Conclusion
Now that we have done the experiment, it was interesting to see how people imagined different things happening within the images. I found that younger people like Lisa who is 14 and the two 1st year's at DOJ, were more creative with thier stories and did not point out the obvious. People more mature however, were able to see parts of the correct story and once the text and fourth image were added, the majority got the story almost correct. Some people did however, have completely different stories to others and this may have been influenced by thier personalities and backgrounds. This is explained in Barthe's essay. So therefore I'm now seeing the connections with Barthe's essay and the experiment. Different people have different views to things and I found that to be true for this experiment. However, I did not feel that the results were all that surprising, simply because anyone who is told to look at images and tell a story will see different things. That is exactly what happened in the experiment.
Tuesday 16 February 2010
Adding Text
Activity 2E
Next we asked the same people, but we added a single word to each image-
Helen
On a Mediterranean holiday
Go for a walk along the pathway
Meets up with rep
Rep takes them on activity
Shawn
Med plane view
Path to hotel to
Meet rep
Rep takes them on activities
Sam and Zoe
Woman flies to Med
Lands on the path
sees a woman on the beach
they found a bridge
From the results it shows that with the text and the fourth image, people began to recreate the target story. Without the text people had different meanings to the images but once the words were added they were able to connect the images together correctly.
Activity 2E
Next we asked the same people, but we added a single word to each image-
- Mediterranean
- Pathway
- Rep
- Activity
Helen
On a Mediterranean holiday
Go for a walk along the pathway
Meets up with rep
Rep takes them on activity
Shawn
Med plane view
Path to hotel to
Meet rep
Rep takes them on activities
Sam and Zoe
Woman flies to Med
Lands on the path
sees a woman on the beach
they found a bridge
From the results it shows that with the text and the fourth image, people began to recreate the target story. Without the text people had different meanings to the images but once the words were added they were able to connect the images together correctly.
The Fourth Image
Activity 2D
The target story from Sarah's Mum, 50 - Primary Teacher is;
Family arrived at coastal village in the Med.
Not long after arriving they followed a road lined by palm trees which lead down to an idillac spot down by the beach.
By chance they got talking to a local lady who agreed to take them on a tour of the beauty spots over the next few days.
The next part of the task was to add a fourth image and ask another selection of people to see if by adding the fourth image, they can come up with the same story as the target story.
Here is the results we got from asking a different selection of people and also adding the fourth image.
(images were in order and with the fourth image)
Helen, 20 - Textile student
Beach holiday
Go for a walk along the coast
Meet a girl sitting on the beach
The girl introduces them into trying new things.
Shawn, Twenty-something - Art student
She's on a plane
They go for a walk
Stops for a drink at the beach
She goes for an excursion in the forest
Sam and Zoe - 1st year Art students
On a plane
Plane crashes
She is the only survivor
She meets help on the bridge
By adding the fourth image it seems that the majority of people we asked are tellling a similar story to the target story. We felt that we did not need any more images to help people get the story right, but with text this might be the key to getting the target story right.
Activity 2D
The target story from Sarah's Mum, 50 - Primary Teacher is;
Family arrived at coastal village in the Med.
Not long after arriving they followed a road lined by palm trees which lead down to an idillac spot down by the beach.
By chance they got talking to a local lady who agreed to take them on a tour of the beauty spots over the next few days.
The next part of the task was to add a fourth image and ask another selection of people to see if by adding the fourth image, they can come up with the same story as the target story.
(images were in order and with the fourth image)
Helen, 20 - Textile student
Beach holiday
Go for a walk along the coast
Meet a girl sitting on the beach
The girl introduces them into trying new things.
Shawn, Twenty-something - Art student
She's on a plane
They go for a walk
Stops for a drink at the beach
She goes for an excursion in the forest
Sam and Zoe - 1st year Art students
On a plane
Plane crashes
She is the only survivor
She meets help on the bridge
By adding the fourth image it seems that the majority of people we asked are tellling a similar story to the target story. We felt that we did not need any more images to help people get the story right, but with text this might be the key to getting the target story right.
Talk to People
Activity 2C
I asked some family members to tell me a story from the three images. (They put the images in thier own order). Here is what they came up with;
Stuart, 20 - Drum Teacher
Looking out of a plane, going on holiday to Greece.
Plane landed and they take a walk along the coast with some palm trees.
They meet their friend who is waiting for them at the beach.
Lisa, 14 - high shool student
Looking out of a plane that is talking them on holiday to Spain.
