'I'm always looking for the Hows and the Whys and the Whats,' said Muskrat, 'That is why I speak as I do. You've heard of Muskrat's Much-in-Little, of course?'
'No,' said the child. 'What is it?'
- The Mouse and his Child. Russell Hoban.

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Saturday 19 September 2009

Killeen and semiotics


I'm investigating the work of New Zealand artist Richard Killeen.  In doing so I need to understand a little of the study of semiotics - how we interpret signs.  Phew.  This is all new to me.  But fascinating.
Here's a cute vid I've stumbled upon...

10 comments:

  1. Interesting - - but infuriating as I just CAN'T understand signs. Give me WORDS!
    However, there are lots of equals signs in the video and I'm pleased to say that Robert Recorde, inventor of the equals sign, was born in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, South Wales - - one of my favourite places.
    http://www.100welshheroes.com/en/biography/robertrecorde

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  2. Even after reading the article in Wikipedia on Semiotics, which is an accomplishment in itself (the reading of it as well as the writing of it), I still don't understand one single equation in the interesting but incomprehensible video accompanying this post.

    I must be missing something really basic.

    I think it means something that the verification word for my comment is "plain."

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  3. Bloggingly, I'm glad you have resurfaced but that video is utter bollocks Katherine. I'm sorry. Richard Kileen should find himself a proper job - like resurfacing roads.

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  4. Hmmm. We keep trying to add meaning where the content is randomly mixed. For me, the experience is like watching a slot machine, the one-armed-bandit. But these images are all fertile in terms of the associations they can kick up, unlike the slot machine's monodimensional ones. Is the video the same each time one views it? Or can it randomize each time a viewer visits it--like life? Hmmmm.

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  5. The video is so interesting and I loved the music. I think those are all puzzles of a sort, but they fly by too fast. I can't make sense of more than a few.

    Thanks for sharing it.

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  6. Not one of those equations made the slightest sense to me, so I'm afraid I stopped it. What am I missing?

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  7. The vid *is* weird, isn't it? It was an art project, and probably beyond the ken of mere mortals like me...
    Richard Killeen's stuff is more understandable, ''tho'. Have a squizz, you might like it.

    Welcome Loon and Marilynne, nice to see new faces here, and thanks for your comments.

    Gidday all you old faithfuls... :-)

    I've still a week to go to the end of term, then maybe I'll get around to having a good sharing blog in the hols and show you what I've been up to. Speaking of up, the studio's up! And I LOVE it. Pics soon.

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  8. PS Daphne, what an interesting fact. About Mr ===Equals===

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  9. Nicely done project, I'd say the music was pretty neat, the way it went right along with content. It took some doing to put it together so well too.

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  10. dh used to teach semiotics. i wish i could be helpful with that comment but i never understood a word of it.

    is it all to do with how we understand one thing by reference to something else?

    and isn't there a saying that it is better to be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt? ...i'll shut up, and wish you well with your study!

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