Week 3 PDF - Visual & Aural Culture

The world of visual culture I Priyadarshi Patnaik Professor MOOC Soft skills Department of Humanities & Social Sciences development Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur ...

The world of visual culture I Priyadarshi Patnaik Professor MOOC Soft skills Department of Humanities & Social Sciences development Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur  Overview Introduction Relevance of visual culture Changing roles of visuals in our culture Key features References  Chinese Orientation Arabic Image source: Wikipedia  Why is visual culture relevant? Modern life takes place on screen? – TV – PC – Screen – Real/Reel life – Calvin and Hobbs  The medium is the message Can looking (the gaze) instead of reading (text) or hearing transform the way we perceive the world?  Mediation What is mediation? The notion of the medium What lies beyond  Surface vs. content What lies beyond the surface The problem of simulacrum  Arctica: Created 3/11/04 using Lightwave 8. This image was created to practice with sub- surface scattering techniques. Yes, I know penguins don't live at the north pole. The title is just a generic refrence to polar regions. From www.digitalblasphemy  What is visual culture? The immense amount of visuality that we are involved with and have to interpret makes everyone from film critics to sociologists interested in it. What emerges is visual culture. Visual events with information, meaning or pleasure is sought by the consumer  Seeing is not knowing Some one is always watching and recording yet - TWA flight 800 in 1996 in New York - The Abduction of Jamie Bulger in 1995 - Smart Bombs of Gulf War  Seeing, Power and Knowledge Seeing has always been significant in the West Spiritual Vision Perspective Forensic, eye signature and visuality Photographic evidence (Benjamin) What about the Indian context – sruti?  Seeing vs. Visualizing The growing tendency to visualize things that are not visual Heidegger: world picture does not mean the picture of the world but the world conceived and grasped as a picture - the essence of the modern age Visual culture does not merely depend on pictures themselves but the modern tendency to picture or visualize existence Image source: Wikipedia  Heartbeat Heat Smell stimulation The language of metaphors – primarily visual  Visual as Supplement William Blake – Illuminated MS Books with illustrations Blake: Songs of Experience Text as Supplement to Visual  Advertisement – a case study View the two ads. What differences do you mark? 1925 Image source: Vintage Ad Browser 1980s Image source: Vintage Ad Browser  Interactivity Video games Internet Learning packages Is the visual passive any longer? What gets privileged here – space or time?  The Image as Everyday Life TV: soap opera, films, music videos Paintings, photographs: books in any setting The image became portable. With the internet, the image became virtual. The distinction between the real and the copy became problematized (computer art). Laptop: viewing, any space, any time.  Transformation of Function The transition from structured formal settings to the unstructured. The image is no longer precious, holy, to be placed on an alter and viewed. Transformation of function  Living within visuals The Matrix  Select References An Introduction to Visual Culture, Nicholas Mirzoeff, RKP, 1999. The Panopticon. Henry Bentham. (Internet) From Discipline and Punish. Michael Foucault. Literary Theory. Rivkin and Ryan. Blackwell. 2001. The Birth of the Clinic. Michael Foucault. RKP. Camera Lucida. Ronald Barthes. Mark Hardin’s Artchive (www.artchive.com ) Unofficial Kalvin Klein Ads Archive (Internet) Visual perception Priyadarshi Patnaik Professor MOOC Soft skills Department of Humanities & Social Sciences development Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur  Overview Visual perception Its key components Form perception Depth perception Color perception References What is perception? Sensation + Interpretation  In philosophy, psychology, and the cognitive sciences, perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information. The word "perception" comes from the Latin words perceptio, percipio, and means "receiving, collecting, action of taking possession, apprehension with the mind or senses."  When external stimuli is transmitted to our brain through our senses – sensation Devoid of any definition, any interpretation, meaning The simplest building block But then it is taken up by the mind and analyzed Memory is stirred up, remembering used Sensation identified, matched, given a name, defined, interpreted and remembered for future use  Part of what we perceive comes through the senses from the objects before us; another part always comes out of our own head William James Subjective perception Image credit: Mark R. Homes @ National Geographic Society  To resolve ambiguities and make sense of the world, the brain also creates shapes from incomplete data. The triangle you saw was developed by Italian psychologist Gaetano Kanizsa.  