnotes 1 Balázs, Béla: Der Geist des Films. Introduction by Hartmut Bitomsky ; Makol Verlag,
Frankfurt am Main 1972 ; ( E A : Der Geist des Films, Verlag Wilhelm Knapp, Halle
[ Saale ], 1930 ) ; p. 4
2 Cf. Blunck, Lars : Die Fotografische Wirklichkeit. transcript Verlag, 2010, p. 173
3 Cf. Vogel, Fritz Franz : The Cindy Shermans : Inszenierte Identitäten, Fotogeschichten
von 1840 bis 2005, Böhlau Verlag Köln Weimar Wien 2006, p. 30.
4 Cf. Walter, Christine : Bilder erzählen ! Weimar Verlag 2002, p. 57
5 Cf. Metz, Christian : Semiologie des Films. Wilhelm Fink Verlag München 1972, p. 37
6 Cf. Blunck, Lars : Die Fotografische Wirklichkeit. transcript Verlag 2010, p. 174
7 David Bordwell, Kristin Thomson: Film Art, An Introduction, p. 69
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY –
ON
RE-INVENTING
FACTICIT Y
Figures 1 “ A ballerina looking out of the window.” This image describes a simple act that,
­according to Blunck, can be described as a “ meaningful action of a human being
within and with the world, its fellow human beings, and itself ”.
2
The sequence of “ Ballet Dancers ” is a series of narrative images, i. e., a series of linked
events. The story has a beginning, and the end of the story is imaginatively manipulated, so that a reader may project the information infinitely thanks to his or her own
imagination.
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ZIERENBERG
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85
Press photography.
Today, press pictures enable our culture to get in touch with past, present, and
future events. As a consequence of the use of press photography, specific pictures are frequently repeated. Based on visual research, this thesis confirms
that repetition is consciously used to suggest topicality and, also, to offer readily and consistently available pictures. As a direct consequence of acceleration
and in-demand information, journalist photographers turn increasingly superficial. Conversely, in the current media landscape pictures are also used in an
omnipresent way ; as a matter of fact, we have come to rely upon the evidence
of news pictures. As a result of public dissemination, a highly subjective extract
from the past is defined as final photographic fact though.
A question we must begin to ask is : what matters to everyday visual consumers ?
Obviously, timeliness and availability seem to be their main concern.
The present study shifts press photographs out of their previous contexts into
new ones. The project focuses on the specific effects of repetition. In addition,
in an experimental discourse on the absence of press pictures, specific results – its risks and chances – are explored in a critical, open-ended way.
Inken Zierenberg
September 15th, 1987, Cuxhaven, Germany
[email protected]
www.inkenzierenberg.de
Academic Experience
2012 – 2014
Master of Arts in Visual Communication and Iconic Research,
FHNW HGK, Basel, Switzerland
2012
Bachelor of Art in Interior Design,
The Detmold School of Architecture and Interior Design,
HS-OWL University of Applied Sciences, Detmold, Germany
2011 – 2012
Guest Semester, Graphic and Communication Design,
FH Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences,
Bielefeld, Germany
Work Experience
2010 – present Freelance graphic designer and image researcher,
Germany and Switzerland
2013
Workshops dedicated to Visual Communication and Image
Research : ( Organisation and Instruction )
“ Creating by Accident ” at the Parallel School 2013,
Berlin, Germany
“ Co-Create-Magazin ” at the FHNW HGK, Basel, Switzerland
2012
Internship at 3 DELUXE, 3 DELUXE GRAPHICS, graphics and
visual communication design, Wiesbaden, Germany
2009 – 2010 Assistent for the Seminar “ Graphic Form and Foreshorten ”,
The Detmold School of Architecture and Interior Design,
HS-OWL University of Applied Sciences, Detmold, Germany
2007 Internship at vierplus GmbH, Kommunikation + Gestaltung,
Bremen, Germany
86
Nonprofessional image consumers subject press photography to basic and
ordinary provisions. Photographs are deemed to be documentary evidence,
information as well as pictorial representations of so-called “ reality ” 1. However this thesis suggests that press photographs have to be understood as
more than pure “ mirrors of reality ”. By establishing visual events, press
photography does more than simply explain. It enhances the textual complexity of written news reports. Next to imparting a visual impact on the
beholders, pictures can create a relation between sign ( image) and described event. In this context, even though press pictures do not act as a
mirror anymore, they have nonetheless a significant impact on societies,
and the consumers’ understanding of a certain subject.
