Door kunstvlo op
October 15, 2009 22:31.
19 comments
In the few weeks I have been trying to shape the Edosia blog it has surprised me how difficult it is to find good examples of ‘pedagogical’ sites.
For artists and arts organizations, the main purpose of being online is creating an awareness about themselves. It is all about communication and promotion. So it seems.
Although I have already come across a lot of inspiring cases, I was getting a bit disencouraged. How are websites and other interfaces used to really engage with audiences? What triggers visitors to stay tuned, to participate: to interact?
The blogspot the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has recently created, made me shiver. Instantly I knew this was a good case. Finally!
The Van Gogh Museum not only owns a major collection of paintings and other work by Vincent Van Gogh. It is also responsible for the enormous collection of letters Vincent and his brother Theo wrote to each other. Several researchers have been studying the correspondence for decades which has resulted in a shelve of large books.
Research is one thing. Disclosing it another. Who reads it? Probably not a lot of people.
The blogspot is the perfect solution to this problem. With the blog as format, the museum has brought Vincent back to life. You can read small pieces from his letters (as if he were blogging them himself) with excellent references (links) to works from the museum collection. For example, on the 9th of October he talks about making a painting about his mother and links to the eventual painting now hanging in the museum.
All very poetic. But let’s not forget: only possible thanks to the massive pile of research done over the years…
tagged: the guide, learning tools, communication strategies, van gogh
Door kunstvlo op
September 11, 2009 09:39.
14 comments
It is commonplace to state we are living in a visual world. We’re surrounded by images but we should ask ourselves to which degree we really understand them. For seeing them doesn’t mean we are able to read them as well. What’s an image trying to tell us? What’s the (underlying) message? The medium that illustrates this perfectly is photography.
Although we have the illusion that a snapshot helps us to grasp a moment in time, reality most of the time gets completely distorted through the photographer’s lens. Photo-technology really makes fun of us here. What do we see? Pictures full of beautiful colors, touching sceneries and nice people. But why is it often so different in our recollection? Our past in pictures is usually a lot more vived and spectacular than we have experienced it in real life.
A great example in this respect is the work of photographer William Egglestone. Egglestone is known for the photographs he took in the 1960s and 1970s and for his use of bright colours. Consequently, his pictures of American daily life often emanate a kind of nostalgic sweet atmosphere but this is deceiving. When you try to look further his works very quickly lose their idyllic character and feelings of discord and isolation arise instead. The same desolation you can find in paintings of Edward Hopper.
The key concept here is ‘visual literacy’, i.e. the ability to look at images, to analyse, interpret and evalute them critically. In future posts I’ll get back to this and try to explain how you can help your viewers to improve their visual literacy.
For what you see is not always what you get.
tagged: the guide, learning tools, visual literacy, william egglestone, photography, edward hopper
Door kunstvlo op
September 03, 2009 13:00.
10 comments
Digital art, e-art, putting your art online in a Free Space: that’s what Edosia is all about. Artists can use the Edosia platform, personalize their pages and get going. But Edosia is also about seeking inspiration, understanding, meaning making, learning and fulfilment. It is also for you, with an interest in the online art scene.
The online art scene: what am I talking about? I’ll be honest with you: I’m not really sure yet. Although I’ve built up some knowledge in topics related to art history, art sociology, education, visual culture and museum studies and have done some research in the field of e-culture, I can hardly be considered to be an expert of the digital art world. Reality check: since this world is a big mystery for the majority of you I don’t really feel uncomfortable. Not claiming to be an expert is refreshing and a rather advantageous starting point. Plus, it should provide me with a good dose of empathy with all the other outsiders.
In the following posts I’ll take you with me on my journey in this ‘new world’ and point out the wow experiences I come across. Next to this kind of evangelical mission I set for myself Edosia has the intention to be an inventory of artists and institutions that do stuff online. Please note that Edosia holds high the free speech-principle meaning that you are more than welcome to comment, to make corrections and to add posts yourselves!
Let’s see what I am looking for!
- Art: I’ll be looking for sites and initiatives that strike me and you as being ART with the BIG A: I know it is hardly been done anymore nowadays, but let’s set the example. And go beyond the common, the mainstream and the downtrodden paths.
- Learning Tools: Seeing is also about learning and thus about methods and tools to stimulate it. I’ll also systematically search for interesting examples of learning tools and strategies. These insights are important for educators, art teachers and policy makers interested in the online art scene.
- Communication strategies: Getting inspired, seeing, learning and be creative: you can only get all these things when you plunge in to them. Do it yourself is the credo, but to get real satisfaction you’ll have to get off your cosy island! Meet the world and even more important, let the world meet you! I’ll give you tips and tricks to set up or improve your communication strategies.
tagged: edosia, the guide, digital art, art, communication strategies, learning tools
