Graduation Seminar 2015 (Aymeric)

Important Dates

• 21/01 Thesis outline Submission (Steve)
• 18/02 First Section Submission (Steve)
• 18/03 Thesis Draft 1 Submission (Steve)
• 16-17/03 Trimester 5 Assessment (core tutors)
• 30/04 Thesis Draft 2 Submission (core tutors)
• 18/05 Feedback Draft 2 (core tutors)
• 08-09/06 Final thesis submission (core tutors)
• 01-02/06 Trimester 6 (Final/Grad) Assessment (core tutors)

Ongoing

Luísa

Thesis Question

• What is the role of representation in a collective sense of ethics
• What is the role of photography in illustrating and shaping collective ethics
• What is the role of photo journalism in illustrating and shaping collective/shared ethics

Abstract

(...) Why does photojournalism deliberately neglect lessons from marketing in the portraying of socially urgent topics? People seem to engage into imitating models they feel identified with; this is the phenomena that unleash greater consumption levels or consistent collective movements. Social reportage plays neither with factors of identification, once they focus on the portraying of error, misery or despair, neither in the illustration of something that people might be willing to re-enact themselves. The exposure to this visual grammar is commonly understood as the truth that one must be confronted with in order to be a good citizen, but frequently nobody knows exactly how to act upon it. This leads to a great amount of guilt that finds mainly two outputs: the acritical tolerance regarding this kind of imagery and the vulnerability towards donation-based action.

Mathijs

Thesis Question

• How do choices of previous and current manufacturers in the camera function shape and resolve influence our views in contemporary society and culture.
• How do past and present manufacturing and designing of the photo camera influence the production and consumption of still images?
• Is it possible to subvert the choices made by past and present manufacturers of photo cameras?
• Is it possible to subvert the design choices made by the manufacturers of photo cameras?

Abstract

Photographs influence us, but the way the photograph is created is in turn influenced by the technology that does so;

Cameras influence the possibilities of the result, and their result (Photographs) have in turn influenced us.

Changes, additions and new inventions have changed the camera over time, thereby it's result, and therefor how it influences us.

Those changes are made by people who have control over the development and production of cameras, influenced by various things and desires that might contribute to why such changes were made, whether this is in the interest of consumers or not.

This means that, to some degree, changes in our perception are dependent on those that have this control, which we might not be pleased with.

If changes in the technology alters our perception, does it logically follow that by removing such changes, or reverting them, we also get rid of it's influence, and is this a possible way of countering this?

However, reverting such changes is dependent on the technology that created them, understanding that technology and finding alternatives, which becomes increasingly difficult as technology advances, becomes more complicated and near-impossible to reverse engineer.

Is it possible to subvert the design choices made by manufacturers of photo cameras?