By expanding historical image research, visual history has in the recent past established itself as a field of research in late modern and contemporary history, which considers images in a wider sense both as sources as well as independent artifacts of historiographical research and likewise looks at the visuality of history and the historicity of the visual. Its exponents advocate understanding images beyond their pictorialness as a medium and as an activity with an independent aesthetic that condition the way of seeing things, shape perceptual patterns, convey interpretations, that organize the aesthetic relationship of historic subjects to their social and political reality and which are able to generate own realities.
AbstractDie vorliegende Diplomarbeit behandelt die Schnittstellen von Visual History, Freikörperkulturen und Geschichtsdidaktik. Sie geht von einer theoretischen Auseinandersetzung mit den Möglichkeiten und der Problematik des Mediums Fotografie aus. Über die Problematisierung des Verhältnisses von Fotografie und Wirklichkeit werden kritisch-analytische Zugänge zu fotografisch-medialen Repräsentationen erschlossen. Im Zentrum steht dabei deren Bedeutung für die Konstruktion und Distribution von Idealen und körperlichen Normen. Die Betrachtung basiert auf einer Analyse deutscher Freikörperkultur(en) der Zwischenkriegszeit, die während der 1920er- und 1930er-Jahre trotz ihres gesellschaftlichen Nischendaseins eine besondere Stellung einnehmen. Abbildungen vom 'nackten Körper' werden gleichzeitig geduldet, verboten und instrumentalisiert. Fotografische Repräsentationen von Freikörperkultur werden zu Akteuren in der Aushandlung körperlicher und ideeller Konventionen. Sie werden zu Markern und zugleich zu Projektionsflächen für Normen, das Eigene und das Fremde. Die Verbreitung dieser Bilder geschieht durch Magazine und Bücher, welche die vorliegende Arbeit als Quellen aufgreift. Das anschließende Abschnitt verbindet die drei Bereiche Visual History, Fotografie und Freikörperkultur zu einem Unterrichtskonzept, welches sowohl die Überhöhung von Körperidealen, als auch die Funktion von Fotografien als aktive Medien problematisiert. Fotografische Bilder aus dem medialen Raum der Freikörperkultur der 1920er und 1930er Jahre werden dabei in Form einer vierstündigen Unterrichtseinheit behandelt. Das Konzept wurde im Rahmen der Diplomarbeit durchgeführt und mittels qualitativer Fragebögen evaluiert. Die Arbeit beinhaltet eine ausführliche Reflexion der Ergebnisse dieser exemplarischen Studie und soll als Ansatzpunkt für weitere Untersuchungen, aber auch als funktionierendes Modell für bildbasierten Unterricht dienen. ; This diploma theses aims to deal with three major Points: visual history, nudist culture(s) and didactics. Photographic images make contribution to the process of shaping the social space we live in. Whether they represent ideals, enemies, gender roles or depict controversial contents, they help in constructing collective ideas about what they show.During the late 1920ies nudist movements as an outcome of the so called "life reform"- movement flourished especially in Germany. Various nudist magazines were offered and books were printed in numerous editions. Nevertheless, the movement always existed on the fringes. In account of the political changes between 1918 and 1940 the acceptance of nudism fluctuated between prohibition and instrumentalisation. However, photographic representations of the nudist movement consistently made their way to public between 1918 and 1940. Even if the motives and the aesthetics of the images stayed basically the same on first sight, the motivations for transforming depictions of naked people into representations changed and thus the way those representations shaped the contemporary lived in space. The didactic concept provided by this thesis is based on the discussion of the construction, distribution and contextualisation of those representations and their possible impacts. The concept takes into account approaches invented by the field of visual history research and aims to expand the range of didactic methods to broach photographic depictions in order to that. A reflexion of the practic use of the concept is as well featured by the thesis as an evaluation by a feedback form to set a well reflected starting point for further research. ; vorgelegt von Martin Reichstam ; Zusammenfassungen in Deutsch und Englisch ; Abweichender Titel laut Übersetzung des Verfassers/der Verfasserin ; Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Diplomarbeit, 2016 ; (VLID)1341317
Der erste Band der 2015 von Costanza D'Elia gegründeten Zeitschrift "Visual History. Rivista internazionale di storia e critica dell'immagine" wird mit einem Zitat aus "L'orologio" ("Die Uhr") eingeleitet, einer der bedeutendsten politischen Romane der italienischen Nachkriegszeit, den der Schriftsteller und Maler Carlo Levi 1950 veröffentlichte. Die Auswahl der Zeilen erfolgte nicht zufällig: Ein Mensch, verzweifelt ob der "Unfähigkeit zu leben", stößt "in immer neue Wissensgebiete vor, auf der ständigen Suche nach etwas, das ihm hoffnungslos verborgen bleiben würde".
