Hito Steyerl’s In
Defense of the Poor Image offers an interesting, almost comical commentary
on image quality. I think that Steyerl subtly weaves in the concept that bad
image quality gets such a terrible reaction by a viewer because it too closely
resembles the way we perceive the world.
The power of the image on a screen is that it captures something in a new and
innovate way. Poor quality does not read innovation or creativity, but
distraction from visual communication. There are many factors that can enable
an individual to see an image poorly, such as physical disability, or mentally
with social attitude. The image
recreates this experience of perception and eliminates these disadvantages. It
is almost as if an image with poor quality
pokes fun at the fact that an individual may not be able to see an image of
high quality or creativity with his or her own eyes. This seems to be the
overall theme that is being hinted at in the reading. Anyone can see something poorly, but the image
allows one to see the same thing in a new light, and this communication is
valuable. As Steyerl says, “The poor image is no longer about the real thing…it
is about reality.” High quality image production is essentially selling fantasy,
not reality.
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