Lesson 5 – Semiotics & Visual Culture
Readings:
Readings:
1) Text: Smith-Shank, Deborah. Semiotics and Visual Culture: Sights, Signs, and Significance. Reston: National
Art Education Association, 2004.
Semiotics Intro, Ch 1, Ch 4
Why study semiotics? That is an interesting question for me because it seems I already do! Like others have already posted to the discussion board, I found this book and its articles absolutely fascinating despite its bland and overly dry academic appearance. Smith-Shank says in her introduction, "semiotics is the study of signs and symbols in culture." How can we be alive without playing a part in this exchange? We may not realize that we do indeed study the signs and symbols around us, we can not help but do so in order to interact with our environments. Unless we are the unique shut in, cut off from all outside influences, we have to be able to assimilate into the world of semiotics. Whenever I take a moment to ponder the delicious looking food just presented in a commercial, or take a peek at photos posted to a friend's facebook page, or leaf through a magazine at the dentist's office, or read a sign to find a public restroom I am interacting with the symbols and signs of our culture. Or to take it a step further, whenever I read text in my environments, I am reading symbols (further abstracted). To decipher all these symbols and signs, I am studying semiotics. So as an individual, I think the question is more, why wouldn't I want to study semiotics? Why wouldn't I want to become better at communicating? As an artist I believe one of my primary functions is to communicate with others through a visual media. I can do this more effectively if I understand how my images become signs and symbols to others and further study how they can be interpreted.
As an educator studying how images and symbols effect my students and their learning can be used to hone my communication with them. I can understand more ways to motivate them and effect their individual understanding. As an art educator, I think it is important to introduce to my students (who are in turn creating art & therefore artists) to the idea behind semiotics. It goes hand in hand with symbolism and how we as a culture give objects meaning. How do we give art meaning? How do we embed meaning in our works through the symbols we choose to include in our work? How can we tap into a cultural understanding and reflect back our own observations and critiques? How do we place meaning or find meaning in the images we look at in order to make sense of the world around us? How does that effect our overall well-being? It is good to be able to answer or at least ponder these questions.
As a society, I think it is important to think about the implications of our actions. And I would extend this to how we as a society and a culture produce images. If we see art (and as extension our artifacts of visual culture) as a record of our existence as human beings then we should be aware of how our record communicates, at least in its own time, and be able to read communications from another time (and here is where my brain starts to wander / wonder about how context effects the meaning.) We should be wary of how we as individuals in a society are effected or manipulated by our visual culture. We should also feel responsible for how we then, in turn, affect others with images.
As for the last piece of this assignment, "find an image by which to explore these varying levels of cultural connection" - I am not sure how to do this. I sit in my room, looking for inspiration and I am bombarded by my own collections of visual culture. Too many options. And then I wonder if I am understanding what is being asked. Should I have tailored my response above to one particular item? I am struck by the themes I see in my response and others on the db.
So I think I will turn to something that has been on my mind as of late - Kermit the Frog.
Jim Henson and his creations were part of my visual culture growing up. In my mind as a child, I was able to connect to Kermit in ways that were different than the ways I could with any adult or other child. He was somewhere in-between. As I grew up and beyond those first friendships, I still was able to connect to what those characters represented. To me, the Muppets and the Sesame Street gang were able to tap into those qualities we cherish about children (and many argue the best adults still contain) such as: creativity, imagination, silliness, perseverance, the ability to dream, to have unabashed fun, and to be adventurous and also represent some of those things we take for granted like family, friendships, and loyalty. And then there is the man behind the muppet, Jim Henson. Kermit represents a man to me that recognized some of the most important stuff in life and how to nurture that in others. He cared about more than himself and looked out for others as well as the environment we live in. He taught us to care about each other and where we live. And I could go on and on about how great he was. For someone I've never met, Jim Henson and his work shaped a big part of who I am. And I think that is true for so many. Our visual culture shapes our identity. And that is why it is important to study semiotics and visual culture.
Semiotics Intro, Ch 1, Ch 4
Thoughts as I go...
Not so excited about this text, but excited about learning more about semiotics. I find semiotics fascinating.
Intro - OKay, although this text looks dry and bland, the content is quite good and interesting. At least so far. In fact, I may copy the intro to give to my teachers as a way to start the discussion about where we need to go in changing the curriculum in our schools. So interesting.
Chapter 1 - What's Your Sign? Searching for the Semiotic Self
Identity! And these photos are creepy. But now that I have read the discourse on them they are a bit more interesting. Reminds me of the cover of my Feminist Art book that has one of Catherine Opie's photos on the cover. Totally makes me wretch, but after learning about her work I find it intriguing too. I love how this idea of context driving the meaning, and how context changing our reactions to works of art is fluid is actually coming into effect as I 'experience' this class.
