From photojournalism to social semiotics: a study on how A.R.T.-based research reveals patterns of talking about sustainability
Author
Ferraro Titin, Cecilia
Term
4. term
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-05-31
Abstract
Bæredygtighed har været et stort debattema siden Brundtland-rapporten, men forskningen er ofte polariseret på tværs af fag. Dette speciale argumenterer for hybride tilgange, der blander kunst med social semiotik og multimodal analyse for at give nye indsigter. Ontologisk er arbejdet rammesat af post-konstruktivisme og posthumanisme, som forstår begreber som 'kunst' som udviklende sociale praksisser og inddrager mere-end-menneskelige elementer. Epistemologisk bygger studiet på interpretivisme og hermeneutisk fænomenologi og anvender aktør-netværksteori til at spore forbindelser mellem mennesker, billeder, materialer og ideer. Case-studiet er Aqua Mater, en kunstudstilling i anledning af Verdens Vanddag 2022 med Salgados fotografier som omdrejningspunkt. En kort, fokuseret mikro-etnografi af praksis indsamlede data fra udstillingen. Analysen kombinerede social semiotik og multimodalitet og trak på etablerede rammer: Lemkes tre aspekter af meningsdannelse (præsentation, orientering, organisering), Iedemas begreb om resemiotisering (hvordan betydninger flytter sig på tværs af medier og kontekster) samt van Leeuwen og Jewitts værktøjer til visuel analyse. To billeder (nr. 23 og 24) blev undersøgt hver for sig og samlet. Fundene viser, at elementer i fotografierne, såsom lys og vand, interagerer for at styre publikums opmærksomhed, invitere til bestemte reaktioner og aktivere stærke kulturelle symboler, der fremmer kritisk refleksion. Set semiotisk blev betydninger ikke gjort endegyldige; de forblev åbne og blev forhandlet i udstillingens dynamiske kommunikative rum. Specialet konkluderer, at selv om begivenheder som Verdens Vanddag skaber inspirerende rum for social og kritisk refleksion, er kreative eller kunstbaserede (re)aktioner på bæredygtighed endnu ikke socialt afklaret.
Sustainability has been widely debated since the Brundtland Report, yet research often remains polarized across disciplines. This thesis argues for hybrid approaches that mix the arts with social semiotics and multimodal analysis to offer fresh insights. Ontologically, it is framed by post-constructivism and posthumanism, treating concepts like 'art' as evolving social practices and attending to more-than-human elements. Epistemologically, it follows interpretivism and hermeneutical phenomenology, and uses Actor-Network Theory to trace how people, images, materials, and ideas connect. The case study is Aqua Mater, an art exhibition organized for World Water Day 2022, centered on Salgado's photographs. A short, focused micro-ethnography of practice gathered data from the exhibition. The analysis combined social semiotics and multimodality, drawing on established frameworks: Lemke's three aspects of meaning-making (presentational, orientational, organizational), Iedema's notion of resemiotization (how meanings shift across media and contexts), and van Leeuwen and Jewitt's tools for visual analysis. Two images (nos. 23 and 24) were examined separately and together. Findings show that elements represented in the photographs, such as light and water, interact to direct viewers' attention, invite specific responses, and mobilize powerful cultural symbols that prompt critical reflection. From a semiotic perspective, meanings were not fixed or made indisputable; they remained open and were negotiated within the dynamic communicative space of the exhibition. The thesis concludes that while events like World Water Day create inspiring spaces for social and critical reflection, creative or art-based responses to sustainability are not yet socially agreed upon.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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