ICMP: ESSAY BLOG
03/10/2023
Thinking About Photography: From Image to Visual Representation
Thinking About Photography: From Image to Visual Representation
10/10/2023
Reflecting on today's lecture, I enjoyed analysing the different ways of framing and composition. It was made clear how important colour, shape and design are to the perception of a piece to a viewer. It allowed me to think about my own ideas about composition and how I want my own work to be perceived. I need to use colour and position to create certain feelings in my viewers.
Introduction to Visual Communication
Reflecting on today's lecture, I enjoyed analysing the different ways of framing and composition. It was made clear how important colour, shape and design are to the perception of a piece to a viewer. It allowed me to think about my own ideas about composition and how I want my own work to be perceived. I need to use colour and position to create certain feelings in my viewers.
17/10/2023
During today's lecture, we explored the origins of the computer and the internet; looking at Alan Turing and Tim Berners-lee in particular. This is really fascinating to me as I like to observe digital media and explore how it can be warped and used to change perspectives. The online world isn't necessarily true despite holding so much information. I found the TED talk from Carole Cadwalldr to be extremely interesting as she explained how Facebook was used to target people to get them to vote a certain way for Brexit. Her poignant point about no longer being able to hold a fair democratic election again stuck with me and it allowed me to think about the implication of the internet on media and how we perceive certain things. Even photographs can be edited and tainted to show a certain political agenda and it is fascinating to learn about the implications of this. It is because of my interest in this subject which has pushed me towards these two questions for my essay: "2. According to Lev Manovich, “we are in the middle of a new media revolution – the shift of all culture to computer-mediated forms of production, distribution and communication”. Discuss some key implications of digital technologies for media production and consumption." and "6. Jean Baudrillard argues that the image “bears no relation to any reality whatever: it is its own pure simulacrum”. With reference to specific examples, consider the role of simulation in contemporary media practice." I would certainly like to watch ‘We Live In Public’ and read John Berger's ‘Ways of Seeing’ and will document my thoughts.
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Histories of the Internet and the Emergence of Digital Cultures
During today's lecture, we explored the origins of the computer and the internet; looking at Alan Turing and Tim Berners-lee in particular. This is really fascinating to me as I like to observe digital media and explore how it can be warped and used to change perspectives. The online world isn't necessarily true despite holding so much information. I found the TED talk from Carole Cadwalldr to be extremely interesting as she explained how Facebook was used to target people to get them to vote a certain way for Brexit. Her poignant point about no longer being able to hold a fair democratic election again stuck with me and it allowed me to think about the implication of the internet on media and how we perceive certain things. Even photographs can be edited and tainted to show a certain political agenda and it is fascinating to learn about the implications of this. It is because of my interest in this subject which has pushed me towards these two questions for my essay: "2. According to Lev Manovich, “we are in the middle of a new media revolution – the shift of all culture to computer-mediated forms of production, distribution and communication”. Discuss some key implications of digital technologies for media production and consumption." and "6. Jean Baudrillard argues that the image “bears no relation to any reality whatever: it is its own pure simulacrum”. With reference to specific examples, consider the role of simulation in contemporary media practice." I would certainly like to watch ‘We Live In Public’ and read John Berger's ‘Ways of Seeing’ and will document my thoughts.
