Irit Rogoff 01/26/2022

"Studying Visual Culture"

How will you utilize your own word to describe the visual culture? What will be included and/or conflated inside?

I would include any form of art in the umbrella of visual culture. Anything someone could see, hear, smell, touch, interact with, experience, watch, feel, etc. I think the defining feature would be a piece of art seeing that the definition of art has expanded in modern, contemporary times. This would still include performances, videos, interactive pieces, etc. Wouldn't just have to be about the final product, but the process and experience to get to the final artwork.

Why it is important to be able to ask “new and alternative” questions in visual culture?

In order to open up more dimension to the field of visual study! A "curious eye" is needed. To me a "curious eye" is the defining aspect of interdisciplinary approach. And a "good eye" is a silo that remains isolated and holds a different meaning for each subject/ discipline. I've also noticed in some classes or even some people in certain contexts mean "curious eye" when they say "Oh, you have a good eye!".

How will you utilize your own word to restate Rogoff’s arguments on “speaking about” and “speaking to?”

"Speaking about" would include a subject; taking about someone, something, reading and looking at a text or story. "Speaking to" would include claiming and retelling a story. When we are "speaking to" we need territorial information otherwise we are altering and wrongly inhabiting another culture?

Talking about my class, there's a hierarchy, removed, sense of "other" Rather than talking to a class, it's engaging and you're present.

Rogoff mentions her opinions about using “curious eyes” to replace “the good eyes.” How do you think about her comments? Agree or disagree? Please make your own arguments.

I completely agree. A "curious eye" is much more bold, much more distinct to visual studies, a "curious eye" contemplates and considers all or many perspectives rather than just "good" or "bad". A "curious eye" is critical, brave, pokes the bear of uncertainty.

What does the term “gaze” mean in visual cultural studies?

What possibilities could be brought to us by making, seeing, and living critically in visual culture?

Oh wow so many.. a critical perspective in making, seeing, and living (minimally speaking - anyone has the capacity to live critically) would aid someone in learning faster. Learning form their mistakes/ failures. Having a critical perspective requires the ability to step back from an experience/ situation and look a it as a third party bystander. Having a critical perspective in making visual culture would result in some deeply authentic art. Having a critical perspective in seeing visual culture would result in deep critique and vulnerable sharing which would be an intimate human experience! And having a critical perspective in living visual culture would result in beautiful open-minded people.

Prepare one question that you generate from reading this article and ask it during our class discussion.

• Can we actually participate in the pleasure of ID-ing images of cultural groups and experiences with which we do not actually ID w/?

• Boundaries between making, theorizing and historizising no longer exist...

• CURIOUS EYE!!! - beautiful and scary.