Class Visual Culture II

The course introduces students to the main debates, concepts and practices of contemporary visual culture, fostering a critical understanding of the relationships between image, design, art, technology and society. Through the analysis of artworks, exhibitions, cultural objects and systems of visual production, it explores different ways of seeing, interpreting and producing meaning, establishing visual culture as a foundation for Communication Design practice. The course examines contemporary transformations of the image, including digital culture, platforms, artificial intelligence, the circulation and appropriation of images, and the contemporary art system. It promotes an interdisciplinary approach by connecting students with artists, designers, curators and cultural institutions, encouraging a critical, experimental and informed engagement with the challenges of contemporary visual culture.

Not applicable

Ways of seeing and interpreting images: perception, representation and the construction of meaning. Punctum, studium and other critical approaches to the image. Appropriation, remix, post-production and participatory culture. Digital art, networked visual culture and media ecologies. Artificial intelligence, computational visual culture and new regimes of image production. Study visits to museums, galleries, biennials, and contemporary art and design exhibitions. Meetings and discussions with artists, designers, curators and other cultural practitioners. Critical analysis of contemporary artworks, exhibitions and artistic practices. The contemporary art system: artists, curatorship, institutions, the art market and cultural circulation. Study of national and international contemporary artists and visual practices.

The course adopts active learning methodologies, combining lectures and practical sessions, case studies, seminars, study visits, debates, critical image analysis, and direct engagement with artists, designers, curators and cultural institutions. Learning is developed through observation, discussion, experimentation and research, fostering the collaborative construction of knowledge and the development of analytical skills. Digital tools and artificial intelligence systems are also integrated as instruments for research, organisation and experimentation, encouraging their critical, ethical and transparent use.

Agamben, G. (2010). O que é o contemporâneo? E outros ensaios. Argos. Berger, J. (1972/2018). Ways of Seeing. Penguin. Campagna, F. (2021). Prophetic Culture. Bloomsbury. Mirzoeff, N. (2023). An Introduction to Visual Culture (4th ed.). Routledge. Mitchell, W. J. T. (2005). What Do Pictures Want? The Lives and Loves of Images. University of Chicago Press. Melo, A. (2012). Sistema da Arte Contemporânea. Documenta. Steyerl, H. (2017). Duty Free Art. Verso.