24/10/2023
What is Documentary? Realism and Ideology
31/10/2023
Ways of Seeing in the Age of
Mechanical Reproduction
During today’s lecture, we watched a couple of episodes of John Berger’s ‘Ways of Seeing’ which I found particularly interesting in regards to the ways we perceive art from both a historical perspective and modern one. I was prompted to watch the rest of the series and have bought the book which I will read at a later date. The series allowed me to think about how art is formed and loved by those who own it and why oil paintings are so significant to art lovers. Berger explains how technology and how a piece of art is placed in our society today is completely different to when people had to go out of their way to see artworks and they weren’t as widely accessible. Seeing a piece of art on a screen or copy on a newspaper is wildly different to that in person and can be given different meanings depending on where it is placed, music or other forms of manipulation. Seeing the nude woman also made me think about the male gaze and how it has been used throughout history to depict women as objects which was taken from the story of Adam and Eve. Even today women’s looks are extremely important and with the use of social media and manipulation of photographs, women still try to make themselves appeal to the male gaze in the hopes of attracting a partner. This made me think about the possibility of changing this so that women no longer need to be sexualised to be liked in society. Some of the women in the documentary also voiced similar concerns. I also found it interesting how traditional oil paintings depict wealth without delving into how these people became wealthy, there is very little in the Western world of art about the slave trade and the exploitation of others. These oil paintings were proudly placed within wealthy homes for their owners and guests to gawk at yet modern publicity evokes envy and desire in order to get the consumer to buy what they are promoting. These images often promote these products to their own workers, almost ironically and are shown alongside our bleak world, causing the images to appear bleak despite their depiction of a dream. It is this bleakness of imagery which still reigns true even in the 21st century on social media since it is coupled with our own perceptions of life and our own experiences.
Overall, I really enjoyed watching this series and will go on to read Berger’s book in order tohelp shape my view for the essay submission.
Here are my notes:
06/11/2023
Hallam Art Show
Yesterday, I visited Hallam Art Show in Sheffield and impressed with the mosern artworks created by some of my local artists. It was nice to see that lesser-known artists can sell their art at decent prices, even if it is at a small art show scuh as this. I particularly liked Phil Lockwood’s interpretation of DaVinci’s ‘Vitruvian Man’ with women and people with different body types: it helped to include an array of people in this scientific observation. We initially went to the gallery in search of some of my great grandad’s works as he was an art teacher in the school nearby and painted lots of landscapes of the surrounding area for his friends and clients. Unfortunately, we were unable to find any of his work as this was a modern exhibition but my family will continue to search for his missing paintings.
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Hallam Art Show
Yesterday, I visited Hallam Art Show in Sheffield and impressed with the mosern artworks created by some of my local artists. It was nice to see that lesser-known artists can sell their art at decent prices, even if it is at a small art show scuh as this. I particularly liked Phil Lockwood’s interpretation of DaVinci’s ‘Vitruvian Man’ with women and people with different body types: it helped to include an array of people in this scientific observation. We initially went to the gallery in search of some of my great grandad’s works as he was an art teacher in the school nearby and painted lots of landscapes of the surrounding area for his friends and clients. Unfortunately, we were unable to find any of his work as this was a modern exhibition but my family will continue to search for his missing paintings.
07/11/2023
Academic Skills: Essay Planning
Following today’s lecture, I was prompted to look at my essay planning and how I might go about researching for my question. I have settled on question 2: According to Lev Manovich, “we are in the middle of a new media revolution- the shift of all culture to computer-mediated forms or production, distribution and communication.” Discuss some key implications of digital technologies for media production and consumption. With this I researched Lev manovich’s ‘The Language of New Media’ and started a mind map of my thoughts relating to the question. I also noted how formal I need to be and how to effectively reference other pieces of critical writing as well as how to be critical myself. I want to include lots of references to my own experiences at art galleries as well as essays to produce a full understanding of the question critically through analysis and thought.
14/11/2023
Interactive Narratives and Transmedia
Storytelling
In response to today’s lecture regarding naratives, I found it interesting to learn about the different ways of storytelling and how our web media projects can be created in different ways. This is also interesting as it explains how pieces of media can be shown to create different emotions depending on how a piece is portrayed. Interractive and transmedia storytelling particularly interests me as I love transmedia horror which can take you to a website, videos and interactive website which all together create a truly interactive experience.
Over the weekend, I also visited Outernet which had a plethora of exhibitions which were immersive and spectacular. This exhibition is particularly interesting as it places the viewer in the centre of the art and it almost feels as if you are part of it. There are different exhibitions on all the time as it is nice to see people enjoying them from all ages.
