One of Elimination

Berlin Fragment. Copyright 2009.

“The problem that is presented is practically one of elimination. To include all that is necessary for the elucidation of the composition, and to exclude everything that is unessential to a clear statement of the dominant underlying idea, taxes the abilities of even the best artists to their utmost. I must not be misunderstood to say that every great work of art must necessarily be simple in its composition, for many of the great masterpieces in painting are built up upon very complex geometric lines. In fact the nature of the composition is largely dependent upon the subject and the manner in which it is intended to be represented. I am now alluding mainly to the linear compositions, there being also tonal treatment, mass compositions, color compositions and combination of all these”.

Alfred Stieglitz: Stieglitz on Photography, His Selected Essays and Notes, Compiled and Annotated by Richard Whelan, Aperture, New York. Library Thing.

This is a barebones pitstop post. For more pitstop posts, please go to pitstop puzzle.

Barebones SchmapShot Copenhagen.

Click Image.

More smalltalk.

I have to to bother you with this, but barebones was in fact accepted as a provider to the Ninth Edition of the Schmap Copenhagen Guide. There even is an iPhone/iPhone version of it. Click the picture and you will be taken right there.

For the basic version of Schmap go here.

The Power of Presence

Katrine. Copyright Knut Skjærven.

“A man’s presence is dependent upon the promise of power which he embodies. If the promise is large and credible his presence is striking. If it is small or incredible, he is found to have little presence. The promised power may be moral, physical, temperamental, economic, social, sexual – but its object is always exterior to the man. A man’s presence suggests what he is capable of doing to you or for you. His presence may be fabricated, in the sense that he pretends to be capable of what he is not. But the pretence is always towards a power which he exercises on others.

By contrast, a women’s presence expresses her own attitude to herself, and defines what can and cannot be done to her. Her presence is manifest in her gestures, voice, opinions, expressions, clothes, chosen surroundings, taste – indeed there is nothing she can do which does not contribute to her presence. Presence for a woman is so intrinsic to her person that men tend to think of it as an almost physical emanation,  a kind of heat or small or aura”.

John Berger: Ways of Seeing, Penguin Design Series 2008. Library Thing.

This is a barebones pitstop post. For more pitstop posts, please go to pitstop puzzle.

She Is Here for The Forests

Eboko Marcelline, Copyright 2009.

This is Miss Eboko Marcelline. She is here for the forests.

Miss Marcelline is from Cameroon in Africa representing Association OKANI. She is of the Baka Tribe of Pygmies in Eastern Cameroon.

She is attending Klimaforum 2009.

Copenhagen, Denmark, December 8, 2009.

He Is Here for The Forests.

This is Mr. Messe Venant, Cameroon. Copyright 2009.

This is Mr. Messe Venant. He is here for the forests.

Mr. Venant is from Cameroon in Africa representing Association OKANI. He is of the Baka Tribe of Pygmies in Eastern Cameroon.

Mr. Venant is attending Klimaforum 2009.

Copenhagen, Denmark, December 8, 2009.

barebones bouncing books

Lost in Translation. Copyright Knut Skjærven.

I’m actually reading 4 books at the same time these days. Not that this is very unusual, but this time the books fit together closely. So, I thought I would mention it.

The books are John Berger: Ways of Seeing; John Szarkowski: The Photographers Eye; John Szarkowski: Looking at Photographs; and Ashley la Grange: Basic Critical Theory for Photographers.

Reading books this way, you can actually read them as chapters of the same single book. Berger is flagging visual communication, and is a definite must for bareboner’s; la Grange lists the different sourced for theories within photography, and Szarkowski is a master of describing individual photographs.

All 4 books are very useful. Not only in terms of photography and visual communication, but for communication in general. And thus for barebones. Reading what others get out of photographs, is really an eye opener, and yet another source of experience . Could be for you as well.

Quote Berger page 150. “To be continued by the reader … “.

Good luck with it.

Something That Was Absent

 

Since the Renaissance. Copyright: Knut Skjærven.