In the digital age, the function of mass media is based on a
continuous dialogue between consumers and image producers. Today,
more than ever, people demand lasting topicality, speed, and accessibility.
Consequently, world news offer photographic material “ around the clock ”.
In addition, parallel to serious news channels, consumers influence world
affairs by publishing own pictures on social-media platforms and other
viral mechanisms 2. Against this background, there is an almost impossible
challenge to create a certain distance from the specific and omnipresent
press photography. As a result of the increasingly complex and saturated
image stream, specific press photographs are repeated to enable the consumer to feel constantly “ up-to-date ”. This phenomenon creates justified
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2
3
4
doubt. What happens to reality if its manifested form as a press picture is
constantly quoted ? What happens to the reality of the image if it is diluted through continued use ? With the question of risks and chances due to
the repetition and constant availability of press photography, the intention
of the project is to provide a base for a mandatory debate. A targeted investigation of different case studies initially aims to define the distinction
between the consequences generated. Closely linked with the pictorial
theme, consumers as well as the world of news are considered in the same
distanced way.
The practical part of this thesis begins with the identification
and dissemination of repetitive photographs in different news media, e. g.
newspapers, online news, RSS feeds, mobile applications, and social-­
media platforms. The web of representative pictures, texts 3 and contextual elements 4 of news events were examined. The results show the limited
consumability of the subjectively chosen images of the past. In addition,
effects on individual memory and perception are explored. Defined by its
accessibility and repetition, a press picture enables the beholder to access
any statement, atmosphere, or visual evidence from any documented event.
Based on visual experiments, this thesis states that one cannot clearly
identify what the photographs are about 5 – certainly not if a period of reflective consideration is passed over in favour of timely distribution. The
differentiation between information and disinformation confronts beholders with a difficult task, particularly the still existing belief in the
depiction of “ reality ”, the truth and objectivity of press pictures.
Well-founded, high-quality research and critical reports of complex topics have to give way to quickly adopted, duplicated “ public pictures ”. In order to achieve optimum selling rates, a prior knowledge of the
staged composition aims to draw consumers’ attention and engage their
perception. 6
The particular need to understand this approach had me ask
what effects might result due to a disruption of the production process of
press photography ? What if the absence of press photographs and an extremely fragmentary picture stream should change the criteria of the mass
news output ? The images produced in this thesis confronted beholders
with a conceptual, fictive scenario. This exaggerated representation aimed
to enhance the connection between the knowledge thus gained, pictorial
experiments, visual creation, and aesthetic potential. Next to the above-­
mentioned issues, this targeted investigation focused on visual possibilities and forms of representation. This alternative to how press images can
be, induced beholders to become uncertain. My intention is to offer more
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than research results. The visuals of this thesis transported their beholders into a thought experiment. Their role shifts from passive consumers
to active “ imaginers ”.
Between actual and fictional, the speculative perspective highlights, reflects, and discusses the consequences of the topic of press photography. The questions asked and the feasible fragments as a whole serve
as a tool of thought. Instead of offering a design solution, this extended
range of possibilities helps raise awareness. The approach of this thesis
explores the different aspects as consequences – the loss or addition of
repetition, the disturbance of a produced “ reality ”. The medium exists in
the here and now, but what might lay ahead if we, the consumers, are not
critically discriminating ?
Endnotes 1 For this thesis and its topic, we have to think about the abstract idea of “reality” and
its relation to press photography. Already Jacques-Marie Émile Lacan ( 1901 – 1981 ) a
French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist, pointed out, that a picture, which promises
to represent reality, does not have to be mistaken for reality. This approach is justified
by the argument that the picture has to be understood as a representation. Cf. “ Wirklichkeit ist überhaupt nur darzustellen, indem man sie konstruiert.” Andreas
Gursky, in : Logik des Bildlichen. Zur Kritik der ikonischen Vernunft, Martina Hessler
und Dieter Mersch ( eds.), Bielefeld 2009, p. 202.
2 In the present system, even “ serious news channels ” adopt citizen photographs to
suggest actuality. Within the speeded-up process, the quality of research ( of the
photo­g raphs ) remains fragile though.