They meet a woman on the beach who tells them of a nice walk.
They go on the nice walk.
Audrey, 35 - Care Taker
People going on holiday to the Med.
When they get there they go for a stroll near the lake.
They meet a nice woman who shares interesting sights for them to visit.
Alan, 26 - SalesMan
On a plane going on holiday.
plane crashes and they land near a lake and some palm trees.
They find a woman to help them.
I found that from the people i asked, they automatically put the image of the island first which was interesting. I also found that most of them put the image of the path and palm trees second.
I did this in a group so we all met up after asking family and friends, and we decided on a target story from one of our results. Our target story is from Sarah Mitchell. Amoung the people she asked, she chose her mum's story of the images.
Activity 2C
I asked some family members to tell me a story from the three images. (They put the images in thier own order). Here is what they came up with;
Stuart, 20 - Drum Teacher
Looking out of a plane, going on holiday to Greece.
Plane landed and they take a walk along the coast with some palm trees.
They meet their friend who is waiting for them at the beach.
Lisa, 14 - high shool student
Looking out of a plane that is talking them on holiday to Spain.
They meet a woman on the beach who tells them of a nice walk.
They go on the nice walk.
Audrey, 35 - Care Taker
People going on holiday to the Med.
When they get there they go for a stroll near the lake.
They meet a nice woman who shares interesting sights for them to visit.
Alan, 26 - SalesMan
On a plane going on holiday.
plane crashes and they land near a lake and some palm trees.
They find a woman to help them.
I found that from the people i asked, they automatically put the image of the island first which was interesting. I also found that most of them put the image of the path and palm trees second.
I did this in a group so we all met up after asking family and friends, and we decided on a target story from one of our results. Our target story is from Sarah Mitchell. Amoung the people she asked, she chose her mum's story of the images.
The Rhetoric of the Image - by Roland Barthes
Activity 2a
For the first part of the assignment, we were asked to read ‘The Rhetoric of the Image’ by Roland Barthes. Whilst reading the text we were to try and make connections with what Barthes was saying and link this to our discipline. My discipline is Textiles, so I was looking out for ways to relate the text to Textiles.
On reading the text, I found it very difficult to understand. There were many sentences that I could not make sense of. I tried my best to understand it, so I took notes and tried to put the text in to my own words. Once I had read the text, I got together with my group to discuss what we understood from it and how it relates to Textiles.
Here are a few of the main points I gathered from the text;
The idea that images mean more than one thing (POLYSEMY) but that text fixes meaning.
Important questions raised –
• How does meaning get in to the image?
• Where does it end?
• And if it ends, where is the beyond?
In Advertising, the signification of the image is intentional therefore, advertisers get straight to the point and they know how to target us.
Messages within an image can be broken down.
Colours are significant - they can suggest meanings and stories.
What we see in a photograph is never the same as what we see in real life.
When we look at a photograph we assume the story within it because of who we are and our backgrounds, therefore everyone may see a different story to others when looking at a photograph.
Text is added so that people don’t ask the obvious through words.
Photography – having been there - which is called the spectational consciousness
Film – being there – fictional consciousness
Anthropological – study of people, society and culture.
Lexical – relating to words of a language
We as people cannot see an image without giving it a meaning
There are many connotations for one image - ‘abstract idea from basic meaning’, this connotation also relates to textiles.
Connotations can be rhetorical – ‘idea of ideology’
Images and their meaning can be altered depending on who, where and when they are looked at and what feelings that person has at that time.
So, how does the text relate to Textiles?
Throughout the text it refers to an image having several meanings. As a Textile student, images always mean more than one thing to me. In my sketchbook for example; I start by collecting first hand information. I then use this information to develop in to designs. So, looking at my first hand information, I see more than one possibility to translate on to fabric. The images in my sketchbook suggest several different translations for using on fabrics.
Also the text mentions a connotation of abstracting an idea from its basic meaning. This relates to Tetxtiles in the sense that we as designers, abstract information from first had sources and develop it in to something new.
Another indication I got from the text that as textile designer, in the future it is possible that I will have a different view on my finished products than my potential clients will. Also, because of my discipline I am prone to interpreting clients views in a different way from them. This therefore addresses me that for future reference I will need to think in the mind of a designer, but also in the mind of a client to be successful.
Activity 2a
For the first part of the assignment, we were asked to read ‘The Rhetoric of the Image’ by Roland Barthes. Whilst reading the text we were to try and make connections with what Barthes was saying and link this to our discipline. My discipline is Textiles, so I was looking out for ways to relate the text to Textiles.
