DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Sean Lorenz

Professor Shin

Visual Culture

December 05, 2017

Critical Reflection – Intro to Visual Culture

            As this semester comes to an end I am asked to looked back on these past couple month and try to “reflect” on all that I have done and seen. Starting from day one was asked, “what I believe a canon is?” and to try and understand the ideologies that these canons can hold on both individuals and communities. Unknowing, this entire course was based upon the idea of canons, each week studying, analyzing, and comparing the intricate details of two separate objects. It created a rhythm of not just viewing the semiotic and symbolic definition of famous objects, but it also created a sense of awareness. That this process of thinking began to flow into my remedial daily agenda, everywhere I interacted with an object of some sort of magnitude, I began to question it. For example, walking around campus I found myself looking at student art, clothing brands, even the cars parked in the garage, and asked what cultural or sociological significance that all these objects attempt to portray or to have a known foundation of belief behind.

            This course has also taught me to look for certain themes that maybe be present within my own work. It has created a sense of self-criticism, that allows me to not only criticize my own work as a means of production and development. But look for an emphasize a theme that may be making itself more prominent within my work. Students are typically working on an array of projects at once and learning the ability to see that one piece may be creating an emphasis on formalism, while another is showing stronger characteristics of postmodern. It will then give me the ability to research these themes, or look back at old studies from previous classes, to then develop those specific attributes within my work and projects. This understand and ability of self-criticism also deters an egotistical ideology that my work is that of the greats, like Jackson Pollock, Rem Koolhaas, Michelangelo, and many others. Instead, it creates a sense of understanding, and though one day my work may become famous, it allows me to truly analysis every detail about what I do and only does movements that have meaning and definition.

            In conclusion, I can say that this course, Intro to Visual Cultures, created a sense of question within me. That if I allow myself to take a step back and view something from a larger perspective, I could possibly find a sociological theme within it. Or allow these themes to become foundation for my own personal work and create a sense of meaning, as well as knowing. In addition, this class has also opened my eyes to specific theme that I find personally interesting and can use them and the knowledge I have gain for future projects and pieces of work. For example, I have found myself particularly attracted to the themes of Canon, Postmodern, and Media/Technology.  

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.