Working Definitions
Visual Ethnography:
Visual documentation of ethnographic or 'live-in' observational studies. it's sort of a field notes and a visual illustration. Using visuals for an impact. Specifically photographs of or relating too the people being documented. a type of participant observational study where you live or interact with a community to document it and communicate what you found to others, in this case with the use of photos (and text).
Pink discussed that part of the point is specifically to be a subjective window into learning and experiencing persons that you're observing. So the photos in this case are probably to help communicate how you and the people you observed might feel or experience particular events or contexts.
Visual documentation of ethnographic or 'live-in' observational studies. it's sort of a field notes and a visual illustration. Using visuals for an impact. Specifically photographs of or relating too the people being documented. a type of participant observational study where you live or interact with a community to document it and communicate what you found to others, in this case with the use of photos (and text).
Pink discussed that part of the point is specifically to be a subjective window into learning and experiencing persons that you're observing. So the photos in this case are probably to help communicate how you and the people you observed might feel or experience particular events or contexts.
Documentary Photography:
A bit of a muddy term, but photographing anything historically significant to document and preserve it as well as communicate it to others.
A bit of a muddy term, but photographing anything historically significant to document and preserve it as well as communicate it to others.
Photojournalism:
The use of photography to tell a news story, this overlaps with documentary photography but instead of trying to document and preserve, although i'm sure many photojournalists are motivated by just that, it's promoting a narrative. (which, secretly, documentary photography also does)
Really it's probably just the same as the two above entries it's just found in newspapers and blogs.
The use of photography to tell a news story, this overlaps with documentary photography but instead of trying to document and preserve, although i'm sure many photojournalists are motivated by just that, it's promoting a narrative. (which, secretly, documentary photography also does)
Really it's probably just the same as the two above entries it's just found in newspapers and blogs.
Anthropology:
the study of people and their customs and cultures. Its a field that's very interconnected with other fields, and a difficult one to be part of. They often talk about the nature of being in anthropology being reflexive, you're constantly reevaluating yourself, your own culture, and why you feel and react to certain things as you do. Its a field about making the familiar into the strange and vice versa.
the study of people and their customs and cultures. Its a field that's very interconnected with other fields, and a difficult one to be part of. They often talk about the nature of being in anthropology being reflexive, you're constantly reevaluating yourself, your own culture, and why you feel and react to certain things as you do. Its a field about making the familiar into the strange and vice versa.
Culture:
I had a teacher once tell me that culture is everything you do that you don't notice doing.
What she meant, i think, is that culture is a loose term to describe social norms, rituals, clothing, and rules of conduct between individuals that are generated within and shared by a given population that said population would describe as normal and natural. It's learned over time rather than inherently known, and it contextualizes the world view of the people found within it, can provide a sense of structure and belonging, and contributes to social structure and the operation of the society its in, though it's not synonymous with it.
I had a teacher once tell me that culture is everything you do that you don't notice doing.
What she meant, i think, is that culture is a loose term to describe social norms, rituals, clothing, and rules of conduct between individuals that are generated within and shared by a given population that said population would describe as normal and natural. It's learned over time rather than inherently known, and it contextualizes the world view of the people found within it, can provide a sense of structure and belonging, and contributes to social structure and the operation of the society its in, though it's not synonymous with it.
Cultural Studies:
These are, understandably, the study of cultures.
These are, understandably, the study of cultures.
Photo Essay:
Photo essays are, essentially, a series of photographs meant to communicate something to the viewer. this is, however, pretty vague so additionally, its worth noting that they used to be the primary form of photojournalism.
PHOTO ESSAYS ARE A NARRATIVE!!
Photo essays are, essentially, a series of photographs meant to communicate something to the viewer. this is, however, pretty vague so additionally, its worth noting that they used to be the primary form of photojournalism.
PHOTO ESSAYS ARE A NARRATIVE!!
Things to Follow Up On
Pink reading
My big takeaway from this reading was mostly in the distinction of visual materials being used not as an objective tool but as a window into subjective experience as part and parcel with academic study at least insofar as anthropology and specifically ethnography are concerned. Although sort of the point being made here that I connected most with is that feelings and experiences are an important part of human understanding and also something that cannot be extricated and avoided. Relatively recently there's been a scientific turn to taking these things into account more seriously as a relevant part of understanding people and our world. In economics, for example, there's been an understanding that human emotion plays a large role in economy. Additionally, psychology and psychotherapy are putting those subjective feelings more and more into the spotlight, rather than treating them as something needing correction or to be considered a distraction.
