Final Project Report
Andrew Adami
Brian Martinez
Professor Jon Stone
INFO 303
Final Project Proposal
We are using Visual Rhetoric II, “Using Your Eyes” by James Elkins. We will cover five sections of how to look at normal everyday objects in a different light. The five areas of topic we will cover are: oil paintings, pavement, periodic table, the human face, and the human fingerprint. At this point, we are leaning toward doing a video a presentation.
With the first point, oil paintings, we want to possibly get video footage of the art work and show firsthand what Elkins is describing. The same is true for pavement, though we feel photos are going to be much better and easier to present. The periodic table topic will contain various pictures of other tables that were invented for different functions other than the standard one seen in modern chemistry classes. The human face has many symmetrical features that one does not notice on a conscious level but reacts to subconsciously. We were hoping to have compare and contrast photos of people and ask the class to find what is different between the images, making for a more interactive presentation. The human fingerprint can also be engaging to the audience as we show how the fingerprint is mapped and compared to other finger print.
We were thinking of making a power point, with video and audio feeds throughout. In addition we will be talking in class, trying to engage the audience, so as to make it a more holistic learning environment. We wanted to take a trip to Chicago to capture videos of its pavement and of some oil paintings from Art Institute. The other three chapters would be best suited for photo displays during the presentation. Though we were thinking of maybe analyzing our own fingerprints, just another step toward making the presentation more involved.
Brian said that Elkins works at the school of the Art Institute in Chicago. We were thinking that maybe we can arrange a short one minute question and answer video session with him, by very simply emailing him a series of questions. We would inform him that we are making a video presentation about his book and would be grateful for any insightful information about himself or the book in general. Hopefully he can respond via in the internet with a short video of him answering our questions or just saying hello.
Our goal for the project is to inspire people to view not only objects from a different perspective, but ideas as well. The book can be used a building block to understand that not everything is in black and white. Hopefully this can remind us how to use our eyes and our minds to create new ways to see and express ideas.