19/11/2023
Today I read ‘Ways of Seeing’ by John Berger which seemed to reiterate the ideas meentioned in the documentary but I wanted to make note of some of the points he made in relation to my question: ‘According to Lev Manovich, “we are in the middle of a new media revolution- the shift of all culture to computer-mediated forms of production, distribution and communication.” Discuss some key implications of digital technologies for media production and consumption.’ While Berger mentions the use of sexuality and oil paintings, I want to focus more on him writing on placement and publicity. I think it is certainly true that where a picture is seen, whether that be in a museum, on a television screen or as a copy, affects the overall narrative and depiction of the image. With all our media being shown online and accessible to all, images can be literally distorted but also depicted in different ways depending on the text or context of the image. I would like to talk about social media and how this affects how people, particularly teenagers, see themselves and others around them. This is further explored through Berger’s other essay on publicity and how images are used to create envy of one’s self. We are constantly bombarded with adverts on steaming platforms, social media, and the internet in general which are used to get consumers to buy the product. I’d like to dive into the reasons why these methods work and the affect they may have on people, why they may feel the need to buy the product. It can be said that companies use tactics to cause consumers, and again particularly young people, to feel a desire to have a product simply because of the imagined greatness having said product would be. Avertisements use the ideal future to cause consumers to feel envious towards themselves and so buy the product to hopefully fill that hole. Social media influencers work in a similar way: they depict the ideal person who is beautiful and has lots of money which causes viewers to be envious of them and follow them to one day be like them. This has caused lots of self-hatred among young people and it is no surprise that mental health issues are on the rise (I would like to research this further). In discussion to media technologies, they have become more wide-spread so more people are able to put themselves online and create an online persona; this may not be greatly matched to their actual situation and personality. Influencers are able to hide behind a facade, an idea which others strive to be, putting a lot of strain onto young people.
‘Ways of Seeing’ by John Berger
Today I read ‘Ways of Seeing’ by John Berger which seemed to reiterate the ideas meentioned in the documentary but I wanted to make note of some of the points he made in relation to my question: ‘According to Lev Manovich, “we are in the middle of a new media revolution- the shift of all culture to computer-mediated forms of production, distribution and communication.” Discuss some key implications of digital technologies for media production and consumption.’ While Berger mentions the use of sexuality and oil paintings, I want to focus more on him writing on placement and publicity. I think it is certainly true that where a picture is seen, whether that be in a museum, on a television screen or as a copy, affects the overall narrative and depiction of the image. With all our media being shown online and accessible to all, images can be literally distorted but also depicted in different ways depending on the text or context of the image. I would like to talk about social media and how this affects how people, particularly teenagers, see themselves and others around them. This is further explored through Berger’s other essay on publicity and how images are used to create envy of one’s self. We are constantly bombarded with adverts on steaming platforms, social media, and the internet in general which are used to get consumers to buy the product. I’d like to dive into the reasons why these methods work and the affect they may have on people, why they may feel the need to buy the product. It can be said that companies use tactics to cause consumers, and again particularly young people, to feel a desire to have a product simply because of the imagined greatness having said product would be. Avertisements use the ideal future to cause consumers to feel envious towards themselves and so buy the product to hopefully fill that hole. Social media influencers work in a similar way: they depict the ideal person who is beautiful and has lots of money which causes viewers to be envious of them and follow them to one day be like them. This has caused lots of self-hatred among young people and it is no surprise that mental health issues are on the rise (I would like to research this further). In discussion to media technologies, they have become more wide-spread so more people are able to put themselves online and create an online persona; this may not be greatly matched to their actual situation and personality. Influencers are able to hide behind a facade, an idea which others strive to be, putting a lot of strain onto young people.
