IXD104 – Understanding the value in imagining

In the first class of this semester, we were given the brief for our 2 main projects;

  1. Designing the user interface of a travel app
  2. Designing an infographic

The briefs of both of these projects will be looked deeper into in later blogs. In this blog, I will reflect on an introductory lecture that my teacher Paul gave to our class. This lecture focused on the importance of pictures/images/art and how they can tell stories, this makes sense as the 2 projects in this semester focus heavily on the use of images.

One of the reasons why I believe that pictures/images/art is so important is due to the fact that it is the true universal language. I often hear that math is a universal language, with which I agree. However, while almost everyone in the world knows what 1 + 1 means, to understand this particular math equation, you still need to be taught what “1” means and what “+” means. With images, it is a “language” that comes naturally to the human brain.

Art is the closest we can come to understanding how a stranger really feels. —  Roger Ebert’s “Living Testament” speech, Colorado Public Television (1994).

Images evoke emotional responses within us, and even though different life experiences might lead to different people having different responses, unlike most other languages out there that we use to communicate, it does not need to be taught. A real-life example of this is how most young children gravitate towards the pictorial elements in a book and hence why children’s books are prominently filled with large images and illustrations. These picture books introduced children to the concept of reading, even if they still haven’t grasped the concept of languages, they can “read” the pictures.

Relating back to what I looked at in semester 1, sadly, in the past we see often see images used for communications are during times of war for propaganda;

World War II Propaganda Posters: Rare Posters From New Book | TimeStep Into Your Place

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Similar forms of use art in conveying political/personal options are happening today;

 

Again, the illustration above demonstrates what is so powerful about images. We don’t even need to read the title to know that the article we are about to read on Elon musk is not a positive one.

With the rise of social media, art and images have also given the minority a voice on the internet, there are now many ways

with communicate with the rest of the world via images and stories.

However, I feel that pictures/images/art are much more than just communication tools. While looking at the earliest cave paintings, I notice that a lot of these paintings weren’t really focused on communication, by rather used as a form of self-expression/ to demonstrate a form of self-awareness in wanting to record life events for no apparent survival benefits;

( artistic depiction of animals)

One of my all-time favourite cave paintings is the handprints found in Cueva de las ManosPerito MorenoArgentina.

What I love so much about this cave painting it really showcases one of the ways how humans are different to most other animals – the deeper awareness of self-existence. Even though there are debates on why these hand prints were made, to me, these hands very much showed a message of ” I am/was here”, it is a recording of life itself.

And the fact that most of these handprints were the left hand, it really showed that our ancestors understood the concept of community, as the use of the left hand had to be agreed upon by all beforehand. Each hand is a unique identity, each hand is an individual, but together they showcased the history of that entire population.

Even now when I look at the handprints I’m awe in at how art can translate experiences across space and time, having studied Latin in high school I’m often saddened by the death of an ancient language, but its good to know that paintings such as these will stand the test of time.

In conclusion, I think art and images are very important for three reasons.

One is that art is a powerful communication tool that can influence society by changing opinions. Art does not discriminate, thus often it can give voice to the politically or socially disadvantaged, but that the same time promotes dangerous ideologies. Films, cultures and posters etc can rouse emotions in those who encounter it, inspiring them to rally for change. However, art is not just a communication tool used to influence others, they tell stories and allows people with vastly different life experiences to share their inner lives with one another.

Another reason is that “arts are often considered to be the repository of a society’s collective memory”. As I looked at last semester with Dr Kyle, every decade has its own unique styles of art and art movements, it captures what it really feels to be living back at a particular point in time. Another good example of this is how important past events/important people are made into statues and paintings, to preserve that moment in time.

Lastly, I think that even though everyone’s art is different, collectively they showcase the human race a community which is self-aware and has a desire for self-expression. Art and illustration demonstrate individualism which comes together to form unique communities, and then these communities come together to form something bigger again. It is truly an expressive medium for all.

With that, I conclude why I think imaging is so important.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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