 

“Images were first made to conjure up the appearances of something that was absent. Gradually it became evident that an image could outlast what it represented; it then showed how something or somebody had once looked – and thus by implication how the subject has once been seen by other people. Later still the specific vision of the image-maker was also recognized as part of the record. An image became a record of how X had seen Y.  This was the result of an increasing consciousness of individuality, accompanying an increasing awareness of history. It would be rash to try do date this last development precisely. But certainly in Europe such consciousness has existed since the beginning of the Renaissance”.

John Berger: “Ways of Seeing”, Penguin Design Series 2008, London, Great Britain.

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This is a barebones pitstop post. For more pitstop posts, please go to pitstop puzzle.

Gestalt Factor: Past Experience or Habit.

Looking at you. Original painting by Schamil Gimajev. East Side Gallery, Berlin.

It has been a long time since I wrote anything on Gestalt factors, but here we go again.

The posts on gestalt factors seems to go down really well on the blog. The reasons for this could be many, and my suggestions for an easy explanation goes the this: gestalt factor are interesting to read about; many gestalt factors are very simple to understand and could give a huge impact when put properly to use. Gestalt factors are are not well knows in contexts that deal with communication. Be it communication as such, or more specific areas of communication like advertising and photography. I mention advertising and photography specifically because those are, so far, the areas that examples have been gathered from. By that, I do no imply that gestalt issues are of low relevance to other areas of communication. Certainly not.

Let me briefly remind  you that the inspiration for the gestalt theme on this blog it the article “Laws of Organization and Perceptual Forms” written by Max Wertheimer 1923. Or, more precisely, do I refer  to one particular chapter in that article. It is a good starting point for anyone, who wants to learn and know about the basics of gestalt theory, and probably the most famous article of them all.  So be my guest.

The gestalt factor of past experience or habit is interesting for more than one reason. Not only is it a factor of importance for the reading of perceptual forms, but to some extent it poses a threat to all the other gestalt factors. Why is that? Well, if the factor of experience or habit is a gestalt, and that experience goes against the perception of similaruty, of proximity, of good curves, etcetera, what will then happen to these  gestalt factors? Do they simply go away? Are they longer valid? Are they overridden?

In principle they could be, but since we still have a gestalt theory that stresses that there are several gestalt factors (and not only one: the factor of experience or habit), I think we should understand this last factor not as a threat, but as an opportunity. Meaning that if experience or habit is important (and everyone knows is it), we need to add that option as a tool to the barebones toolbox. Right!

Let me be more specific about this factor. Wertheimer: “Another Factor is that of past experience or habit. Its principle is that if AB and C but not BC have become habitual (or associated) there is then a tendency for ABC to appear as AB/C”. I am sure you got that, if not then read it a couple of times.

Wertheimer continues: “Unlike the other principles with which we have been dealing, it is characteristic of this one that its contents A, B and C are assumed to be independent of the constallation in which they appear. Their arrangement is on principle determined merely by extrinsic circumstances (e.g. drill)”.

And; “There can be no doubt that some of our apprehensions are determined in this way. Often arbitrary material can be arranged in arbitrary form and, after a sufficient drill, made habitual”.

The question is, however, in how many real world situations are you on arbitrary ground? Not many, I would say? (To be continued..).

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Other important posts on gestalt factors; introduction; factor of closure; factor of direction, factor of good curve, factor of proximity; factor of similarity.

Shameless Self Promotion

Danish Masters. Copyright: Knut Skjærven. CLICK IMAGE.

On this, the last Friday of November 2009, I shall engage in what you might call shameless self promotion. I got webwords this morning that this photograph has been shortlisted for a webguide on Copenhagen. It is shot at Statens Museum for Kunst (The Danish National Gallery) in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Hi Knut,

I am writing to let you know that one of your photos has
been short-listed for inclusion in the ninth edition of our
Schmap Copenhagen Guide, to be published mid-December 2009.

Best regards,

Emma Williams,
Managing Editor, Schmap Guides
www.schmap.me/ewilliams

The shot was picked up on flickr at bareboneslight photostream.