These are some quote which I may reference in my essay:
21/11/2023
Automation, Creativity and Generative AI
Toady’s lecture took us on the interesting journey of generative AI and the consequences it may have for society and, in particular, creatives. The growing use of AI can make it hard to see the difference between true creativity and an algorithm’s rendition. While AI can be useful in a sense that it can help people do things they are unable to do, it can also be very dangerous and cause harm by possibly plagarising others’ works or not stopping when a human more naturally would. The ability to create anything and everything using AI brings about issues surrounding authenticity and redundancy- nothing seems to be new anymore. I find this quite intruiging as the problem with art is that for it to be valuable, you must create something historical, something new. In this age, it seems near impossible to do so and, therefore, artists are finding it difficult to sell their work.
28/11/2023
During today’s lecture, we discussed how participatory culture has changed in the age of new media which was particularly interesting and shed light on the more individualised world we live in. Anyone can be a consumer as well as a creator which has changed the dynamic of how media is created. Media can be created by a multitude of people over the internet whereas before, communities would come together to make something tangible, such as a quilt.
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03/12/2023
Today I began working on my essay and planned out my opening and paragraphs before I am able to get some feedback on Tuesday. I will continue to work on it tomorrow but this is what I have so far:
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Convergence and Participatory Culture
During today’s lecture, we discussed how participatory culture has changed in the age of new media which was particularly interesting and shed light on the more individualised world we live in. Anyone can be a consumer as well as a creator which has changed the dynamic of how media is created. Media can be created by a multitude of people over the internet whereas before, communities would come together to make something tangible, such as a quilt.
03/12/2023
Essay Writing
Today I began working on my essay and planned out my opening and paragraphs before I am able to get some feedback on Tuesday. I will continue to work on it tomorrow but this is what I have so far:
12/12/2023
Emerging Realities and
Digital Identities
During today’s lecture, we discussed the metaverse and the next steps in technology. We had a very interesting discussion around the ethics of such technologies and whether it is right to allow predators to use XR in a way that would be hurtful to a real human being. It can be difficult to find predators online but with XR, this could become a greater problem and there is a dilema around whether other means should be put in place for them. We also discussed the problems of allowing people to gender swap and race swap, pointing out how harmful stereotypes could change the way people act online. This is even a debate going on today around the trans movement and social media. Is it also right that corporations are able to compete to win in a virtual world where smaller companies would have even less of a chance at being recognised. The problem becomes greater when, eventually, one company is running society and there is no choice for people. We seem to be moving towards a ‘Ready Player One’ world which can be quite terrifying.
04/12/2024
‘The Language of New Media’ and ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’
After reading parts of Lev Manovich’s ‘The Language of New Media’, I have garnered some points which might be useful in my essay. He makes interesting pints about how photography, film and new media is essentially just a series of binary code and media is no longer a tangible object in the same way it was before. Media can now be manipulated in such a ways as to make it unrecognisible to its original form with photoshop and other media manipulating services. With this, it is even easier for people to display their lives online and both overshare sensitive information as well as lie about looks among other things. Our lives are put out into the public and regulated by the companies, like social media, who essentially own the images you post; a scary thought.
‘The essence of cinema is recording and storing visible data in a material form’ pg24
‘Cinema becomes a slave to the computer’ pg25 – All meaning and emotion from a movie scene becomes a data carrier
‘A new media object can be described formally (mathematically)’ pg27 – An image or shape can be described using a mathematical function
‘The private and individual are translated into the public and become regulated’ pg60
Walter Benjamin in ‘The Work of art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’ talks about how art has changed in perception over time, particularly through the use of technology. Art is percieved by the viewer at a certain time and place and so modern technological art which can be viewed in different settings can be thought of in different ways depending on when and where it is viewed. He also talks about the screen actor and how he is widely different to the stage actor and how the ‘aura’ is different in a theatre and cinema. This can then be expanded on with the rise of steaming platforms which allows the viewer to view media at home, a completely different setting to that of the cinema. He also mentions how media has become more accessible to the average person and you don’t need a degree or qualification to write in an article or take a photograph for example.