Also, tangentially but not really, there's an important emphasis on the idea that structure and rigorous research methods like those proposed by collier in the sixties, are in fact anything but objective. Much like history is a narrative (rather several narratives as you can constantly construct new ones) that we use to filter for the things that are meaningful (lest we be overloaded by seemingly unconnected events sporadically and learn nothing at all) the structure itself is the subjective portion. it's the narrative that contextualizes the process and the information that gets recorded. as stated, rather than fight this drawback it is important, to pink at least, to consider that subjectivity as an important part of the learning and documentation process and has validity unto itself.
Also, tangentially but not really, there's an important emphasis on the idea that structure and rigorous research methods like those proposed by collier in the sixties, are in fact anything but objective. Much like history is a narrative (rather several narratives as you can constantly construct new ones) that we use to filter for the things that are meaningful (lest we be overloaded by seemingly unconnected events sporadically and learn nothing at all) the structure itself is the subjective portion. it's the narrative that contextualizes the process and the information that gets recorded. as stated, rather than fight this drawback it is important, to pink at least, to consider that subjectivity as an important part of the learning and documentation process and has validity unto itself.
WHY IS ALL THESE PHOTOS BLACK AND WHITE
That Which Informs My Project
PERCEPTION:
in this context I will be talking about like, human perception. Like how we interact with reality. I may fold in things like objectivity here I may make separate ideas for that. Essentially By perception I mean the ability for a given human person to take in sensory information and understand and interpret it. Annihilation draws much of its sense of horror from this inability to fully understand things and the enormity and futility of the task of trying to do so.
Some philosophical and scientific background that might help inform my understanding of what is being discussed as follows:
The Matrix (1999) utilizes similar philosophical touch-points for very different purposes and that could come into play.
Both the above and the book i'm reading share concepts from David Hume
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Map%E2%80%93territory_relation This link takes you to an article that touches on some of the factors present in the book.
HP Lovecraft, of course, also informs my understanding of the use of the unknown to create horror.
Enactivism, interestingly, seems particularly relevant to the novel and unlike the above, the movie as well. It asserts that perception and reality come from an organism interacting with its environment not just a passive experience and this is something I want to look into a lot more.
in this context I will be talking about like, human perception. Like how we interact with reality. I may fold in things like objectivity here I may make separate ideas for that. Essentially By perception I mean the ability for a given human person to take in sensory information and understand and interpret it. Annihilation draws much of its sense of horror from this inability to fully understand things and the enormity and futility of the task of trying to do so.
Some philosophical and scientific background that might help inform my understanding of what is being discussed as follows:
The Matrix (1999) utilizes similar philosophical touch-points for very different purposes and that could come into play.
Both the above and the book i'm reading share concepts from David Hume
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Map%E2%80%93territory_relation This link takes you to an article that touches on some of the factors present in the book.
HP Lovecraft, of course, also informs my understanding of the use of the unknown to create horror.
Enactivism, interestingly, seems particularly relevant to the novel and unlike the above, the movie as well. It asserts that perception and reality come from an organism interacting with its environment not just a passive experience and this is something I want to look into a lot more.
Adaptation:
In my context I will be using this term to describe transferring media from one type into another. I dont like that definition but give me a fuckin second.
Whatever it is its also a conversation between two pieces of media that attempt to accomplish the same or similar things.
In my context I will be using this term to describe transferring media from one type into another. I dont like that definition but give me a fuckin second.
Whatever it is its also a conversation between two pieces of media that attempt to accomplish the same or similar things.
TRAUMA
i'll be looking into how it changes people.
Part of my research will involve the book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD. as a scientific reference model. In it he talks about how trauma very literally and physically changes your brain and it is through the physical experience that the damage must be undone. because the body and the mind are in fact linked.
this video essay that analyzes the themes of the film talks in great length about the movie's argument about trauma and transformation and I will be using it a lot.
i'll be looking into how it changes people.
Part of my research will involve the book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD. as a scientific reference model. In it he talks about how trauma very literally and physically changes your brain and it is through the physical experience that the damage must be undone. because the body and the mind are in fact linked.
this video essay that analyzes the themes of the film talks in great length about the movie's argument about trauma and transformation and I will be using it a lot.