Image Analysis in Film: Understanding Visual Culture Concepts

This essay delves into visual culture through the analysis of two distinct images. The first image, depicting Eastern Congo's rebel group, is examined through Stuart Hall's theories of representation, highlighting the connection between culture, meaning, and visual impact. It explores how the image portrays the complexities of conflict, land ownership, and the blending of traditional life with modern challenges. The second image, featuring a lone Jewish woman confronting Israeli forces, is analyzed using Clarke's perspectives on photographic interpretation. It captures the intense emotions and struggles surrounding illegal settlements, forced evacuations, and the debate on neutral representation. Both analyses emphasize the power of images to convey deeper cultural and social meanings, reflecting on themes of identity, conflict, and human resilience. Desklib provides access to similar solved assignments and study tools for students.

Running Head: UNDERSTANDING VISUAL CULTURE
Understanding Visual
Culture

UNDERSTANDING VISUAL CULTURE 1
Answer no 1.
With the help of above displayed image Hall expresses that through
representation, culture and meaning can be connected. The effect from the
representation is profound to be more meaningful and long lasting. It further more
provides the linkage between the language and concepts of Eastern Congo’s rebel
group. This enable the viewer to refer the image with pose showcased with
camouflage headdress. Hall formulates two forms of representation- first is
associated with mental representation which a lay man have in mind set of Eastern
Congo’s rebel group. The latter is built upon the framework of “system of
representation” which is never seen but visualised. It is also recognised as manmade
nature of build complex thoughts and ideas (Hall, 2014).
The picture depicts the distinctiveness of the armed film stock in context of
varied spectrum of infrared light. Besides, it turns the green landscape behind into
the overall array of glaring colours. The landscape which is captured by Mosses’
appears to be beautiful in nature. It also elaborates the sense that life is formerly
extinct. Also, something fatal has been swept off through and otherwise it is
peaceful world. The fight was on the grounds of ownership of land between rebel
militia, Congolese national army and warring tribes. The carrying of gun in hand
illustrates the safety announced because of the violence caused by women rape
cases as well as murder of civil population. The root origin was the stake of claim to
the land, which is painted pink in picture (Hall, 2015). The presence of unnatural
colours in an otherwise untouched world forecasts the prevalence of aesthetic
struggle in the boundaries of untouched world. These hills are layered with the

UNDERSTANDING VISUAL CULTURE 2
elements of corruption and violence. The image penetrates visually by making the
manifest of sinister of violence, which is the resultant outcome of man’s greed. It
reflects the truth about the circumstances dominant in Eastern Congo’s Rebel group.
Here, the material object has been significantly used as a function to communicate
signs along with adjoined meaning.
The implication has reached far beyond in context of theory of representation
and relative understanding of that particular culture. However, the correlation in
between the levels of material, concept and significance are formerly governed by
the linguistic and cultural codes assigned. The resultant set of interconnections
renders meaning to visualise and end up on a meaningful result. The link is
provided by the enigma of representation, which thereby steps down other mental
concepts associated within. Here, the inter linkage between the system of signifier
(picture) with signified (mental concepts) produced signs (Bunyan, 2018). These
signs are transformed into language to yield sense, in context of people depicted
above, accompanied by events and objects of realistic world.
This photograph also depicts that there is a struggle between managing cultural
background and incorporate things that will help in their cultural existence. The
tribes which were used to lead their lives in traditional manners have to adopt the
modernisation so as to safeguard their own cultural history. It also elaborates the
dilemma of the people in the tribal region where they wore traditional attractive
attires and are ready to face the modern day challenges of existence.

UNDERSTANDING VISUAL CULTURE 3
Answer no 2.
As per the discoveries of Clarke in “How do we read a photograph?” it can be
stated that with just a look on photographic image, people outflows under a series of
multifaceted readings. These understandings relates to the extent of assumptions
and expectations, which the individual bring along to the subject itself. Only with
the notion of looking at this picture, it can be recognised that alone Jewish woman
became the strongest pictogram of the unrest which was prevalent in Israel. The
picture also captures the deep intense emotion attached not only with the incidence
but the overall disorder in that situation. The concern behind was a trivial group of
Jews community who took up the dwelling in an illegal settlement on the course of
West Bank (Highbrow, 2017). Thereafter, it was ordered by legalities to destruct
nine homes of residence and army was sent to clear the zone. The outcome was
hundreds of Jewish settlers standing in a row in displayed picture stood ahead to
defend their illegal settlement. There was even the enforcement of physical
altercations by settlers to counterpart the actions of troops (Piechocki, 2017).
The image has been frequently framed as “Lone Jewish Woman” in many
works of different journalists and documentarian. It is prevalent that woman is very
courageous to fight for her existence. Correspondingly, the force has been depicted
shovering the woman out from the way, so that more of the dwellers can be jerked
out of the homes. Almost 200 people were injured during the proceedings of
confrontation, still women stood constant to face the struggle against Israeli forces
(Clarke, 2017). The resistance has been purely highlighted in context of forced
evacuation for the prohibited camp. In fact the violence was legal on grounds along
with stand of demolition from the court. The photograph reminds and leaves behind

UNDERSTANDING VISUAL CULTURE 4
the substitutes of humanity in the circumstances besides true voice raised for
survival. The struggle was prolonged because it was not just an illegal camp instead
someone’s home-grown and life was comprised of. However, the single woman has
been forecasted as a hard wall against overwhelming quantum of men (Dixon,
2015). The debate on the neutral representation has been depicted as a failure in this
image. This is due to the fact that there were so many men who could have helped
this woman but since it was not their fight hence they just were the audience to the
situation. This is the mirror to the world that how the individual existence only
builds the courage to fight with the powerful. People generally get passive at the
time when even something bad is happening so as to protect them from the damage
(Fowler, 2013). Single lady courage against the ideologies of authority is
showcased where she could not get a help due to passiveness of the society while
someone is fighting for existence.

UNDERSTANDING VISUAL CULTURE 5
References:
Bunyan, M. (2018) Safe from harm. Retrieved from https://artblart.com/tag/richard-
mosse-safe-from-harm/
Clarke, G. (2017) A language of photography. Retrieved from
http://www.photopedagogy.com/graham-clarke.html
Dixon, G. N., et al. (2015) The power of a picture: Overcoming scientific
misinformation by communicating weight-of-evidence information with visual
exemplars. Journal of Communication, 65(4), 639-659.
Fowler, R. (2013) Language in the News: Discourse and Ideology in the Press. New
Jersey: Routledge.
Hall, S. (2014) Cultural identity and diaspora. In Diaspora and visual culture.
London: Routledge.
Hall, S. (2015) Representation. London: Routledge.
Highbrow (2017) Lone Jewish Woman By Oded Balilty. Retrieved from
https://gohighbrow.com/lone-jewish-woman/
Piechocki III, L. (2017) The Disparity of Infrastructure between the Jewish Settlements
and Palestinian villages located in the West Bank. Oxon: Springer.