Do I enjoy this image? Yes I do.There are several reasons for this.

First of all it is shot with as small, compact camera and not with my usual gear. The small pocked sized camera is a Leica D-Lux 4 and the lens as absolutely fantastic. Not even a shed of doubt about that. Look at, what shall I call it, the brightness of this picture. It is fabulous corner to corner.

Secondly, and I had no control over this, are the positions of the three girls in the frame. You can control part of that, but not all of it: one front to camera, one back to camera and one profile to camera. This is accidental. No deliberate pose here.

Thirdly, and what in my opinion really make this photo (shortlist or not), and lifts it way beyond average random shooting, is the first girl from the right hand side; the way she holds her hands makes all the difference in the world. That pose is the punctum of this shot. For me, definitely. (This is much more distinct in a larger version of the photo).

Forth and final, is the way all components overall combine in this particular shot. You need tremendous luck to pocket a shot like this. If you don’t believe me, try doing it. Maybe I’ll see you around then .

If you for one moment thought that this was a snapshot, forget it. Hopefully it will now become a schmapshot, and that is a huge difference. Particularly if that shot works as a window to the Danish Masters of Visual Arts. Those represented at The Danish National Gallery. In my ears, that idea does not sound bad at all.

Thanks Emma, I am much obliged. Have a good weekend.

Go here for Schmap Copenhagen.

Hit the Bitch Once More.

I was approached by Nanna.

Nanna is a Danish student doing a thesis on the Hit the Bitch PSA, the web game that attracted so much attention both in Denmark, and abroad, last week. Seems that the traffic to play the violent game was so large, that the company behind it had to prevent foreign viewers from access to the game. I don’t know how that do that, but it seems that they did.

Here then, Nanna, are some points that you may want to take into consideration. From the hip (well, almost). Something that you may want to look at a bit closed.

1. Who is the target group?

Target groups are unclear. Is the game intended for parents or for their children or for both? Or maybe for the general public?

Effects may well vary from group to group.  I am sure that they will. People that are not already violent will probably not take any harm, but they could get some good ideas of how to go about it (if ever needed). People that are already violent will probably end up even more violent. And on top of that, get some good ideas of how to go about their business.

The game will at the same time be both productive (no more violence) and counterproductive (more violence). Dependent on who plays it.

2. Catharsis don’t work.

If the idea has been to relieve violent candidates of their tensions (catharsis effect) by engaging in the game, and thereby prevent them from hitting their boyfriends or girlfriends or parents or children or dogs or cats or canaries, just forget it. The catharsis model is mostly promoted by people and/or companies that operate with such industries that would need such an argument for their business, e.g. the manufacturers of violent computer games, violent movies, etcetera.

There is no evidence that catharsis models works. It you hear an argument to the opposite effect, be careful to check the premises. Here is an intro to this area. From Online Enclyclopedia.

3. Tactical amateurs or regular sadism?

It seems to me that the people who have made this game have been more interesting in the fascinating idea of web interaction (move your mouse, or your hand in front of you webcam, to hit the girl), than in the subject of violence. The game is looong, and unless you see it to the end you will not know that it in fact promotes non-violence. The title Hit the Bitch does not indicate the non-violence theme either.

Tactics are, in my opinion, not well conceived, and miss the point of the non-violence argument.

4. Violence is a criminal act.

You certainly do not want to forget that violence within families, within partnership, within society at large, in Denmark, and in the countries that we compare with, are criminal acts. So one way of getting rid of violence is, initially, simply to call the police.  If that don’t work you have a problem of another type, I am afraid. So is violence within families, and that is way out of the barebones jurisdiction.

There is much more to be said about this, Nanna. It is your thesis not mine . You have to write it, not me. This is my 2P’s. From the hip . I might, however, come back to add a couple of things later this week.

Good luck with it.

For other  sites, airing opinions on Hit the Bitch, please see these links:

Huffington Post, Alternet,  Adweek Blogs.

The party behind the initiative is named “Familievold”. In English that would be (according to their site): The NGO for Children exposed to Violence at Home.