Aesthetics, authenticity and the spectacle of the real: how do we educate the visual world we live in today?

Adkins, K. (2014) Aesthetics, authenticity and the spectacle of the real: how do we educate the visual world we live in today? International Journal of Art and Design Education, 33(3), pp. 326-334. (doi: 10.1111/jade.12062)

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Abstract

In his analysis of the twentieth century, the philosopher Alain Badiou defined a ‘passion for the real’ in terms of spectacle, in its extreme violence, disseminated through art or cultural media, that would shake us out of a complacency we might call reality. But how do we teach Badiou's ‘real’ in the technological world we live in today? We now have continual access to the ‘spectacle’ of the real uploaded within moments of it happening. Photography, video and consumer journalism become a dominating force in our visual experience of the world. In the face of this, how might we consider our relationship with the image, its aesthetic and authenticity? What role does art education play in promoting a critical dialogue with representations of today's real?

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Adkins, Dr Kirsten
Authors: Adkins, K.
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Theatre Film and TV Studies
Journal Name:International Journal of Art and Design Education
Publisher:Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
ISSN:1476-8062
ISSN (Online):1476-8070
Published Online:22 December 2014

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