The visual, the body and the social body

As I have previously discussed in last week’s blog entry, visualisation is making the invisible visible. This is done by giving symbols, pictures or any visual representations for complex concepts. Therefore one can argue that visualisation can simplify messages or data and makes them more accessible to the public. Adding to the previous week’s topic, this week’s readings focus on visualisation’s relationship with the social body.

Polar bear stuck on ice cap

When the issue of climate change pops up in public agenda, the picture of polar bears being stuck standing on floating pieces of ice immediately occupies my mind. In fact, it is definitely the picture that a Metro (2008) article decided to go with. I do get why they use this particular imagery to convey their message on climate change. Firstly, climate change is the reason for melting the ice caps in the North Pole. Secondly, polar bears are indigenous in the North Pole meaning that climate change is directly affecting the size of the bears’ habitat. And lastly, because we have this information, it the picture is urging people to act on the growing issue of climate change.

The use of a visualisation is more effective than showing data as it is. This is because visualisations, especially this one, put the issue into perspective. People develop more personal connections with things that they see. By showing the immediate effects of melting icecaps, the image intends to provoke empathetic and emotional reactions to those viewing it, as they are witnessing the devastation that climate change brings. People see animals like the polar bear as majestic creatures and unique, once they are put into a context where they appear to be under threat of extinction, people begin to invest more into the issue. While the picture grabs the viewer’s attention, the rest of the article informs them, and gives them a motivation to act. 

These visualisations have certainly been effective on inciting emotion from me. This shows that visualisation has great effect in influencing how we as the social body react. Since the polar bear on a floating piece of ice has become a common image for climate change, the society have become familiar with the consequences of drilling, and releasing greenhouse gases. Visualisation does not only serve the purpose of giving us a better understanding of complex issues but the way those messages are presented and interpreted can therefore enforce, the way we feel and act within society.

References

Metro, (2008). Struggling polar bears put on endangered list. [online] Available at: http://metro.co.uk/2008/05/15/struggling-polar-bears-put-on-endangered-list-137306/ [Accessed 22 Sep. 2014].

Image: Walk, Ansgar (1996), Polar bear on ice flow in Wager Bay, 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Eisb%C3%A4r_1996-07-23.jpg

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Visualisation and VJing

The lecture and readings in this week conceptualise the idea of visualisation. Simply put, this visualisation is the process where an ‘invisible’ idea is made ‘visible’ by creating graphic representations of the subject (Kosara 2008). Bar graphs or pie charts for example visually conceptualise data that could be difficult to interpret like presenting the number of people that wear hoodies in class (just to give an odd example) (Kosara 2008).

The readings included the term vjing as part of the process of visualisation. Vjing is an audio visual performance art, usually performed in clubs and concerts. The artists use pre-existing playlists of audio and video tracks to combine them into their own pieces (Wikipedia 2014). Video synthesisers take the audio and use it to create rudimentary visuals and patterns that flowed and synchronises with the music. Tools would later on allow people to manipulate videos and music simultaneously. What’s interesting is that these are usually performed live. What does this form of visualisation make visible though? Video manipulation is said to have many techniques and aesthetic qualities that help in the understanding of different forms of learning. Video conceptualises the “disorder and fragmentation of music” that goes on in these live performances. Interactivity can also play a part in allowing audiences to grasp more complex concepts (Gates 2009). Other forms of vjing help visualise complex ideas, from revealing “spatial, social and technological architectures” while also being able to express psychological spaces (Gates 2009). Indeed, the world of live video mixing is enabling us to visualise and therefore understand complex concepts much better.

While the degrees of visualisation that are brought about by VJ are vast, are there concepts that just cannot be visualised? Are there types of data that the world of vjing cannot comprehend? Can all invisible constructs be visible?

Even though other forms of visualisation are limited, graphs are subjected to taking into account a few variables to visualise data, (a bar graph is limited by the x and y axis) (Kosara 2008). However, given the information about the ability of VJ as a performance art that can explain complex issues such as psychological matters. It appears that new publishing technologies and processes are shining a light and revealing those invisible and abstract theories. The reading brought about another idea which could possibly suggest why VJs able to conceptualise such difficult matters. Contemporary visualisation are no longer limiting themselves to the audience’s sight, but also through sound, VJs can make a synesthetic experience which could offer profound insight to their audiences (Gates 2009).

(This video helped me visualise the idea of vjing)

References

Gates, C. (2009). Vague Terrain 09: Rise of the VJ | Vague Terrain. [online] Vagueterrain.net. Available at: http://vagueterrain.net/journal09 [Accessed 15 Sep. 2014].

Kosara, R. (2008). What is Visualization? A Definition. [online] eagereyes. Available at: http://eagereyes.org/criticism/definition-of-visualization [Accessed 15 Sep. 2014].

Wikipedia, (2014). VJing. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VJing#cite_note-1 [Accessed 15 Sep. 2014].

Video: Jack Conte (2008) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXpn8thEGbE 

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