Journal/Blog: Visa 1Q98 (first half of the term)

October 15th, 2007: Imagery, Power and Social Control

I am really starting to enjoy this class. I love how we are now tying appearance, personal perceptions and stereotypes into our visual culture. I didn’t think that topics such as this would come up in the class, I just assumed that we would only talk about art as a visual culture, but its good that we are not only focusing on art. Visual culture is pretty much everything you see and its good that we discuss a wide range of things. Like in this lecture in particular we discussed how a persons exterior can tell you a lot about their personality. In some cases it is very true and in others it is very untrue. With older generations they do tend to base a lot of there beliefs on appearance. This maybe unfair in many cases but the way they were brought up as well as their own personal experiences they tend think this way. The unfortunate thing is sometimes the way someone looks does speak volumes about their personality, but it should be taught that you can’t always judge someone on their appearance.

In lecture we focused a bit on Dr. Hugh Welch Diamond’s belief that the pictures of his patients really reflected their individual personalities. He felt that his pictures spoke for themselves and anyone viewing them would understand and know the subjects personality. I can understand why he would think that but he knew all his patients on somewhat of a personal bases. Its hard to agree with Diamond because I can’t tell anything about a person simply because from picture.

October 1st, 2007: Technologies Of Visual Culture
David Hawking Video

The belief that many painters used a form of camera obscura in the 1400’s really affects my original view of works made during that time. Not only does it de value the work in my eyes, but also the artist. Before seeing the video I appreciated these paintings because if the amount of skill the painters had. To create a painting that is extremely realistic with seamless blending, great textures and vibrant colour is to me a form of genius. In hearing that a way of tracing may have been used really hurts these works in my eyes. These pieces have withstood time because we all believed the hand of the artist creates the paintings. In my opinion tracing is not artistic anyone can trace.

I really enjoyed the movie it was extremely interesting and well done. I especially enjoyed this class because I came away learning something I never would have expected to learn. If not for the video why would I ever question the work of an artist from the 1400’s. It was also very upsetting to gain information like that simply because you appreciated the work so much for what you thought it was.

September 24th, 2007: Technologies of Visual Culture – Part I

This week we focused on photography, which is a medium I have always had a great interest in. Especially now with such a great advancement in postproduction technologies, like Adobe Creative Suite 3, it is such a wonderfully fun medium to be working now. Looking back at where history has brought photography it is amazing how much it has changed. The most significant change has been the able to look at a photograph and believe what you are seeing. All though the advancement of the medium has done much good it has taking away from truth a picture once held. With the ability to manipulate, airbrush, add effects and filters to a photograph you not always getting what was originally in front of the lens. But even with its drawbacks I feel that because of technology photography has now truly become an art form.

Now concentrating more on the subject of “photographic truth”, it is hard to believe that any picture has truth. Well I cannot really argue that because most personal pictures are not manipulated, but a picture meant for the masses must always be questioned. There are now jobs concentrating on retouching and reworking a photo. The thing is most pictures are never questioned. We have grown up on believing everything we see and being a technology driven generation that belief has rapidly began to lose its meaning. A perfect example was the photograph that was used in the New York Post (I think that was the paper). When this was discussed in lecture it really makes you wonder if any picture or video used by the media is true. How a picture or video is presented can have an effect on person’s beliefs.
Always examine your sources and ask questions.

September 17th, 2007: Brian Mackay-Lyons Lecture

This week we had a guest speak to us about the new addition to the Brock University campus. Brian Mackay-Lyons was our guest speaker and his firm was given the contract to design the new building. Not knowing what the presentation would be like before hand, I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I really appreciated his approach and his style to all his work. He looks at architecture as art and when designing he considers his work to be art. Architecture and design, in my opinion as well as Mackay Lyons, is an extension of the art world. It is obviously a visual field and requires some sort of drawing skill, but what I appreciated the most about his presentation was his interest in expressing culture through his work.

The most appealing aspect of his work is his interest in the culture and landscape that will surround it. His design always incorporates the land around it. His work never a look like it was just placed and built in the area given it looks more organic. His buildings are almost like they have grown and evolved from the ground up. This has a lot to do with the process taken in the design and construction. Mackay-Lyons always tries to reflect a community’s culture in the buildings he produces. He does this by finding a communities strength in construction and incorporates them in his projects. He also hires construction workers within the community so that their culture becomes part of the building.