Illusion Image credit: Mark R. Homes @ National Geographic Society  Illusion created because of “size constancy” effect to be discussed a little later.  Orientation Image credit: Mark R. Homes @ National Geographic Society  According to noted neuroscientist V. Ramachandran of University of California, San Diego, the brain can make guesses based on information available and some simple assumptions Pattern of shadows Light usually from top Orientation  From the eye to the mind Retina 1 2 brain eye 1: Relay station - LGN 2: Primary and more advanced area of visual cortex  Rods: Monochrome and in low light Cones: colour vision  Attention The perceptual process of selecting certain inputs for inclusion in our conscious experience or awareness at any given time  Flash animation Image taken Flash Animation Software demo movie  Filtering Why does focus shift? We filter, partly blocking certain inputs Limited Mental Capacity Form Perception and Gestalt  Gestalt (German) used to indicate the form- forming capabilities of the mind (Whole form approach) and the belief that this holistic perception is innate to the mind Figure-ground M.C. Escher: Moebious with Birds  The visual system uses an innate binary division – the figure we look at and the ground which is everything else and forms the background This relation is reversible But we cannot perceive the same thing as figure and ground at the same time – it requires a mental switching  Gestalt Max Wertheimer Kurt Koffka Wolfgang Kohler We are surrounded by sounds and forms that do not have a sole meaning. At any moment, our perception is what gives it form and meaning.  The vase and the two faces A demonstration of multi-stability: popping back and forth between two or more unstable perceptions Subjective Contour/Reification Image credit: Mark R. Homes @ National Geographic Society Proximity The law of good figure Continuity Salvador Dali: The Phantom Cart Salvador Dali: Galatea of Spheres Depth Perception  Linear perspective Vanishing point Horizon Road Dali: Vertigo Interposition  Relative Size The farther an object is from the eye, the smaller it looks The episode of the buffalos Gustave Caillebotte: Paris Perceptual assumption Source: Encyclopedia Britannica Deluxe Edition 2007 Color Perception Source: Encyclopedia Britannica 2007 Deluxe Edition  Color wheel Image source: “The Joy of Perception” Brightness, color and depth Website of “The Joy of Perception” Seurat: the Bathers De Chirico: The Nostalgia of Infinite Munch: The Scream Francis Bacon: Crucifixion 3 Van Gogh: Cypress in Starry Night Van Gogh: Wheatfield under threatening skies Tibetan Buddhist Thanka painting: Wikipedia images  Color symbolism Cultural differences Age difference Class difference Gender difference Trend or current fashion Image source: Colour. Bettey Edwards, Tarcher/Penguin, 2004 Image source: Colour. Bettey Edwards, Tarcher/Penguin, 2004 Image source: Colour. Bettey Edwards, Tarcher/Penguin, 2004 Image source: Colour. Bettey Edwards, Tarcher/Penguin, 2004 Our studies  Our studies happiness sadness peace disgust fear anger romance wonder Colours, lines and typography for a range of emotions: Samples of participants’ drawings and paintings  Illusion There is an innate ambiguity in retinal input. For a given retinal image, there are infinite number of three dimensional images available for interpretation. Usually we get the interpretation right. When we don’t, we have an illusion. Some illusions arise because there are more than one possible interpretations. An illusion is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation.  Types of Ambiguous illusions are pictures or objects that elicit a perceptual 'switch' between the alternative interpretations. Distorting illusions are characterized by distortions of size, length, or curvature. Paradox illusions are generated by objects that are paradoxical or impossible. Fictional illusions (Hallucinations) are defined as the perception of objects that are genuinely not there to all but a single observer, such as those induced by schizophrenia or a hallucinogen. Image source: Encyclopedia Britannica 2007 deluxe edition Image source: Encyclopedia Britannica 2007 deluxe edition Image source: www.scientificpsychic.com Image source: www.scientificpsychic.com Escher: Day & night Magritte: Call of the Peaks Shigeo Fukuda (1932-2009)  References and images Doors of Perception http://www.doorsofperception.com/doors The Joy of Perception http://www.yorku.ca/eye Perception Online http://www.pion.co.uk/perception “Perception.” Encyclopedia Britannica 2007 Deluxe Edition. Art and Visual Perception. Rudolf Arnheim, University of California Press, 1984. Mark Hardin’s Artchive (www.artchive.com) Colour. Bettey Edwards, Tarcher/Penguin, 2004. Perception, Gestalt, Panopticon, etc (Wikipedia) The aural: its relevance and impact Priyadarshi Patnaik Professor MOOC Soft skills Department of Humanities & Social Sciences development Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur  