Geoff Cox, Ways of Machine Seeing, Unthinking Photography, The Photographers’ Gallery, 2016.
https://unthinking.photography/articles/ways-of-machine-seeing - Accessed 12th November
- Berger reminds viewers to be aware of the technical reproduction and multiplicity of images and texts. Viewers are encouraged not just to simply watch (or read) in an easy way but rather to be forced into an analysis of elements of “separation” that would lead to a “return from alienation”.
- Filtering of knowledge - The increasing use of relational machines such as search engines is a good example of the ways in which knowledge is filtered at the expense of the more specific detail on how it was produced.
- Algorithmic abstraction - Knowledge is now produced in relation to planetary computational infrastructures in which other agents such as algorithms generalise massive amounts of data.
These algorithms exist as a part of larger infrastructures and ideologies.
- Machine learning and systems of power - "learning in its widest sense, and “machine learning” techniques are employed on data to produce forms of knowledge that are inextricably bound to hegemonic systems of power and prejudice."
- Digital Horizons - 'The world begins to be reproduced through computational models and algorithmic logic, changing what and how we see, think and even behave.'
The difficulty within this statement lies within the dependability of these systems to generalise knowledge sufficiently well.
- Play of Truth and falsehood - The “learners” (machine learning algorithms), although working at the level of generalisation, are also highly contextual and specific to the fields in which they operate in a coming together of what Adrian Mackenzie calls a “play of truth and falsehood.”
- Skepticism - What constitutes knowledge itself can be controlled and arranged in new ways that invoke Berger's call for skepticism.
- Algorithmic governmentality - Antoinette Rouvroy is similarly concerned that algorithms begin to define what counts for knowledge. She writes that "knowledge is delivered “without truth” through the increasing use of machines that filter it through the use of search engines that have no interest in content as such or detail on how knowledge is generated. Instead they privilege real-time relational infrastructures that subsume the knowledge of workers and machines into generalised assemblages as techniques of "algorithmic governmentality"”.
- Machine vision - Machines in themselves cannot 'see' - or at least not the infrastructures and search engines that run on knowledge centred algorithms. We should instead ask ourselves, "how machines have changed the nature of seeing and hence our knowledge of the world?".
Episode One of the Penguin and BBC TV show:
"Ways of Seeing" Episode 1, featuring the insightful commentary of John Berger, is an exploration into the complex world of art and visual perception. Airing in 1972, this groundbreaking series remains a timeless masterpiece in the realm of art criticism.
Berger's approach is unconventional as he challenges traditional art criticism, inviting viewers to question established norms and reconsider their preconceived notions about art. The first episode delves into the concept of how we perceive art, posing fundamental questions about the nature of images and their impact on our understanding.
One of the highlights of the episode is Berger's examination of the female nude in art. By dissecting classical paintings, he explains the power dynamics and societal constructs in these representations. His observations compel the audience to critically engage with the images, prompting a deeper consideration of socio-cultural contexts.
His prose makes art theory accessible and compelling to wider audiences.
Furthermore, Berger's emphasis on the 'democratisation' of art and the role of mass media in shaping perception resonates strongly in today's image-saturated society. His predictions about the evolving nature of visual culture and the impact of technological advancements on how we consume and interpret images remain remarkably prescient.
John Berger's show challenges viewers to reconsider their understanding of art, inviting them to actively participate in the deconstruction and reconstruction of visual narratives.
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