On reading the text, I found it very difficult to understand. There were many sentences that I could not make sense of. I tried my best to understand it, so I took notes and tried to put the text in to my own words. Once I had read the text, I got together with my group to discuss what we understood from it and how it relates to Textiles.
Here are a few of the main points I gathered from the text;
The idea that images mean more than one thing (POLYSEMY) but that text fixes meaning.
Important questions raised –
• How does meaning get in to the image?
• Where does it end?
• And if it ends, where is the beyond?
In Advertising, the signification of the image is intentional therefore, advertisers get straight to the point and they know how to target us.
Messages within an image can be broken down.
Colours are significant - they can suggest meanings and stories.
What we see in a photograph is never the same as what we see in real life.
When we look at a photograph we assume the story within it because of who we are and our backgrounds, therefore everyone may see a different story to others when looking at a photograph.
Text is added so that people don’t ask the obvious through words.
Photography – having been there - which is called the spectational consciousness
Film – being there – fictional consciousness
Anthropological – study of people, society and culture.
Lexical – relating to words of a language
We as people cannot see an image without giving it a meaning
There are many connotations for one image - ‘abstract idea from basic meaning’, this connotation also relates to textiles.
Connotations can be rhetorical – ‘idea of ideology’
Images and their meaning can be altered depending on who, where and when they are looked at and what feelings that person has at that time.
So, how does the text relate to Textiles?
Throughout the text it refers to an image having several meanings. As a Textile student, images always mean more than one thing to me. In my sketchbook for example; I start by collecting first hand information. I then use this information to develop in to designs. So, looking at my first hand information, I see more than one possibility to translate on to fabric. The images in my sketchbook suggest several different translations for using on fabrics.
Also the text mentions a connotation of abstracting an idea from its basic meaning. This relates to Tetxtiles in the sense that we as designers, abstract information from first had sources and develop it in to something new.
Another indication I got from the text that as textile designer, in the future it is possible that I will have a different view on my finished products than my potential clients will. Also, because of my discipline I am prone to interpreting clients views in a different way from them. This therefore addresses me that for future reference I will need to think in the mind of a designer, but also in the mind of a client to be successful.
Tuesday 2 February 2010
Assignment 1 - The Consumption of Design
Part 1C
For this part of the assignment, every student was asked to find a person that they do not know very well and swap personal photographs with them. I swapped photo's with a girl called Serena who is currently studying Textiles. I do not know this person very well and I have no knowledge of her background or
personal information. She gave me photo's of her bedroom and study area and I gave her photo's of myself growing up. The next part of the experiment was to investigate the photo's and gather as much information as possible about that person.
The first set of photos I looked at are of her bedroom and close ups of objects around the room. At first glance, the main thing that jumped out to me is the colour red. Also the colours pink and purple are evident. These colours show an influence on her personal style, for example, she has a red throw on her bed and a red cushion. She also has a red, pink and purple head board. Pictures on her wall are of shoes, mainly stilettos which suggests she has interest in fashion and high heeled shoes. Also on one of the pictures is the title 'Vogue' which is also an indication of her interest in fashion. I also got the impression that she is interested in the French language as this is present on some of her pictures on the wall. This indicates to me that she is an elegant person who appreciates the beautiful things in life and is able to find something so simple but still be able to find its inner beauty. I noticed that with these elegant possessions, she adds her own style on to them by adding a bit of glamour. An example of this is that, there are two pictures on her wall that are very simple, but on top of them both she has placed a coloured, sparkly flower.
Another thing to strike me about her bedroom is that she still has a single bed. Her bedroom looks big enough to have a double bed so it is interesting that this girl who is no longer a teenager still has a single bed. One scenario of the single bed could be that her parents would not approve of her having a double bed, as this would indicate her growing up and becoming an adult with a developing sexuality. Another scenario could be that she likes to be reminded of her childhood. Every child has more than likely to have started off in a single bed so it is possible she likes to be reminded of a more happier time in her life, being a child with no worries and no stress. Another indication of this scenario is that she has some stuffed teddy bears on a stand. This too could be a reminder of her childhood and of a happier time. The last thing to comment on is that her room is very neat and tidy with little or no clutter, and she also shows good spatial awareness. I do feel though that she may spend more time in her study than in her bedroom due to the lack of clutter and possessions in her bedroom.
