Wednesday 1 August 2012

Aesthetics Theory… Triadic Interrelationship

DAKE, D. (2005a) Aesthetics Theory. In: K. SMITH, S. MORIARTY, G. BARBATSIS and K. KENNEY (Eds) Handbook of Visual Communication: Theory, Methods, and Media. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. pp3-22.


“Aesthetics permeates all interactions between these three [object:maker:viewer] components of visual communication. Relationships may not immediately reveal the exact intentions of the creator or help the viewer discover any potential hidden interpretations; but intentions, of both the maker and the viewer can alter everyone’s perspective on imagistic meaning. Knowledge of meaning can become clearer through a deliberate process of analysis and interpretation. Heightened awareness of one’s own mental imagery is the first step to assessing this deeper aesthetic aspect of visual communication.” (p6)

Annotation:
The triadic interrelationship of object:maker:viewer (p6) to the interpretation of the meaning according to Dake is framed in an idea as the creator (designer) as author. This is too restrictive for a phenomenological-focused inquiry into the relationships between visual communication, aesthetics of interaction, perception and interpretation. If this triadic is expanded to not think of the creator as author but instead as a semiotic sender, and the viewer (user) as the receiver of the message, then the interrelationship between the two places focus on how they perceive the ‘object’ as a transmission of that meaning. Within interaction design this interrelationship is not a simply one-way transaction as the nature of interaction involves a feedback loop that informs where the interaction goes. Therefore there simply is not just one semiotic message being interpreted, but a continual semiotic dialogue leading the user towards a conclusion to their interactive task. The behavioural change that the visual communication of the dialogue affords is resultant on active interpretation within the user as they perform the interactions.

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