Materials and visual culture for design students.pptx

An intro to the fascinating world of visual culture with "Materials and Visual Culture." This insightful exploration delves into the social theory of visuality, examining how societies construct their visual perspectives through knowledge, beliefs, art, and customs. Learn about the interplay between what is seen, who sees it, and how seeing shapes power and meaning in our everyday lives. From the tactile qualities of natural and man-made textures to the impact of globalization on visual culture, this presentation offers a comprehensive look at how visual technologies and materials define our world. Perfect for students, designers, and anyone curious about the visual construction of society.

1. Materials and visual culture By Dr. Hany M. El-Said

2. Ways of seeing Visual culture works towards a social theory of visuality, focusing on questions of what is made visible, who sees what, how seeing, knowing and power are interrelated. It examines the act of seeing as a product of the tensions between external images or objects, and internal thought processes. It concerns also, with visual events in which information, meaning, or pleasure is sought by the consumer in an interface with visual technology. Visual technology means any form of apparatus designed either to be looked at or to enhance natural vision (including paints, textures, ..etc.).

3. So visual culture is: The visual construction of the social, not just the social construction of vision. Or more clear: Is everything that is seen, that is produced to be seen, and the way in which it is seen and understood . It is that part of culture that communicates through visual means. And it is not a part of your every day life. It is your everyday life.

4. So it is important to: Understand how societies construct their visual perspectives through knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, laws, and customs, amongst other things. And recognize that globalization is also becoming increasingly important to this field as it is allowing these specific aspects to easily travel across the globe.

5. Texture: the actual or illusory tactile value of a natural or a man-made surface. Tactile refers to the sense of touch. Touch can be experienced anywhere on the body where sensory nerve endings are present. Categories of tactile sensations Surface architecture: smooth – rough Pressure resistance: hard – soft Surface temperature: cold – heat Surface consistency conditions: wet, dry, slimy, etc. In both 3-D and 2-D design, we can vicariously experience the sensations of touch through vision. Designers employ textural values to communicate such things as age, state of solidity, roughness, smoothness, softness, hardness, dryness, etc.

6. Textures, therefore, fall into two broad categories: Tactile/visual (literal): things we can sense by touching and seeing. Purely visual: things whose surface quality is sensed through sight only.

7. There are two main types of visual/tactile textures. A. Natural , which could be divided into: Natural Raw – Observable clearly, well recognized by everyone. Like (wood – marble – metals – etc.)

8. There are two main types of visual/tactile textures. A. Natural, which could be divided into: Natural – crafted: created in nature but altered or arranged by man to fulfill a need.

9. There are two main types of visual/tactile textures. B. Man made - Crafted: Man made but shaped or crafted into a specific form, concrete block, plastic cup, steel guitar, etc.

10. Thank you