viz.

In this beginning part of 2010, our television screens repeat images of the injured, the displaced, and the dead in Haiti.  This emerging archive of profound trauma presents with questions of how we should feel and what we should do.  Here on the Viz. blog, we also ask what it means to capture and distribute images of tragedy.  During last Wednesday’s Oprah show, Haitian immigrant and R&B artist Wyclef Jean delivered a message to Americans from the Haitian people:  “No more photo ops.”  Jean, who documented himself and his crew collecting dead bodies from the streets, could not be clearer.  However, it’s unlikely that journalists like Robin Roberts (ABC) will accommodate the Haitian people in this way.

Last semester, Viz. bloggers asked what are the implications of representing political events, such as documenting the Vietnam war or mass killings, as in the case of the Fort Hood incident. Andi Gustavson followed-up  these posts with a theory page on Susan Sontag, which collates Sontag’s various positions about how photography does-or does not- represent the suffering of the other.  This semester, it is inevitable our posts will revisit the ethics of representation with new eyes.  We invite you to comment on Viz. with your thoughts, as we address questions that challenge our hearts and minds.

Our blog posts will continue as well to develop a variety of topics related to visual pedagogy.  Please note Eileen McGinnis’ contributions on visuals and science, as well as Emily Bloom’s contributions on New Media pedagogy.  (We’re thrilled with the New Media lesson plans Emily uploaded and Eileen’s interview with science artist Zack Simpson Booth.)  No doubt Rachel Schneider will continue to pique our interest with visual analysis of pop culture performance.  Peruse the theory page Rachel created on how performance relates to the canon of delivery.  Finally, guest bloggers have contributed rich content, such as artist Anne Bobroff-Hajal’s  posts on fine art and rhetoric.

Thank you to all our Viz. bloggers.  We wish the best to Emily and Eileen as they go on fellowship this spring, and we welcome two new writers, Laura Smith and Coye Heard.  We look forward to their unique contributions.

Thank you for reading.

Noel Radley and Tim Turner

Project Leaders Visual Rhetoric, DWRL