Tutorial 7 - Week 8

Visualisation is a very interesting aspect of publishing and it encapsulates a large variety of aspects. Modern society is very wrapped up in a 'visual culture'. People respond well to visual cues, and would seemingly rather look at picture or watch a movie than read text. Images are able to convey a greater message in a faster, more succinct way, and images (unlike language) are universal. Images do not always require an understanding of language and word devices to be understood. Even the simplest of images, such as the dashed line  can convey a variety of meanings and connotations, such as movement, direction, path, ephemeral material, etc. Images are able to provide the viewer with an understanding of physical data, data visualisation; like in the information aesthetics reading in which viewers can use the image to understand the value of 200 calories.

The combination of different images can create entirely new meanings, or (ironically) warp the perceived meanings of certain images:

Source: http://www.crainium.net/jdjArchives/StillMoreJuxtaposition.jpg

Source: http://www.crainium.net/jdjArchives/Juxtaposition.jpg

Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsPSYaOGkXd5g2g-xPtHAMrtUjFa07_OnKRlzQcf1yxykyjl3oTU2NA_XnkpMUOQSMdJdl-S3OR0_F8D3VdKL4P3YrHoH0AQoIVfr-MwDrUtaMTiOKoDN-w2nn5OFHswG1zZM44EPNWlQ/s1600/jux2.jpg

I think one of the aspects I found really interesting was the way in which visualisation can make the invisible visible. It is often simply taken for granted that certain information is known, even though we can't physically see it or touch it. It's almost scary to know that data is transferred around us without our knowledge. Just to link back to ANT; I was slightly confused by how technology could be interacting without the human component in ANT, however, the visualisation of technology has really demonstrated to me just how technology can interact with limited human involvement. Images such as the one below really highlight the way in which technology can function alone.

Source: http://www.richardbanks.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/image4.png 

I just hope we don't find that this becomes our future:

Source: http://www.franksworkshop.com.au/Robots/isobot/isobot-city.jpg