Image as Language: the science of sign systems

Contents

1. Semiotics & Structuralism

Semiotics is a study of language systems relating to sound, oral and written text.

Structuralism is about applying these theories.

    2. Signs: signifiers + signified ( how a sign is constructed)

eg a fur coat( signifier) + signified: a piece of clothing that keeps you warm, glamour, old money, cruelty to animals. Here the sign is complex  and does not necessarily mean the same for everyone.

    3.Texts-Everything is text, not just what we can read but also the objects that surround us.

    4. Iconic, indexical and symbolic signs.

Iconic signs: look like the thing they represent e.g. photos, portraits

Indexical signs refer to other knowledge e.g. footprints symbolise feet, clouds signify rain. These marks are made physically.

Symbolic signs: they only have meaning due to convention e.g. words, flags, these have to be learnt through knowledge.

Structuralism

A new idea that everything is text- everything we encounter is a 'text'.

Langue: the structural rules and conventions of a system e.g. dictionary contains all the tools you need to do something with language. e.g. form, frame, media, tools: they are the language of our chosen discipline of DAA.

 eg langue for ceramics: clay, tools, kiln.

Parole: the spoken/ individual usage of signs within a system.

Parole for ceramics: Ai weiwei's sunflower seeds, Nicholas Homoky's teapot.

Poststructuralsim

 Everything is text but the meaning is not contained in the text.It relies on the knowledge of other text

to make sense of it. Its about connecting ideas.

Paradigm