Tenth International Conference on The Image

Abstract

This paper reflects upon the subject-object relation of visual art from the perspective of producing and experiencing visual compositions. By eschewing socio-historical statements or specific messages on behalf of the artist, this investigation explores how visual aesthetics can structure and guide interpretation. This premise emerged from an examination of the author’s creative and reflective process in making and presenting a series of photographic compositions. The surprising results of audience interpretation lead to a reexamination of the creative process and how viewers read and decode visual information contained in the visual artifact. The paper explores these themes in two stages. The first examines the production of visual compositions including original intentions and reflective adjustments. The second investigates the imaginative interpretations of the compositions by the viewer. The paper concludes by examining the agency of the artist in the production and presentation process and the cross-dialogue that emerges with the viewer’s subjective interpretation of the compositions based on the visual elements presented in the artwork. The paper concludes with recommendations about how this approach could inform interpretations of other visual media and mediums, such as the built environment.