In the first part of this paper, the historical debate about ornamental images is summarized and ... more In the first part of this paper, the historical debate about ornamental images is summarized and interpreted. This leads to the understanding that ornamental images can be seen as a recurring phenomenon, welcomed or abolished, but always present in different occurrences throughout cultural history. In the second part, three different periods of digital technology are distinguished and ornamental images of those eras are analyzed. Based on these studies a conclusion is inferred isolating specific aspects, positioning the chosen digital examples as a continuation of a historic sequence of ornamental images.
The article “Drawing It Out” by Haidy Geismar (2014) in Visual Anthropology Review (Vol. 30, No. ... more The article “Drawing It Out” by Haidy Geismar (2014) in Visual Anthropology Review (Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 97–113) focused on the use of images in early anthropology. The drawings by Arthur Bernard Deacon (1903–1927), which he made during his field studies in Vanuatu, New Hebrides from 1926 until his sudden death caused by blackwater fever in 1927, are the starting point of Geismar’s inquiry. The author discusses Deacon’s drawings and infers the potential of drawing as a methodology for anthropology. Deacon was a young PhD candidate who was sent to Vanuatu from the University of Cambridge. It was his intention to continue the studies of the indigenous culture of the New Hebrides at the time, which had been started by the Department of Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. In contrast to his expectations, Deacon found a culture in the process of decay. The subject of his study, the indigenous culture, had been threatened by diseases and cultural influences that settlers, missiona...
In the first part of this paper, the historical debate about ornamental images is summarized and ... more In the first part of this paper, the historical debate about ornamental images is summarized and interpreted. This leads to the understanding that ornamental images can be seen as a recurring phenomenon, welcomed or abolished, but always present in different occurrences throughout cultural history. In the second part, three different periods of digital technology are distinguished and ornamental images of those eras are analyzed. Based on these studies a conclusion is inferred isolating specific aspects, positioning the chosen digital examples as a continuation of a historic sequence of ornamental images.
The article “Drawing It Out” by Haidy Geismar (2014) in Visual Anthropology Review (Vol. 30, No. ... more The article “Drawing It Out” by Haidy Geismar (2014) in Visual Anthropology Review (Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 97–113) focused on the use of images in early anthropology. The drawings by Arthur Bernard Deacon (1903–1927), which he made during his field studies in Vanuatu, New Hebrides from 1926 until his sudden death caused by blackwater fever in 1927, are the starting point of Geismar’s inquiry. The author discusses Deacon’s drawings and infers the potential of drawing as a methodology for anthropology. Deacon was a young PhD candidate who was sent to Vanuatu from the University of Cambridge. It was his intention to continue the studies of the indigenous culture of the New Hebrides at the time, which had been started by the Department of Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. In contrast to his expectations, Deacon found a culture in the process of decay. The subject of his study, the indigenous culture, had been threatened by diseases and cultural influences that settlers, missiona...
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