This dissertation is a study of Mexican devotional images and their importance in the society that produced them. I trace the changes and continuities in the ways that Mexicans experienced the sacred over a long arc of history, with a focus on the nineteenth century, a time when Mexico transitioned from a colonial society into a modern republic. The study encompasses devotional practices such as pilgrimages and processions, but focuses especially on the material culture of popular piety. Specifically, it examines two art forms--ex-votos and children's funerary portraits--to show how devotional practice shaped relationships to the institutional church both before and after independence, as well as to the emergent liberal state in the nineteenth century. I use these images to explore the worldviews of people who left little in the way of written records, but whose visual output was both prolific and expressive of their perceptions about the relationship between humans and the divine.Through the study of the material culture of devotion, I demonstrate not only the continued centrality of Catholic holy beings to Mexican mentalities after independence, but also explore a changing world, one that we can loosely characterize as "modernizing." "Modernizing" was evident in several spheres: in the urban landscape, in transportation, in politics, the economy, in technology, and in the institutional church. In this context it is easy to imagine that forms of religious expression might also change, but traditional religiosity--with its processions, pilgrimages, and other saint-oriented devotional practices--not only survived but flourished in the nineteenth century. This particularly Catholic accommodation with modernity is most visible in an increase in ex-votos left at shrines, but also in the augmented negotiations over the proper role of religion in public life. I explore the reasons for these phenomena and conclude that despite the apparent paradox of continuing and increased "traditional" religious practices in a secularizing world, affirmations of traditional Catholicism were in fact a way of assimilating the modern world for both the institutional church and for laypeople. Finally, I address the complex negotiations between the church and the state as political institutions from the colonial period to the mid-twentieth century, and the ways that their ideologies and actions both shaped and were shaped by popular culture. Using Mikhail Bakhtin's model of circularity for describing the interactions between elite and popular cultures, I look beyond simple dichotomies and suggest how the transmission of culture and ideas is multidirectional and multidimensional. I use visual cultural production--especially ex-voto paintings--as a barometer of religious mentalities, and, by extension, as a measure of the intersections between religion and politics in a period of important historical changes.
The broad perspectives of the tradition and culture of the grass-field region of Cameroon as perceived through palace relics or artifacts and sculptures, embody much more than visual history and a synoptic recapitulation of the cosmology of the people. Often appreciated basically from their face values, palace artifacts serve as historiography and associated material for the representation of societal lore and mores. This is to say artifacts are more or less historical/ literary, as well as archeological representations begging for a critical attention beyond their surface fascination. In essence, grass field palace arts underscore the crucial place of signs and symbols in the articulation of cultural and traditional practices that characterize a people in space and time. Through the compact and systematic use of codes, the extensive and intensive zoomorphic symbols effectively capture the values and beliefs embedded in the politically stratified cultural systems. This paper is thus premised on the hypothetical assumption that grass field palace artifacts, together with their precast motifs, recapitulate the collective world views of the people. The objects and their associated paraphernalia speak to the dynamism of their cultural insights. In this regards, the pictographic representations do not only define the depth and scope of the people's public informative medium, but also point to the hidden power of the indigenous knowledge systems. Significantly, this paper underpins both the value and the need to formulate policies for the protection and preservation of the complex practices and depth of indigenous systems. Our analyses are anchored against the theories of structural functionalism as propounded by Bronislaw Malinowski and also the theory of social semiotics by Hodge and Kress.