Overview Auditory perception Music Its key elements Music perception The role of noise and music in our lives Music in multimedia Music in cognition, emotion and therapy Using music and sounds in social contexts References  Auditory perception The ability to hear sounds by detecting vibrations Ear – nerve impulse – brain (primary auditory cortex in temporal brain) Sounds generally make us think of the sound source – we also differentiate sound on its temporality and features Provides information about space (diffused)- direction (origin) Sounds and colors (will discuss later)  Music Cultural activity Art form Sound and silence Music of the Sirens (Odyssey) Music (Viswamitra) Music – Oum – the source – nada – spirituality Conversation – drama – polyphony Music and the Indian context  Pitch and melody Highness or lowness on notes – frequency A sequence of notes of different pitches Often mathematically or graphically represented as well Key ingredients of a song/ musical piece in combination with duration, pauses…  Harmony An aesthetic category – can be understood in the context of visuals as well Pitches played at the same time Give rise to chords Or played in sequence  Rhythm Also a visual component Arrangement of sound and silence in time A musical piece can have its rhythm It can also be accompanied by rhythm  Timbre The quality of sound of a voice of instrument Even if two instruments play the same note we are able to tell the difference Other vibrations at other frequencies (with matching periodicity with the main frequency) Other vibrations typical to the instrument  Music perception Culture and meaning Culture and emotions Context and emotions – Musical context (and sequence) – Multimedia context  Music in our lives Music listening for itself Music and enjoyment Music and relaxation Music in multimedia and presentations  Music and multimedia Ringtones and other information Interaction sounds Role in intensification or dramatization Example of text animation…and music The Sky: Heebok Lee, Time Motion & Communication, Carnegie Mellon University, 2000) From “Renaissence,”Edna Saint Vincent Milley But, sure, the sky is big, I said; Miles and miles above my head; So here upon my back I'll lie And look my fill into the sky. And so I looked, and, after all, The sky was not so very tall. The sky, I said, must somewhere stop, And—sure enough!—I see the top! The sky, I thought, is not so grand; I 'most could touch it with my hand! And reaching up my hand to try, I screamed to feel it touch the sky. I screamed, and—lo!—Infinity Came down and settled over me; Forced back my scream into my chest, Bent back my arm upon my breast, And, pressing of the Undefined The definition on my mind… Music, emotion and therapy  Our key findings Indian Music distinctively conveys emotions These emotions are dominantly calm, or sad The music that follows the next music manages to modify how we perceive it Music is linked to colors and forms in terms of emotions The same music, slow vs. fast convey different emotions and meaning…  Clips Different instruments Sad Happy Slow Fast Images  Relevance Ambience – sales increase in store Context – different music, different meanings Meaning – intrinsic meaning, ability to create meaning Impact – to total effect  References Music and emotions. Wikipedia Auditory perception. Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy Music psychology. Wikipedia Sandhi MHRD Project on Music: PIs: Pallab Dasgupta and Priyadarshi Patnaik (at IIT Kharagpur) The body and the way it communicates Priyadarshi Patnaik Professor MOOC Soft skills Department of Humanities & Social Sciences development Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur  Overview Introduction Gestures Space and territory Analysis References  Communication % One study found that the various components contribute the following percentage to communiation: Message 7% Vocal (tone of voice, etc) 38% Nonverbal 55%  Professor Birdwhistle found: In a day the average person actually speaks words for a total of about ten or eleven minutes. In face to face communication, verbal component is around 35% and nonverbal component is around 65%.  Criticism Overgeneralization Context specificity Culture, learning and behaviour  Cultural or Inborn? Body language – What about smiles – What about expression of agony or anger? – Are they the same in all cultures? Understanding body language – Some are better than others – All must use nonverbal cues, intuitively or consciously  Some basics and their origin Nodding the head: yes and no – Cultural or natural? – What about babies?  Sneer – Baring teeth was used as a form of or as a threat of attack. What does it mean today? Shrug – Universal? – Exposed palms, hunched shoulders and raised eyebrows.  OK – Popularized in the US in the 19th century – All correct / Old Kinderhook – Hand ring stand for the O? – In France it means zero – In Japan it can mean money  Thumbs up – A lift? – All ok? – Vulgar? – Superiority?  