3 “A successful press picture [ … ] must provide a striking rendition of a complex situation. Nonetheless, we never see a press photograph without a caption that prescribes
how we are to read it.” ; in : covering the real. Kunst und Pressebild, von Warhol bis
Tillmans : Hartwig Fischer ( ed.), DuMont Literatur und Kunst Verlag GmbH & Co.,
Köln, 2005, Aussät.- Kat. Covering the Real, Kunst und Pressebild, von Warhol bis
Tillmans, Kunstmuseum Basel, May 1 st 2005 – August 21 st 2005, p. 6. Besides, a press
photograph will never appear as a pure picture all by itself.
4 E. g. : representative contextual visual elements of the serious news channels, such as
logos, text lines and / or captions, further information such as time and date or pictograms for a “ l ive” stream, the newsreader, and backgrounds.
5 Cf. Allan Kaprow : layout-based work with three press photographs, each reproduced
four times, printed with varied captions in the same issue of the German weekly “ DIE
ZEIT ”, 1981, issue 13, Zeitverlag, private collection.
6 Press photography illustrates the hidden mechanisms, economics, and production
rules of our visual “reality”.
Figures 1 [ → page 85 ] “ What happens to our topicality if press photography as we know it is, all
of a sudden, absent ? ” This image displays one of the initial questions of the fictitious
scenario and part of its inner debates.
2
The repetition of a similar press picture. As it is a view from behind the scene, we
should ask for the reason of its repetition within a specific time period and in different media. In addition, the question of the suggestive power which makes us believe
in it arises.
3
From the well-known past into the future – the storyboard of the developed scenario
in detail. Next to the combination of different aspects of the theoretical work, enhanced accesses as well as processes of the current media landscape, the storyboard
served as a basis for the final realization.
4
Different newspapers formats as mock-ups. This picture represents different, specific states of press photography within the scenario and the aesthetic potential of the
concept of the thesis.
90
MASTER OF ARTS
I N V I S U A L C O M M U N I C AT I O N
AND
ICONIC RESEARCH
R E G I S T R AT I O N
The registration deadline is April 30 th,
2015. Early registration is recommended.
The registration form is attached to the
study guide and also available online.
A D D I T I O N A L I N F O R M AT I O N
www.fhnw.ch/hgk/ivk/master-of-arts-en
University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Northwestern Switzerland
Academy of Art and Design
Visual Communication Institute
The Basel School of Design
Freilager - Platz 1
CH - 4023 Basel
Switzerland
T. + 41 ( 0 ) 61 228 41 1 1
F. + 41 ( 0 ) 61 228 42 89
Meryem Ipek
Sekretariat
[email protected]
Prof. Michael Renner
Head of the Visual Communication Institute
[email protected]
I C O N I C P R A C T I C E , T H E O R Y, A N D R E S E A R C H
Digitalization and the associated, global communication networks have significantly increased the data, signals, and images we daily receive. From photography to
typography, from drawing to diagram, from interface to
coded symbols or icons, our perception of reality is
dominated more than ever before by visual messages.
This wealth of images, frequently called a threatening
“ flood of images ”, requires advanced skills and qualifications. A design activity entirely focusing on purely
technical and mechanical skills responds just as little
to the current challenges of visual communication as a
reflection on visual messages exclu­sively derived from
iconic theory.
New skills emerge from a combination of the
two : University of Applied Sciences students add to
their practice-based design skills through models
gleaned from theory and research ; BA students from a
university to their theoretical knowledge though experience acquired in design and styling processes. The
combination of iconic practice, theory, and research
characterizes the profile of the MA in Visual Communication and Icon­ic Research. Due to the variety of disciplines that are involved in the reflection on images, we
strive for a close interaction between students with
practical and students with theoretical training.
PA R T N E R I N S T I T U T I O N S
The Master’s programme is based on a close co-operation with
partner institutions : eikones, the National Centre of Competence
92
in Research, Icon­ic Criticism, at the University of Basel, opens up
a wide field of current iconic research. This research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation studies in app. 30 subprojects the power and meaning of images. It thus bundles a variety
of methodological approaches and recent research and – with the
Master of Arts in Visual Communication – guarantees the connection to the most recent dialogues on images as a medium. The
­Department of Art History of the University of Basel is involved in
the courses, too. The Master’s programme has positioned itself
internationally and includes the network of the Basel School of
­Design in its activities.
