The silent scream — Interpreting and appraising text-based artwork with language barrier

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Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Master's thesis
Location:

Authors

Date

2023

Department

artmed

Major/Subject

Mcode

Degree programme

Master’s Programme in Visual Cultures, Curating and Contemporary Art

Language

en

Pages

42

Series

Abstract

Since the usage of text is introduced into the art world, the boundary between literature and artistic practices has become more and more blurry. The concepts in literature blend with artists’ intentions and rebirth in a completely different form. Now texts are not only presented as a side dish during art appreciation but also a main course in the process. It appears inside an artwork and communicates with its audiences both visually and linguistically. As a foreigner in a country that lives miles away from home, I am attracted by these small details and differences in language. Before analysing the content of a text-based artwork, viewers first see the structure of a word, and understand its meaning individually before grouping it into a sentence to learn the underlying messages. However, what if the viewer does not have any background knowledge of that specific language? And taking it further, what if he or she is from a different cultural background? Can they understand what was happening if they had not experienced it before? In this thesis, I will first be studying the importance of prerequisite knowledge on the interpretation and admiration of text-based artwork. Everyone lives a different reality, and we all have our own opinions and thoughts on our surroundings. It is questionable how much influence culture and language have on our cognition. I will be looking mainly into written language and its function within the context of culture. Then, I will inspect the challenges caused by language barrier and troubles brought by insufficient cultural knowledge. I would like to present that readers can make acceptable interpretations without being correct or knowledgeable enough. It is not necessary that the interpretation has to be correct to achieve the best experience from the artwork. As long as it follows a certain framework by the artist, it could be seen as a valid interpretation. I will continue my thesis by looking into onomatopoeia which was used in my artwork. The study begins by explaining the origin of onomatopoeic words and their association with the natural environment. Through learning and revising, these representations of sound engrave inside our minds and therefore people react to them instinctively. However, due to the diversification of written language, they are shown differently when transferred onto a surface. Thus the last part of my thesis I will be looking into the visuality of onomatopoeic words through comics and literature, which its design would affect the power of the word.

Description

Supervisor

Euro, Pia

Thesis advisor

Euro, Pia

Keywords

languages, linguistic, interpretation, culture, background knowledge, text

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Citation

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202309035378

Collections

[master] Taiteiden ja suunnittelun korkeakoulu / ARTS