The next set of photographs are of her study area. It is clear that this girl likes to read. She has shelves on the wall and they consist mainly of books, with a lot of novels by the author Dean Koontz. She also has books on our planet Earth and of animals and the environment. This suggests to me that she is interested in both fact and fiction, which also suggests that she is well educated and has an interest in learning new information. As she obviously likes to read, I feel that she is the type of person that enjoys her own company and likes her privacy. A photo on her shelf of a camping environment is an indication to her liking nature and the outdoors. This links to the material she reads on animals and the Earth.
On her desk in her study area, the colour red is again very dominant. She has a Red chair, a red lamp, a red flower, red nail varnish, and a red folder. Having red as a favourite colour suggests that she is a very romantic person and very sensual. The book on her desk of what appeared to be of fruit and vegetables gave me the impression that she may like to grow her own and is also maybe garden orientated. A calendar of a polar bear is a clear indication of her being a lover of animals and nature. I also noticed that she has a collection of sun glasses which may be because she either likes them as an accessory or she may be fond of hot weather and being able to go outside. I think that she is a very neat person and she likes to have everything organised. I think this because I noticed that she has everything separated in to jars and containers.
The last thing that caught my attention is that she has a big collection of music. Having such a big collection indicates she likes a variety of music from old 60's music to present day pop music. Her interest in a variety of music is directly linked to her style in her bedroom and her study. She has a mixture of tastes and styles which suggests that she is an open minded person and she is not the sort of person to judge others on their appearance or their interests.
Part 1B
After analysing Serena's photographs and once she had analysed my photographs, we met up to discuss what information we had gathered about each other. Serena talked first about her findings. I gave her photo's from my childhood to the present day and I was completely shocked at how accurate she was. Firstly she noticed that in every photo when I am smiling, I do not ever show my teeth. For some reason I do not like showing my teeth when I smile and Serena was spot on with this. She also described my personality to me, some of which I did not even realise until she had said it. For instance, she noticed that I wear a lot of jewellery which suggested to her that I like to decorate myself and I like to be noticed. This is exactly true and she also guessed that I have piercing and body art. She discovered who my closest friend is, how important she is to me and how much she has influenced me throughout my life. It was a little bit uncomfortable that she described me as confident when I am with others but not so confident on my own. I had never really thought of myself like that before but it is a revelation to me. I do not like being on my own at any time and I definitely prefer the company of friends and family which is exactly what Serena thought. I thought that this part of the experiment was very over whelming. Being a research subject is a little uncomfortable as i did not know what that person would discover about me.
Serena gave me photographs of her bedroom and her study area. When we discussed what my findings were I believe she was a little shocked at how accurate I was on some things. I guessed correctly that her favourite colour is red and that she is a romantic person. I also guessed correctly that she is an animal lover and loves nature and the environment. She is a lover of high heels and fashion which I got right, also that she likes French which she actually studied at higher level in high school. I said to her that I thought her parents were maybe a bit strict with her being an adult as she still has a single bed and she told me that her mum is not very comfortable with her having a boyfriend. So my theory was a little accurate. My theory about her hidden pleasure of her poster in her cupboard, turned out to be a revelation to her. She had not really thought about it in that way before but she believes it to be true. I found this part of the experiment exciting. Researching a persons' life through photographs was a challenge but it was interesting to see what things i got right about that person.
For this part of the assignment, every student was asked to find a person that they do not know very well and swap personal photographs with them. I swapped photo's with a girl called Serena who is currently studying Textiles. I do not know this person very well and I have no knowledge of her background or
personal information. She gave me photo's of her bedroom and study area and I gave her photo's of myself growing up. The next part of the experiment was to investigate the photo's and gather as much information as possible about that person.
The first set of photos I looked at are of her bedroom and close ups of objects around the room. At first glance, the main thing that jumped out to me is the colour red. Also the colours pink and purple are evident. These colours show an influence on her personal style, for example, she has a red throw on her bed and a red cushion. She also has a red, pink and purple head board. Pictures on her wall are of shoes, mainly stilettos which suggests she has interest in fashion and high heeled shoes. Also on one of the pictures is the title 'Vogue' which is also an indication of her interest in fashion. I also got the impression that she is interested in the French language as this is present on some of her pictures on the wall. This indicates to me that she is an elegant person who appreciates the beautiful things in life and is able to find something so simple but still be able to find its inner beauty. I noticed that with these elegant possessions, she adds her own style on to them by adding a bit of glamour. An example of this is that, there are two pictures on her wall that are very simple, but on top of them both she has placed a coloured, sparkly flower.
