Comments on: Visual Culture in the History Classroom http://sfern.umwblogs.org/2008/05/20/visual-culture-in-the-history-classroom/ Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:16:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Gardner http://sfern.umwblogs.org/2008/05/20/visual-culture-in-the-history-classroom/#comment-4 Gardner Wed, 21 May 2008 12:57:48 +0000 http://sfern.umwblogs.org/2008/05/20/visual-culture-in-the-history-classroom/#comment-4 Well! First swing in the blogosphere and you're hitting homers already. :) Welcome. How cool to be able to perch on your shoulder (I promise not to slip, and also to make myself small and near-weightless) and see the process of your own discovery over time. Colleagues despite my defection to the West! (cue rimshot) I'm looking forward to listening to the VoiceThreads. I saw this technology at the ELI Annual Meeting and found it very interesting indeed. My only concerns were about the audio quality, but the relatively poor quality may have been for any number of down- or up-stream reasons. But what a great analytical tool ... and of course I'm fully inspired by words like these: "The emphasis here lies upon a collective exploration of the dynamic of the brainstorm and the value of free-thought insight. The aim is to make the nuts and bolts of early constructions of analysis visible… literally." If it's not presumptuous to say so, we are truly kindred spirits in this regard. Now for some thoughts in answer to your final question. Berger is essential, indeed. Glad to see Morris in there: his blogging is so smart and powerful (and refreshingly clear-minded on the topic), and you'll find this same analytical power in his movies as well, though it's more implicit there. I anticipate that "Standard Operating Procedure" is more explicit along these lines. If only I didn't have to move to Cambridge or L.A. to see it.... You might find some cool stuff on his website: errolmorris.com. Be sure to tell your students that Errol was a Distinguished Scholar in Residence here in 1997 and credits his stay with us as helping him to solve some editing problems in "Fast, Cheap & Out Of Control." We have strong ties here to Morris and his work. One further thought: do you know Robert Hughes' "The Shock of the New"? He's got some very interesting thoughts in there, as I recall, regarding Russian Revolution-era posters as well as Weimar Germany political art (mostly satire, as you can imagine). Hughes writes like an angel and I find him extremely perceptive. He draws on other arts as well, which is helpful in getting to broader understandings of specifically visual means of communication. I also give him credit for leading me to Paul Fussell's classic "The Great War and Modern Memory." I wish those "Shock of the New" PBS broadcasts from the 80's were more generally available. (Just searched--Ambrose Video has them! Hurray! and only 99.00 for all eight episodes! Wow: http://www.ambrosevideo.com/items.cfm?id=936&gclid= .) They really were transformative for me. But the book is also wonderful, widely available, and has its own claim to classic status. Enough from me for now, but again: welcome! Well! First swing in the blogosphere and you’re hitting homers already. :) Welcome. How cool to be able to perch on your shoulder (I promise not to slip, and also to make myself small and near-weightless) and see the process of your own discovery over time. Colleagues despite my defection to the West! (cue rimshot)

I’m looking forward to listening to the VoiceThreads. I saw this technology at the ELI Annual Meeting and found it very interesting indeed. My only concerns were about the audio quality, but the relatively poor quality may have been for any number of down- or up-stream reasons. But what a great analytical tool … and of course I’m fully inspired by words like these:

“The emphasis here lies upon a collective exploration of the dynamic of the brainstorm and the value of free-thought insight. The aim is to make the nuts and bolts of early constructions of analysis visible… literally.”

If it’s not presumptuous to say so, we are truly kindred spirits in this regard.

Now for some thoughts in answer to your final question. Berger is essential, indeed. Glad to see Morris in there: his blogging is so smart and powerful (and refreshingly clear-minded on the topic), and you’ll find this same analytical power in his movies as well, though it’s more implicit there. I anticipate that “Standard Operating Procedure” is more explicit along these lines. If only I didn’t have to move to Cambridge or L.A. to see it…. You might find some cool stuff on his website: errolmorris.com. Be sure to tell your students that Errol was a Distinguished Scholar in Residence here in 1997 and credits his stay with us as helping him to solve some editing problems in “Fast, Cheap & Out Of Control.” We have strong ties here to Morris and his work.

One further thought: do you know Robert Hughes’ “The Shock of the New”? He’s got some very interesting thoughts in there, as I recall, regarding Russian Revolution-era posters as well as Weimar Germany political art (mostly satire, as you can imagine). Hughes writes like an angel and I find him extremely perceptive. He draws on other arts as well, which is helpful in getting to broader understandings of specifically visual means of communication. I also give him credit for leading me to Paul Fussell’s classic “The Great War and Modern Memory.” I wish those “Shock of the New” PBS broadcasts from the 80’s were more generally available. (Just searched–Ambrose Video has them! Hurray! and only 99.00 for all eight episodes! Wow: http://www.ambrosevideo.com/items.cfm?id=936&gclid= .) They really were transformative for me. But the book is also wonderful, widely available, and has its own claim to classic status.

Enough from me for now, but again: welcome!

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