Image Technologies and Visual Methodologies: Reflections, Experimentations, and Future Redirections

Abstract

More images have been made and circulated in the last decade than in all of the 20th century. This is a startling yet obvious fact that illustrates the central role that images have come to play in contemporary life. However, technological changes in image-based practices have outpaced methodological responses to these transformations. In this article, I reflect on some of the drastic transformations that have occurred over the last two decades within the realm of image-making, image-circulation, and image-engagement. I ask: How are emerging tools and practices of image-making and image-circulation shifting how we understand and use visual methodologies? How might an engagement with the works of contemporary artists offer insight into methodological concerns and offer possible methodological responses? To answer these questions, I place artistic works in conversation with scholars who address methodological concerns. I focus on two key aspects of image-based practices: the nature and structure of cameras, and the form of the image alongside the modalities of engaging, circulating, and analyzing images. In each area, I identify a focal artist and a scholar whose work(s) can respond to emergent concerns. Through this dialogue, this article brings to light emergent concerns for scholars interested in engaging with visual methodologies.