From the office to domestic interiors to shops, images surround us in modern life. The internet has increased this visual onslaught exponentially. Is there a systematic order to this seemingly endless array of pictures and depictions? Looking at picture-making traditions around the world, the author demonstrates how schemes of depiction are ordered throughout all ages and across all cultures. Drawing on a wide range of examples - from painting and drawing to film, photography and the Web - Visual Impact analyzes the theory and practice of visual representation. Pictures and images provide a cognitive context through which people can explore and understand their world. They frame and shape daily life. By considering the techniques and systems that inform visual displays, the author examines how cultural values and traditions shape particular visual styles. Drawing on the growing field of visual anthropology, Visual Impact sets image making in an historical and global context, and uses it as a window for exploring the human condition at a deeper level. Anyone interested in the cultural role of art, film, the internet and interactive media will find this book an exciting and stimulating read.

Also available in hardback, 9781859734681 GBP55.00 (December, 2008)

About the Author
Terence Wright is Reader in Theoretical Studies in Visual Art, University of Ulster.

Reviews
Wright brings unique experience to his study of image making. What Wright elucidates beautifully is how new digital technology allows nearly universal participation in the production of interactive depictions of culture. - L. De Danaan, CHOICE Magazine



Book Information
ISBN 9781859734735
Author Terence Wright
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint Berg Publishers
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 420g