‘its unique existence in the place where it is at that moment’ pg5
‘liquidation of the value of tradition in the cultural heritage’ pg8 – Traditions, stories, myths etc become films and are liquidated into ones culture through media
‘ ”Getting closer to things” […] is every bit as passionate a concern of today’s masses as their tendency to surmount the uniqueness of each circumstance by seeing it in reproduction’ pg9
‘Much wisdom has been thrown away on trying to decide whether photography was art’ pg15
‘The reader is constantly ready to become a writer’ pg23
Today, I also wrote a first draft of my essay and have sent it to Liz for some feedback. I feel as though I have spoken about a multitude of things which I have tried to connect to the question and eachother. I am quite proud of the work I have produced and have added some of my own images to help get my point across.
Emerging Realities and
Digital Identities
During today’s lecture, we discussed the metaverse and the next steps in technology. We had a very interesting discussion around the ethics of such technologies and whether it is right to allow predators to use XR in a way that would be hurtful to a real human being. It can be difficult to find predators online but with XR, this could become a greater problem and there is a dilema around whether other means should be put in place for them. We also discussed the problems of allowing people to gender swap and race swap, pointing out how harmful stereotypes could change the way people act online. This is even a debate going on today around the trans movement and social media. Is it also right that corporations are able to compete to win in a virtual world where smaller companies would have even less of a chance at being recognised. The problem becomes greater when, eventually, one company is running society and there is no choice for people. We seem to be moving towards a ‘Ready Player One’ world which can be quite terrifying.
04/12/2024
‘The Language of New Media’ and ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’
After reading parts of Lev Manovich’s ‘The Language of New Media’, I have garnered some points which might be useful in my essay. He makes interesting pints about how photography, film and new media is essentially just a series of binary code and media is no longer a tangible object in the same way it was before. Media can now be manipulated in such a ways as to make it unrecognisible to its original form with photoshop and other media manipulating services. With this, it is even easier for people to display their lives online and both overshare sensitive information as well as lie about looks among other things. Our lives are put out into the public and regulated by the companies, like social media, who essentially own the images you post; a scary thought.
‘The essence of cinema is recording and storing visible data in a material form’ pg24
‘Cinema becomes a slave to the computer’ pg25 – All meaning and emotion from a movie scene becomes a data carrier
‘A new media object can be described formally (mathematically)’ pg27 – An image or shape can be described using a mathematical function
‘The private and individual are translated into the public and become regulated’ pg60
Walter Benjamin in ‘The Work of art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’ talks about how art has changed in perception over time, particularly through the use of technology. Art is percieved by the viewer at a certain time and place and so modern technological art which can be viewed in different settings can be thought of in different ways depending on when and where it is viewed. He also talks about the screen actor and how he is widely different to the stage actor and how the ‘aura’ is different in a theatre and cinema. This can then be expanded on with the rise of steaming platforms which allows the viewer to view media at home, a completely different setting to that of the cinema. He also mentions how media has become more accessible to the average person and you don’t need a degree or qualification to write in an article or take a photograph for example.
‘its unique existence in the place where it is at that moment’ pg5
‘liquidation of the value of tradition in the cultural heritage’ pg8 – Traditions, stories, myths etc become films and are liquidated into ones culture through media
‘ ”Getting closer to things” […] is every bit as passionate a concern of today’s masses as their tendency to surmount the uniqueness of each circumstance by seeing it in reproduction’ pg9
‘Much wisdom has been thrown away on trying to decide whether photography was art’ pg15
‘The reader is constantly ready to become a writer’ pg23
Today, I also wrote a first draft of my essay and have sent it to Liz for some feedback. I feel as though I have spoken about a multitude of things which I have tried to connect to the question and eachother. I am quite proud of the work I have produced and have added some of my own images to help get my point across.
08/01/2024
Final Essay
Today I read through the draft for my essay and have written my final version to be turned in tomorrow morning. I am fairly proud of what I have written and feel as though it is somewhat consistent. I do, however, think I may have gone on a few tangents throughout the essay but I was unable to get any feedback from my lecturers. Overall, I enjoy writing essays on subjects I am passionate about and so it was an enjoyable experience for me.
