Semiotics, Mythologies & Disparate Truths

For this year's context, we have been introduced to the concept of Semiotics, and how to apply this in context to work and instances in the everyday. Semiotics, ultimately is the study of signs. Semiotics for which can be sectioned out into alternate things:

• Denotation- A term that refers to the common sense- the basic reading of an image, not applying learnt information into the analysis of an image.
• Connotation- A term that refers to making associations about words etc. it links to different things.
• Signs- (Can also be referred to as 'code') Is made of two parts- signifier- the form the sign takes- and the signified- the mental concept of the sign.
• Myths- Refers to the way in which culture thinks about something, a way of conceptualising and understanding it.

An effective example that Jane gave us was : 'Imagine showing something to an elderly person, and then to a young person, despite it being the same object, each person would have alternate mental concepts'

I found an effective example in the fact that in Pixar & Disney films, they have chosen to apply hidden jokes aimed towards the adults and older viewers in the audience, as they're aware that their films are for family entertainment, so want each film to appeal to any age range. The SIGNIFIER in these films are the jokes, and the knowledge that the adults have about the joke is understood and therefore becomes SIGNIFIED. However, in terms of the children watching the SIGNIFIER which is the joke, is something they may not have knowledge about therefore is not SIGNIFIED. In effect, this means that the adult is entertained at different points to the child due to the variation in mental concepts.

Jane showed us a variety of photos and asked us to denote them as effectively as possible, it allowed us to interpret the true meanings behind Semiotics and the fact that Denoting is literally saying what you see, but stripping back the use of learnt information.

Some important figures in the ideology of Semiotics are Charles Saunders Pierce (1839-1914) (USA), Ferdinand Du Saussre (1857-1913) (Switzerland) and Roland Barthes (1915-1980) (France) each shared their viewpoints on what Semiotics was and the effect it has on the viewers, this is something I'd like to look further into.