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The Visual Metaphor of the Intangible

Toni Bover. La llum com metàfora del llenguatge. 1990-94
Toni Bover. La llum com metàfora del llenguatge. 1990-94

In the project Light as a Metaphor for Language, I experimented with exploring and refining the use of different types of light, focusing broadly on the interplay between the key light and secondary lights and the use of gobos (1) and various reflector panels.

From a conceptual perspective, an old wooden door was a visual support for various elements, such as a text projection using slides, a book, a photograph, a stone, or inanimate natural objects. From an aesthetic viewpoint, images from the Memorare project (mainly of clouds) were revisited while also venturing into themes of visual poetry.

Both consciously and unconsciously, the search for a visual metaphor was guided by the Inner Gaze, aiming to express what is difficult to convey through words or images. Specifically, it sought to evoke an emotional Equivalent (2) associated with sadness.

Keywords

Clouds Inner gaze Light as a metaphor for language Memorare Visual poetry

References

Texts

  • 1. Stroebel L.; Zakia R. (1993) Encyclopedia of Photography.Third Edition. Boston, London: Focal Press. P. 336.
    “A small opaque panel, typically mounted on a boom stand, that is used to shade the light from an area of a subject or to shade a camera lens from direct light that could cause undesirable flare ”.
  • 2. Fontcuberta , J. (1984). Estètica Fotogràfica: Selección de textos. Barcelona: Editorial Blume S.A. P. 211-217. Capítol XVIII: Minor White (1908-1976). B. Equivalencia: tendencia perpetua. (Publicado originariamente en P.S.A. Journal, n. 7, 1963)
    “Cuando una fotografía funciona para una persona determinada como equivalente, podemos decir en ese momento, y para esa persona, la fotografía actúa como un símbolo, o juega rol de una metáfora, de algo que está más allá de lo fotografiado. […] Algunos fotógrafos contemporáneos, […] captan de buena gana el hecho de que las fotografías son espejos de algún estado o sentimiento interno dels espectador. Ellos se incluyen como espectadores de sus propias fotografías y espectadores de los objetos que han seleccionado. Aceptan la verdad de que las fotografías actúan como catalizadores y, por tanto, son una etapa en el proceso y no un producto terminado. Recuerdan que una imagen mental en el cerebro del espectador es más importante que la fotografía misma”.

Images

  • In the first photograph, behind the door, a slide with the reproduction of the first sentence of a text by the philosopher Ignasi Roviró is projected: "Li vessa una llàgrima" (A tear is shed). A text that already appeared in the images of post 030. Light as a metaphor for language. A secondary light, reflected from a gold panel, provided a faint yellowish light under the door latch.
  • In the second image, the main light highlights some objects, while the other elements of the composition remain in the semi-darkness. A triangular-shaped stone and a black and white image stand out. A photograph of an anthropomorphic cloud with blurred outlines used in the Memorare project.
  • In the third photograph, under the gap of a white light shining on the door, the light reflected on a golden panel illuminated the photograph of a book. An image by the Czech Jan Saudek, with the face of a woman with a tear running down her cheeks; tinged black by the decomposition of the make-up that outlined her eyes. (Saudek , J. (1983) . Le monde de Jan Saudek: Photographs. Gèneve: RotoVision, S. A. P. 130).