V – Churchill popularized it: victory – What does it mean if the palm faces inwords? – What does it mean when the palm faces out?  Gesture Clusters Solitary gestures in isolation may be misleading. Context Cluster Totality of verbal and non-verbal codes Ambiguous means of communication  Power The higher one up the social ladder the lesser and more controlled the gestures? More use of words than gestures to communicate one’s wills? If so, why?  Territories and Zones Image source: Body Language. Allan Pease  Space Rituals On what basis does on choose space – Cinema hall? – In a public space? – What’s the purpose?  Culture and Zone What’s the distance between two males in the Indian context? Is it the same in the US? Country vs city spatial zones  Handshakes Image source: Body Language. Allan Pease Image source: Body Language. Allan Pease Image source: Body Language. Allan Pease  Space, driving and power Think about it: Does your behaviour change when you drive a car? Illustration Picasso: The Blind Singer  Highlights Facial expression Gazing behavior Gestures Postures Head position Context and ambience Tom Sawyer, 1936: Norman Rockwell Sheep in a red dress, 1936: Norman Rockwell  Slide 1 Image source – slides 1-7: Tintin in Tibet. Herge.  Observations Note the following for each slide that follows: 1. Arm 2. Legs 3. Fingers 4. Face a. Eyes b. brows c. Lips d. mouth 4. Overall position of head and tilt of face in relation to the body Slide 2 Slide 3 Slide 4 Slide 7  References Allan Pease, Body Language: How to Read Others’ Thoughts by their Gestures, Sheldon Press, London, 1981. Ekman, P., Friesen, W. and Ellsworth, P., Emotion in the Human Face, Pergamon Press, New York, 1972 Ekman, P., and Friesen, W., Unmasking the Face, Prentice-Hall, London, 1975 Fast, J., Body Language, Pan Books, London and Sydney, 1970. The face, its expressions and what it says Priyadarshi Patnaik Professor MOOC Soft skills Department of Humanities & Social Sciences development Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur  Overview Introduction Basic emotions Test References  The Human Face The face is a rich source of information about emotions and feelings. Other than our speech, face is the most important communicating medium that we learn to control and use in diverse social contexts. However, most people are poor readers of the face; and most people learn to disguise facial expressions in social contexts.  Points to remember Emotions can be masked, disguised or enacted. However, it is possible to differentiate, with training (especially with video recordings), between true and false expressions. Ekman’s FACS (Facial action coding system) tells us that genuine emotions involve both voluntary and involuntary muscles while false emotions use only voluntary muscles of the face. Using this knowledge one can identify true from false emotions. Micro-expressions: These are real expressions which come up only for a small fraction of a second before being masked.  Squelched expressions: Expressions which are suppressed before they can appear fully. Research findings suggest that across cultures, basic facial expressions are similar. But, different ways of masking expressions and showing facial expressions in society are learnt. Another important finding is that genuine facial expressions are more symmetrical (across left and right side of the face) than false expressions.  Facial expression of basic emotions Happiness Sadness Anger Fear Wonder Disgust Scorn  Deceit Masking Substitution Micro-expressions Happiness Sadness Anger Fear Surprise Disgust  Test Anger Fear Sadness All the images are from: “The Indian Spontaneous Happiness Expression Database for Emotion Recognition,” by S L Disgust Happy, Priyadarshi Patnaik, Aurobinda Routray, Surprise Rajlakshmi Guha IEEE Transactions of Affective Amusement Computing, (2015) Contempt None of these s  Anger Fear Sadness Happiness Disgust Surprise Amusement Contempt None of these  Anger Fear Sadness Happiness Disgust Surprise Amusement Contempt None of these f  Anger Fear Sadness Happiness Disgust Surprise Amusement Contempt None of these su  Anger Fear Sadness Happiness Disgust Surprise Amusement Contempt None of these su  Anger Fear Sadness Happiness Disgust Surprise Amusement Contempt None of these s  Anger Fear Sadness Happiness Disgust Surprise Amusement Contempt None of these s  Anger Fear Sadness Happiness Disgust Surprise Amusement Contempt None of these d  Posed expressions Anger Fear Sadness Happiness Disgust Surprise Amusement Contempt None of these H-d  Anger Fear Sadness Happiness Disgust Surprise Amusement Contempt None of these S-s  Anger Fear Sadness Happiness Disgust Surprise Amusement Contempt None of these F-a  References Allan Pease, Body Language: How to Read Others’ Thoughts by their Gestures, Sheldon Press, London, 1981. Ekman, P., Friesen, W. and Ellsworth, P., Emotion in the Human Face, Pergamon Press, New York, 1972 Ekman, P., and Friesen, W., Unmasking the Face, Prentice-Hall, London, 1975 Fast, J., Body Language, Pan Books, London and Sydney, 1970.