Social Shifts
The Digital Fight for Freedom: Ukrainian Humor and Identity as Rhetorical Strategy in Digital Art
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jacqueline Irwin
Where there is war, there is resistance, and art has always been a central part of that resistance. The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 impacted not only Ukraine, but the blow has been felt on a global level with that resistance and awareness being brought to the world online. The essay takes steps to examine the new world of visual protest rhetoric by analyzing digital art produced out of the Russian and Ukrainian War with specific focus on rhetorical strategies of humor and identification. The Ukrainian people generated a global movement to focus on the defense of Democracy through comedy and irony, all the while building community via consubstantiation.
“High-Performing” Images on Social Media: The Aesthetic Transformation in the Development of Images
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kaiyan Chu
In the era of digital connectivity, images on social media have transcended their traditional representational role to become powerful tools for fostering engagement and communication. This study explores the concept of "high-performance" images—visual content that garners significant popularity and interaction among users. Drawing from my practical experience and adopting an artist's perspective, the research examines the creative practices of contemporary image makers. It also analyzes the historical evolution of digital imagery to investigate how advancements in imaging and dissemination technologies have influenced the aesthetics of image creation. The study focuses on how the crowded, ephemeral online environment, particularly social media, has shaped and developed distinctive visual aesthetics such as nostalgic and green-screen imagery. By revealing the relationship between the development of digital media, audiences' desires for authenticity, immediacy, and accessibility, and artists' approaches to image creation, this research offers significant insights into the interplay between technology and visual culture. By situating image aesthetic transformations within the broader trajectory of image-making technology and dissemination evolution, it uncovers the dynamic roles of technological innovation, aesthetic adaptation, and social engagement in image-based communication, thus contributing to the discourse on contemporary images.
Image and Impact: Visual Methodologies to Instigate Social and Environmental Response View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kelly Salchow MacArthur
As society increasingly relies on images to convey information and messages, it is important to recognize the role and capabilities of visual communicators. The speed at which messages can be shared across the global network necessitates that makers are responsive, sensitive and timely. Clearly considering the audience and determining the intent must guide the visual decisions within a design process if denotation is to function as planned. For over 20 years, my creative research in graphic design has explored various visual communication strategies to inspire the viewer towards social and environmental progress. Methodologies have included humanistic appeals to reconnect with nature, disturbing statistics to instigate response, aesthetic presentation of biophilia, material visualization of concrete poetry, community green mapping with an ecological organization, creative workshops with at-risk youth, and a national poster campaign to empower the women’s vote. Presented through a series of case studies, this paper explores diverse projects that utilize various ways to connect with the audience, users, and stakeholders. The work ranges from local to global, individual to collaborative, short-term to long-term, and grassroots to institutionally supported.