Chapter 2 - A Post-Modern Visual Culture Art Teacher: Finding Peace in My Opposing Roles
I could have written the first couple of pages of this chapter. Other than not being a first year teacher, my experiences are eerily similar. (Oh, whoops. Not supposed to read this chapter yet!)
Chapter 4 - Art Educators Road Show: How Collecting Stuff Can Enhance Art Education Practice
I keep thinking about Kathy's collection. Did someone mention this summer a project where they examined the collections of art teachers? I wonder what my cohorts in this program collect? What do I collect? Hmm... I know I'm a pack rat. I try to deny it and claim I am environmentally conscious and need to reuse stuff as any good art teacher should. I know for sure I don't venture into hoarder territory, but I do like to keep my stuffs. Problem is I have a really good memory and can't stand to re-buy something I know that I at one time possessed. Luckily, with the birth of two children I have slowly chipped away at that good memory (you give a part of your brain to your children, you know). And with the invasion of two more people and their material possessions, I can not possibly keep everything until "someday". I will have to sacrifice, I suppose. ;)
So, what do I collect? And how does that impact my practice as an artist educator? This is also making me think of incorporating this into my visual memoir (do you think was the intent?). I, too, collect art postcards and have, until very recently, incorporated them into my teaching. Technology has taken a little of their need away. But I liked what was said at the end of the chapter, "Not all art teachers may be interested in using "real objects" in their curricula and may not understand that these objects often hold and capture art students' interests and imagination more than two-dimensional slides or large scale reproductions." I wonder if this could be said about my postcards. I may have to re-examine thier use.
I collect books. Books I want to read. Art books. Interestingly covered old books for their aesthetic qualities. I'd like to collect more children's books. I collect books digitally on an Amazon wish list.
I collect images on Pinterest of things I find beautiful out there in the interwebs. I collect ideas in the form of pins on my pinterest boards on all sorts of topics related to art & art education. I colelct thoughts I want to come back to. I collect words that I want to inspire me or others.
And something I find myself compulsively collecting - and have for many, many years now - are my ticket stubs from movies. I can't help but not throw them away. I have boxes full of my stubs from over the years. It is interesting to go back through them and think about which movies I saw, who I went to see them with, what theatre it was at, and how sometimes those movies influenced my thinking. Hmm, I wonder if I should use them now to create my visual memoir. I am very protective of those items, silly as that might be, seeing as how they are just scraps of ephemeral paper, meant to be thrown away. Trash to most anyone else. I will have to think about that more.
Discussion Board Assignment:
After reading the Introduction and Chapters 1 & 4 from the Smith-Shank text, please consider the purpose of studying semiotics and visual culture:
As an individual? As an educator? As a society?
Try to find & share a single image by which to explore these varying levels of cultural connection.
Not so excited about this text, but excited about learning more about semiotics. I find semiotics fascinating.
Intro - OKay, although this text looks dry and bland, the content is quite good and interesting. At least so far. In fact, I may copy the intro to give to my teachers as a way to start the discussion about where we need to go in changing the curriculum in our schools. So interesting.
Chapter 1 - What's Your Sign? Searching for the Semiotic Self
Identity! And these photos are creepy. But now that I have read the discourse on them they are a bit more interesting. Reminds me of the cover of my Feminist Art book that has one of Catherine Opie's photos on the cover. Totally makes me wretch, but after learning about her work I find it intriguing too. I love how this idea of context driving the meaning, and how context changing our reactions to works of art is fluid is actually coming into effect as I 'experience' this class.
Chapter 2 - A Post-Modern Visual Culture Art Teacher: Finding Peace in My Opposing Roles
I could have written the first couple of pages of this chapter. Other than not being a first year teacher, my experiences are eerily similar. (Oh, whoops. Not supposed to read this chapter yet!)
Chapter 4 - Art Educators Road Show: How Collecting Stuff Can Enhance Art Education Practice
I keep thinking about Kathy's collection. Did someone mention this summer a project where they examined the collections of art teachers? I wonder what my cohorts in this program collect? What do I collect? Hmm... I know I'm a pack rat. I try to deny it and claim I am environmentally conscious and need to reuse stuff as any good art teacher should. I know for sure I don't venture into hoarder territory, but I do like to keep my stuffs. Problem is I have a really good memory and can't stand to re-buy something I know that I at one time possessed. Luckily, with the birth of two children I have slowly chipped away at that good memory (you give a part of your brain to your children, you know). And with the invasion of two more people and their material possessions, I can not possibly keep everything until "someday". I will have to sacrifice, I suppose. ;)
So, what do I collect? And how does that impact my practice as an artist educator? This is also making me think of incorporating this into my visual memoir (do you think was the intent?). I, too, collect art postcards and have, until very recently, incorporated them into my teaching. Technology has taken a little of their need away. But I liked what was said at the end of the chapter, "Not all art teachers may be interested in using "real objects" in their curricula and may not understand that these objects often hold and capture art students' interests and imagination more than two-dimensional slides or large scale reproductions." I wonder if this could be said about my postcards. I may have to re-examine thier use.