In her wardrobe, the first thing I noticed are loads of browns, blacks, whites and greys with a few flashes of reds and blues. This suggests that she has an her own individual style that seems to be a safe colour palette. The flashes of reds and blues are telling the story of how the person has begun to develop and take risks with her personality and sense of style. The few flashes suggest that she is not yet confident enough to explore her style to its full potential. I also noticed that she has placed her shoes neatly on the floor of her wardrobe in straight line, which suggests that she is an organized person.
Another thing to strike me about her bedroom is that she still has a single bed. Her bedroom looks big enough to have a double bed so it is interesting that this girl who is no longer a teenager still has a single bed. One scenario of the single bed could be that her parents would not approve of her having a double bed, as this would indicate her growing up and becoming an adult with a developing sexuality. Another scenario could be that she likes to be reminded of her childhood. Every child has more than likely to have started off in a single bed so it is possible she likes to be reminded of a more happier time in her life, being a child with no worries and no stress. Another indication of this scenario is that she has some stuffed teddy bears on a stand. This too could be a reminder of her childhood and of a happier time. The last thing to comment on is that her room is very neat and tidy with little or no clutter, and she also shows good spatial awareness. I do feel though that she may spend more time in her study than in her bedroom due to the lack of clutter and possessions in her bedroom.
The next set of photographs are of her study area. It is clear that this girl likes to read. She has shelves on the wall and they consist mainly of books, with a lot of novels by the author Dean Koontz. She also has books on our planet Earth and of animals and the environment. This suggests to me that she is interested in both fact and fiction, which also suggests that she is well educated and has an interest in learning new information. As she obviously likes to read, I feel that she is the type of person that enjoys her own company and likes her privacy. A photo on her shelf of a camping environment is an indication to her liking nature and the outdoors. This links to the material she reads on animals and the Earth.
In the cupboard in her study, I noticed that it is not tidy like her bedroom. It feels like she uses this as a secret space to hide things that she does not want others to see. Also there is a poster on the inside of the door which says 'The first Kiss'. This suggests to me that she has a hidden secret of how much she enjoys romance and the title suggests that she likes the magic within a first kiss and the start of a romantic relationship. I have not really seen anything to indicate if she has a boyfriend but from my perception of her either she likes the thought of having a boyfriend or if she does have one then I would think that she has been with this person for a long time. I did see a photo of a man playing a trumpet so this tells me that she has a musical family member or close friend.
The last thing that caught my attention is that she has a big collection of music. Having such a big collection indicates she likes a variety of music from old 60's music to present day pop music. Her interest in a variety of music is directly linked to her style in her bedroom and her study. She has a mixture of tastes and styles which suggests that she is an open minded person and she is not the sort of person to judge others on their appearance or their interests.
Part 1B
After analysing Serena's photographs and once she had analysed my photographs, we met up to discuss what information we had gathered about each other. Serena talked first about her findings. I gave her photo's from my childhood to the present day and I was completely shocked at how accurate she was. Firstly she noticed that in every photo when I am smiling, I do not ever show my teeth. For some reason I do not like showing my teeth when I smile and Serena was spot on with this. She also described my personality to me, some of which I did not even realise until she had said it. For instance, she noticed that I wear a lot of jewellery which suggested to her that I like to decorate myself and I like to be noticed. This is exactly true and she also guessed that I have piercing and body art. She discovered who my closest friend is, how important she is to me and how much she has influenced me throughout my life. It was a little bit uncomfortable that she described me as confident when I am with others but not so confident on my own. I had never really thought of myself like that before but it is a revelation to me. I do not like being on my own at any time and I definitely prefer the company of friends and family which is exactly what Serena thought. I thought that this part of the experiment was very over whelming. Being a research subject is a little uncomfortable as i did not know what that person would discover about me.
Serena gave me photographs of her bedroom and her study area. When we discussed what my findings were I believe she was a little shocked at how accurate I was on some things. I guessed correctly that her favourite colour is red and that she is a romantic person. I also guessed correctly that she is an animal lover and loves nature and the environment. She is a lover of high heels and fashion which I got right, also that she likes French which she actually studied at higher level in high school. I said to her that I thought her parents were maybe a bit strict with her being an adult as she still has a single bed and she told me that her mum is not very comfortable with her having a boyfriend. So my theory was a little accurate. My theory about her hidden pleasure of her poster in her cupboard, turned out to be a revelation to her. She had not really thought about it in that way before but she believes it to be true. I found this part of the experiment exciting. Researching a persons' life through photographs was a challenge but it was interesting to see what things i got right about that person.
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