Design History: Culture and Contexts Design in it's widest definition, cannot exist within it's own paradigm. There are many thing that effect design. However, design influences and is influenced by other creative disciplines and within wider culture. Historical, societal and political events have an effect on design and vice versa. This visual timeline covers the periods of Modernism to Postmodernism and various design styles and influences contained with in each era and shows how interactions of style and influences relate to each other. This poster is a visual representation of major design milestones of the 20th and early part of the 21st century and identifies key design practitioners active and influential in each decade. It identifies the multidisciplinary nature of design and highlights major design disciples including: Vehicle Design; Architecture; Product & Industrial Design and Visual Communication & Graphic Design. This is a infographic charts design's relationship with culture and history. Literature from national and international sources were investigated in order to develop a multi-disciplinary approach in identify key moments in design history and how this relates to current world and national historical events, and events within poplar culture. These influences are mapped against key design artefacts of the period and how colour is utilised within each decade. The time line looks at design in both an international and and Irish context and charts key design moments from the foundation of the state right up to the Year of Irish Design (ID 2015). Once visualised, patterns themes and influences can be identified. Notably, from an international view, the Influence of Dieter Rams' work on Jonathan Ive and how in Ireland, government reports on the design sector had lead to representation and action within industry. The example here of Scandinavian report in 1962 which led to the foundation of Kilkenny Design Workshop in 1963 and Enterprise Ireland's Opportunities in Design in 1999 led to Design Ireland being founded a year later. With 2015 being designated as Year of Irish Design, it begs the question, what will it's lasting legacy be? This poster visualises how design is constantly evolving, and how the different design disciplines are responding to the environment in which is lives and is part of. Here we see the visual representation of the link between design history, it's culture and contexts. Finish size 594mm X 3000mm approx. Bibliography and Sources: Design Museum (2009) Fifty Cars that Changed the World Pub. Conran Eiseman, L. and Recker, K. (2011) Pantone: The Twentieth Century in Color Pub. Chronicle Books Fiell, C. (2013) 1000 Chairs Hardcover Pub. Taschen King, L. & Sissons, E. (2011) Ireland, Design and Visual Culture: Negotiating Modernity 1922-1922 Pub. Cork University Press Meggs, P.B., and Purvis, A. (2001) Meggs' History of Graphic Design Pub. John Wiley & Sons Pivot Dublin (2010) Pivot Dublin: World Design Capital Bid Pub. Dublin City Council Read, H. and Stangos, N. (1994) Dictionary of Art and Artists Pub. Thames & Hudson Toscani, O. (2000) 1000 Objects Pub. Taschen Websites: http://www.autoblog.com/photos/historys-10-bestselling-cars-of-all-time http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/g93/the-100-hottest-cars-of-all-time http://www.creativebloq.com/architecture/famous-buildings-around-world-10121105 http://www.greatbuildings.com/greatest_hits.html http://www.militaryarchives.ie
The article proposes the term "Visual Culture" as a concept that provides a wide range of contents prone for interpretation in historical researches. In the introduction, the author analyzes and justifies the concept itself, as well as its scope as a useful instrument for investigators, emphasizing on its applicability for studying, evaluating and understanding images, while revealing that all visual culture responds to theparticular interests of a managing elite and it is aimed to a specific social group or human settlement. Then, based on three well-known periods of Colombian history (pre-Hispanic times, the Colony and the Independence), the author demonstrates this hypothesis. ; El artículo propone el concepto cultura visual como elemento que aporta a las investigaciones de carácter histórico una amplia gama de contenidos susceptibles de interpretación. En la introducción el autor analiza y sustenta el concepto propuesto, cultura visual, y sus alcances como instrumento al servicio de los investigadores; haciendo énfasis en su utilidad para estudiar, analizar e interpretar imágenes; al tiempo que demuestra que toda cultura visual responde a los intereses particulares de una élite dirigente, y está dirigida a un grupo social o asentamiento humano. A continuación y con base en tres períodos de la historia colombiana: la época prehispánica, la Colonia y la Independencia, el autor hace evidente la hipótesis planteada.
This chapter considers how the exhibition One Hour uses multiple imagery to position viewers within a familiar visual historiography. Comprised of 3,600 images extracted from the digital photographic archive held by the Hampshire Cultural Trust, One Hour presents scopic fragments of a collective whole with each image denoting a second in time, accumulating as one hour of experience constructed through the multiple identities that formed a local community between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It considers how accumulation, and the responsive capacity of wonder to render meaning from this process, can build relationships between the subject and the viewer. The curatorial practice of contextualizing material culture by the use of archival photography is addressed with the photographed individual reinstated as the producer and consumer of associated material culture, referencing Keene's observation of the archive as a 'medium'.1 The text considers the resonance of the individual through a new paradigm of viewing where the criteria for inclusion is that each original individual is looking at the camera, and now at us. The consequent phenomena of advanced technology as a digital interface which disseminates this gaze is seen to manifest a secondary instance of the camera 'as a kind of mechanical eye'.2 The nuance of images dissected from documentary evidence of social, military, business and familial groups undertaking daily activities, celebrations, rituals, traditions and skills creates layers of interpretive meaning that encourage the viewer to both meander and fixate upon imagery. Reinstated from within the archive, each individual questions our understanding of visibility as we become the observed, repositioned and engaged within a familiar and collective visual historiography. 1. Keene, Suzanne (2005) Fragments of the World: Uses of Museum Collections. Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth- Heinemann, p.116 2. Henning, M. (2009) Technological Bodies in Photography A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge, p.192
Original issued in series: Educational pamphlets / Ontario. Dept. of Education ; no. 4. ; At head of title: Department of Education, Toronto. ; "Printed by order of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario." ; Electronic reproduction. ; Mode of access: Internet. ; 44
