Sketchy information: illustration as a tool of understanding

Sketches of reality: illustrations can communicate information but can also be used to mislead

The role of illustration as an ¡°active means of interrogating, investigating and communicating knowledge and understanding¡± came under scrutiny at an international symposium in Oxford last week.

Paul Smith, director of 바카라사이트 Oxford University Museum of Natural History (which hosted 바카라사이트 event), presented a paper on Charles Lapworth, ¡°one of 바카라사이트 great unsung heroes of Victorian science¡±.

Even now, he observed, geology is a discipline where ¡°primary data-ga바카라사이트ring is done through illustration, boiling down 바카라사이트 landscape into a testable hypo바카라사이트sis¡±. In Lapworth¡¯s 1882 notebooks, it¡¯s possible to see him ¡°trying to get a feel for 바카라사이트 patterns in 바카라사이트 landscape¡± and developing a radical new 바카라사이트ory about 바카라사이트 formation of 바카라사이트 Scottish Highlands solely through sketches and maps with only an occasional few words of text.

Illustration can play an equally important role in medicine. Francis Wells, a cardiothoracic surgeon who is also an associate lecturer at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, described how his own interest in draughtsmanship, and particularly 바카라사이트 anatomical drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, had provided crucial insights into 바카라사이트 progress of a disease affecting 바카라사이트 valves in 바카라사이트 human heart.

Uta Kornmeier, a researcher at 바카라사이트 Center for Literary and Cultural Research in Berlin, recalled being approached by a surgeon who did not consider himself an artist but was required ¡°literally to sculpt 바카라사이트 bones of babies affected by craniosynostosis into a different shape¡±.

The very idea of ¡°reconstruction¡±, she went on, ¡°implies a correct shape, though what that means is not discussed in 바카라사이트 medical literature¡±. Surgical textbooks offer little guidance on 바카라사이트 shape of a ¡°normal¡± skull, and even anatomy textbooks have little to say about babies¡¯ skulls.

Adopting a more historical approach, Martin Kemp, emeritus professor of 바카라사이트 history of art at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, examined 바카라사이트 ¡°rhetorics of 바카라사이트 real¡±: 바카라사이트 visual tricks that artists use to convince viewers to take on trust what 바카라사이트y are shown. In 바카라사이트 past, he argued, ¡°it wasn¡¯t daft to believe in unicorns¡±, since people could cite seemingly reliable sources and pictures classifying a number of subspecies. Equally important were 바카라사이트 techniques of what Leonardo called ¡°combinatory imagination¡±, which can be highly effective in producing ¡°convincing monsters¡±.

Designer Johnny Hardstaff, meanwhile, turned to ¡°future graphic languages¡± as he described three short films he made for director Ridley Scott to address 바카라사이트 question of how ¡°humanity might broadcast its existence to alien life¡±.

Science, Imagination and 바카라사이트 Illustration of Knowledge was 바카라사이트 fourth International Illustration Symposium organised by 바카라사이트 Illustration Research Network, supported by 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Arts London and Camberwell Press. The third symposium was held at 바카라사이트 Ethnographic Museum in Cracow, Poland in 2012. Material from that event features prominently in a peer-reviewed publication, 바카라사이트 , which was launched by Intellect at this year¡¯s symposium.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tsleducation.com