I collect books. Books I want to read. Art books. Interestingly covered old books for their aesthetic qualities. I'd like to collect more children's books. I collect books digitally on an Amazon wish list.
I collect images on Pinterest of things I find beautiful out there in the interwebs. I collect ideas in the form of pins on my pinterest boards on all sorts of topics related to art & art education. I colelct thoughts I want to come back to. I collect words that I want to inspire me or others.
And something I find myself compulsively collecting - and have for many, many years now - are my ticket stubs from movies. I can't help but not throw them away. I have boxes full of my stubs from over the years. It is interesting to go back through them and think about which movies I saw, who I went to see them with, what theatre it was at, and how sometimes those movies influenced my thinking. Hmm, I wonder if I should use them now to create my visual memoir. I am very protective of those items, silly as that might be, seeing as how they are just scraps of ephemeral paper, meant to be thrown away. Trash to most anyone else. I will have to think about that more.
Discussion Board Assignment:
After reading the Introduction and Chapters 1 & 4 from the Smith-Shank text, please consider the purpose of studying semiotics and visual culture:
As an individual? As an educator? As a society?
Try to find & share a single image by which to explore these varying levels of cultural connection.
Why study semiotics? That is an interesting question for me because it seems I already do! Like others have already posted to the discussion board, I found this book and its articles absolutely fascinating despite its bland and overly dry academic appearance. Smith-Shank says in her introduction, "semiotics is the study of signs and symbols in culture." How can we be alive without playing a part in this exchange? We may not realize that we do indeed study the signs and symbols around us, we can not help but do so in order to interact with our environments. Unless we are the unique shut in, cut off from all outside influences, we have to be able to assimilate into the world of semiotics. Whenever I take a moment to ponder the delicious looking food just presented in a commercial, or take a peek at photos posted to a friend's facebook page, or leaf through a magazine at the dentist's office, or read a sign to find a public restroom I am interacting with the symbols and signs of our culture. Or to take it a step further, whenever I read text in my environments, I am reading symbols (further abstracted). To decipher all these symbols and signs, I am studying semiotics. So as an individual, I think the question is more, why wouldn't I want to study semiotics? Why wouldn't I want to become better at communicating? As an artist I believe one of my primary functions is to communicate with others through a visual media. I can do this more effectively if I understand how my images become signs and symbols to others and further study how they can be interpreted.
As an educator studying how images and symbols effect my students and their learning can be used to hone my communication with them. I can understand more ways to motivate them and effect their individual understanding. As an art educator, I think it is important to introduce to my students (who are in turn creating art & therefore artists) to the idea behind semiotics. It goes hand in hand with symbolism and how we as a culture give objects meaning. How do we give art meaning? How do we embed meaning in our works through the symbols we choose to include in our work? How can we tap into a cultural understanding and reflect back our own observations and critiques? How do we place meaning or find meaning in the images we look at in order to make sense of the world around us? How does that effect our overall well-being? It is good to be able to answer or at least ponder these questions.
As a society, I think it is important to think about the implications of our actions. And I would extend this to how we as a society and a culture produce images. If we see art (and as extension our artifacts of visual culture) as a record of our existence as human beings then we should be aware of how our record communicates, at least in its own time, and be able to read communications from another time (and here is where my brain starts to wander / wonder about how context effects the meaning.) We should be wary of how we as individuals in a society are effected or manipulated by our visual culture. We should also feel responsible for how we then, in turn, affect others with images.
As for the last piece of this assignment, "find an image by which to explore these varying levels of cultural connection" - I am not sure how to do this. I sit in my room, looking for inspiration and I am bombarded by my own collections of visual culture. Too many options. And then I wonder if I am understanding what is being asked. Should I have tailored my response above to one particular item? I am struck by the themes I see in my response and others on the db.
So I think I will turn to something that has been on my mind as of late - Kermit the Frog.
Jim Henson and his creations were part of my visual culture growing up. In my mind as a child, I was able to connect to Kermit in ways that were different than the ways I could with any adult or other child. He was somewhere in-between. As I grew up and beyond those first friendships, I still was able to connect to what those characters represented. To me, the Muppets and the Sesame Street gang were able to tap into those qualities we cherish about children (and many argue the best adults still contain) such as: creativity, imagination, silliness, perseverance, the ability to dream, to have unabashed fun, and to be adventurous and also represent some of those things we take for granted like family, friendships, and loyalty. And then there is the man behind the muppet, Jim Henson. Kermit represents a man to me that recognized some of the most important stuff in life and how to nurture that in others. He cared about more than himself and looked out for others as well as the environment we live in. He taught us to care about each other and where we live. And I could go on and on about how great he was. For someone I've never met, Jim Henson and his work shaped a big part of who I am. And I think that is true for so many. Our visual culture shapes our identity. And that is why it is important to study semiotics and visual culture.
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