Towards Citizen Spectatorship: Visual Culture and Shifting Perceptions of Documentary Media since the Arab Uprisings

Lead Research Organisation: Birmingham City University

Abstract

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Description Towards Seeing Otherwise - A Conversation about Images of Violence with Foundland Collective and Syrian Digital Memory 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Images of violence have become immanent to our everyday media environments. Too often, such images present oversimplified victim-perpetrator binaries and feed into neocolonial narratives about conflict. The 2011 Syrian uprising and war are a case in point-and have demonstrated the need for strategies of safeguarding and visual literacy in engaging with images of violence. In conversation with the artist collective Foundland and the oral history project Syrian Digital Memory, this event explored how creative practices can contribute to a more conscious and critical understanding of conflict and the impact it has on everyday lives and memories.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://eastsideprojects.org/events/towards-seeing-otherwise/
 
Description Towards an Ethics of Looking: Images of Violence and Visual Literacy 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The aim of this two-day workshop was to establish key terms and concepts for working with images of violence and conflict, focused on and yet resonating beyond the context of the 2011 Syrian uprising and war. Over two days, closed working sessions provided a safe space to share current projects and issues, working methods, personal experiences, best practices, and safeguarding strategies. Based on individual case studies, the workshop participants developed a 'glossary for an ethics of looking' which may contribute to a more conscious and critical engagement with images of conflict and violence and promote visual and archival literacy. This glossary will be a useful tool to be employed and further developed in various contexts, be it artistic, academic, archival, or pedagogical.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023