CONTENTS OF THE MASTER’S PROGRAM
Students work on complex questions of design in the field of visual
communication. They intensify their practice of designing, learn to
reflect on alternative designs within the context of scientific discoveries and insights and add to their experience in project development. They acquire conceptual and strategic competences in
dealing with images and add to them in courses on iconic and
­media theory. They familiarize themselves with scientific methods
of design, iconic, and media and communication-science research
and are able to use them in a targeted manner. They increase their
language skills to be able to reason and reflect on their own design
work, describe and submit re­search projects, and participate in
scientific dia­logues and the debates of design practice.
The four-semester course of studies is divid­ed into four
different types of modules : Theory, Research, Practice, and Tools.
Theory teaches, starting from a wide range of iconic
history, topics such as Iconic and Media Theory, Media and Form,
Word / Image / Sign.
Research deals with practice-based research in the
field of visual communication, images, and the media, which leads
to the definition of an individual question worked on in the fourth
semester as a thesis project. The themes of Authorship, Conception, and Participatory Design are dealt with more in depth in the
Practice module. The Tool mod­ule is organized as a broad range of
manda­tory or optional courses that allow students to complement
the knowledge acquired in their prior courses and education. On
request, the coursework may also target an individually chosen
topic proposed by the student himself / herself.
93
LEARNING OBJ ECTIVES
•
•
•
•
•
•
broadening of a reflected design experience and design methods within the context of complex projects
strengthening conceptual and strategic competences
adding to theoretical-analytical skills by acquiring knowledge
in the field of iconic and media theory
increase and constitution of methodological competence for
scientific work ; iconic, design, and style research
adding to linguistic competence in a dialogue on visual
­messages
adding to and updating of technical knowledge and crafts
­experience
CAREER OPTIONS
A Master’s degree enables the graduates to conceive, design, and
realize complex visual messages in their own office or at agencies
or the offices of the design industry. This iconic competence qualifies the graduates in addition to assume curatorial activities in the
context of the world of design and art or to work as a journalist
at design and art maga­zines. The course comprises 120 ECTS as
preparation for additional qualifications in a research proj­ect on the
Ph. D. level, and also is the prerequisite for teaching at schools of
design and the arts. The MA programme concludes with a Master
of Arts in Visual Communication and Iconic Research.
PREREQUISITES AND ADMISSION
Subject to a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication, Communication
­Design, Graphic Design, or Media Design or a completed Bachelor’s in Art
­History, Media Studies, or an equivalent field. Applicants, who meet the requirements, submit both a design work specimen of maximum 20 pages as well as
a sample text of at least 10 A 4 manuscript pages. In addition, a motivational
letter and two letters of recommendation are required. All these documents
have to be submitted along with the Registration Form before the deadline.
94
MENTORS
Leander Eisenmann
Prof. Marion Fink
Dr. Invar-Torre Hollaus
Dr. Paloma López
Dr. Shintaro Miyazaki
Jiri Oplatek
Prof. Michael Renner
Prof. Philipp Stamm
Ludwig Zeller
E X A M I N AT I O N C O M M I T T E E
Ph. D. Anette Højlund, Copenhagen
Dr. Nina Samuel, Berlin
Pepijn Zurburg, Amsterdam
Dr. Paloma López
Prof. Michael Renner
Dr. Christian Spies
C ATA L O G U E
CONCEPT AND DESIGN
Jinsu Ahn
PHOTOGRAPHY
Jinsu Ahn
Indre Grumbinaite
Matthias Indermaur
Kambiz Shafei
IMAGE EDITING
Pascal Imhof
Claire Morin
PROOFREADING AND
T R A N S L AT I O N
Suzanne Leu, Basel
T YPE FACE
Suisse BP Int’l
Arnhem Pro
PA P E R
Daunendruck Bright 1.5, 300 g / m 2 ( cover )
Daunendruck Bright 1.5, 100 g / m 2
PRINTING
Steudler Press AG, Basel
University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Northwestern Switzerland
Academy of Art and Design
Visual Communication Institute
The Basel School of Design
Freilager - Platz 1
CH - 4023 Basel
Switzerland
www.fhnw.ch/hgk/ivk/master-of-arts-en
[email protected]
T. + 41 ( 0 ) 61 228 41 1 1
F. + 41 ( 0 ) 61 228 42 89
© 2014 FHNW HGK
THESES 2014
M AS T E R O F A R T S I N V I S UA L C O M M U N I CAT I O N
AND ICONIC RESEARCH